Source
Texts:
The
Yadu Dynasty Retires to Prabhâsa
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Then [after Nârada had left] did
lord Brahmâ surrounded by his sons, the gods and the
lords of man, arrive [in Dvârakâ] together
with lord Bhava
[S'iva], for all living beings the controller
favorable, who was accompanied by a host of ghostly
beings.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said - Lord Brahmâ then
set off for Dvârakâ, accompanied by his own sons
as well as by the demigods and the great Prajâpatis.
Lord S'iva, the bestower of auspiciousness to all living
beings, also went, surrounded by many ghostly
creatures.
Text
2-4:
Indra the
powerful controller and his gods [the Maruts],
the sons of Aditi, the good of clarity [the
Vasus],
the protectors of the health [the As'vins],
the artists [the Ribhus],
the descendants of Angirâ,
the expansions of S'iva [the Rudras],
the gods of the intellect [the Vis'vedevas],
and the gods of commerce [the Sâdhyas],
and other demigods; the singers and dancing girls of heaven
[Ghandharvas
and Apsaras],
the ones of excel [the Nâgas],
the perfected [Siddhas]
and the venerable [Câranas],
the treasure keepers [Guhyakas],
the seers [the Rishis],
the forefathers [Pitas]
as also the scientists [Vidyâdharas]
and the ones of special talents [the Kinnaras]
all together arrived in Dvârakâ eager to see
Krishna, the Supreme Lord eradicating the impurities of all
places who by His transcendental form enchanting the entire
human society spread His fame through all the
worlds.
The
powerful Lord Indra, along with the Maruts, Âdityas,
Vasus, As'vinîs, Ribhus, Angirâs, Rudras,
Vis'vedevas, Sâdhyas, Gandharvas, Apsaras,
Nâgas, Siddhas, Câranas, Guhyakas, the great
sages and forefathers and the Vidyâdharas and
Kinnaras, arrived at the city of Dvârakâ, hoping
to see Lord Krishna. By His transcendental form, Krishna,
the Supreme Lord, enchanted all human beings and spread His
own fame throughout the worlds. The Lord's glories destroy
all contamination within the universe.
Text
5
In
that resplendent city rich in a great abundance saw they with
their hungry eyes Lord Krishna so wonderful to
behold.
In
that resplendent city of Dvârakâ, rich with all
superior opulences, the demigods beheld with unsatiated eyes
the wonderful form of S'rî Krishna.
Text6:
With
covering Him, the best of the Yadus, with flower garlands
brought from the gardens of heaven praised they Him, the Lord
of the Living Being, expressing themselves in ideas and words
of charm.
The
demigods covered the Supreme Lord of the universe with
flower garlands brought from the gardens of heaven. Then
they praised Him, the best of the Yadu dynasty, with
statements containing charming words and ideas.
Text
7
The gods said:
'We with our intelligence, senses, vital air, mind and words do
bow down to Your lotus feet, o Lord, which are meditated upon
within the heart by those united in the love of striving for
liberation from the great bondage of karmic
reactions.
The
demigods began to speak - Our dear Lord, advanced mystic
yogis, striving for liberation from the severe bondage of
material work, meditate with great devotion upon Your lotus
feet within their hearts. Dedicating our intelligence,
senses, vital air, mind and power of speech to Your
Lordship, we demigods bow down at Your lotus feet.
Text
8
You, by the
material energy made up of the three modes, protect and destroy
with the inconceivable of Yourself the manifestation, but
situated within the modes of that material nature are You by
these modes not entangled in karmic activities at all, o You
Unconquerable One, since You, the Unimpeded and Unimpeachable
One, are always absorbed in Your happiness [see also B.G.
3.22].
O
unconquerable Lord, You engage Your illusory energy,
composed of three modes, to unleash, maintain and devastate
the inconceivable manifest cosmos, all within Your own self.
As the supreme superintendent of mâyâ, You
appear to be situated in the interaction of the modes of
nature; however, You are never affected by material
activities. In fact, You are directly engaged in Your own
eternal, spiritual bliss, and thus You cannot be accused of
any material infection.
Text
9
O
Worshipable One, the purification of those persons who have a
contaminated consciousness is by incantations, obeying the
injunctions, studying the s'âstras, charity, penances and
rituals not as effected as by the faithful listening to the
greatest of those situated in goodness who are fully matured in
the transcendental glories of You [see also
4.29:
36-38].
O
greatest of all, those whose consciousness is polluted by
illusion cannot purify themselves merely by ordinary
worship, study of the Vedas, charity, austerity and ritual
activities. Our Lord, those pure souls who have developed a
powerful transcendental faith in Your glories achieve a
purified state of existence that can never be attained by
those lacking such faith.
Text
10
May there for
us be the lotus feet, the fire annihilating our inauspicious
mentality which by the sages desiring the real benefit is
carried in hearts appeased, which by the truthful of
self-control is carried for gaining a likewise opulence; it is
of worshiping three times a day the inciting of You [the
catur-vyûha]
that one reaches beyond the heavens [see also
11.5:
34].
Great
sages, desiring the highest benefit in life, always cherish
Your lotus feet within their hearts, which are melted by
love for You. Similarly, Your self-controlled devotees,
desiring to cross beyond the material kingdom of heaven to
achieve opulence equal to Yours, worship Your lotus feet in
the morning, at noon and in the evening. Thus, they meditate
upon Your Lordship in Your quadruple expansion. Your lotus
feet are just like a blazing fire that burns to ashes all
the inauspicious desires for material sense
gratification.
Text
11
They are
meditated upon by the ones who, having folded their hands, take
the ghee into the fire of sacrifice by the
[nirukta]
process of understanding the three Veda's; they are meditated
upon by the yogapracticioners who, inquisitive about Your
[yoga-]mâyâ,
are united in realizing the True Self and [even more]
perfectly are they worshiped by the most elevated of the
devotees [see uttama
and 11.2:
45-47
].
Those
about to offer oblations into the fire of sacrifice in
accordance with the Rig, Yajur and Sâma Vedas meditate
on Your lotus feet. Similarly, the practitioners of
transcendental yoga meditate upon Your lotus feet, hoping
for knowledge about Your divine mystic potency, and the most
elevated pure devotees perfectly worship Your lotus feet,
desiring to cross beyond Your illusory potency.
Text
12
S'rî,
Your Lordship's consort, does with the withered flower garland
of You, o Almighty One, in
this feel
as competitive as a jealous co-wife because You accept our
offering as being properly brought [see also B.G.
9:
26];
may there always be the lotus feet, the fire of the destruction
of our impure desires!
O
almighty Lord, You are so kind to Your servants that You
have accepted the withered flower garland that we have
placed on Your chest. Since the goddess of fortune makes her
abode on Your transcendental chest, she will undoubtedly
become agitated, like a jealous co-wife, upon seeing our
offering also dwelling there. Yet You are so merciful that
You neglect Your eternal consort Lakshmî and accept
our offering as most excellent worship. O merciful Lord, may
Your lotus feet always act as a blazing fire to consume the
inauspicious desires within our hearts.
Text
13
Your
feet with three mighty steps falling [with the water of the
Ganges] in each of the three worlds [see
8.20],
as a flag adorning a pole, creating fear and fearlessness among
the asuras and the godly their respective armies, are there to
the saintly for the attainment of heaven and for the envious
there for just the opposite, o Most Powerful One; may these
feet, o Supreme Lord, purify us, who are worshiping You, from
our sins.
O
omnipotent Lord, in Your incarnation as Trivikrama, You
raised Your leg like a flagpole to break the shell of the
universe, allowing the holy Ganges to flow down, like a
banner of victory, in three branches throughout the three
planetary systems. By three mighty steps of Your lotus feet,
Your Lordship captured Bali Mahârâja, along with
his universal kingdom. Your lotus feet inspire fear in the
demons by driving them down to hell and fearlessness among
Your devotees by elevating them to the perfection of
heavenly life. We are sincerely trying to worship You, our
Lord; therefore may Your lotus feet kindly free us from all
of our sinful reactions.
Text
14
As oxen bound
through the nose do Brahmâ and all the other embodied
beings exist, struggling among each other under the control of
the Time; may the lotus feet of You, the Supreme Personality in
the beyond of both the material nature ànd the
individual person, for us spread the transcendental fortune
[compare 1.13:
42,
6.3:
12].
You
are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the transcendental
entity who is superior to both material nature and the
enjoyer of nature. May Your lotus feet bestow transcendental
pleasure upon us. All of the great demigods, beginning with
Brahmâ, are embodied living entities. Struggling
painfully with one another under the strict control of Your
time factor, they are just like bulls dragged by ropes tied
through their pierced noses.
Text
15
You
are the cause of this creation, maintenance and annihilation,
the cause of the unseen, the individual soul and the greater of
the manifest reality; You, this same personality, are said to
be the controlling factor of time appearing as a wheel in
three, who, as the Time uninterrupted in its flow effecting the
diminution of everything, is the Supreme Personality.
[*].
You
are the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction
of this universe. As time, You regulate the subtle and
manifest states of material nature and control every living
being. As the threefold wheel of time You diminish all
things by Your imperceptible actions, and thus You are the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text
16
The masculine
[of Mahâvishnu] from You [as the Time]
acquiring the potential seed of this creation, impregnates the
greater of matter of which He, whose semen is never wasted,
joined with that same nature generated from the Self, like an
ordinary fetus is produced, brought forth the golden primeval
egg of the universe endowed with its [seven, see
kosha]
outer layers.
My
dear Lord, the original purusha-avatâra,
Mahâ-Vishnu, acquires His creative potency from You.
Thus with infallible energy He impregnates material nature,
producing the mahat-tattva. Then the mahat-tattva, the
amalgamated material energy, endowed with the potency of the
Lord, produces from itself the primeval golden egg of the
universe, which is covered by various layers of material
elements.
Text
17
You
are therefore of everything mobile and stationary the original
Controller, for even though You o Master of Each His Senses
engaging with the sense objects Yourself are never touched by
them, are others, on their own account being of control, in
fear because of these objects who, raised from the
transformation of the modes of that material nature, did
accumulate [see also B.G. 16:
23-24].
O
Lord, You are the supreme creator of this universe and the
ultimate controller of all moving and nonmoving living
entities. You are Hrishîkes'a, the supreme controller
of all sensory activity, and thus You never become
contaminated or entangled in the course of Your supervision
of the infinite sensory activities within the material
creation. On the other hand, other living entities, even
yogîs and philosophers, are disturbed and frightened
simply by remembering the material objects that they have
supposedly renounced in their pursuit of
enlightenment.
Text
18
The sixteen
thousand [of Your wives] so enchanting in the moments
of their displays of feeling as they with their eyebrows,
smiles and glances launched the arrows of Cupid, were with
their messages and advances of conjugal love, by all their
devices not able to perplex Your senses [see also
1.11:
36].
My
Lord, You are living with sixteen thousand exquisitely
beautiful, aristocratic wives. By their irresistible coy and
smiling glances and by their lovely arching eyebrows, they
send You messages of eager conjugal love. But they are
completely unable to disturb the mind and senses of Your
Lordship.
Text
19
The full rivers
of Your nectarean topics and the rivers flowing from bathing
Your feet are able to destroy all contamination of the three
worlds; it is of the hearing with the ears to the tradition and
the being in physical contact taking to [the waters of]
Your feet that those who strive for purification approach to
associate with these two aims of pilgrimage of
You.'
The
nectar-bearing rivers of discussions about You, and also the
holy rivers generated from the bathing of Your lotus feet,
are able to destroy all contamination within the three
worlds. Those who are striving for purification associate
with the holy narrations of Your glories by hearing them
with their ears, and they associate with the holy rivers
flowing from Your lotus feet by physically bathing in
them.
Text
20
The
honorable son of Vyâsa [S'uka] said: 'Along with
S'iva and the demigods thus praising Govinda, the Lord, offered
he commanding the hundreds [Brahmâ], from his
position in the sky, his obeisances.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued - After
Brahmâ, along with Lord S'iva and the other demigods,
thus offered prayers to the Supreme Lord, Govinda, Lord
Brahmâ situated himself in the sky and addressed the
Lord as follows.
Text
21
S'rî
Brahmâ said: 'You o Lord, o Unlimited Soul, by us for the
sake of diminishing the burden of the earth being requested
previously, have fulfilled that request as it was
expressed.
Lord
Brahmâ said - My dear Lord, previously we requested
You to remove the burden of the earth. O unlimited
Personality of Godhead, that request has certainly been
fulfilled.
Text
22
Having
established the principles of dharma among the pious and among
the seekers of truth are it indeed the glories of You, thus by
You disseminated in all directions, which remove the
contamination of all worlds.
My
Lord, You have reestablished the principles of religion
among pious men who are always firmly bound to the truth.
You have also distributed Your glories all over the world,
and thus the whole world can be purified by hearing about
You.
Text
23
Descending
in the Yadu-dynasty have You, for the benefit of the universe
assuming a form, with magnanimous deeds performed incomparable
activities.
Descending
into the dynasty of King Yadu, You have manifested Your
unique transcendental form, and for the benefit of the
entire universe You have executed magnanimous transcendental
activities.
Text
24
O
Lord, those saintly humans who in the age of Kali hear and
chant about Your activities, will easily cross over the
darkness [see also 10.14].
My
dear Lord, those pious and saintly persons who in the age of
Kali hear about Your transcendental activities and also
glorify them will easily cross over the darkness of the
age.
Text
25
O
Supreme Personality, having descended in the Yadu-vams'a have
one hundred and twenty-five autumns passed, o
Master.
O
Supreme Personality of Godhead, O my Lord, You have
descended into the Yadu dynasty, and thus You have spent one
hundred twenty-five autumns with Your devotees.
Text
26-27
O You
Foundation of Everything, for You there is no longer a duty to
the godly, and the remaining part of the dynasty has virtually
been annihilated by this curse of the brahmins [see
11.1].
Therefore we ask You, if You mind, to enter Your Supreme Abode,
and please to continue with us, the protectors of all worlds
and their inhabitants, to protect the servants of Vaikunthha
[Lord Vishnu].'
My
dear Lord, there is nothing remaining at this time for Your
Lordship to do on behalf of the demigods. You have already
withdrawn Your dynasty by the curse of the brâhmanas.
O Lord, You are the basis of everything, and if You so
desire, kindly return now to Your own abode in the spiritual
world. At the same time, we humbly beg that You always
protect us. We are Your humble servants, and on Your behalf
we are managing the universal situation. We, along with our
planets and followers, require Your constant
protection.
Text
28
The
Supreme Lord said: 'That what you've said is understood by Me,
o controller of the demigods; to your favor has all the work
been done to remove the burden of the earth.
The
Supreme Lord said: O lord of the demigods, Brahmâ, I
understand your prayers and request. Having removed the
burden of the earth, I have executed everything that was
required on your behalf.
Text
29
This
very Yadu-family has, threatening to devour the whole world in
having expanded in its power, courage and opulence, been
checked by Me just as an ocean is with a shore.
That
very Yâdava dynasty in which I appeared became greatly
magnified in opulence, especially in their physical strength
and courage, to the extent that they threatened to devour
the whole world. Therefore I have stopped them, just as the
shore holds back the great ocean.
Text
30
If
I were to leave without withdrawing the vast dynasty of overly
proud Yadus, would for that reason the whole world be destroyed
by this flood.
If
I were to leave this world without withdrawing the overly
proud members of the Yadu dynasty, the whole world would be
destroyed by the deluge of their unlimited expansion.
Text
31
Right
now has because of the brahmins' curse the annihilation of the
family begun; after that will I, o sinless Brahmâ, pay a
visit to your abode.'
Now
due to the brâhmana's curse, the annihilation of My
family has already begun. O sinless Brahmâ, when this
annihilation is finished and I am enroute to Vaikunthha, I
will pay a small visit to your abode.
Text
32
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus being addressed by the Lord of the World,
fell the selfborn one down at His feet to offer Him his
obeisances along with the different gods and returned the
godhead to his abode.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said - Thus addressed by the
Lord of the universe, the self-born Brahmâ fell down
in obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord. Surrounded by
all the demigods, the great Brahmâ then returned to
his personal abode.
Text
33
Thereafter,
when the Supreme Lord observed the development of serious
disturbances in the city of Dvârakâ, spoke He to
the assembled Yadu-elders.
Thereafter,
the Personality of Godhead observed that tremendous
disturbances were taking place in the holy city of
Dvârakâ. Thus the Lord spoke to the assembled
senior members of the Yadu dynasty as follows.
Text
34
The
Supreme Lord said: 'These indeed very great disturbances rising
here on all sides follow the curse that there of the brahmins
was against our family; it is impossible to
counteract.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Our dynasty has been
cursed by the brâhmanas. Such a curse is impossible to
counteract, and thus great disturbances are appearing
everywhere around us.
Text
35
We
should not desire to live residing here, o venerable ones;
let's not delay and this very day go to Prabhâsa, that so
very holy place of piety [**].
My
dear respected elders, we must not remain any longer in this
place if we wish to keep our lives intact. Let us go this
very day to the most pious place Prabhâsa. We have no
time to delay.
Text
36
The
king of the stars [the moon god] seized by consumption
because of a curse of Daksha,
once took a bath there and was immediately freed from the
reaction to his sin and resumed the waxing with his
phases.
Once,
the moon was afflicted with consumption because of the curse
of Daksha, but just by taking bath at
Prabhâsa-kshetra, the moon was immediately freed from
his sinful reaction and again resumed the waxing of his
phases.
Text
37-38
We
also bathing at that place to the satisfaction of the
forefathers, feeding the godly and the worshipable ones of
learning by offerings of foodstuffs of different tastes and as
well distributing gifts with faith in them as suitable
candidates of charity, will by our charity, as with boats over
an ocean, get across the danger.'
By
bathing at Prabhâsa-kshetra, by offering sacrifice
there to placate the forefathers and demigods, by feeding
the worshipable brâhmanas with various delicious
foodstuffs and by bestowing opulent gifts upon them as the
most suitable candidates for charity, we will certainly
cross over these terrible dangers through such acts of
charity, just as one can cross over a great ocean in a
suitable boat.
Text
39
S'rî
S'uka said: 'O child of the Kurus, the Yâdavas, thus by
the Fortunate One instructed, having made up their minds yoked
their horses to their chariots to head for the holy
site.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: O favorite son of the Kurus, thus
advised by the Personality of Godhead, the Yâdavas
made up their minds to go to that holy place,
Prabhâsa-kshetra, and thus yoked their horses to their
chariots.
Text
40-41
O
King, Uddhava [see
also 3.2
and 10.46
& 47],
as an ever faithful follower of Krishna hearing that what by
the Lord had been said, approached, observing the fearful evil
omens [see also 1.14:
2-5],
in private the one Controller of the Controllers of All the
Living Universe and, at His feet bowing down his head,
addressed Him with folded hands.
My
dear King, Uddhava was a constantly faithful follower of
Lord Krishna. Upon seeing the imminent departure of the
Yâdavas, hearing from them of the Lord's instructions
and taking note of the fearful omens, he approached the
Personality of Godhead in a private place. He bowed down
with his head at the lotus feet of the supreme controller of
the universe and with folded hands addressed Him as
follows.
Text
42
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'O Lord and God of Gods, o Master of Yoga, o
Piety by Hearing and Singing, withdrawing this family from this
world, do You say that, although as the all-pervading
benevolent Controller being capable of revoking the curse of
the learned ones, You're unable to do so!
S'rî
Uddhava said - O my Lord, O supreme God among all the
demigods, real piety is invoked simply by hearing and
chanting Your transcendental glories. My Lord, it appears
that You will now withdraw Your dynasty, and thus You
Yourself will finally give up Your pastimes within this
universe. You are the supreme controller and the master of
all mystic power. But although You are fully capable of
counteracting the brâhmanas' curse against Your
dynasty, You are not doing so, and Your disappearance is
imminent.
Text
43
I'm
not even capable to tolerate for half a moment to give up on
Your lotus feet, o Kes'ava; please take me to Your abode as
well o Master [see also 3.29:
13].
O
Lord Kes'ava, my dear master, I cannot tolerate giving up
Your lotus feet even for a fraction of a moment. I urge You
to take me along with You to Your own abode.
Text
44
Your
pastimes supremely auspicious, o Krishna, are nectar for the
ears of men; once they have the taste will people relinquish
their desires for other things.
O
my dear Krishna, Your pastimes are supremely auspicious for
mankind and are an intoxicating beverage for the ears.
Tasting such pastimes, people forget their desires for other
things.
Text
45
How
can we, the devotees of You, the dearmost Self, in our lying
down, sitting, walking, standing, bathing, recreating and
eating and such, ever abandon You?
My
dear Lord, You are the Supreme Soul, and thus You are most
dear to us. We are Your devotees, and how can we possibly
reject You or live without You even for a moment? Whether we
are lying down, sitting, walking, standing, bathing,
enjoying recreation, eating or doing anything else, we are
constantly engaged in Your service.
Text
46
Eating
the food remnants and adorned with the garlands, fragrances,
garments and ornaments already enjoyed by You, will we, Your
servants, for sure conquer the illusory energy.
Simply
by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils,
clothes and ornaments that You have already enjoyed, and by
eating the remnants of Your meals, we, Your servants, will
indeed conquer Your illusory energy.
Text
47
The but in air
clad
sinless members of the renounced order who as sages of strict
observance keep their seed going upwards, go to the abode known
as brahman
[see ûrdhva
retah
and also 10.2:
32].
Naked
sages who seriously endeavor in spiritual practice, who have
raised their semen upward, who are peaceful and sinless
members of the renounced order, attain the spiritual abode
called Brahman.
Text
48-49
We
on the other hand, o Greatest of Yogîs, wandering in this
world on the paths of fruitive labor will, along with Your
devotees, cross over the hard to conquer darkness by discussing
the topics with which we remember and glorify Your deeds,
words, movements, broad smiles, glances and amorous sports in
imitation of the human world.
O
greatest of mystics, although we are conditioned souls
wandering on the path of fruitive work, we will certainly
cross beyond the darkness of this material world simply by
hearing about Your Lordship in the association of Your
devotees. Thus we are always remembering and glorifying the
wonderful things You do and the wonderful things You say. We
ecstatically recall Your amorous pastimes with Your
confidential conjugal devotees and how You boldly smile and
move about while engaged in such youthful pastimes. My dear
Lord, Your loving pastimes are bewilderingly similar to the
activities of ordinary people within this material
world.
Text
50
S'rî
S'uka said: 'This way being requested, o King, spoke the
Supreme Lord, the son of Devakî, in private at length to
the dear servant Uddhava.'
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: O King Parîkshit, thus
addressed, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the
son of Devakî, began to reply confidentially to His
dear, unalloyed servant Uddhava.
*:
Time in three can be regarded as the three types of seasons,
summer winter and spring/autumn or as the three to the order,
the cakra,
of the sun, moon and the stars or the past, the present and the
future and as the time of nature, culture and the psychological
experience [see also tri-kâlika,
5.22:
2,
time-quotes
and B.G. 10.30
& 33,
11:
32].
**:
Prabhâsa is a famous holy place located near the Veraval
railway station, within the region of Junagarah. At the base of
the same pippala tree under which Lord Krishna was reported to
have reposed there is now a temple. One mile away from the
tree, on the seashore, is the Vîra-prabhañjana
Mathha, and it is said that from this point the hunter
Jarâ fired the arrow which marked the end of His earthly
presence [as described in the last two chapters of this
Canto].
