Kṛṣṇa Enters Dvārakā
This chapter contains thirty-nine verses, out of which the first five are spoken by Śrī Sūta, verses 6–9 by the residents of Dvārakā, and the remaining verses are again spoken by Śrī Sūta. The previous chapter ended with Sūta’s description of Kṛṣṇa’s departure from Hastināpura and His arrival at the border of Dvārakā. Now in this chapter, Sūta describes Kṛṣṇa’s entrance into Dvārakā.
After approaching His city, Kṛṣṇa blew His conch to announce His arrival. Upon hearing the sound of His conch, which was entirely unique, the residents immediately rushed to receive Him, carrying gifts to honor and worship Him (verses 1–5). On seeing Kṛṣṇa, they spoke to Him just as children would speak to their affectionate father. They expressed their devotion to His feet, their great fortune at being able to see Him regularly, and their inability to tolerate separation from Him (verses 6–9). Kṛṣṇa acknowledged their words and glanced upon them as an extension of His grace (verse 10). Sūta then describes the beauty and opulence of the city, and the festive manner in which it was decorated in preparation for Kṛṣṇa’s arrival (verses 11–15).
When the Yādavas, headed by Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Akrura, and Balarāma, heard about Kṛṣṇa’s arrival, they all mounted their chariots and hurried to receive Him. They kept a decorated elephant at the front of the procession as a mark of auspiciousness and were accompanied by brāhmaṇas reciting Vedic mantras. There were dancers, singers, bards, sūtas, and city girls reciting eulogies to Him. Kṛṣṇa received the members of His family each according to their status. He bowed down to the seniors, shook hands with or embraced equals, and blessed the juniors (verses 16–23). The ladies of the city went to the rooftops of their houses to enjoy the festival of seeing Kṛṣṇa. Their eyes, however, were not at all satiated by gazing upon Him, whose face is a drinking vessel of ambrosial beauty for the eyes. As Kṛṣṇa proceeded along the road, His beauty was compared to that of a cloud surrounded by the sun, the moon, stars, a rainbow, and lightning (verses 24–27).
Kṛṣṇa then entered the home of His parents, where He joyfully bowed to His mothers, who embraced Him and showered Him with tears of ecstasy (verses 28–29). Finally, Kṛṣṇa entered His own palace, which accommodated 16,108 mansions within a single palace. There, He was greeted by His queens, who embraced Him first within their hearts, then with their eyes, and lastly through their sons (verses 30–33). Sūta then points out that although Kṛṣṇa enjoyed in the midst of His queens in the manner of an ordinary human being, His mind was never agitated by their alluring amorous gestures, which were bewildering even to Cupid himself. Foolish people, however, thought of Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary man under the control of His queens. Sūta thus concludes the chapter by declaring that Kṛṣṇa’s supreme divinity lies in the fact that although He is present within material nature, He is never influenced by its guṇas.
All Verses
- Verse 1Śrī Sūta said: After reaching His highly prosperous land of Ānarta, Śrī Kṛṣṇa sounded His Pāñcajanya, the best of conches, as if to dispel the dejection of the citizens.
- Verse 2While being blown, that conch, although white-bodied by constitution, appeared reddish from the touch of the rosy-red lips of Urukrama [Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. As it rested in His lotus palms, it shone most beautifully, like a loudly trumpeting swan positioned in the midst of a cluster of red lotuses.
- Verse 3On hearing that sound of Kṛṣṇa’s conch, which frightens away worldly fears, all the citizens of Dvārakā scurried toward Him, eager to see their Master.
- Verse 4-5Just as ghee lamps are offered to the sun, gifts were brought and offered with great reverence by the citizens to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who delights in His own Self and whose will is eternally complete by the prior attainment of His own essential being of supreme bliss. With their faces blossoming out of love and their voices faltering due to ecstasy, they spoke to Him, the unconditional friend and guardian of all, like young children speaking to their father.
- Verse 6O Master, we bow down continuously to Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Brahmā, the sons of Brahmā, and Indra, the chief of the devas, which are the supreme refuge for those desiring the ultimate good in the midst of worldly existence, and over which, time, the supreme controller even of great beings such as Brahmā, has no influence.
- Verse 7O Originating Source of the Cosmos, may You grant us well-being, since You alone are our mother, benefactor, master, and father. You are our true spiritual guide and supreme Deity, by the service of whom, we have become completely fulfilled.
- Verse 8How fortunate that we have been blessed to have a Master such as You, for we are able to gaze upon Your form, which is the embodiment of all beauty, and Your face with its loving smiles and affectionate glances, which is rarely seen even by the devas.
- Verse 9O Lotus-eyed Lord! O Infallible One! Whenever You go away to see Your relatives, the residents of Hastināpura or those of Mathurā, at such times even a single moment appears like millions of years to us, who belong to You, and we become like eyes deprived of sunlight.
- Verse 10Hearing these and other words spoken by the people of Dvārakā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is affectionate toward His devotees, entered the city while extending grace by His delightful glances.
- Verse 11Just as the city of Bhogavatī is protected by the semidivine serpents (Nāgas), Dvārakā was protected by the Madhus, Bhojas, Daśārhas, Arhas, Kukuras, Andhakas, and Vṛṣṇis, who were as powerful as Kṛṣṇa Himself.
- Verse 12The city was beautiful with its lotus lakes surrounded by orchards, flower gardens, and parks abounding with sacred trees and vine-covered pavilions, and overflowing with fruits and flowers of every season.
- Verse 13Festive decorations adorned the main city gate, the entrances of the houses, and the roadways, while sunlight was obstructed from the city’s inner quarters by the fluttering tips of the various flags and banners.
- Verse 14The city’s main roads, lanes, markets, and squares were neatly swept, sprinkled with scented water, and strewn with fruits, flowers, unbroken rice, and barley sprouts.
- Verse 15The entrance of each house was decorated with curd, unbroken rice, fruit, sugarcane, pitchers full of water, articles for offerings, incense, and ghee lamps.
- Verse 16-17Hearing of the arrival of their most beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the noble-minded Vasudeva, Akrūra, Ugrasena, Balarāma of unparalleled prowess, Pradyumna, Cārudeṣṇa, and Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī, abandoned their beds, seats, and meals out of exuberant joy.
- Verse 18Filled with reverence, overcome with delight, and perturbed out of love, they proceeded hurriedly on their chariots toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa, placing the best of elephants in front [as a sign of auspiciousness] and accompanied by brāhmaṇas carrying auspicious items, along with the resounding of conches and trumpets and the recitation of Vedic hymns.
- Verse 19Hundreds of the best courtesans, whose faces were beautiful and whose cheeks shone from their glittering earrings, went in vehicles, being very eager to see Him.
- Verse 20The actors, dancers, singers, Puranic storytellers, eulogists, and bards, all came forward and glorified the wonderful deeds of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is praised in choice poetry.
- Verse 21Here and there, Bhagavān approached His relatives, attendants, and residents of the city in the befitting manner and offered respect to all of them.
- Verse 22Comforting everyone by bowing down, greeting courteously, embracing, shaking hands, and glancing with a smile, the omnipotent Bhagavān also extended respect by awarding coveted boons to all, including even the dog-eaters.
- Verse 23Being Himself blessed by venerable relatives, by the brāhmaṇas, and by respectful elders, each along with their wives, and [glorified] by bards and others, Kṛṣṇa entered the city.
- Verse 24O brāhmaṇa [Śaunaka], as Kṛṣṇa proceeded along the main road of Dvārakā, the women of noble families climbed up to the roofs of their mansions to enjoy the marvelous festival of seeing Him.
- Verse 25Although they regularly beheld Acyuta [Kṛṣṇa], whose limbs are the abode of beauty, yet because the eyes of the women of Dvārakā were not at all satiated, therefore [they climbed up to the roofs of their mansions to see Him].
- Verse 26[The eyes of the women of Dvārakā were not at all satiated in spite of regularly seeing Him,] whose chest is the abode of Śrī, the Goddess of Fortune, whose face is a drinking vessel of ambrosial beauty for the eyes of all living beings, whose arms are the shelter of the protectors of the worlds [such as Indra], and whose lotus feet are the refuge of His devotees, who sing His essential glories.
- Verse 27Adorned with a brilliant white parasol and two white cāmara fans, being showered with flowers along the way, clad in yellow garments, and wearing a garland of forest flowers, Śrī Kṛṣṇa shone beautifully like a cloud surrounded by the sun, the moon, stars, a rainbow, and lightning.
- Verse 28Then, Kṛṣṇa entered the house of His parents and was embraced by His mothers. He joyfully bowed His head to all seven mothers, headed by Devakī.
- Verse 29Placing their son [Śrī Kṛṣṇa] on their laps, the mothers, whose breasts were flowing with milk out of affection and whose hearts were overcome with joy, showered Him with tears of ecstasy streaming from their eyes.
- Verse 30Thereafter, Kṛṣṇa entered His own palace, which was without comparison and was equipped with all desirable objects, and wherein sixteen thousand mansions were accommodated, one for each of His wives.
- Verse 31Seeing from a distance their husband returning home after residing abroad, Kṛṣṇa’s wives felt a great festival of delight arisen in their hearts. With bashful eyes and faces, they immediately gave up their physical seats as well as their internalized seats of rapt meditation on Him along with their vows [pertaining to the period of separation from their husband].
- Verse 32O best of the Bhṛgu dynasty, being full of intense love, the queens first embraced their husband within their minds, then with their eyes, and finally through their sons. Although the bashful queens suppressed the tears from their eyes, they trickled down out of excitement.
- Verse 33Although He remained by their side, and moreover in a private chamber, His feet appeared newer and newer to them at every moment. What woman would abandon His feet, which the Goddess of Fortune, Śrī, though fickle by nature, never gives up?
- Verse 34Just as the wind, after instigating a fire by the frictional rubbing of bamboo trees, finally becomes still, by accomplishing their mutual destruction, so too, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who did not personally take up any weapons in the war, after inciting animosity between the kings whose very birth posed a burden to the earth and whose influence was proliferated in all directions—being surrounded by massive military divisions, consisting of elephants, cavalry, chariots, and infantry—finally remained at peace, by seeing to their mutual destruction.
- Verse 35That same Bhagavān [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], who avatārically descended in this human world by His own intrinsic potency [yoga-māyā], enjoyed in the midst of an assembly of jewel-like women, in the manner of an ordinary man.
- Verse 36Subdued by the pure enchanting smiles and bashful glances of those jewel-like women, indicative of their exalted love, even Cupid himself became bewildered and dropped his bow. But these foremost intoxicated women were unable to agitate the senses of Śrī Kṛṣṇa by their alluring amorous gestures.
- Verse 37Although He is certainly without attachment, common people, due to ignorance, consider Him as an attached human being, engaged in worldly desire-based actions, just like themselves.
- Verse 38This is the supreme divinity of the Supremely Divine, that although He is present in the midst of material nature, He is never influenced by its guṇas, just as the wisdom faculty, though sheltered in the body, remains uninfluenced by the guṇas that inhere in the body.
- Verse 39The ignorant wives, being unaware of the supreme glory of their husband, considered Him, Īśvara, to be under their control and devoted to them in private, just as people’s mental ideations conceive of Īśvara [as being subject to them and as partaking of their characteristics].