Arjuna Pacifies Krishna by Reciting His Deeds
Krishna's rage blazes so fiercely that it seems he will consume all beings. Arjuna, witnessing this, begins to recite the deeds Krishna performed in his earlier bodies — austerities that lasted millennia, victories over asuras, cosmic manifestations that encompass the universe itself. He speaks until the anger subsides.
Arjuna saw the rage in Krishna and understood what it meant. He began to speak — not to argue, not to deflect, but to remind Krishna of who he was.
"In ancient times," Arjuna said, "you roamed in Mount Gandhamadana for ten thousand years, as a sage who had no abode. You lived in the region of Pushkara for eleven thousand years, surviving on water alone. With your arms raised, standing on one leg and surviving only on air, you spent one hundred years in the vast region of Badari. You were so thin that you seemed to be held by your veins. You lived on the banks of the Sarasvati for a sacrifice that went on for twelve years. You went to the sacred pilgrimage of Prabhasa and stood there on one leg for one thousand divine years, practicing austerities and observing rites."
He spoke of Krishna's victories. "You killed Naraka, famous as Bhoumya, the one with the earrings. You performed the first horse sacrifice. When all the daityas and danavas assembled together, you killed them in battle. You then gave lordship over everything to Shachi's husband."
He spoke of Krishna's manifestations. "You became Brahma, Soma, Surya, Dharma, Dhata, Yama, Anala, Vayu, Vaishravana, Rudra, Kala, the sky, the earth, and the directions. You are without birth. You are the preceptor of everything that moves and is still. You are the creator. You are the supreme being."
He spoke of Krishna's childhood. "While you were only a child, you used your energy to cover heaven, sky, and earth in three steps. You have attained heaven. You ride the sky seated in the sun's chariot. Through your radiance, you are brighter than the sun."
He spoke of Krishna's deeds in the world of men. "The Mouravas and the Pashas have been destroyed. Nisunda and Naraka have been killed. Kratha, Shishupala and his followers, Bhimasena, Shaibya, and Shatadhanva have been conquered. You killed Shalva, the lord of Soubha, and brought down Soubha itself. You journeyed to the ocean and made Dvaraka your own."
And then he spoke of what Krishna was beyond all deeds. "You show no anger, no jealousy, and no falsehood. No cruelty or crookedness is established in you. You are seated in the center of the mind, radiant in your own energy. The rishis come to you there and ask for freedom from fear. You gather up all beings at the end of a yuga. You withdraw the entire universe into yourself and remain alone. No other one in the past has performed such deeds, nor will they in the future."
The great-souled Pandava, who was like Krishna's soul himself, fell silent. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 310