karmÄni puṇya-nivahÄni su-maá¹…galÄni
gÄyaj-jagat-kali-malÄpaharÄṇi ká¹›tvÄ
kÄlÄtmanÄ nivasatÄ yadu-deva-gehe
piṇá¸Ärakaá¹ samagaman munayo nisṛṣá¹Äḥ
viÅ›vÄmitro 'sitaḥ kaṇvo
durvÄsÄ bhá¹›gur aá¹…girÄḥ
kaÅ›yapo vÄmadevo 'trir
vasiá¹£á¹ho nÄradÄdayaḥ
karmÄṇi - fruitive rituals; puṇya - piety; nivahÄni - which bestow; su-maá¹…galÄni - most auspicious; gÄyat - chanting (about which); jagat - for the whole world; kali - of the current, degraded age; mala - the impurities; apaharÄṇi - which take away; ká¹›tvÄ - having performed; kÄla-ÄtmanÄ - by Him who is the very personification of time; nivasatÄ - residing; yadu-deva - of the lord of the Yadus (King Vasudeva); gehe - in the home; piṇá¸Ärakam - to the pilgrimage site known as Piṇá¸Äraka; samagaman - they went; munayaḥ - the sages; nisṛṣá¹Äḥ - being let out; viÅ›vÄmitraḥ asitaḥ kaṇvaḥ - the sages ViÅ›vÄmitra, Asita and Kaṇva; durvÄsÄḥ bhá¹›guḥ aá¹…girÄḥ - DurvÄsÄ, Bhá¹›gu and Aá¹…girÄ; kaÅ›yapaḥ vÄmadevaḥ atriḥ - KaÅ›yapa, VÄmadeva and Atri; vasiá¹£á¹haḥ nÄrada-Ädayaḥ - Vasiá¹£á¹ha, NÄrada and others.
The sages ViÅ›vÄmitra, Asita, Kaṇva, DurvÄsÄ, Bhá¹›gu, Aá¹…girÄ, KaÅ›yapa, VÄmadeva, Atri and Vasiá¹£á¹ha, along with NÄrada and others, once performed fruitive rituals that award abundant pious results, bring great happiness and take away the sins of Kali-yuga for the whole world by merely being recounted. The sages duly executed these rituals in the home of the chief of the Yadus, Vasudeva, the father of Lord Kṛṣṇa. After Lord Kṛṣṇa, who was staying in Vasudeva’s house as time personified, respectfully sent the sages off at the conclusion of the ceremonies, they went to the holy place called Piṇá¸Äraka.
In this verse, Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« begins to narrate the story of the brahminical curse that arose against the Yadu dynasty by the Lord’s desire. According to ÅšrÄ«dhara SvÄmÄ«, certain religious rituals, such as the aÅ›vamedha-yajña, generate pious reactions. On the other hand, activities such as caring for one’s children give immediate pleasure in the present only, whereas rituals performed as atonement take away sinful reactions. But the religious activities mentioned in verse 11, which are indicated by the words karmÄṇi puṇya-nivahÄni su-maá¹…galÄni gÄyaj-jagat-kali-malÄpaharÄṇi, were pious in all respects. They produced abundant pious results and great joy and were so potent that merely glorifying these rituals relieves one from all the sinful reactions of Kali-yuga.
The sages called to Vasudeva’s house to perform such auspicious religious activities were satisfied with proper gifts and then sent by Kṛṣṇa to Piṇá¸Äraka, a nearby holy place situated about two miles from the Arabian Sea on the coast of Gujarat. Its current name is still Piṇá¸Äraka.
Significantly, Lord Kṛṣṇa is mentioned here as kÄlÄtmanÄ, the form of time, or the Supersoul. In the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ the Supreme Personality of Godhead reveals Himself to Arjuna as time personified, appearing on the Battlefield of Kuruká¹£etra to destroy all the kings and armies who constitute a burden to the earth. Similarly, kÄlÄtmanÄ nivasatÄ yadu-deva-gehe: Kṛṣṇa was staying in the home of His father Vasudeva as time personified, thus indicating that the time was approaching for the destruction of His own dynasty according to His desire.
