Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eleven
Lord Krsna’s Entrance into Dvaraka
SB1.11.1
TEXT 1
suta uvaca
anartan sa upavrajya
svrddhan jana-padan svakan
dadhmau daravaram tesam
visadam samayann iva
SYNONYMS
sutah uvaca—Suta Gosvami said; anartan—the country known as Anartan (Dvaraka); sah—He; upavrajya—reaching the border of; svrddhan—most prosperous; jana-padan—city; svakan—His own; dadhmau—sounded; daravaram—the auspicious conchshell (Pancajanya); tesam—of them; visadam—dejection; samayan—pacifying; iva—seemingly.
TRANSLATION
Suta Gosvami said: Upon reaching the border of His most prosperous metropolis, known as the country of the Anartas [Dvaraka], the Lord sounded His auspicious conchshell, heralding His arrival and apparently pacifying the dejection of the inhabitants.
PURPORT
The beloved Lord was away from His own prosperous metropolis of Dvaraka for a considerably long period because of the Battle of Kuruksetra, and thus all the inhabitants were overcome with melancholia due to the separation. When the Lord descends on the earth, His eternal associates also come with Him, just as the entourage of a king accompanies him. Such associates of the Lord are eternally liberated souls, and they cannot bear the separation of the Lord even for a moment because of intense affection for the Lord. Thus the inhabitants of the city of Dvaraka were in a mood of dejection and expected the arrival of the Lord at any moment. So the heralding sound of the auspicious conchshell was very encouraging, and apparently the sound pacified their dejection. They were still more aspirant to see the Lord amongst themselves, and all of them became alert to receive Him in the befitting manner. These are the signs of spontaneous love of Godhead. SB1.11.2 TEXT 2 sa uccakase dhavalodaro daro ’py urukramasyadharasona-sonima dadhmayamanah kara-kanja-sampute yathabja-khande kala-hamsa utsvanah SYNONYMS sah—that; uccakase—became brilliant; dhavala-udarah—white and fat-boweled; darah—conchshell; api—although it is so; urukramasya—of the great adventurer; adharasona—by the transcendental quality of His lips; sonima—reddened; dadhmayamanah—being sounded; kara-kanja-sampute—being caught by the grip of the lotus hand; yatha—as it is; abja-khande—by the stems of lotus flowers; kala-hamsah—ducking swan; utsvanah—loudly sounding. TRANSLATION The white and fat-boweled conchshell, being gripped by the hand of Lord Krsna and sounded by Him, appeared to be reddened by the touch of His transcendental lips. It seemed that a white swan was playing in the stems of red lotus flowers. PURPORT The redness of the white conchshell due to the lip-touch of the Lord is a symbol of spiritual significance. The Lord is all spirit, and matter is ignorance of this spiritual existence. Factually there is nothing like matter in spiritual enlightenment, and this spiritual enlightenment takes place at once by the contact of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. The Lord is present in every particle of all existence, and He can manifest His presence in anyone. By ardent love and devotional service to the Lord, or in other words by spiritual contact with the Lord, everything becomes spiritually reddened like the conchshell in the grip of the Lord, and the paramahamsa, or the supremely intelligent person, plays the part of the ducking swan in the water of spiritual bliss, eternally decorated by the lotus flower of the Lord’s feet. SB1.11.3 TEXT 3 tam upasrutya ninadam jagad-bhaya-bhayavaham pratyudyayuh prajah sarva bhartr-darsana-lalasah SYNONYMS tam—that; upasrutya—having overheard; ninadam—sound; jagat-bhaya—the fear of material existence; bhaya-avaham—the threatening principle; prati—towards; udyayuh—rapidly proceeded; prajah—the citizens; sarvah—all; bhartr—the protector; darsana—audience; lalasah—having so desired. TRANSLATION The citizens of Dvaraka, having heard that sound which threatens fear personified in the material world, began to run towards Him fast, just to have a long desired audience with the Lord, who is the protector of all devotees. PURPORT As already explained, the citizens of Dvaraka who lived at the time of Lord Krsna’s presence there were all liberated souls who descended there along with the Lord as entourage. All were very anxious to have an audience with the Lord, although because of spiritual contact they were never separated from the Lord. Just as the gopis at Vrndavana used to think of Krsna while He was away from the village for cowherding engagements, the citizens of Dvaraka were all immersed in thought of the Lord while He was away from Dvaraka to attend the Battle of Kuruksetra. Some distinguished fiction writer in Bengal concluded that the Krsna of Vrndavana, that of Mathura and that of Dvaraka were different personalities. Historically there is no truth in this conclusion. The Krsna of Kuruksetra and the Krsna of Dvaraka are one and the same personality. The citizens of Dvaraka were thus in a state of melancholy due to the Lord’s absence from the transcendental city, as much as we are put in a state of melancholy at night because of the absence of the sun. The sound heralded by Lord Krsna was something like the heralding of the sunrise in the morning. So all the citizens of Dvaraka awoke from a state of slumber because of the sunrise of Krsna, and they all hastened towards Him just to have an audience. The devotees of the Lord know no one else as protector. This sound of the Lord is identical with the Lord, as we have tried to explain by the nondual position of the Lord. The material existence of our present status is full of fear. Out of the four problems of material existence, namely the food problem, the shelter problem, the fear problem and the mating problem, the fear problem gives us more trouble than the others. We are always fearful due to our ignorance of the next problem. The whole material existence is full of problems, and thus the fear problem is always prominent. This is due to our association with the illusory energy of the Lord, known as maya or external energy, yet all fear is vanished as soon as there is the sound of the Lord, represented by His holy name, as it was sounded by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the following sixteen words: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare We can take advantage of these sounds and be free from all threatening problems of material existence. SB1.11.4-5 TEXTS 4–5 tatropanita-balayo raver dipam ivadrtah atmaramam purna-kamam nija-labhena nityada prity-utphulla-mukhah procur harsa-gadgadaya gira pitaram sarva-suhrdam avitaram ivarbhakah SYNONYMS tatra—thereupon; upanita—having offered; balayah—presentations; raveh—up to the sun; dipam—lamp; iva—like; adrtah—being evaluated; atma-aramam—unto the self-sufficient; purna-kamam—fully satisfied; nija-labhena—by His own potencies; nitya-da—one who supplies incessantly; priti—affection; utphulla-mukhah—cheerful faces; procuh—said; harsa—gladdened; gadgadaya—ecstatic; gira—speeches; pitaram—unto the father; sarva—all; suhrdam—friends; avitaram—the guardian; iva—like; arbhakah—wards. TRANSLATION The citizens arrived before the Lord with their respective presentations, offering them to the fully satisfied and self-sufficient one, who, by His own potency, incessantly supplies others. These presentations were like the offering of a lamp to the sun. Yet the citizens began to speak in ecstatic language to receive the Lord, just as wards welcome their guardian and father. PURPORT The Supreme Lord Krsna is described herein as atmarama. He is self-sufficient, and there is no need for Him to seek happiness from anything beyond Himself. He is self-sufficient because His very transcendental existence is total bliss. He is eternally existent; He is all-cognizant and all-blissful. Therefore, any presentation, however valuable it may be, is not needed by Him. But still, because He is the well-wisher for one and all, He accepts from everyone everything that is offered to Him in pure devotional service. It is not that He is in want for such things, because the things are themselves generated from His energy. The comparison is made herein that making offerings to the Lord is something like offering a lamp in the worship of the sun-god. Anything fiery and illuminating is but an emanation of the energy of the sun, and yet to worship the sun-god it is necessary to offer him a lamp. In the worship of the sun, there is some sort of demand made by the worshiper, but in the case of devotional service to the Lord, there is no question of demand from either side. It is all a sign of pure love and affection between the Lord and the devotee. The Lord is the Supreme Father of all living beings, and therefore those who are conscious of this vital relation with God can make filial demands from the Father, and the Father is pleased to supply the demands of such obedient sons without bargaining. The Lord is just like the desire tree, and from Him everyone can have everything by the causeless mercy of the Lord. As the Supreme Father, the Lord, however, does not supply to a pure devotee what is considered to be a barrier to the discharge of devotional service. Those who are engaged in the devotional service of the Lord can rise to the position of unalloyed devotional service by His transcendental attraction. SB1.11.6 TEXT 6 natah sma te natha sadanghri-pankajam virinca-vairincya-surendra-vanditam parayanam ksemam ihecchatam param na yatra kalah prabhavet parah prabhuh SYNONYMS natah—bowed down; sma—we had done so; te—unto You; natha—O Lord; sada—always; anghri-pankajam—the lotus feet; virinca—Brahma, the first living being; vairincya—sons of Brahma like Sanaka and Sanatana; sura-indra—the King of heaven; vanditam—worshiped by; parayanam—the supreme; ksemam—welfare; iha—in this life; icchatam—one who so desires; param—the highest; na—never; yatra—wherein; kalah—inevitable time; prabhavet—can exert its influence; parah—transcendental; prabhuh—the Supreme Lord. TRANSLATION The citizens said: O Lord, You are worshiped by all demigods like Brahma, the four Sanas and even the King of heaven. You are the ultimate rest for those who are really aspiring to achieve the highest benefit of life. You are the supreme transcendental Lord, and inevitable time cannot exert its influence upon You. PURPORT The Supreme Lord is Sri Krsna, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, Brahma-samhita and other authorized Vedic literatures. No one is equal to or greater than Him, and that is the verdict of all scriptures. The influence of time and space is exerted upon the dependent living entities, who are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. The living entities are predominated Brahman, whereas the Supreme Lord is the predominating Absolute. As soon as we forget this clear fact, we are at once in illusion, and thus we are put into threefold miseries, as one is put into dense darkness. The clear consciousness of the cognizant living being is God consciousness, in which one bows down unto Him in all circumstances. SB1.11.7 TEXT 7 bhavaya nas tvam bhava visva-bhavana tvam eva matatha suhrt-patih pita tvam sad-gurur nah paramam ca daivatam yasyanuvrttya krtino babhuvima SYNONYMS bhavaya—for welfare; nah—for us; tvam—Your Lordship; bhava—just become; visva-bhavana—the creator of the universe; tvam—Your Lordship; eva—certainly; mata—mother; atha—as also; suhrt—well-wisher; patih—husband; pita—father; tvam—Your Lordship; sat-guruh—spiritual master; nah—our; paramam—the supreme; ca—and; daivatam—worshipable Deity; yasya—whose; anuvrttya—following in the footsteps; krtinah—successful; babhuvima—we have become. TRANSLATION O creator of the universe, You are our mother, well-wisher, Lord, father, spiritual master and worshipable Deity. By following in Your footsteps we have become successful in every respect. We pray, therefore, that You continue to bless us with Your mercy. PURPORT The all-good Personality of Godhead, being the creator of the universe, also plans for the good of all good living beings. The good living beings are advised by the Lord to follow His good advice, and by doing so they become successful in all spheres of life. There is no need to worship any deity but the Lord. The Lord is all-powerful, and if He is satisfied by our obedience unto His lotus feet, He is competent to bestow upon us all kinds of blessings for the successful execution of both our material and spiritual lives. For attaining spiritual existence, the human form is a chance for all to understand our eternal relation with God. Our relation with Him is eternal; it can neither be broken nor vanquished. It may be forgotten for the time being, but it can be revived also by the grace of the Lord, if we follow His injunctions, which are revealed in the scriptures of all times and all places. SB1.11.8 TEXT 8 aho sanatha bhavata sma yad vayam traivistapanam api dura-darsanam prema-smita-snigdha-niriksanananam pasyema rupam tava sarva-saubhagam SYNONYMS aho—oh, it is our good luck; sa-nathah—to be under the protection of the master; bhavata—by Your good self; sma—as we have become; yat vayam—as we are; traivista-panam—of the demigods; api—also; dura-darsanam—very rarely seen; prema-smita—smiling with love; snigdha—affectionate; niriksana-ananam—face looking in that mode; pasyema—let us look; rupam—beauty; tava—Your; sarva—all; saubhagam—auspiciousness. TRANSLATION Oh, it is our good luck that we have come again today under Your protection by Your presence, for Your Lordship rarely visits even the denizens of heaven. Now it is possible for us to look into Your smiling face, which is full of affectionate glances. We can now see Your transcendental form, full of all auspiciousness. PURPORT The Lord in His eternal personal form can be seen only by the pure devotees. The Lord is never impersonal, but He is the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead, possible to be visited by devotional service face to face, which is impossible to be done even by the denizens of higher planets. When Brahmaji and other demigods want to consult Lord Visnu, the plenary portion of Lord Krsna, they have to wait on the shore of the ocean of milk where Lord Visnu is lying on White Land (Svetadvipa). This ocean of milk and the Svetadvipa planet are the replica of Vaikunthaloka within the universe. Neither Brahmaji nor the demigods like Indra can enter into this island of Svetadvipa, but they can stand on the shore of the ocean of milk and transmit their message to Lord Visnu, known as Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Therefore, the Lord is rarely seen by them, but the inhabitants of Dvaraka, because of their being pure devotees without any tinge of the material contamination of fruitive activities and empiric philosophical speculation, can see Him face to face by the grace of the Lord. This is the original state of the living entities and can be attained by reviving our natural and constitutional state of life, which is discovered by devotional service only. SB1.11.9 TEXT 9 yarhy ambujaksapasasara bho bhavan kurun madhun vatha suhrd-didrksaya tatrabda-koti-pratimah ksano bhaved ravim vinaksnor iva nas tavacyuta SYNONYMS yarhi—whenever; ambuja-aksa—O lotus-eyed one; apasasara—You go away; bho—oh; bhavan—Yourself; kurun—the descendants of King Kuru; madhun—the inhabitants of Mathura (Vrajabhumi); va—either; atha—therefore; suhrt-didrksaya—for meeting them; tatra—at that time; abda-koti—millions of years; pratimah—like; ksanah—moments; bhavet—becomes; ravim—the sun; vina—without; aksnoh—of the eyes; iva—like that; nah—ours; tava—Your; acyuta—O infallible one. TRANSLATION O lotus-eyed Lord, whenever You go away to Mathura, Vrndavana or Hastinapura to meet Your friends and relatives, every moment of Your absence seems like a million years. O infallible one, at that time our eyes become useless, as if bereft of sun. PURPORT We are all proud of our material senses for making experiments to determine the existence of God. But we forget that our senses are not absolute by themselves. They can only act under certain conditions. For example, our eyes. As long as the sunshine is there, our eyes are useful to a certain extent. But in the absence of sunshine, the eyes are useless. Lord Sri Krsna, being the primeval Lord, the Supreme Truth, is compared to the sun. Without Him all our knowledge is either false or partial. The opposite of the sun is the darkness, and similarly the opposite of Krsna is maya, or illusion. The devotees of the Lord can see everything in true perspective due to the light disseminated by Lord Krsna. By the grace of the Lord the pure devotee cannot be in the darkness of ignorance. Therefore, it is necessary that we must always be in the sight of Lord Krsna so that we can see both ourselves and the Lord with His different energies. As we cannot see anything in the absence of the sun, so also we cannot see anything including our own self, without the factual presence of the Lord. Without Him all our knowledge is covered by illusion. SB1.11.10 TEXT 10 katham vayam natha cirosite tvayi prasanna-drstyakhila-tapa-sosanam jivema te sundara-hasa-sobhitam apasyamana vadanam manoharam iti codirita vacah prajanam bhakta-vatsalah srnvano ’nugraham drstya vitanvan pravisat puram SYNONYMS katham—how; vayam—we; natha—O Lord; cirosite—being abroad almost always; tvayi—by You; prasanna—satisfaction; drstya—by the glance; akhila—universal; tapa—miseries; sosanam—vanquishing; jivema—shall be able to live; te—Your; sundara—beautiful; hasa—smiling; sobhitam—decorated; apasyamanah—without seeing; vadanam—face; manoharam—attractive; iti—thus; ca—and; udiritah—speaking; vacah—words; prajanam—of the citizens; bhakta-vatsalah—kind to the devotees; srnvanah—thus learning; anugraham—kindness; drstya—by glances; vitanvan—distributing; pravisat—entered; puram—Dvarakapuri. TRANSLATION O master, if You live abroad all the time, then we cannot look at Your attractive face, whose smiles vanquish all our sufferings. How can we exist without Your presence?Upon hearing their speeches, the Lord, who is very kind to the citizens and the devotees, entered the city of Dvaraka and acknowledged all their greetings by casting His transcendental glance over them. PURPORT Lord Krsna’s attraction is so powerful that once being attracted by Him one cannot tolerate separation from Him. Why is this so? Because we are all eternally related with Him as the sun rays are eternally related with the sun disc. The sun rays are molecular parts of the solar radiation. Thus the sun rays and the sun cannot be separated. The separation by the cloud is temporary and artificial, and as soon as the cloud is cleared, the sun rays again display their natural effulgence in the presence of the sun. Similarly, the living entities, who are molecular parts of the whole spirit, are separated from the Lord by the artificial covering of maya, illusory energy. This illusory energy, or the curtain of maya, has to be removed, and when it is so done, the living entity can see the Lord face to face, and all his miseries are at once removed. Every one of us wants to remove the miseries of life, but we do not know how to do it. The solution is given here, and it rests on us to assimilate it or not. SB1.11.11 TEXT 11 madhu-bhoja-dasarharha- kukurandhaka-vrsnibhih atma-tulya-balair guptam nagair bhogavatim iva SYNONYMS madhu—Madhu; bhoja—Bhoja; dasarha—Dasarha; arha—Arha; kukura—Kukura; andhaka—Andhaka; vrsnibhih—by the descendants of Vrsni; atma-tulya—as good as Himself; balaih—by strength; guptam—protected; nagaih—by the Nagas; bhogavatim—the capital of Nagaloka; iva—like. TRANSLATION As Bhogavati, the capital of Nagaloka, is protected by the Nagas, so was Dvaraka protected by the descendants of Vrsni—Bhoja, Madhu, Dasarha, Arha, Kukura, Andhaka, etc.—who were as strong as Lord Krsna. PURPORT The Nagaloka planet is situated below the earth planet, and it is understood that the sun rays are hampered there. The darkness of the planet is, however, removed by the flashes of the jewels set on the heads of the Nagas (celestial serpents), and it is said that there are beautiful gardens, rivulets, etc., for the enjoyment of the Nagas. It is understood here also that the place is well protected by the inhabitants. So also the city of Dvaraka was well protected by the descendants of Vrsni, who were as powerful as the Lord, insofar as He manifested His strength upon this earth. SB1.11.12 TEXT 12 sarvartu-sarva-vibhava- punya-vrksa-latasramaih udyanopavanaramair vrta-padmakara-sriyam SYNONYMS sarva—all; rtu—seasons; sarva—all; vibhava—opulences; punya—pious; vrksa—trees; lata—creepers; asramaih—with hermitages; udyana—orchards; upavana—flower gardens; aramaih—pleasure gardens and beautiful parks; vrta—surrounded by; padma-akara—the birthplaces of lotuses or nice reservoirs of water; sriyam—increasing the beauty. TRANSLATION The city of Dvarakapuri was filled with the opulences of all seasons. There were hermitages, orchards, flower gardens, parks and reservoirs of water breeding lotus flowers all over. PURPORT Perfection of human civilization is made possible by utilizing the gifts of nature in their own way. As we find herewith in the description of its opulence, Dvaraka was surrounded by flower gardens and fruit orchards along with reservoirs of water and growing lotuses. There is no mention of mills and factories supported by slaughterhouses, which are the necessary paraphernalia of the modern metropolis. The propensity to utilize nature’s own gifts is still there, even in the heart of modern civilized man. The leaders of modern civilization select their own residential quarters in a place where there are such naturally beautiful gardens and reservoirs of water, but they leave the common men to reside in congested areas without parks and gardens. Herein of course we find a different description of the city of Dvaraka. It is understood that the whole dhama, or residential quarter, was surrounded by such gardens and parks with reservoirs of water where lotuses grew. It is understood that all the people depended on nature’s gifts of fruits and flowers without industrial enterprises promoting filthy huts and slums for residential quarters. Advancement of civilization is estimated not on the growth of mills and factories to deteriorate the finer instincts of the human being, but on developing the potent spiritual instincts of human beings and giving them a chance to go back to Godhead. Development of factories and mills is called ugra-karma, or pungent activities, and such activities deteriorate the finer sentiments of the human being and society to form a dungeon of demons. We find herein the mention of pious trees which produce seasonal flowers and fruits. The impious trees are useless jungles only, and they can only be used to supply fuels. In the modern civilization such impious trees are planted on the sides of roads. Human energy should be properly utilized in developing the finer senses for spiritual understanding, in which lies the solution of life. Fruits, flowers, beautiful gardens, parks and reservoirs of water with ducks and swans playing in the midst of lotus flowers, and cows giving sufficient milk and butter are essential for developing the finer tissues of the human body. As against this, the dungeons of mines, factories and workshops develop demoniac propensities in the working class. The vested interests flourish at the cost of the working class, and consequently there are severe clashes between them in so many ways. The description of Dvaraka-dhama is the ideal of human civilization. SB1.11.13 TEXT 13 gopura-dvara-margesu krta-kautuka-toranam citra-dhvaja-patakagrair antah pratihatatapam SYNONYMS gopura—the gateway of the city; dvara—door; margesu—on different roads; krta—undertaken; kautuka—because of the festival; toranam—decorated arch; citra—painted; dhvaja—flags; pataka-agraih—by the foremost signs; antah—within; pratihata—checked; atapam—sunshine. TRANSLATION The city gateway, the household doors and festooned arches along the roads were all nicely decorated with festive signs like plantain trees and mango leaves, all to welcome the Lord. Flags, garlands and painted signs and slogans all combined to shade the sunshine. PURPORT Signs of decoration in special festivals were also collected from the gifts of nature, such as the plantain trees, the mango trees, fruits and flowers. Mango trees, coconut palms and plantain trees are still accepted as auspicious signs. The flags mentioned above were all painted with the picture of either Garuda or Hanuman, the two great servitors of the Lord. For devotees, such paintings and decorations are still adored, and the servitor of the master is paid more respects for the satisfaction of the Lord. SB1.11.14 TEXT 14 sammarjita-maha-marga- rathyapanaka-catvaram siktam gandha-jalair uptam phala-puspaksatankuraih SYNONYMS sammarjita—thoroughly cleansed; maha-marga—highways; rathya—lanes and subways; apanaka—shopping marketplaces; catvaram—public meeting places; siktam—moistened with; gandha-jalaih—scented water; uptam—was strewn with; phala—fruits; puspa—flowers; aksata—unbroken; ankuraih—seeds. TRANSLATION The highways, subways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were all thoroughly cleansed and then moistened with scented water. And to welcome the Lord, fruits, flowers and unbroken seeds were strewn everywhere. PURPORT Scented waters prepared by distilling flowers like rose and keora were requisitioned to wet the roads, streets and lanes of Dvaraka-dhama. Such places, along with the marketplace and public meeting places, were thoroughly cleansed. From the above description, it appears that the city of Dvarakadhama was considerably big, containing many highways, streets and public meeting places with parks, gardens and reservoirs of water, all very nicely decorated with flowers and fruits. And to welcome the Lord such flowers and fruits with unbroken seeds of grain were also strewn over the public places. Unbroken seeds of grain or fruits in the seedling stage were considered auspicious, and they are still so used by the Hindus in general on festival days. SB1.11.15 TEXT 15 dvari dvari grhanam ca dadhy-aksata-phaleksubhih alankrtam purna-kumbhair balibhir dhupa-dipakaih SYNONYMS dvari dvari—the door of each and every house; grhanam—of all the residential buildings; ca—and; dadhi—curd; aksata—unbroken; phala—fruit; iksubhih—sugarcane; alankrtam—decorated; purna-kumbhaih—full water pots; balibhih—along with articles for worship; dhupa—incense; dipakaih—with lamps and candles. TRANSLATION In each and every door of the residential houses, auspicious things like curd, unbroken fruits, sugarcane and full waterpots with articles for worship, incense and candles were all displayed. PURPORT The process of reception according to Vedic rites is not at all dry. The reception was made not simply by decorating the roads and streets as above mentioned, but by worshiping the Lord with requisite ingredients like incense, lamps, flowers, sweets, fruits and other palatable eatables, according to one’s capacity. All were offered to the Lord, and the remnants of the foodstuff were distributed amongst the gathering citizens. So it was not like a dry reception of these modern days. Each and every house was ready to receive the Lord in a similar way, and thus each and every house on the roads and streets distributed such remnants of food to the citizens, and therefore the festival was successful. Without distribution of food, no function is complete, and that is the way of Vedic culture. SB1.11.16-17 TEXTS 16–17 nisamya prestham ayantam vasudevo maha-manah akruras cograsenas ca ramas cadbhuta-vikramah pradyumnas carudesnas ca sambo jambavati-sutah praharsa-vegocchasita- sayanasana-bhojanah SYNONYMS nisamya—just hearing; prestham—the dearmost; ayantam—coming home; vasudevah—Vasudeva (the father of Krsna); maha-manah—the magnanimous; akrurah—Akrura; ca—and; ugrasenah—Ugrasena; ca—and; ramah—Balarama (the elder brother of Krsna); ca—and; adbhuta—superhuman; vikramah—prowess; pradyumnah—Pradyumna; carudesnah—Carudesna; ca—and; sambah—Samba; jambavati-sutah—the son of Jambavati; praharsa—extreme happiness; vega—force; ucchasita—being influenced by; sayana—lying down; asana—sitting on; bhojanah—dining. TRANSLATION On hearing that the most dear Krsna was approaching Dvarakadhama, magnanimous Vasudeva, Akrura, Ugrasena, Balarama (the superhumanly powerful), Pradyumna, Carudesna and Samba the son of Jambavati, all extremely happy, abandoned resting, sitting and dining. PURPORT Vasudeva: Son of King Surasena, husband of Devaki and father of Lord Sri Krsna. He is the brother of Kunti and father of Subhadra. Subhadra was married with her cousin Arjuna, and this system is still prevalent in some parts of India. Vasudeva was appointed minister of Ugrasena, and later on he married eight daughters of Ugrasena’s brother Devaka. Devaki is only one of them. Kamsa was his brother-in-law, and Vasudeva accepted voluntary imprisonment by Kamsa on mutual agreement to deliver the eighth son of Devaki. This was foiled by the will of Krsna. As maternal uncle of the Pandavas, he took active parts in the purificatory process of the Pandavas. He sent for the priest Kasyapa at the Satasrnga Parvata, and he executed the functions. When Krsna appeared within the bars of Kamsa’s prison house, He was transferred by Vasudeva to the house of Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Krsna, at Gokula. Krsna disappeared along with Baladeva prior to the disappearance of Vasudeva, and Arjuna (Vasudeva’s nephew) undertook the charge of the funeral ceremony after Vasudeva’s disappearance. Akrura: The commander in chief of the Vrsni dynasty and a great devotee of Lord Krsna. Akrura attained success in devotional service to the Lord by the one single process of offering prayers. He was the husband of Sutani, daughter of Ahuka. He supported Arjuna when Arjuna took Subhadra forcibly away by the will of Krsna. Both Krsna and Akrura went to see Arjuna after his successful kidnapping of Subhadra. Both of them presented dowries to Arjuna after this incidence. Akrura was present also when Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra, was married with Uttara, mother of Maharaja Pariksit. Ahuka, the father-in-law of Akrura, was not on good terms with Akrura. But both of them were devotees of the Lord. Ugrasena: One of the powerful kings of the Vrsni dynasty and cousin of Maharaja Kuntibhoja. His other name is Ahuka. His minister was Vasudeva, and his son was the powerful Kamsa. This Kamsa imprisoned his father and became the King of Mathura. By the grace of Lord Krsna and His brother, Lord Baladeva, Kamsa was killed, and Ugrasena was reinstalled on the throne. When Salva attacked the city of Dvaraka, Ugrasena fought very valiantly and repulsed the enemy. Ugrasena inquired from Naradaji about the divinity of Lord Krsna. When the Yadu dynasty was to be vanquished, Ugrasena was entrusted with the iron lump produced from the womb of Samba. He cut the iron lump into pieces and then pasted it and mixed it up with the sea water on the coast of Dvaraka. After this, he ordered complete prohibition within the city of Dvaraka and the kingdom. He got salvation after his death. Baladeva: He is the divine son of Vasudeva by his wife Rohini. He is also known as Rohini-nandana, the beloved son of Rohini. He was also entrusted to Nanda Maharaja along with His mother, Rohini, when Vasudeva embraced imprisonment by mutual agreement with Kamsa. So Nanda Maharaja is also the foster father of Baladeva along with Lord Krsna. Lord Krsna and Lord Baladeva were constant companions from Their very childhood, although They were stepbrothers. He is the plenary manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He is as good and powerful as Lord Krsna. He belongs to the visnu-tattva (the principle of Godhead). He attended the svayamvara ceremony of Draupadi along with Sri Krsna. When Subhadra was kidnapped by Arjuna by the organized plan of Sri Krsna, Baladeva was very angry with Arjuna and wanted to kill him at once. Sri Krsna, for the sake of His dear friend, fell at the feet of Lord Baladeva and implored Him not to be so angry. Sri Baladeva was thus satisfied. Similarly, He was once very angry with the Kauravas, and He wanted to throw their whole city into the depths of the Yamuna. But the Kauravas satisfied Him by surrendering unto His divine lotus feet. He was actually the seventh son of Devaki prior to the birth of Lord Krsna, but by the will of the Lord He was transferred to the womb of Rohini to escape the wrath of Kamsa. His other name is therefore Sankarsana, who is also the plenary portion of Sri Baladeva. Because He is as powerful as Lord Krsna and can bestow spiritual power to the devotees, He is therefore known as Baladeva. In the Vedas also it is enjoined that no one can know the Supreme Lord without being favored by Baladeva. Bala means spiritual strength not physical. Some less intelligent persons interpret bala as the strength of the body. But no one can have spiritual realization by physical strength. Physical strength ends with the end of the physical body, but spiritual strength follows the spirit soul to the next transmigration, and therefore the strength obtained by Baladeva is never wasted. The strength is eternal, and thus Baladeva is the original spiritual master of all devotees. Sri Baladeva was also a class friend of Lord Sri Krsna as a student of Sandipani Muni. In His childhood He killed many asuras along with Sri Krsna, and specifically He killed the Dhenukasura at Talavana. During the Kuruksetra battle, He remained neutral, and He tried His best not to bring about the fight. He was in favor of Duryodhana, but still He remained neutral. When there was a club-fight between Duryodhana and Bhimasena, He was present on the spot. He was angry at Bhimasena when the latter struck Duryodhana on the thigh or below the belt, and He wanted to retaliate the unfair action. Lord Sri Krsna saved Bhima from His wrath. But He left the place at once, being disgusted at Bhimasena, and after His departure Duryodhana fell to the ground to meet his death. The funeral ceremony of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, was performed by Him, as He was the maternal uncle. It was impossible to be performed by any one of the Pandavas, who were all overwhelmed with grief. At the last stage, He departed from this world by producing a great white snake from His mouth, and thus He was carried by Sesanaga in the shape of a serpent. Pradyumna: Incarnation of Kamadeva or, according to others, incarnation of Sanat-kumara, born as the son of the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna and Laksmidevi Srimati Rukmini, the principal queen at Dvaraka. He was one of those who went to congratulate Arjuna upon his marrying Subhadra. He was one of the great generals who fought with Salva, and while fighting with him he became unconscious on the battlefield. His charioteer brought him back to the camp from the battlefield, and for this action he was very sorry and rebuked his charioteer. However, he fought again with Salva and was victorious. He heard all about the different demigods from Naradaji. He is one of the four plenary expansions of Lord Sri Krsna. He is the third one. He inquired from his father, Sri Krsna, about the glories of the brahmanas. During the fratricidal war amongst the descendants of Yadu, he died at the hand of Bhoja, another king of the Vrsnis. After his death, he was installed in his original position. Carudesna: Another son of Lord Sri Krsna and Rukminidevi. He was also present during the svayamvara ceremony of Draupadi. He was a great warrior like his brothers and father. He fought with Vivinidhaka and killed him in the fight. Samba: One of the great heroes of the Yadu dynasty and the son of Lord Sri Krsna by His wife Jambavati. He learned the military art of throwing arrows from Arjuna, and he became a member of parliament during the time of Maharaja Yudhisthira. He was present during the Rajasuya-yajna of Maharaja Yudhisthira. When all the Vrsnis were assembled during the time of Prabhasa-yajna, his glorious activities were narrated by Satyaki before Lord Baladeva. He was also present along with his father, Lord Sri Krsna, during the Asvamedha-yajna performed by Yudhisthira. He was presented before some rsis falsely dressed as a pregnant woman by his brothers, and in fun he asked the rsis what he was going to deliver. The rsis replied that he would deliver a lump of iron, which would be the cause of fratricidal war in the family of Yadu. The next day, in the morning, Samba delivered a large lump of iron, which was entrusted with Ugrasena for necessary action. Actually later on there was the foretold fratricidal war, and Samba died in that war. So all these sons of Lord Krsna left their respective palaces and leaving aside all engagements, including lying down, sitting and dining, hastened toward their exalted father.
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare