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760
Harivamsha Purana
When the city was being consumed by the divine fire, it was clear that the gods had left. This was inevitable, for the destiny of the universe is unpredictable. ||77|| Otherwise, how could the city, created and protected by Kubera under the command of Indra, be consumed by fire? ||78|| "Oh Balarama and Krishna! We have been suffering from the fear of fire for a long time, protect us!" Such were the words of the women, children, and elders, filled with fear and anxiety. ||79|| Balarama and Krishna, filled with anxiety, broke through the city walls and rushed towards the sea, determined to extinguish the fire. ||80|| Balarama, the strong one, drew water from the sea with his plow, but it turned into oil, making the fire burn even more fiercely. ||81|| Realizing that the fire was insurmountable, they placed their mothers, father, and many others on a chariot, yoked elephants and horses to it, and drove it across the earth. But the chariot wheels sank into the earth like they would in mud. This is inevitable, for in times of calamity, where are elephants and horses of any use? ||82-83|| Seeing the elephants and horses useless, the two brothers pulled the chariot themselves with their arms, but the wicked Indra, using a vajra-like nail, stopped the chariot. ||84|| While Balarama was trying to remove the nail with a kick, the angry demon closed the city gate. ||85|| As the two brothers quickly knocked down the gate with their feet, the enemy said, "No one else can leave except you two." ||86||
After that, knowing that their destruction was inevitable, the two mothers and the father, filled with sorrow, said, "Oh sons! Go. Perhaps, while you are alive, the family will not be destroyed." Thus, with the words of their elders imprinted on their minds, the two brothers, filled with sorrow and grief, comforted their distressed and sorrowful parents, fell at their feet, and, accepting their words, left the city. ||87-89||
1. Rakshta m. | 2. Cha. Kha. | 3. Bhayaaditaha m., Kha. | 4. Vajravadkeelaken (ng. ti.) | 5. Paat k., Kha., ng. |