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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The Disappearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

This chapter describes the return of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to His own abode, along with all the Yadus.

Upon learning from Dāruka that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa had returned to His abode, Vasudeva and all the others remaining in Dvārakā became very much agitated by lamentation and went out from the city to find Him. All the demigods who, in pursuance of the desire of Lord Kṛṣṇa, had taken birth in the Yadu dynasty to render assistance in His pastimes followed Lord Kṛṣṇa and returned to their respective abodes. The Lord’s activities of creating a life for Himself and then dismantling it are simply tricks of Māyā, like an actor’s performance. Actually, He creates the entire universe, and then He enters within it as the Supersoul. In the end, He again winds up the entire universe within Himself and, remaining in His private glory, desists from external pastimes.

Though overcome by feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was nevertheless able to pacify himself by remembering all the various instructions given to him by the Lord. Arjuna then carried out the rituals of offering piṇḍa and so on for his dead relatives. At that time the ocean swallowed up all of Dvārakā-purī except for the Lord’s own residence. Arjuna took the remaining members of the Yadu dynasty to Indraprastha, where he installed Vajra upon the throne. Hearing of these events, the Pāṇḍavas, led by Yudhiṣṭhira, placed Parīkṣit upon their throne and left for the great journey.

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच
अथ तत्रागमद् ब्रह्मा भवान्या च समं भव: ।
महेन्द्रप्रमुखा देवा मुनय: सप्रजेश्वरा: ॥ १ ॥

Text

śrī-śuka uvāca
atha tatrāgamad brahmā
bhavānyā ca samaṁ bhavaḥ
mahendra-pramukhā devā
munayaḥ sa-prajeśvarāḥ

Synonyms

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; atha — then; tatra — there; āgamat — came; brahmā — Lord Brahmā; bhavānyā — his consort, Bhavānī; ca — and; samam — along with; bhavaḥ — Lord Śiva; mahā-indra-pramukhāḥ — led by Lord Indra; devāḥ — the demigods; munayaḥ — the sages; sa — with; prajā-īśvarāḥ — the progenitors of the universe’s population.

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Then Lord Brahmā arrived at Prabhāsa along with Lord Śiva and his consort, the sages, the Prajāpatis and all the demigods, headed by Indra.

Devanagari

पितर: सिद्धगन्धर्वा विद्याधरमहोरगा: ।
चारणा यक्षरक्षांसि किन्नराप्सरसो द्विजा: ॥ २ ॥
द्रष्टुकामा भगवतो निर्याणं परमोत्सुका: ।
गायन्तश्च गृणन्तश्च शौरे: कर्माणि जन्म च ॥ ३ ॥

Text

pitaraḥ siddha-gandharvā
vidyādhara-mahoragāḥ
cāraṇā yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi
kinnarāpsaraso dvijāḥ
draṣṭu-kāmā bhagavato
niryāṇaṁ paramotsukāḥ
gāyantaś ca gṛṇantaś ca
śaureḥ karmāṇi janma ca

Synonyms

pitaraḥ — the forefathers; siddha-gandharvāḥ — the Siddhas and Gandharvas; vidyādhara-mahā-uragāḥ — the Vidyādharas and the great serpents; cāraṇāḥ — the Cāraṇas; yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi — the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas; kinnara-apsarasaḥ — the Kinnaras and Apsarās; dvijāḥ — the great birds; draṣṭu-kāmāḥ — desirous of seeing; bhagavataḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; niryāṇam — the passing away; parama-utsukāḥ — very eager; gāyantaḥ — chanting; ca — and; gṛṇantaḥ — praising; ca — and; śaureḥ — of Lord Śauri (Kṛṣṇa); karmāṇi — the activities; janma — the birth; ca — and.

Translation

The forefathers, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas and great serpents also came, along with the Cāraṇas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Kinnaras, Apsarās and relatives of Garuḍa, greatly eager to witness the departure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As they were coming, all these personalities variously chanted and glorified the birth and activities of Lord Śauri [Kṛṣṇa].

Devanagari

ववृषु: पुष्पवर्षाणि विमानावलिभिर्नभ: ।
कुर्वन्त: सङ्कुलं राजन् भक्त्या परमया युता: ॥ ४ ॥

Text

vavṛṣuḥ puṣpa-varṣāṇi
vimānāvalibhir nabhaḥ
kurvantaḥ saṅkulaṁ rājan
bhaktyā paramayā yutāḥ

Synonyms

vavṛṣuḥ — they showered; puṣpa-varṣāṇi — showers of flowers; vimāna — of airplanes; āvalibhiḥ — by great numbers; nabhaḥ — the sky; kurvantaḥ — making; saṅkulam — filled up; rājan — O King Parīkṣit; bhaktyā — with devotion; paramayā — transcendental; yutāḥ — endowed.

Translation

O King, crowding the sky with their many airplanes, they showered down flowers with great devotion.

Devanagari

भगवान् पितामहं वीक्ष्य विभूतीरात्मनो विभु: ।
संयोज्यात्मनि चात्मानं पद्मनेत्रे न्यमीलयत् ॥ ५ ॥

Text

bhagavān pitāmahaṁ vīkṣya
vibhūtīr ātmano vibhuḥ
saṁyojyātmani cātmānaṁ
padma-netre nyamīlayat

Synonyms

bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pitāmaham — Lord Brahmā; vīkṣya — seeing; vibhūtīḥ — the powerful expansions, the demigods; ātmanaḥ — His own; vibhuḥ — the Almighty Lord; saṁyojya — fixing; ātmani — in Himself; ca — and; ātmānam — His consciousness; padma-netre — His lotus eyes; nyamīlyat — closed.

Translation

Seeing before Him Brahmā, the grandfather of the universe, along with the other demigods, who are all His personal and powerful expansions, the Almighty Lord closed His lotus eyes, fixing His mind within Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, Lord Kṛṣṇa had previously answered the prayers of Lord Brahmā and the other demigods, who had requested the Lord to descend within this universe for the protection of His servants, the demigods. Now the demigods arrived before the Lord, each one desiring to take the Lord to his own planet. To avoid these innumerable social obligations, the Lord closed His eyes as if absorbed in samādhi.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī adds that Lord Kṛṣṇa closed His eyes to instruct the yogīs how to leave this mortal world without attachment to one’s mystic opulences. All the demigods, including Brahmā, are mystic expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and yet the Lord closed His eyes to emphasize that one should fix one’s mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead when departing from this world.

Devanagari

लोकाभिरामां स्वतनुं धारणाध्यानमङ्गलम् ।
योगधारणयाग्नेय्यादग्ध्वा धामाविशत् स्वकम् ॥ ६ ॥

Text

lokābhirāmāṁ sva-tanuṁ
dhāraṇā-dhyāna-maṅgalam
yoga-dhāraṇayāgneyyā-
dagdhvā dhāmāviśat svakam

Synonyms

loka — to all the worlds; abhirāmām — most attractive; sva-tanum — His own transcendental body; dhāraṇā — of all trance; dhyāna — and meditation; maṅgalam — the auspicious object; yoga-dhāraṇayā — by mystic trance; āgneyyā — focused on fire; adagdhvā — without burning; dhāma — the abode; āviśat — He entered; svakam — His own.

Translation

Without employing the mystic āgneyī meditation to burn up His transcendental body, which is the all-attractive resting place of all the worlds and the object of all contemplation and meditation, Lord Kṛṣṇa entered into His own abode.

Purport

A yogī empowered to select the moment of leaving his body can cause it to burst into flames by engaging in the yogic meditation called āgneyī, and thus he passes into his next life. The demigods similarly employ this mystic fire when being transferred to the spiritual world. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely different from conditioned souls like yogīs and demigods, since the Lord’s eternal, spiritual body is the source of all existence, as indicated here by the words lokābhirāmāṁ sva-tanum. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body is the source of pleasure for the entire universe. The word dhāraṇā-dhyāna-maṅgalam indicates that those trying for spiritual elevation through meditation and yoga achieve all auspiciousness through meditation on the Lord’s body. Since yogīs are liberated simply by thinking of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body, that body is certainly not material and therefore not subject to burning by mundane mystic fire or any other type of fire.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura reminds us of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement in the Eleventh Canto, Chapter Fourteen, verse 37: vahni-madhye smared rūpaṁ mamaitad dhyāna-maṅgalam. “Within the fire one should meditate upon My form, which is the auspicious object of all meditation.” Since Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental form is present within fire as the maintaining principle, how can fire affect that form? Thus although the Lord appeared to enter the mystic yoga trance, the word adagdhvā indicates that the Lord, since His body is purely spiritual, bypassed the formality of burning and directly entered His own abode in the spiritual sky. This point has also been elaborately explained by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī in his commentary to this verse.

Devanagari

दिवि दुन्दुभयो नेदु: पेतु: सुमनसश्च खात् ।
सत्यं धर्मो धृतिर्भूमे: कीर्ति: श्रीश्चानु तं ययु: ॥ ७ ॥

Text

divi dundubhayo neduḥ
petuḥ sumanasaś ca khāt
satyaṁ dharmo dhṛtir bhūmeḥ
kīrtiḥ śrīś cānu taṁ yayuḥ

Synonyms

divi — in heaven; dundubhayaḥ — kettledrums; neduḥ — sounded; petuḥ — fell; sumanasaḥ — flowers; ca — and; khāt — from the sky; satyam — Truth; dharmaḥ — Religion; dhṛtiḥ — Faithfulness; bhūmeḥ — from the earth; kīrtiḥ — Fame; śrīḥ — Beauty; ca — and; anu — following; tam — Him; yayuḥ — they went.

Translation

As soon as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa left the earth, Truth, Religion, Faithfulness, Glory and Beauty immediately followed Him. Kettledrums resounded in the heavens and flowers showered from the sky.

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, all the demigods were jubilant because each one thought Lord Kṛṣṇa was coming to his own planet.

Devanagari

देवादयो ब्रह्ममुख्या न विशन्तं स्वधामनि ।
अविज्ञातगतिं कृष्णं दद‍ृशुश्चातिविस्मिता: ॥ ८ ॥

Text

devādayo brahma-mukhyā
na viśantaṁ sva-dhāmani
avijñāta-gatiṁ kṛṣṇaṁ
dadṛśuś cāti-vismitāḥ

Synonyms

deva-ādayaḥ — the demigods and others; brahma-mukhyāḥ — headed by Brahmā; na — not; viśantam — entering; sva-dhāmani — His own abode; avijñāta — unknown; gatim — His movements; kṛṣṇam — Lord Kṛṣṇa; dadṛśuḥ — they saw; ca — and; ati-vismitāḥ — very amazed.

Translation

Most of the demigods and other higher beings led by Brahmā could not see Lord Kṛṣṇa as He was entering His own abode, since He did not reveal His movements. But some of them did catch sight of Him, and they were extremely amazed.

Devanagari

सौदामन्या यथाक्लाशे यान्त्या हित्वाभ्रमण्डलम् ।
गतिर्न लक्ष्यते मर्त्यैस्तथा कृष्णस्य दैवतै: ॥ ९ ॥

Text

saudāmanyā yathākāśe
yāntyā hitvābhra-maṇḍalam
gatir na lakṣyate martyais
tathā kṛṣṇasya daivataiḥ

Synonyms

saudāmanyāḥ — of lightning; yathā — just as; ākāśe — in the sky; yāntyāḥ — which is traveling; hitvā — having left; abhra-maṇḍalam — the clouds; gatiḥ — the movement; na lakṣyate — cannot be ascertained; martyaiḥ — by mortals; tathā — similarly; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; daivataiḥ — by the demigods.

Translation

Just as ordinary men cannot ascertain the path of a lightning bolt as it leaves a cloud, the demigods could not trace out the movements of Lord Kṛṣṇa as He returned to His abode.

Purport

The sudden movements of a lightning bolt are seen by the demigods but not by human beings. Similarly, the sudden departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa could be understood by the Lord’s intimate associates in the spiritual sky but not by the demigods.

Devanagari

ब्रह्मरुद्रादयस्ते तु द‍ृष्ट्वा योगगतिं हरे: ।
विस्मितास्तां प्रशंसन्त: स्वं स्वं लोकं ययुस्तदा ॥ १० ॥

Text

brahma-rudrādayas te tu
dṛṣṭvā yoga-gatiṁ hareḥ
vismitās tāṁ praśaṁsantaḥ
svaṁ svaṁ lokaṁ yayus tadā

Synonyms

brahma-rudra-ādayaḥ — Brahmā, Rudra and others; te — they; tu — but; dṛṣṭvā — seeing; yoga-gatim — the mystic power; hareḥ — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; vismitāḥ — astonished; tām — that power; praśaṁsantaḥ — glorifying; svam svam — each to his own; lokam — world; yayuḥ — went; tadā — then.

Translation

A few of the demigods, however — notably Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva — could ascertain how the Lord’s mystic power was working, and thus they became astonished. All the demigods praised the Lord’s mystic power and then returned to their own planets.

Purport

Although the demigods are virtually omniscient within this universe, they could not understand the movements of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mystic potency. Thus they were astonished.

Devanagari

राजन् परस्य तनुभृज्जननाप्ययेहा
मायाविडम्बनमवेहि यथा नटस्य ।
सृष्ट्वात्मनेदमनुविश्य विहृत्य चान्ते
संहृत्य चात्ममहिनोपरत: स आस्ते ॥ ११ ॥

Text

rājan parasya tanu-bhṛj-jananāpyayehā
māyā-viḍambanam avehi yathā naṭasya
sṛṣṭvātmanedam anuviśya vihṛtya cānte
saṁhṛtya cātma-mahinoparataḥ sa āste

Synonyms

rājan — O King Parīkṣit; parasya — of the Supreme; tanu-bhṛt — resembling the embodied living beings; janana — of birth; apyaya — and disappearance; īhāḥ — the activities; māyā — of His illusory potency; viḍambanam — the false show; avehi — you should understand; yathā — just as; naṭasya — of an actor; sṛṣṭvā — creating; ātmanā — by Himself; idam — this universe; anuviśya — entering it; vihṛtya — playing; ca — and; ante — in the end; saṁhṛtya — winding it up; ca — and; ātma-mahinā — with His own glory; uparataḥ — having ceased; saḥ — He; āste — remains.

Translation

My dear King, you should understand that the Supreme Lord’s appearance and disappearance, which resemble those of embodied conditioned souls, are actually a show enacted by His illusory energy, just like the performance of an actor. After creating this universe He enters into it, plays within it for some time, and at last winds it up. Then the Lord remains situated in His own transcendental glory, having ceased from the functions of cosmic manifestation.

Purport

According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the so-called fight among the members of the Yadu dynasty was actually a display of the pastime potency of the Lord, since Lord Kṛṣṇa’s personal associates are never subject to ordinary birth and death like conditioned souls. This being the case, certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself is transcendental to material birth and death, as clearly stated in this verse.

The word naṭasya, “of an actor or magician,” is significant here. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura tells the following story of a certain magician who exhibits the trick of dying:

“In front of a great king, a magician approaches a stack of valuable garments, jewels, coins and so forth, all placed there by the king. Taking a jeweled necklace, the magician tells the king, ‘Now I am taking this necklace, and you can’t have it,’ and he makes the necklace disappear. ‘Now I’m taking this gold coin, and you can’t have it,’ he says, and makes the gold coin disappear. Next, challenging the king in the same way, the magician makes seven thousand horses disappear. Then the magician creates the illusion that the king’s children, grandchildren, brothers and other family members have attacked each other and that nearly all are dead from the violent quarrel. The king hears the magician speaking and at the same time observes these things taking place before him as he sits in the great assembly hall.

“Then the magician says, ‘O King, I no longer wish to live. Just as I have studied magic, so also, by the mercy of the lotus feet of my guru, I have learned the mystic meditation of yoga. One is supposed to give up one’s body while meditating in a holy place, and since you have performed so many pious activities, you are a holy place yourself. Therefore I shall now give up my body.’

“Thus speaking, the magician sits down in the proper yoga posture, fixes himself in prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi, and becomes silent. A moment later, a fire generated from his trance blazes forth out of his body and burns it to ashes. Then all the wives of the magician, distraught with lamentation, enter into that fire.

“Three or four days later, after the magician has returned to his own province, he sends one of his daughters to the king. The daughter tells him, ‘O King, I have just come to your palace, bringing along with me, invisibly, all your sons, grandsons and brothers in good health — along with all the jewels and other items given by you. Please, therefore, give me whatever you consider fitting remuneration for the wisdom of the magic that has been exhibited before you.’ In this way, even by ordinary magic one can simulate birth and death.”

It is not difficult to understand, therefore, that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although transcendental to the laws of nature, exhibits His illusory potency so that ordinary fools will think the Lord has left His body like a human being. Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa returned to His abode in His own eternal body, as confirmed throughout the Vedic literature.

Devanagari

मर्त्येन यो गुरुसुतं यमलोकनीतं
त्वां चानयच्छरणद: परमास्‍त्रदग्धम् ।
जिग्येऽन्तकान्तकमपीशमसावनीश:
किं स्वावने स्वरनयन्मृगयुं सदेहम् ॥ १२ ॥

Text

martyena yo guru-sutaṁ yama-loka-nītaṁ
tvāṁ cānayac charaṇa-daḥ paramāstra-dagdham
jigye ’ntakāntakam apīśam asāv anīśaḥ
kiṁ svāvane svar anayan mṛgayuṁ sa-deham

Synonyms

martyena — in the same human body; yaḥ — who; guru-sutam — the son of His spiritual master; yama-loka — to the planet of Yamarāja; nītam — brought; tvām — you; ca — and; ānayat — brought back; śaraṇa-daḥ — the giver of shelter; parama-astra — by the supreme weapon, the brahmāstra; dagdham — burned; jigye — He conquered; antaka — of the agents of death; antakam — who is the death; api — even; īśam — Lord Śiva; asau — He, Kṛṣṇa; anīśaḥ — incapable; kim — whether; sva — of Himself; avane — in the protection; svaḥ — to the spiritual world; anayat — brought; mṛgayum — the hunter; sa-deham — in the same body.

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa brought the son of His guru back from the planet of the lord of death in the boy’s selfsame body, and as the ultimate giver of protection He saved you also when you were burned by the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā. He conquered in battle even Lord Śiva, who deals death to the agents of death, and He sent the hunter Jarā directly to Vaikuṇṭha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect His own Self?

Purport

To mitigate his own and Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s distress at the narration of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s departure from this world, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī here gives several clear examples proving that Lord Kṛṣṇa is far beyond the influence of death. Although the son of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual master (Sāndīpani Muni) had been taken by death, the Lord brought him back in his same body. Similarly, the power of Brahman cannot touch Lord Kṛṣṇa, since Parīkṣit Mahārāja, though burned by the brahmāstra weapon, was easily saved by the Lord. Lord Śiva was clearly defeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the battle with Bāṇāsura, and the hunter Jarā was sent to a Vaikuṇṭha planet in his same human body. Death is an insignificant expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s external potency and cannot possibly act upon the Lord Himself. Those who actually understand the transcendental nature of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s activities will find convincing evidence in these examples.

Devanagari

तथाप्यशेषस्थितिसम्भवाप्यये-
ष्वनन्यहेतुर्यदशेषशक्तिधृक् ।
नैच्छत् प्रणेतुं वपुरत्र शेषितं
मर्त्येन किं स्वस्थगतिं प्रदर्शयन् ॥ १३ ॥

Text

tathāpy aśeṣa-sthiti-sambhavāpyayeṣv
ananya-hetur yad aśeṣa-śakti-dhṛk
naicchat praṇetuṁ vapur atra śeṣitaṁ
martyena kiṁ sva-stha-gatiṁ pradarśayan

Synonyms

tathā api — nevertheless; aśeṣa — of all created beings; sthiti — in the maintenance; sambhava — creation; apyayeṣu — and annihilation; ananya-hetuḥ — the exclusive cause; yat — because; aśeṣa — unlimited; śakti — potencies; dhṛk — possessing; na aicchat — He did not desire; praṇetum — to keep; vapuḥ — His transcendental body; atra — here; śeṣitam — remaining; martyena — with this mortal world; kim — what use; sva-stha — of those who are fixed in Him; gatim — the destination; pradarśayan — showing.

Translation

Although Lord Kṛṣṇa, being the possessor of infinite powers, is the only cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of innumerable living beings, He simply did not desire to keep His body in this world any longer. Thus He revealed the destination of those fixed in the self and demonstrated that this mortal world is of no intrinsic value.

Purport

Although Lord Kṛṣṇa descended to this world to save the fallen souls, He did not want to encourage people in the future to loiter here unnecessarily. In other words, as soon as possible one should perfect one’s Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back home, back to Godhead. If Lord Kṛṣṇa had remained longer on the earth, He would have unnecessarily increased the prestige of the material world.

As stated by Śrī Uddhava in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.11), ādāyāntar adhād yas tu sva-bimbaṁ loka-locanam: “Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who manifested His eternal form before the vision of all on the earth, performed His disappearance by removing His form from the sight of those who are unable to see Him [as He is] due to not executing the required penance.” Uddhava also states in the Bhāgavatam (3.2.10):

devasya māyayā spṛṣṭā
ye cānyad-asad-āśritāḥ
bhrāmyate dhīr na tad-vākyair
ātmany uptātmano harau

“Under no circumstances can the words of persons bewildered by the illusory energy of the Lord deviate the intelligence of those who are completely surrendered souls.” One who follows the Vaiṣṇava authorities in his attempt to understand Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental disappearance easily appreciates that the Lord is the omnipotent Personality of Godhead and that His spiritual body is identical with His eternal spiritual potency.

Devanagari

य एतां प्रातरुत्थाय कृष्णस्य पदवीं पराम् ।
प्रयत: कीर्तयेद् भक्त्या तामेवाप्नोत्यनुत्तमाम् ॥ १४ ॥

Text

ya etāṁ prātar utthāya
kṛṣṇasya padavīṁ parām
prayataḥ kīrtayed bhaktyā
tām evāpnoty anuttamām

Synonyms

yaḥ — anyone who; etām — this; prātaḥ — early in the morning; utthāya — getting up; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; padavīm — the destination; parām — supreme; prayataḥ — with careful attention; kīrtayet — glorifies; bhaktyā — with devotion; tām — that destination; eva — indeed; āpnoti — he obtains; anuttamam — unsurpassable.

Translation

Anyone who regularly rises early in the morning and carefully chants with devotion the glories of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental disappearance and His return to His own abode will certainly achieve that same supreme destination.

Devanagari

दारुको द्वारकामेत्य वसुदेवोग्रसेनयो: ।
पतित्वा चरणावस्रैर्न्यषिञ्चत् कृष्णविच्युत: ॥ १५ ॥

Text

dāruko dvārakām etya
vasudevograsenayoḥ
patitvā caraṇāv asrair
nyaṣiñcat kṛṣṇa-vicyutaḥ

Synonyms

dārukaḥ — Dāruka; dvārakām — in Dvārakā; etya — arriving; vasudeva-ugrasenayoḥ — of Vasudeva and Ugrasena; patitvā — falling down; caraṇau — at the feet; asraiḥ — with his tears; nyaṣiñcat — drenched; kṛṣṇa-vicyutaḥ — deprived of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Translation

As soon as Dāruka reached Dvārakā, he threw himself at the feet of Vasudeva and Ugrasena and drenched their feet with his tears, lamenting the loss of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Devanagari

कथयामास निधनं वृष्णीनां कृत्‍स्‍नशो नृप ।
तच्छ्रुत्वोद्विग्नहृदया जना: शोकविर्मूर्च्छिता: ॥ १६ ॥
तत्र स्म त्वरिता जग्मु: कृष्णविश्लेषविह्वला: ।
व्यसव: शेरते यत्र ज्ञातयो घ्नन्त आननम् ॥ १७ ॥

Text

kathayām āsa nidhanaṁ
vṛṣṇīnāṁ kṛtsnaśo nṛpa
tac chrutvodvigna-hṛdayā
janāḥ śoka-virmūrcchitāḥ
tatra sma tvaritā jagmuḥ
kṛṣṇa-viśleṣa-vihvalāḥ
vyasavaḥ śerate yatra
jñātayo ghnanta ānanam

Synonyms

kathayām āsa — he related; nidhanam — the destruction; vṛṣṇīnām — of the Vṛṣṇis; kṛtsnaśaḥ — total; nṛpa — O King Parīkṣit; tat — that; śrutvā — hearing; udvigna — agitated; hṛdayāḥ — their hearts; janāḥ — the people; śoka — by sorrow; virmūrcchitāḥ — rendered senseless; tatra — there; sma — indeed; tvaritāḥ — swiftly; jagmuḥ — they went; kṛṣṇa-viśleṣa — by separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa; vihvalāḥ — overwhelmed; vyasavaḥ — lifeless; śerate — they lay; yatra — where; jñātayaḥ — their relatives; ghnantaḥ — striking; ānanam — their own faces.

Translation

Dāruka delivered the account of the total destruction of the Vṛṣṇis, and upon hearing this, O Parīkṣit, the people became deeply distraught in their hearts and stunned with sorrow. Feeling the overwhelming pain of separation from Kṛṣṇa, they struck their own faces while hurrying to the place where their relatives lay dead.

Devanagari

देवकी रोहिणी चैव वसुदेवस्तथा सुतौ ।
कृष्णरामावपश्यन्त: शोकार्ता विजहु: स्मृतिम् ॥ १८ ॥

Text

devakī rohiṇī caiva
vasudevas tathā sutau
kṛṣṇa-rāmāv apaśyantaḥ
śokārtā vijahuḥ smṛtim

Synonyms

devakī — Devakī; rohiṇī — Rohiṇī; ca — also; eva — indeed; vasudevaḥ — Vasudeva; tathā — as well; sutau — their two sons; kṛṣṇa-rāmau — Kṛṣṇa and Rāma; apaśyantaḥ — not seeing; śoka-ārtāḥ — feeling the pain of lamentation; vijahuḥ — they lost; smṛtim — their consciousness.

Translation

When Devakī, Rohiṇī and Vasudeva could not find their sons, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, they lost consciousness out of anguish.

Purport

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the original Devakī, Rohiṇī and other ladies of Dvārakā actually remained in Dvārakā, invisible to the eyes of the material world, whereas the demigods who represented partial aspects of Devakī, Rohiṇī and so on went to Prabhāsa to see their dead relatives.

Devanagari

प्राणांश्च विजहुस्तत्र भगवद्विरहातुरा: ।
उपगुह्य पतींस्तात चितामारुरुहु: स्‍त्रिय: ॥ १९ ॥

Text

prāṇāṁś ca vijahus tatra
bhagavad-virahāturāḥ
upaguhya patīṁs tāta
citām āruruhuḥ striyaḥ

Synonyms

prāṇān — their lives; ca — and; vijahuḥ — they gave up; tatra — there; bhagavat — from the Personality of Godhead; viraha — because of separation; āturāḥ — tormented; upagahya — embracing; patīn — their husbands; tāta — my dear Parīkṣit; citām — the funeral pyre; āruruhuḥ — they climbed upon; striyaḥ — the wives.

Translation

Tormented by separation from the Lord, His parents gave up their lives at that very spot. My dear Parīkṣit, the wives of the Yādavas then climbed onto the funeral pyres, embracing their dead husbands.

Devanagari

रामपत्न्‍यश्च तद्देहमुपगुह्याग्निमाविशन् ।
वसुदेवपत्न्‍यस्तद्गात्रं प्रद्युम्नादीन् हरे: स्‍नुषा: ।
कृष्णपत्न्‍योऽविशन्नग्निं रुक्‍मिण्याद्यास्तदात्मिका: ॥ २० ॥

Text

rāma-patnyaś ca tad-deham
upaguhyāgnim āviśan
vasudeva-patnyas tad-gātraṁ
pradyumnādīn hareḥ snuṣāḥ
kṛṣṇa-patnyo ’viśann agniṁ
rukmiṇy-ādyās tad-ātmikāḥ

Synonyms

rāma-patnyaḥ — the wives of Lord Balarāma; ca — and; tat-deham — His body; upaguhya — embracing; agnim — the fire; āviśan — entered; vasudeva-patnyaḥ — the wives of Vasudeva; tat-gātram — his body; pradyumna-ādīn — Pradyumna and the others; hareḥ — of Lord Hari; snuṣāḥ — the daughters-in-law; kṛṣṇa-patnyaḥ — the wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa; aviśan — entered; agnim — the fire; rukmiṇī-ādyāḥ — led by Queen Rukmiṇī; tat-ātmikāḥ — whose consciousness was completely absorbed in Him.

Translation

The wives of Lord Balarāma also entered the fire and embraced His body, and Vasudeva’s wives entered his fire and embraced his body. The daughters-in-law of Lord Hari entered the funeral fires of their respective husbands, headed by Pradyumna. And Rukmiṇī and the other wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa — whose hearts were completely absorbed in Him — entered His fire.

Purport

It is understood that the anguished scene described here is a display of the Lord’s illusory potency, adding a final dramatic note to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes on the earth. In reality, Lord Kṛṣṇa returned to His eternal abode in His original body, and His eternal associates returned with Him. This final heartbreaking scene of the Lord’s pastimes is a creation of the Lord’s internal potency that brings the Lord’s manifest pastimes to a perfect dramatic end.

Devanagari

अर्जुन: प्रेयस: सख्यु: कृष्णस्य विरहातुर: ।
आत्मानं सान्त्वयामास कृष्णगीतै: सदुक्तिभि: ॥ २१ ॥

Text

arjunaḥ preyasaḥ sakhyuḥ
kṛṣṇasya virahāturaḥ
ātmānaṁ sāntvayām āsa
kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ sad-uktibhiḥ

Synonyms

arjunaḥ — Arjuna; preyasaḥ — of his dear; sakhyuḥ — friend; kṛṣṇasya — Lord Kṛṣṇa; viraha — because of the separation; āturaḥ — distressed; ātmānam — himself; sāntvayām āsa — consoled; kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ — with the song sung by Lord Kṛṣṇa (the Bhagavad-gītā); sat-uktibhiḥ — with the transcendental words.

Translation

Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost friend. But he consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words the Lord had sung to him.

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, Arjuna remembered such verses from the Gītā as:

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam

“I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency (yoga-māyā), and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.”

Similarly, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has mentioned the Gītā verse mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo ’si me (Bg. 18.65): “You will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” He has also quoted from the Svarga-parva of the Mahābhārata as follows:

dadarśa tatra govindaṁ
brahmaṇe vapuṣānvitam
tenaiva dṛṣṭa-pūrveṇa
sādṛśyenopasūcitam
dīpyamānaṁ sva-vapuṣā
divyair astrair upaskṛtam
cakra-prabhṛtibhir ghorair
divyaiḥ puruṣa-vigrahaiḥ
upāsyamānaṁ vīreṇa
phālgunena su-varcasā
yathā-svarūpaṁ kaunteya
tathaiva madhusūdanam
tāv ubhau puruṣa-vyāghrau
samudvīkṣya yudhiṣṭhiram
yathārhaṁ pratipedāte
pūjayā deva-pūjitau

“There Yudhiṣṭhira saw Lord Govinda as the Absolute Truth in His original, personal form. He appeared just as Yudhiṣṭhira had seen Him before, with all the same characteristics. He was glowing brilliantly with the effulgence coming from His own body, and He was surrounded by His transcendental weapons — the disc and so on — which appeared in their fearsome personified forms. O descendant of Kuntī, Lord Madhusūdana was being worshiped by the effulgent hero Arjuna, who also appeared in his original form. When these two lions among men, who are worshipable by the demigods, noticed the presence of Yudhiṣṭhira, they approached him with proper respect and offered him worship.”

Devanagari

बन्धूनां नष्टगोत्राणामर्जुन: साम्परायिकम् ।
हतानां कारयामास यथावदनुपूर्वश: ॥ २२ ॥

Text

bandhūnāṁ naṣṭa-gotrāṇām
arjunaḥ sāmparāyikam
hatānāṁ kārayām āsa
yathā-vad anupūrvaśaḥ

Synonyms

bandhūnām — of the relatives; naṣṭa-gotrāṇām — who had no remaining immediate family members; arjunaḥ — Arjuna; sāmparāyikam — the funeral rites; hatānām — of the killed; kārayām āsa — had executed; yathā-vat — as prescribed in the Vedas; anupūrvaśaḥ — in order of the seniority of the deceased.

Translation

Arjuna then saw to it that the funeral rites were properly carried out for the dead, who had no remaining male family members. He executed the required ceremonies for each of the Yadus, one after another.

Devanagari

द्वारकां हरिणा त्यक्तां समुद्रोऽप्लावयत् क्षणात् ।
वर्जयित्वा महाराज श्रीमद्भ‍गवदालयम् ॥ २३ ॥

Text

dvārakāṁ hariṇā tyaktāṁ
samudro ’plāvayat kṣaṇāt
varjayitvā mahā-rāja
śrīmad-bhagavad-ālayam

Synonyms

dvārakām — Dvārakā; hariṇā — by Lord Hari; tyaktām — abandoned; samudraḥ — the ocean; aplāvayat — overflooded; kṣaṇāt — immediately; varjayitvā — except for; mahā-rāja — O King; śrīmat-bhagavat — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ālayam — the residence.

Translation

As soon as Dvārakā was abandoned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ocean flooded it on all sides, O King, sparing only His palace.

Purport

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that whereas the external manifestation of the Lord’s abode was covered by the ocean, the Lord’s eternal Dvārakā exists beyond the material universe and certainly beyond the material ocean. Dvārakā had been constructed by Viśvakarmā, the architect of the demigods, and the Sudharmā assembly hall had been brought from heaven. In that city there were many beautiful and splendorous residences of the aristocratic Yadu dynasty, and the most beautiful residence of all was that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī mentions that even in the modern age, people who live near the site of the original Dvārakā sometimes catch a glimpse of it in the ocean. Ultimately, the Lord’s associates and abode are eternal, and one who understands this is qualified to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Devanagari

नित्यं सन्निहितस्तत्र भगवान् मधुसूदन: ।
स्मृत्याशेषाशुभहरं सर्वमङ्गलमङ्गलम् ॥ २४ ॥

Text

nityaṁ sannihitas tatra
bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ
smṛtyāśeṣāśubha-haraṁ
sarva-maṅgala-maṅgalam

Synonyms

nityam — eternally; sannihitaḥ — present; tatra — there; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; madhusūdanaḥ — Madhusūdana; smṛtyā — by remembrance; aśeṣa-aśubha — of everything inauspicious; haram — which takes away; sarva-maṅgala — of all auspicious things; maṅgalam — the most auspicious.

Translation

Lord Madhusūdana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternally present in Dvārakā. It is the most auspicious of all auspicious places, and merely remembering it destroys all contamination.

Devanagari

स्‍त्रीबालवृद्धानादाय हतशेषान् धनञ्जय: ।
इन्द्रप्रस्थं समावेश्य वज्रं तत्राभ्यषेचयत् ॥ २५ ॥

Text

strī-bāla-vṛddhān ādāya
hata-śeṣān dhanañjayaḥ
indraprasthaṁ samāveśya
vajraṁ tatrābhyaṣecayat

Synonyms

strī — the women; bāla — children; vṛddhān — and elders; ādāya — taking; hata — of the killed; śeṣān — the survivors; dhanañjayaḥ — Arjuna; indraprastham — in the capital of the Pāṇḍavas; samāveśya — resettling; vajram — Vajra, the son of Aniruddha; tatra — there; abhyaṣecayat — placed upon the throne.

Translation

Arjuna took the survivors of the Yadu dynasty — the women, children and old men — to Indraprastha, where he installed Vajra as ruler of the Yadus.

Devanagari

श्रुत्वा सुहृद्वधं राजन्नर्जुनात्ते पितामहा: ।
त्वां तु वंशधरं कृत्वा जग्मु: सर्वे महापथम् ॥ २६ ॥

Text

śrutvā suhṛd-vadhaṁ rājann
arjunāt te pitāmahāḥ
tvāṁ tu vaṁśa-dharaṁ kṛtvā
jagmuḥ sarve mahā-patham

Synonyms

śrutvā — hearing; suhṛt — of their friend; vadham — the death; rājan — O King; arjunāt — from Arjuna; te — your; pitāmahāḥ — grandfathers (Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers); tvām — you; tu — and; vaṁśa-dharam — the maintainer of the dynasty; kṛtvā — making; jagmuḥ — they left; sarve — all of them; mahā-patham — for the great journey.

Translation

Hearing from Arjuna of the death of their friend, my dear King, your grandfathers established you as the maintainer of the dynasty and left to prepare for their departure from this world.

Devanagari

य एतद् देवदेवस्य विष्णो: कर्माणि जन्म च ।
कीर्तयेच्छ्रद्धया मर्त्य: सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते ॥ २७ ॥

Text

ya etad deva-devasya
viṣṇoḥ karmāṇi janma ca
kīrtayec chraddhayā martyaḥ
sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate

Synonyms

yaḥ — who; etat — these; deva-devasya — of the Lord of lords; viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu; karmāṇi — the activities; janma — the birth; ca — and; kīrtayet — chants; śraddhayā — with faith; martyaḥ — a human being; sarva-pāpaiḥ — from all sins; pramucyate — becomes completely liberated.

Translation

A person who with faith engages in chanting the glories of these various pastimes and incarnations of Viṣṇu, the Lord of lords, will gain liberation from all sins.

Devanagari

इत्थं हरेर्भगवतो रुचिरावतार-
वीर्याणि बालचरितानि च शन्तमानि ।
अन्यत्र चेह च श्रुतानि गृणन् मनुष्यो
भक्तिं परां परमहंसगतौ लभेत ॥ २८ ॥
कलेर्दोषनिधे राजन्नस्ति ह्येको महान् गुण: ।
कीर्तनादेव कृष्णस्य मुक्तसङ्ग: परं व्रजेत् ॥ ५१ ॥

Text

itthaṁ harer bhagavato rucirāvatāra-
vīryāṇi bāla-caritāni ca śantamāni
anyatra ceha ca śrutāni gṛṇan manuṣyo
bhaktiṁ parāṁ paramahaṁsa-gatau labheta

Synonyms

ittham — thus; hareḥ — of Lord Hari; bhagavataḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rucira — attractive; avatāra — of the incarnations; vīryāṇi — the exploits; bāla — childhood; caritāni — pastimes; ca — and; śam-tamāni — most auspicious; anyatra — elsewhere; ca — and; iha — here; ca — also; śrutāni — heard; gṛṇan — clearly chanting; manuṣyaḥ — a person; bhaktim — devotional service; parām — transcendental; paramahaṁsa — of the perfect sages; gatau — for the destination (Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa); labheta — will attain.

Translation

The all-auspicious exploits of the all-attractive incarnations of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and also the pastimes He performed as a child, are described in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in other scriptures. Anyone who clearly chants these descriptions of His pastimes will attain transcendental loving service unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the goal of all perfect sages.

Purport

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Thirty-first Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Disappearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

The Eleventh Canto was completed at the New Gokula South American pilgrimage site, state of Sāo Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, March 26, 1982.

END OF THE ELEVENTH CANTO