35 verses
Sūta said: Arriving at his own prosperous city of Dvārakā, Kṛṣṇa, somewhat allaying the suffering of the inhabitants, blew the best of conch shells.
The white-bellied conch, continually blown in his lotus hands, like a bellowing swan amidst a lotus grove, reddened by the touch of Kṛṣṇas lips, appeared most attractive.
That conch appeared beautiful (uccakāśe), being reddened by the red of his lips. He continually blew it (dādhmāyamānaḥ). The conch held in his hands was like a swan in a group of lotuses (abja-ṣaṇòe).
Hearing that sound of the conch, which gives fear to the dangers of material existence, all the citizens, desiring to see their master, went out to meet him,
The conch gives fear to the fear of this material existence.
Offering him gifts like offering a lamp to the sun, faces blossoming in affection, they began to speak with words choked up with joy to Kṛṣṇa, who is always satisfied with his own qualities, who is satisfied with himself, and who is always their friend and protector, like a father protecting his children.
They offered gifts (upanītāḥ balayaḥ), which were given out of adoration, though he did not need them, just like a sun worshipper offers a lamp to the sun. They spoke to Kṛṣṇa who was their protector, like a father protecting children. Ātmārāmam (self-satisfied) indicates that he was not dependent on the gifts.
O master! We continually offer respects to your lotus feet, the supreme shelter for those desiring the highest benefit, which are worshipped by Brahmā, the Kumāras, Indra, which cannot be influenced by time, though time controls even Brahmā.
Vairiñcyāh means the Kumāras. Param parāyaṇam means the supreme shelter. In the shelter of these lotus feet, the master of Brahmā and others (paraḥ prabhuḥ), time, does not have power.
Protector of the universe! Work for our best interests! You alone are our mother, father, friend and master. You are our guru and supreme deity, by following whom we have become successful.
Bhavāya means for welfare. Medinī says bhavaḥ kṣeme saṁsāre: bhava means welfare and material existence.
In you we have found our master. We have become successful, because we can see your form endowed with all good qualities, with a face smiling in love and glancing in affection, which is difficult to see for the devatās.
Triaviṣṭapānām means of the devatās.
O lotus-eyed Lord! When you go to Hastināpura or Vraja to see your friends, one moment becomes like a trillion years for us, who belong to you, and who become like eyes without the sun.
O lotuseyed Lord! A version which has no bhavān is not accepted. Kurūn means Hastināpura and madhūn means Vraja, not Mathurā, because at that time none of his friends resided there. This is understood from the word all in the statement tatra yoga-prabhāvena nītvā sarva-janaṁ hariḥ: the Lord by his power of yoga brought all the inhabitants of Mathurā to Dvārakā. (SB 10.50.57) He sent messengers back to the gopīs when he was leaving, saying I will come back. (SB 10.39.35) And he sent Nanda back to Vraja saying, I will come to see you. (SB 10.45.23) Though it is clearly mentioned in Padma Purāṇa and other Purāṇas that he did return, it can be understood from this verse of Bhāgavatam as well. When you leave, a moment becomes like a trillion years for us (naḥ) who belong to you (tava).
O Lord! When you leave, how can we maintain our lives, not seeing your attractive face decorated with a pleasing smile, which dries up all miseries with its joyful glances?
After hearing these words from the citizens, Kṛṣṇa, affectionate to his devotees, spreading mercy by his glance, entered the city.
He glanced at the citizens.
He entered the city, protected by the Madhus, Bhojas, Daśārhas, Arhas, Kukuras, Andhakas and Vṛṣṇis, similar in strength to himself. The city appeared like the city of Bhogavatī protected by the Nāgas.
Dvārakā is described in five verses.
The city appeared splendid with lakes surrounded by pleasure gardens and plantations, with groves of pious trees and creepers giving fruit and flowers of all seasons.
The city appeared splendid with lakes or lotus pools (padmākara) surrounded by forests for recreation giving flowers, and groves giving fruit, and with groves of pious creepers and trees giving flowers of all seasons.
Festoons had been placed over the gates and doors. The multitude of colorful flags with insignias and with auspicious patterns prevented the heat from entering.
Gopuras are city gates. Dvāras are doors to houses. The heat of the sun was stopped from entering within by the flags.
The major roads, lanes, market roads and footpaths were sprinkled with scented water and spread with flowers, fruit, rice and sprouts.
Mahā-mārga means main road. Rathya are other roads. Āpaṇaka means shopping street. Catvara is a footpath. Uptām means sprinkled.
The city was adorned with full water pots, incense, lamps, offerings, yogurt, rice, fruits and sugar cane stalks at the door of every house.
pradyumnaś cārudeṣṇaś ca sāmbo jāmbavatī-sutaḥ | praharṣa-vegocchaśita- śayanāsana-bhojanāḥ || Hearing that their dear Lord was coming, liberal Vasudeva, Akrūra, Ugrasena, Balarāma of astonishing prowess, Pradyumna, Cārudeṣna, Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī, overlooking eating, sitting, and sleeping out of great bliss, overjoyed and enthusiastic, excited from love, putting the best elephants in front, went out with brāhmaṇas decorated auspiciously, accompanied by chanting of mantras and the sounds of conches and tūryas. Hundreds of beautiful dancing girls, eager to see the Lord, with glittering earrings lighting up their cheeks, also came on vehicles,
vāraṇendraṁ puraskṛtya brāhmaṇaiḥ sasumaḍgalaiḥ |
śaḍkha-tūrya-ninādena brahma-ghoṣeṇa cādṛtāḥ |
pratyujjagmū rathair hṛṣṭāḥ praṇayāgata-sādhvasāḥ ||
vāramukhyāś ca śataśo yānais tad-darśanotsukāḥ |
lasat-kuṇòala-nirbhāta-kapola-vadana-śriyaḥ ||
Four verses are one sentence. The word preṣṭham can be taken either with conventional meaning of husband (for the queens) or with its etymological meaning dear. Out of joy they overlooked (ucchaśita) eating etc. The verb śaś means to jump up. Sādhvasam means zeal.
The actors, dancers, singers, reciters, bards and eulogists sang about the astonishing activities of the Lord.
Naṭas (actors) are those who are skillful at portraying rasa. Nartakas (dancers) are those who dance to the rhythms of the songs. Gandharvās are singers. Sūtas recite Purāṇas. Māgadhas praise the lineage of families. Vandis of pure intelligence sing praises.
The Lord met them all and suitably respected all friends, relatives, and citizens who had come.
Yathāvidhi means as suitable.
Removing all fear from fathers and gurus by bowing his head, greeting the elders of the Yadus with words, others with embraces, the touch of his hands, smiles and glances, he respected all, down to the outcastes with desirable gifts.
Prahvā means to bow the head. He did this to fathers and other elder relatives and to sages like Garga. He greeted elders of the Yadu clan with words. Down to the outcastes he comforted all, giving them fearlessness. Varaiḥ means by desirable gifts.
Receiving blessings from fathers and teachers, brāhmaṇas, elders with their wives, eulogists and others, he entered the city.
Gurubhiḥ means by grandfathers and others.
O brāhmaṇas! When Kṛṣṇa arrived at the main road, the women of Dvārakā, overjoyed on seeing him, climbed to the top of the palaces, because the eyes of the inhabitants of Dvārakā could not be satisfied even with constantly gazing upon Acyuta, whose limbs were the abode of beauty.
Viprāḥ means O brāhmaṇas! They went to the tops of the palaces because (yat) their eyes, even gazing at him constantly, were not satisfied. His limbs were the abode of beauty.
His chest is the shelter of Lakṣmī, his face, the drinking vessel, is the shelter for the eyes, his arms are the shelter of the protectors of the word, and his lotus feet are the shelter of the bee-like devotees.
His face, a cup full of sweet beauty, is the shelter for the eyes. His arms are the shelter for protectors of the planets such as Indra. Taking shelter of their strength, they become fearless of the demons and live comfortably. Sāraḍga can mean those who sing (ga) the glories of the Lord (sāram), the devotees. As a pun, it means a bee, which takes shelter of the lotus.
On the road, furnished with umbrella and cāmaras, showered with flowers, wearing yellow cloth with a garland, he appeared to be a cloud with the sun, moon, rainbow and lightning.
Vaidyutam is lightning. A comparison is made between Kṛṣṇa and a cloud. The umbrella is like the sun, and the waving of two cāmaras, with their circular movements, are like two moons. The showers of flowers are like stars. The flower garland is like two rainbows. His yellow cloth is like lightning. It is astonishing that the sun and two moons simultaneously shine on a cloud with the stars, two rainbows and stationary lightning. This is how the Lord appeared.
Entering the house of his parents, embraced by seven mothers, headed by Devakī, he offered respects with his head to them.
This is mentioned to show that he greatly respected the seven because they were sisters of his mother Devakī. Vasudeva actually had eighteen wives and he offered respects to all of them as his mothers.
Hearts trembling with joy, milk flowing from their breasts, they put Kṛṣṇa on their laps, and moistened them with their tears.
He then entered his own incomparable quarters which satisfied all desires, where there were sixteen thousands one hundred and eight palaces for his queens.
Sva-bhavanam means his own quarters. Ca with sixteen thousand indicates an additional one hundred and eight.
Seeing from a distance their husband arrive after absence, with great desire in their minds, with bend heads and shy glances, they quickly rose from their seats and their minds, along with their penances.
Kṛṣṇa entered each of the palaces of the queens simultaneously in many forms. When each saw him, they thought Kṛṣṇa has come to me first. This verse describes the reactions of the queens. Their mind became filled with great joy (sañjāta-mano-mahotsavāḥ). This is the initial desire. Then they rose from their seats (āsanaā) and from their hearts (āśayāt). Then they glanced at him from the sides of their eyes with bent heads (vrīòita-locanānanāḥ). This means that they first gave up their seats to embrace their Lord, using the body. They then noticed an obstacle in the form of their bashfulness. They therefore gave up their minds, which were the dwelling place of that bashfulness, and embraced him with their souls. They completely overlooked their bodies and minds. Seeing their beloved, suddenly they fainted out of the bliss of prema arising from desire to touch him, because in fainting, as with deep sleep and loss of consciousness, there is no obstruction of the mind. Yājñavalkya speaks of vratas:
krīòāṁ śarīra-saṁskāraṁ samājotsava-darśanam |
hāsyaṁ para-gṛhe yānaṁ tyajet proṣita-bhartṛkā ||
In absence from her husband the wife should give up recreation, cleaning the body, seeing festivals in society, laughing and going to other houses.
They rose along with their vratas. Though it was improper for them to be seen by their husband in a state of vrata, because they could not suddenly give up those vratas, they rose along with their vratas. Seeing them in an unkempt state because of separation, he became more affectionate to them.
The queens first embraced the Lord with their eyes, full of desire, and then they embraced with their subtle bodies so that no one could see. O chief amongst the Bhṛgus, though they tried to restrain their tears because of embarrassment, they inadvertently shed some tears.
This verse describes how they embraced Kṛṣṇa in spite of the obstacle of their shyness. Ātma-jaiḥ refers to Cupid born of the mind or conjugal desire. Amara-koṣa says makaradhvaja ātma-bhūḥ: ātma-bhūh means Cupid. They saw him with intense desire. First they embraced him with their eyes filled with desire. This is enjoyment through the eyes. Having him enter within the holes of their eyes, they embraced him with their subtle body (antar-ātmanā) because they did not want others to understand what they were doing. This method of women in love is described later
taṁ kācin netra-randhreṇa hṛdi kṛtvā nimīlya ca |
pulakāḍgy upaguhyāste yogīvānanda-samplutā ||
One gopī took the Lord through the aperture of her eyes and placed Him within her heart. Then, with her eyes closed and her bodily hairs standing on end, she continuously embraced him within. Thus immersed in transcendental ecstasy, she resembled a yogī meditating upon the Lord. SB 10.32.8
But seeing that their most clever husband understood what they were doing, they became embarrassed, and though they stopped the tears from flowing in their eyes, some tears flowed anyway beyond their control, O best of the Bhṛgu dynasty!
Though Kṛṣṇas feet were next to them and in private, those feet appeared more and more beautiful at every moment. Which woman could give up those feet which Lakṣmī never gives up?
At every moment (pade pade) the feet appeared newer and newer to them. If Lakṣmī who is fickle in nature, the embodiment of all beauty, finds those feet ever fresh, then what to speak of anyone else being able to give them up.
The Lord, without weapons, by creating enmity between kings powerful with armies, who had created a burden on the earth, destroyed them by having them kill each other, just as the wind, by creating friction between bamboos, destroys them by fire.
In order to express the unimpeded nature of his love for the queens another type of activity lacking that excitement is described. Just as wind produces fire by rubbing the bamboos together and then destroys them by burning, the Lord without weapons, by creating enmity between kings, who were powerful with their vast armies and who created a burden for the earth, destroyed them by having them kill each other.
Having appeared on this earth the Lord enjoyed among the best of women by expanding himself through his yoga-māyā, according to his nature.
By his yoga-māyā (sva-māyayā) he resided with each of his many wives by expanding his form into many. Thus according to his nature (yathā prākṛtaḥ) the Lord enjoys. The causes of the Lords enjoyment, the desire to enjoy and the activities of enjoyment are all beyond the material guṇas because he is not material.
Although the queens beautiful smiles and furtive glances were all spotless and exciting, and signified deep love, and although they could conquer Cupid himself by making him give up his bow in frustration, those who approached him with false smiles and glances could not agitate the senses of the Lord.
How can Kṛṣṇa be beyond matter when he enjoys sense objects with his senses? This verse answers.
With their pure, beautiful smiles (amala-valgu-hāsa) and bashful glances (vrīòāvaloka) indicating deep prema (uddāma-bhāva) directed towards Kṛṣṇa, which arose from their own pain of love, they defeated Cupid. Cupid first considered, Hey, they are glancing at their beloved Kṛṣṇa with desire without even being struck by my arrows! Then he became struck with wonder on seeing Kṛṣṇas sweetness. The material Cupid, who had come to bewilder Kṛṣṇa, himself became bewildered and threw down his bow. In the presence of their arched bow-like eyebrows and the arrows of their bashful glances, what is the use of my bow and arrows? Thus he gave them up.
Though they were the best of women, they could not disturb his senses with their beautiful smiles and glances endowed with deception (kuhakaiḥ) to bring him under control. However, if those glances were endowed with prema, then they could disturb his senses. Because they did possess the proper type of love, their glances and smiles were certainly endowed with prema, though it was conjugal prema. They are described in the verse as having prema (bhāva-piśuna) and others are described as having deception (kuhakaiḥ). In the first case, though the Lord is under the control of his wives, the Lord is still beyond prakṛti and the guṇas of matter, because he is under the control of prema, which is a function of the cit-śakti (not material māyā), and because their glances and smiles are composed of prema, the love that appears in them, and the pastimes of love that arise from that love are all spiritual. It is therefore impossible to say that the Lord has enjoyment of material sense objects, such as material sound and touch. In the second case, because it is impossible for a person without prema to control the Lord, the verse says that his senses cannot at all be disturbed by deception. Therefore the previous statement reme strī-ratna-kūṭa-stho bhagavān prākṛto yathā cannot mean that the Lord is attracted to material enjoyment.
One cannot say that the queens are material if sometimes their love-filled glances do not bring the Lord under control, because all the queens belong to the cit-śakti and none of their glances or smiles can ever be material. Nor should one say that the Lord is controlled by the general cit-śakti, arising from his svarūpa. He is actually controlled by prema alone which is a special function of the cit-śakti. From this conclusion, there are no more objections.
Ignorant people think of the Lord, though uncontaminated by matter, as a human being, one of themselves, contaminated by matter because of seeing unappealing behavior such as his compliance with Satyabhāmās attachment to getting the Pārijāta tree.
Though the Lord is without material contamination, ignorant people think that he is associated with matter by looking at externals. They think of him in terms of themselves (ātmaupamyena) because of unappealing behavior (vyāprṇvānam) such that related to Satyabhāmās attachment to getting the Pārijāta tree. The fool (abudhaḥ) devoid of discrimination of true and false thinks that prema is material attachment, just as a fool thinks that a sapphire is glass.
This is the power of the Lord: though he is situated in prakṛti, his is not affected by the guṇas which are situated in him, just as the intelligence of the devotee remembering the Lord is not affected by the guṇas.
Well, let us agree that the Lords pastimes with women are non-material because the women belong to the cit-śakti. But he appeared in the material Yadu family in the material world and perceived with his senses material objects such as form and sound belonging to demons like Jarāsandha who are material. Therefore it cannot be denied that he is associated with the guṇas. This verse answers.
The power (īśanam) of the Lord is this: though situated in prakṛti he has no contact with the guṇas of prakṛti. What are these guṇas? They are situated in him (ātma-sthaiḥ). He is situated in the guṇas, and the guṇas are also situated in him. But he has no contact with the guṇas. The Lord is said to be without guṇas though he is the basis of the whole material realm and the controller of it. Sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaś ca: the Lord is the witness, the consciousness, and completely without guṇas. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11) Sattvādayo na santīśe yatra ca prākṛtā guṇāḥ: the material guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas do not exist in the Lord. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.9.44) Harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ: the Lord is devoid of the guṇas, completely beyond prakṛti. (SB 10.88.5) It is just like the intelligence of the greatest devotees, which has as its object the Lord (tad-āśrayā buddhiḥ), and always remembers him. Though the intelligence is situated in prakṛti, and is situated in the guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas while being contented, praising or criticizing, while being full or afflicted with hunger and thirst, and while waking, sleeping and in deep sleep, it is not connected to the guṇas because of its indifference to the guṇas. In the same way, though the Lord accepts the material objects of the senses, he is not affected by them at all because he is devoid of attachment to them
Those wives, bewildered by the Lords yoga-māyā, not capable of estimating the powers of their husband, considered the Lord to be under the control of their love and their womanly natures, just as intelligence by itself cannot know the Lord.
Then do the queens, to whom he is always attached, being full of knowledge, know everything about Kṛṣṇa? No. They also do not know him because perfect knowledge of those women, arising from his svarūpa, is covered by the yoga-māyā of the Lord in order to nourish rasa. That is explained in this verse. These women consider their husband (tam) to be controlled by their love (rahaḥ anuvratam), controlled by their womanly nature (straiṇam), because they have been bewildered (mūòhāḥ) by the Lord to nourish mādhurya-rasa. Just as people playing in the ocean do not know the extent of the ocean, they do not know the extent (apramāṇam-vidaḥ) of their husband. The intellectual functions of those who write scriptures (matayaḥ), engaged in defining the Lord, know very little because of various opinions such as the Lord is the material cause of the universe, the Lord is the controlling cause or efficient cause of the universe. Thus such intelligent conclusions are actually ignorance. But one cannot consider those women material because they are endowed with prema and the Lord is controlled by their prema, since it has been said that they serve the Lord with prema.
In the eleventh chapter, Kṛṣṇa, arriving at Dvārakā, is praised by the inhabitants, meets with his friends and satisfies his wives.
Daravaram is his conch Pāñcajanya. Without seeing Kṛṣṇa directly their lamentation could not be completely dissipated. Thus the word iva (somewhat) is used.