Source
Texts:
Nârada
Muni Visits Lord Krishna's Palaces in
Dvârakâ
Text
1-6:
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Hearing that Lord Krishna had killed Naraka
[see 10.
59] and
that He singly had married with so many women wanted
Nârada to see that [and thought:]: 'How wonderful
this with a single body simultaneously being married, in
sixteen thousand separate residences alone with the women.'
Thus eager to take a look came the sage of the gods to
Dvârakâ, flowery with its parks and pleasure
gardens resounding with flocks of birds and swarms of bees.
Blooming blue lotuses [indîvaras],
day-blooming ones [ambhojas],
white esculent ones [kahlâras],
moonlight-blooming lotuses [kumudas] and water lilies
[utpalas] filled the lakes noisy with the sounds of
swans and cranes. There were, embellished with crystal glass,
silver and great emeralds, nine hundred thousand palatial
mansions splendorously furnished with gold and jewels.
Systematically laid out with many avenues, roads, intersections
and squares; with assembly houses and charming temples for the
gods, were its paths and courtyards, shopping streets and
patios, all sprinkled with water and was the sun warded off by
banners waving from the flagpoles.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Hearing that Lord Krishna had
killed Narakâsura and had alone married many brides,
Nârada Muni desired to see the Lord in this situation.
He thought, "It is quite amazing that in a single body Lord
Krishna simultaneously married sixteen thousand women, each
in a separate palace." Thus the sage of the demigods eagerly
went to Dvârakâ.
The city
was filled with the sounds of birds and bees flying about
the parks and pleasure gardens, while its lakes, crowded
with blooming indîvara, ambhoja, kahlâra, kumuda
and utpala lotuses, resounded with the calls of swans and
cranes. Dvârakâ boasted nine hundred thousand
royal palaces, all constructed with crystal and silver and
splendorously decorated with huge emeralds. Inside these
palaces, the furnishings were bedecked with gold and jewels.
Traffic moved along a well laid-out system of boulevards,
roads, intersections and marketplaces, and many assembly
houses and temples of demigods graced the charming city. The
roads, courtyards, commercial streets and residential patios
were all sprinkled with water and shaded from the sun's heat
by banners waving from flagpoles.
Text
7-8:
In
the city there was an opulent quarter saluted by all the
different authorities where Tvashtâ [the architect
Vis'vakarmâ], for the Lord, in full had exhibited his
expertise. There he entered one great palace of the sixteen
thousand residences for S'auri's wives that beautified
it.
In
the city of Dvârakâ was a beautiful private
quarter worshiped by the planetary rulers. This district,
where the demigod Vis'vakarmâ had shown all his divine
skill, was the residential area of Lord Hari, and thus it
was gorgeously decorated by the sixteen thousand palaces of
Lord Krishna's queens. Nârada Muni entered one of
these immense palaces.
Text
9-12:
It
was supported by coral pillars excellently covered by
vaidûrya ['cat-eye' gemstone], had walls bedecked
with sapphires and an ever shining floor, was built with
canopies by Tvashtâ constructed with hangings of pearls
and had seats and beds made of ivory decorated with the finest
jewels. There were well-dressed, adorned maidservants with
lockets around their necks and finely clad men with turbans and
armor, jewels and earrings. Many gem-studded lamps dispelled
with their light the darkness and on the carved eaves, my best,
danced the peacocks crying loudly in taking the aguru-smoke
curling through the latticed windows for clouds.
Supporting
the palace were coral pillars decoratively inlaid with
vaidûrya gems. Sapphires bedecked the walls, and the
floors glowed with perpetual brilliance. In that palace
Tvashthâ had arranged canopies with hanging strands of
pearls; there were also seats and beds fashioned of ivory
and precious jewels. In attendance were many well-dressed
maidservants bearing lockets on their necks, and also
armor-clad guards with turbans, fine uniforms and jeweled
earrings. The glow of numerous jewel-studded lamps dispelled
all darkness in the palace. My dear King, on the ornate
ridges of the roof danced loudly crying peacocks, who saw
the fragrant aguru incense escaping through the holes of the
latticed windows and mistook it for a cloud.
Text
13
Inside
saw the man of learning the lord of the Sâtvatas together
with His wife fanning Him with a yak-tail fan with a golden
handle, who at every moment was supported by a thousand
maidservants equal to her in personal qualities, beauty, youth
and fine dress.
In
that palace the learned brâhmana saw the Lord of the
Sâtvatas, S'rî Krishna, together with His wife,
who fanned Him with a gold-handled yak-tail fan. She
personally served Him in this way, even though she was
constantly attended by a thousand maidservants equal to her
in personal character, beauty, youth and fine dress.
Text
14
The
Supreme Lord, the Best of All Subservient to the Dharma,
noticing him, immediately rose from S'rî her couch and
bowing down with joined palms made him sit on His own
seat.
The
Supreme Lord is the greatest upholder of religious
principles. Thus when He noticed Nârada, He rose at
once from Goddess S'rî's bed, bowed His crowned head
at Nârada's feet and, joining His palms, had the sage
sit in His own seat.
Text
15
Even
though being the Supreme Guru of the Living Being, washed He
his feet and carried He that water on His head; [the water
to which] He as the Master of the Saintly justly carries
the name of 'the Lord for the Brahmins' [Brâhmanya
deva] since it is from the holy shrine of His feet that the
complete bathing is found [see also the stories of the
Ganges 5.17
& 9.9]
The
Lord bathed Nârada's feet and then put the water on
His own head. Although Lord Krishna is the supreme spiritual
authority of the universe and the master of His devotees, it
was proper for Him to behave in this way, for His name is
Brahmanya-deva, "the Lord who favors the brâhmanas."
Thus S'rî Krishna honored the sage Nârada by
bathing his feet, even though the water that bathes the
Lord's own feet becomes the Ganges, the ultimate holy
shrine.
Text
16
As
enjoined by the scriptures having been of full worship with the
devarishi did the Greatest Sage, the Original
Nârâyana, the friend of Nara, converse with him in
measured words sweet as nectar and asked: 'O Master what may We
do for the Fortunate One?'.
After
fully worshiping the great sage of the demigods according to
Vedic injunctions, Lord Krishna, who is Himself the original
sage - Nârâyana, the friend of Nara - conversed
with Nârada, and the Lord's measured speech was as
sweet as nectar. Finally the Lord asked Nârada, "What
may We do for you, Our lord and master?"
Text
17
S'rî
Nârada said: 'It raises no wonder at all for You, o
Almighty Ruler of All the Worlds who subdues all the envious,
[yet] to be of friendship with the people, for You,
widely acclaimed, are well known out of Your own will to have
descended for the highest good of the continuation and the
protection of the Living Being [*].
S'rî
Nârada said: O almighty Lord, it is no surprise that
You, the ruler of all worlds, show friendship for all people
and yet subdue the envious. As we well know, You descend by
Your sweet will in order to bestow the highest good on this
universe by maintaining and protecting it. Thus Your glories
are widely sung.
Text
18
Having seen
Your pair of feet, that for Your devotees are the path of
liberation upon which lord Brahmâ and the other gods with
their unfathomable intelligence meditate in the heart and which
for those who are fallen in the well of a material existence
are the shelter for deliverance, I ask for Your blessing to
remember You so that I in my travels can constantly think of
You.'
Now
I have seen Your feet, which grant liberation to Your
devotees, which even Lord Brahmâ and other great
personalities of unfathomable intelligence can only meditate
upon within their hearts, and which those who have fallen
into the well of material existence resort to for
deliverance. Please favor me so that I may constantly think
of You as I travel about. Please grant Me the power to
remember You.
Text
19
Next
entered Nârada, my dear, another residence of a wife of
Krishna, with the desire to know the mystical power of illusion
[yoga-mâyâ] of the Master of All Masters of
Yoga.
Nârada
then entered the palace of another of Lord Krishna's wives,
my dear King. He was eager to witness the spiritual potency
possessed by the master of all masters of mystic
power.
Text
20-22
And there
indeed he saw Him as well, with Uddhava playing a game of dice,
being of worship with transcendental devotion and standing up
in order to seat him and so on, asking him, as if He didn't
know, 'When has your good self arrived? How can those
[householders] who are not so complete, as We are, do
what should be done for those [sannyâsîs]
who are complete? Anyway, please tell Us, o brahmin, how to be
a success in this birth', but Nârada, astonished,
standing up went silently to another palace.
There
he saw the Lord playing at dice with His beloved consort and
His friend Uddhava. Lord Krishna worshiped Nârada by
standing up, offering him a seat, and so on, and then, as if
He did not know, asked him, "When did you arrive? What can
needy persons like Us do for those who are full in
themselves? In any case, My dear brâhmana, please make
My life auspicious." Thus addressed, Nârada was
astonished. He simply stood up silently and went to another
palace.
Text
23
And there he
saw Govinda coddling His small children. Then, in another
house, he saw Him preparing for a bath.
This
time Nâradajî saw that Lord Krishna was engaged
as an affectionate father petting His small children. From
there he entered another palace and saw Lord Krishna
preparing to lake His bath.
Text
24
Here
he saw Him offering oblations and there worshiping the five
sacrificial fires [see mahâ-yajñas]
with the obligatory rituals; then He fed the twice-born and
somewhere else He ate the remnants.
In
one place the Lord was offering oblations into the
sacrificial fires; in another, worshiping through the five
mahâ-yajñas; in another, feeding
brâhmanas; and in yet another, eating the remnants of
food left by brâhmanas.
Text
25
Somewhere
of sunset-worship chanted He controlling His speech the mantra
[see gâyatrî
and japa]
and elsewhere moved He about with His sword and shield in the
lanes of practice.
Somewhere
Lord Krishna was observing the rituals for worship at sunset
by refraining from speech and quietly chanting the
Gâyatrî mantra, and elsewhere He was moving
about with sword and shield in the areas set aside for sword
practice.
Text
26
Here the Elder
Brother of Gada, rode horses, elephants and chariots and there
He was lying on His sofa by bards being praised.
In
one place Lord Gadâgraja was riding on horses,
elephants and chariots, and in another place He was resting
on His bed while bards recited His glories.
Text
27
This
place He was consulting with advisers, Uddhava and others and
that place was He engaged sporting in the water surrounded by
dancing girls and other women.
Somewhere
He was consulting with royal ministers like Uddhava, and
somewhere else He was enjoying in the water, surrounded by
many society girls and other young women.
Text
28
Somewhere
He gave excellent cows well ornamented to the twiceborn and
elsewhere listened He to the auspicious classical stories
[purânas] and epic histories
[itihâsas].
Somewhere
He was giving well-decorated cows to exalted
brâhmanas, and elsewhere he was listening to the
auspicious narration of epic histories and
Purânas.
Text
29
Laughing
and joking with His beloved in this mansion, practiced He
elsewhere the religion [dharma], the economy
[artha] and the [kâma] physical lusts
[to be regulated, see also
purushârthas].
Somewhere
Lord Krishna was found enjoying the company of a particular
wife by exchanging joking words with her. Somewhere else He
was found engaged, along with His wife, in religious
ritualistic functions. Somewhere Krishna was found engaged
in matters of economic development, and somewhere else He
was found enjoying family life according to the regulative
principles of the s'âstras.
Text
30
Sitting
alone in a place to meditate on the Original Person
Transcendental to the Material Nature, rendered He in another
place menial service to the elders being of worship with the
things of desire.
Somewhere
He was sitting alone, meditating on the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, who is transcendental to material nature, and
somewhere He was rendering menial service to His elders,
offering them desirable things and reverential
worship.
Text
31
Planning
for war with certain people here and elsewhere making peace,
were Kes'ava together with Râma elsewhere heartening the
welfare of the pious.
In
one place He was planning battles in consultation with some
of His advisers, and in another place He was making peace.
Somewhere Lord Kes'ava and Lord Balarâma were together
pondering the welfare of the pious.
Text
32
[He
saw Him] arranging opulent weddings of daughters and sons
at the right time according the vidhi
with wives and husbands compatible to them.
Nârada
saw Lord Krishna engaged in getting His sons and daughters
married to suitable brides and bridegrooms at the
appropriate time, and the marriage ceremonies were being
performed with great pomp.
Text
33
[He
saw how] with the people in wonder with great celebrations
the children of the Master of the Masters of Yoga were sent
away from home and brought back.
Nârada
observed how S'rî Krishna, the master of all yoga
masters, arranged to send away His daughters and
sons-in-law, and also to receive them home again, at the
time of great holiday celebrations. All the citizens were
astonished to see these celebrations.
Text
34
With
elaborate sacrifices in worship of all the gods being busy here
was He there according the dharma in civil service arranging
for wells, parks and monasteries and such.
Somewhere
He was worshiping all the demigods with elaborate
sacrifices, and elsewhere He was fulfilling His religious
obligations by doing public welfare work, such as the
construction of wells, public parks and monasteries.
Text
35
For
a hunting expedition He this place mounted His horse from
Sindhî while He that place, surrounded by the most
valorous Yadus, killed the animals to be offered in sacrifice
[see **].
In
another place He was on a hunting expedition. Mounted on His
Sindhî horse and accompanied by the most heroic of the
Yadus, He was killing animals meant for offering in
sacrifice.
Text
36
Some
place moved the Yogamaster in the vicinity about in disguise in
the homes of His ministers, eager to find out with each of them
what their mentality was.
Somewhere
Krishna, the Lord of mystic power, was moving about in
disguise among the homes of ministers and other citizens in
order to understand what each of them was thinking.
Text
37
Thereupon
said Nârada to Hrishîkes'a, constraining his
laughter to what he had seen unfolding of His
yogamâyâ of assuming the human role:
Having
thus seen this display of the Lord's Yogamâyâ,
Nârada mildly laughed and then addressed Lord
Hrishîkes'a, who was adopting the behavior of a human
being.
Text
38
'Perceived
by the service to Your feet we [now] know of Your
mystical potencies, that even for the great mystics are hard to
envision, o Lord of Yoga, o Supreme Soul.
[Nârada
said:] Now we understand Your mystic potencies, which
are difficult to comprehend, even for great mystics, O
Supreme Soul, master of all mystic power. Only by serving
Your feet have I been able to perceive Your powers.
Text
39
Permit
me to follow in humility, o Godhead, I'll wander about Your
places flooded with the fame, loudly singing Your pastimes that
purify all the worlds.'
O
Lord, please give me Your leave. I will wander about the
worlds, which are flooded with Your fame, loudly singing
about Your pastimes, which purify the universe.
Text
40
The
Supreme Lord said: 'O brahmin, I am the speaker of it, the
performer of it and the sanctioner teaching it to the world;
situated in this, o son, do not be disturbed.'
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O brâhmana, I am
the speaker of religion, its performer and sanctioner. I
observe religious principles to teach them to the world, My
child, so do not be disturbed.
Text
41
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus he saw [as no one else could see
***]
Him present in one form in all the mansions performing the
purifying spiritual duties for householders.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Thus in every palace Nârada
saw the Lord in His same personal form, executing the
transcendental principles of religion that purify those
engaged in household affairs.
Text
42
Having
witnessed Krishna's unlimited prowess in the elaborate repeated
manifestation of His yogamâyâ, fell the seer filled
with wonder in amazement.
Having
repeatedly seen the vast mystic display of Lord Krishna,
whose power is unlimited, the sage was amazed and filled
with wonder.
Text
43
With
the artha, kâma and dharma [of household life, see
also 7.14]
thus by Lord Krishna's faithful heart thoroughly honored, went
he pleased indeed away keeping Him in mind.
Lord
Krishna greatly honored Nârada, faithfully presenting
him with gifts related to economic prosperity, sense
gratification and religious duties. Thus fully satisfied,
the sage departed, constantly remembering the Lord.
Text
44
Thus
following the path of human beings did Nârâyana,
for the welfare of everyone having manifested His potencies, my
dear, enjoy, being satisfied by the shy affectionate glances
and laughter of sixteen thousand of the finest
consorts.
In
this way Lord Nârâyana imitated the ways of
ordinary humans, manifesting His divine potencies for the
benefit of all beings. Thus He enjoyed, dear King, in the
company of His sixteen thousand exalted consorts, who served
the Lord with their shy, affectionate glances and
laughter.
Text
45
Whoever,
my dear, but chants, listens or appreciates [reads of]
the sensual activities which, inimitable in this world, are
performed by Him who is the cause of the dissolution,
generation and ongoing business of the universe, will develop
devotion for the Supreme Lord, the path to liberation
indeed.
Lord
Hari is the ultimate cause of universal creation,
maintenance and destruction. My dear King, anyone who chants
about, hears about or simply appreciates the extraordinary
activities He performed in this world, which are impossible
to imitate, will surely develop devotion for the Supreme
Lord, the bestower of liberation.
*
The
paramparâ adds here:
'As
pointed out by S'rîla Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî,
all living beings are in fact servants of the Lord. The
âcârya quotes the following verse from the Padma
Purâna to elucidate:
a-kârenocyate
vishnuh
s'rîr u-kârena kathyate
ma-kâras tu tayor dâsah
pañca-vims'ah prakîrtitah
"[In
the mantra aum] the letter a signifies Lord Vishnu, the
letter u signifies the goddess S'rî, and the letter m
refers to their servant, who is the twenty-fifth element." The
twenty-fifth element is the jîva, the living being. Every
living being is a servant of the Lord, and the Lord is the true
friend of every living being. Thus even when the Lord chastises
envious persons like Jarâsandha, such punishment amounts
to real friendship, since both the Lord's chastisement and His
blessing are for the benefit of the living being.'
**
Though this activity by the vidhi rule of dayâ is
forbidden to the common people and the brahmins, in order to
basically be compassionate with all living beings, is it in
certain cases allowed to kill animals in the vedic order.
S'rîla Prabhupâda comments: "According to Vedic
regulations, the kshatriyas were allowed to kill prescribed
animals on certain occasions, either to maintain peace in the
forests or to offer the animals in the sacrificial fire.
Kshatriyas are allowed to practice this killing art because
they have to kill their enemies mercilessly to maintain peace
in society." [see also e.g. 4:
26,
7.15,
10.1:
4,
10.56:
13
and 10.58:
13-16].
***
The paramparâ adds to this: 'As stated in Text 2 of this
chapter, all the Lord's activities in the many palaces were
performed by the Lord's single spiritual form (ekena
vapushâ), which manifested in many places at once. This
vision was revealed to Nârada because of his desire to
see it and the Lord's desire to show it to him. S'rîla
Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî points out that the other
residents of Dvârakâ could see Krishna only in the
particular part of the city they themselves occupied, and not
anywhere else, even if they would sometimes go to another
precinct on some business. Thus the Lord gave a special view of
His pastimes to His beloved devotee Nârada
Muni.'
