NARAYANEEYAM DASAKAM - 53 - DENUKASURA VADHAM

Dasakam - 53 - Denukasura vadham

Krishna completed five years and entered boyhood, which is between 6 to 10 years. Then Krishna gave up tending of calves and started to rear cows and cattle. Krishna's reason to incarnate was to protect Gothra, the earth and cows.  As first step, Krishna started to protect cows, befitting the reason he took to incarnate.

One day while Krishna was roaming happily in the forest with his brother Balarama, his close friend Sridhama mentioned about the Talavana near by where there are lot of ripe Jambukas or Palm fruits. The fruits were tasty but no human or animal or birds could enter the forest for the fear of a demon called Dhenukasura. Krishna and Balarama entered the Dhenuka forest. Balarama shook the long Jambu trees and ripe and unripe fruits began to fall. Along with the fruit, Denukasuran appeared in the form of a donkey.

Dhenuka means cow, Krishna being protector of cows did not want to kill the asura with the cow name. So Krishna entrusted slaying of Denuka to his brother Balarama. Balarama caught hold of the hind legs of the donkey and swirled him as fast as he could, hit him against a tree and killed him.

Dhenukasura's friends came rushing in the form of jackals or Jambukas and attacked the brothers, but Krishna and Balarama effortlessly threw them as if they were jambu fruits and killed them. God Varuna who witnessed the event was also shocked as he too had a name called Jambuka and was scared to reveal it outside for the fear that he would be in danger too and so let the name remain only in vedas.

Devas who witnessed the slaying of Denuka, praised Lord that the fruit of incarnation is beginning to be achieved already. However Krishna laughed at it and agreed that he got the fruits in the Denukavanam. Krishna and Gopa boys ate the  honey dripping fleshy fruits to their heart content.

Krishna, Balarama and their friends carried loads of fruits to their houses in the evening. The people at Vrindavana welcomed the boys and happy over Denukasuran vadham, praised the brothers for their mighty valour and ate the sweet fruits happily. Bhattathiri prayed to the Lord who was blessed to live long and be victorious always, to cure him of his afflictions.

Lyrics of Dasakam 53

अतीत्य बाल्यं जगतां पते त्वम्
उपेत्य पौगण्ड वयो मनोज्ञं ।
उपेक्ष्य वत्सावनम् उत्सवेन
प्रावर्तथा गो गण पालनायाम् ॥१॥

atiitya baalyaM jagataaM pate tvam
upetya paugaNDa vayO manOj~nam |
upekshya vatsaavanam utsavena
praavartathaa gO gaNa paalanaayaam || 1 ||

उपक्रमस्यानु-गुणैव सेयं
मरुत्पुराधीश तव प्रवृत्ति: ।
गोत्रा परित्राण कृतेऽवतीर्ण:
तदेव देवा आरभथा: तदा यत् ॥२॥

upakramasyaanu-guNaiva seyaM
marutpuraadhiisha tava pravR^itti: |
gOtraa paritraaNa kR^ite(a)vatiirNa:
tadeva devaa(a)(a)rabhathaa: tadaa yat || 2 ||

कदापि रामेण समं वनान्ते
वनश्रियं वीक्ष्य चरन् सुखेन ।
श्रीदामनाम्न: स्वसखस्य वाचा
मोदादगा धेनुककाननं त्वम् ॥३॥

kadaa(a)pi raameNa samaM vanaante vanashriyaM viikshya charan sukhena |
shriidaamanaamnaH svasakhasya vaachaa mOdaadagaa dhenukakaananaM tvam || 3

उत्ताल ताली निवहे त्वदुक्त्या
बलेन धूतेऽथ बलेन दोर्भ्याम् ।
मृदु: खरश्चाभ्यपतत् पुरस्तात्
फलोत्करो धेनुक दानवोऽपि ॥४॥

uttaala taali inivahe tvaduktyaa
balena dhuute(a)tha balena dOrbhyaam |
mR^idu: kharashchaabhyapatat purastaat
phalOtkarO dhenuka daanavO(a)pi || 4 ||

समुद्यतो धैनुक पालनेऽहं
कथं वधं धैनुकमद्य कुर्वे ।
इतीव मत्वा ध्रुवम् अग्रजेन
सुरौघ योद्धारम् अजीघतस्त्वम् ॥५॥

samudyatO dhainuka paalane(a)haM
kathaM vadhaM dhainukamadya kurve |
itiiva matvaa dhruvam agrajena
suraugha yOddhaaram ajiighatastvam || 5 ||

तदीयभृत्यानपि जम्बुकत्वेन 
उपागतान् अग्रज संयुतस्त्वम् ।
जम्बू फलानीव तदा निरास्थ:
तालेषु खेलन् भगवन् निरास्थ: ॥६॥

tadiiya bhR^ityaanapi jambukatvena
upaagataan agraja samyutastvam |
jambuu phalaaniiva tadaa niraastha:
taaleShu khelan bhagavan niraastha: || 6 ||

विनिघ्नति त्वय्यथ जम्बुकौघं
सनामकत्वात् वरुणस्तदानीम् ।
भयाकुलो जम्बुक नामधेयं
श्रुति प्रसिद्धं व्यधितेति मन्ये ॥७॥

vinighnati tvayyatha jambukaughaM
sanaamakatvaat varuNastadaaniim
bhayaakulO jambuka naamadheyaM
shruti prasiddhaM vyadhiteti manye || 7 ||

तवावतारस्य फलं मुरारे
सञ्जातमद्येति सुरैर्नुतस्त्वम् ।
सत्यं फलं जातमिहेति हासी
बालै: समं ताल फलान् अभुङ्क्था: ॥८॥

tavaavataarasya phalaM muraare
sanjaatamadyeti surairnutastvam |
satyaM phalaM jaatamiheti haasii
baalai: samaM taala phalaan abhunkthaa: || 8 ||

मधुद्रवस्रुन्ति बृहन्ति तानि
फलानि मेदोभर भृन्ति भुक्त्वा ।
तृप्तैश्च दृप्तै: भवनं फलौघं
वहद्भिरागा: खलु बालकैस्त्वम् ॥९॥

madhudravasrunti bR^ihanti taani
phalaani medObhara bhR^inti bhuktvaa |
tR^iptaishcha dR^iptai: bhavanaM phalaughaM
vahadbhiraagaa: khalu baalakaistvam || 9 ||

हतो हतो धेनुक इत्युपेत्य
फलान्यदद्भि: मधुराणि लोकै: ।
जयेति जीवेति नुतो विभो त्वं
मरुत्पुराधीश्वर पाहि रोगात् ॥१०॥

hatO hatO dhenuka ityupetya
phalaanyadadbhi: madhuraaNi lOkai: |
jayeti jiiveti nutO vibhO tvaM
marutpuraadhiishvara paahi rOgaat || 10 ||

--------Sri Krishnarpanam--------