Parāçara said:—Syāla having called Gargya, the Brāhmana, whilst at the
cow-pens, impotent, in an assembly of the Yādavas, they all laughed; at
which he was highly offended, and repaired to the shores of the western
sea, where he engaged in arduous penance to obtain a son, who should be
a terror to the tribe of Yadu. Propitiating Mahādeva, and living upon
iron sand for twelve years, the deity at last was pleased with him, and
gave him the desired boon. The king of the Yadanas, who was childless,
became the friend of Gārgya; and the latter begot a son by his wife, who
was as black as a bee, and thence called Kālayavana. The Yavana king
having placed his son, whose breast was as hard as the point of the
thunderbolt, upon the throne, retired to the woods. Inflated with the
conceit of his prowess Kālayavana demanded of Nārada who were the most
mighty heroes on earth. To which the sage answered. "The Yādavas".
Accordingly Kālayavana assembled many myriads of Mlechhas and
barbarians, with a vast armament of elephants, cavalry, chariots, and
foot, advanced impatiently against Mathura and the Yādavas; wearying
every day the animal that carried him, but insensible of fatigue
himself.
When Krishna knew of his approach, he reflected that if the Yādavas
encountered the Yavana, they would be so much weakened by the conflict,
that they would then be overcome by the king of Magadha; that their
force was much reduced by the war with Magadha, whilst that of
Kālayavana was unbroken; and that the enemy might, therefore, be
victorious. Thus the Yādavas were exposed to a double danger. He
resolved therefore to construct a citadel for the Yadu tribe, that
should not be easily taken; one that even women might defend, and in
which therefore the heroes of the house of Vrishni should be secure; one
in which the male combatants of the Yādavas should dread no peril,
though he himself should be drunk or careless, asleep or abroad. Thus
reflecting, Krishna solicited a space of twelve furlongs from the ocean,
and there he built the city of Dwārakā, defended by high ramparts, and
beautified with gardens and reservoirs of water, crowded with houses and
buildings, and splendid as the capital of Indra, Amarāvati. Thither
Janārddana conducted the inhabitants of Mathura, and then awaited at
that city the approach of Kālayavana.
When the hostile army encamped round Mathura, Krishna, unarmed, went
forth, and beheld the Yavana king. Kālyavana, the strong-armed,
recognising Vāsudeva, pursued him; him whom the thoughts of perfect
ascetics cannot overtake. Thus pursued, Krishna entered a large cavern
where Muchukunda, the king of men, was asleep. The rash Yavana entering
the cave and beholding a man lying asleep there, concluded it must be
Krishna, and kicked him; at which Muchukunda awoke, casting on him an
angry glance, the Yavana was instantly consumed, and reduced to ashes.
For, in a battle between the gods and demons, Muchukunda had formerly
contributed to the defeat of the latter; and being overcome with sleep,
he solicited of the gods as a boon that he should enjoy a long repose.
"Sleep long and soundly," said the gods; "whoever disturbs you shall be
instantly burnt to ashes by fire emanating from your body".
Having burnt up the iniquitous Yavana, and beholding the foe of Madhu,
Muchukunda asked him who he was. "I am born," he replied, "in the lunar
race, in the tribe of Yadu, and am the son of Vasudeva". Muchukunda,
recollecting the prophecy of old Garga, fell down before the lord of
all, Hari, saying. "Thou art known, supreme lord, to be a portion of
Vishnu; for it was said of old by Garga, that at the end of the
twenty-eighth Dwāpara age, Hari would be born in the family of Yadu.
Thou art he, without doubt, the benefactor of mankind for thy glory I am
unable to endure. Thy words are of deeper tone than the muttering of the
rain cloud; and earth sinks down beneath the pressure of thy feet. As in
the battle between the gods and demons, the Asuras were unable to
sustain my lustre, so even am I incapable of bearing thy radiance. Thou
alone art the refuge of every living being who has lighted on the world.
Do thou, who art the alleviator of all distress, show favour upon me,
and remove from me all that is evil. Thou art the oceans, the mountains,
the rivers, the forests; thou art earth, sky, air, water, and fire; thou
art mind, intelligence, the unevolved principle, vital airs, the lord,
life—the soul; all that is beyond the soul; the all-pervading; exempt
from the vicissitudes of birth; devoid of sensible properties, sound and
the like: undecaying, illimitable, imperishable, subject neither to
increase nor diminution; thou art that which is Brahmā, without
beginning or end. From thee the immortals, the progenitors, the Yakshas,
Gandharvas, and Kinnaras, the Siddhas, the nymphs of heaven, men,
animals, birds, deers, reptiles, and all the vegetable world, proceed;
and all that has been, or will be, or is now movable or fixed. All that
is amorphous or has form, all that is subtile, gross, salable, or
movable, thou art, O creator of the world; and beside thee there is not
anything. O lord, I have been whirled round in the circle of worldly
existence for ever, and have suffered the three classes of affliction,
and there is no rest whatever. I have mistaken pains for pleasures,
sultry vapours for a pool of water; and their enjoyment has yielded me
nothing but sorrow. The earth, dominion, forces, treasures, friends,
children, wife, dependants, all the objects of sense, have I possessed
imagining them to be sources of happiness; but I found that in their
changeable nature, O lord, they were nothing but vexation. The gods
themselves though high in heaven, were in need of my alliance. Where
then is everlasting repose? Who, without adoring thee, who art the
origin of all worlds, shall attain, O supreme deity, that rest which
endures for ever? Beguiled by thy delusions, and ignorant of thy nature,
men, after suffering the various penalties of birth, death, and
infirmity, behold the countenance of the king of ghosts, and suffer in
hell dreadful tortures, the reward of their own deeds. Addicted to
sensual objects through thy delusions, I revolve in the whirlpool of
selfishness and pride; and hence I come to thee, as my final refuge who
art the lord deserving of all homage, than whom there is no other
asylum; my mind afflicted with repentance for my trust in the world, and
desiring the fullness of felicity, emancipation from all existence".