"Departure of Lord Krishna for Dwaraka"

 

 

Chapter- 10.

 

Slokam- 1 to 36.

 

 

The Departure of Lord Krishna for Dwârakâ

 

 

 

(1) S'aunaka Muni asked: "How did King Yudhishthhira, the greatest of the strict followers of the religion, with his younger brothers rule the kingdom after killing the aggressor who wanted to usurp the legal inheritance? Surely they out of necessity had to accept restrictions."

 

 

 

(2) Sûta said: "After the exhausting bamboo-forest fire of the Kuru dynasty, the Lord, the Maintainer of the Creation, became contented about having reestablished the seedling of Yudhishthhira his own kingdom. (3) After having heard what Bhîshma and the Infallible One had said, was Yudhishthhira, enlightened by perfect knowledge, freed from his bewilderment and ruled he, followed by his brothers, over the earth and the seas like the king of the heavenly planet [Indra] protected by the invincible Lord. (4) All the rain that was needed showered and the land produced everything wanted to which the cows out of sheer joy moistened the pastures with their filled udders. (5) The rivers, oceans and hills assured him of all necessary vegetables, greenery and medicinal herbs. (6) Never, because of themselves, nature or others, was any living being troubled by anxieties, diseases or extreme temperatures, as always happens with a king who has no enemies.

 

 

 

(7) For appeasing His family and pleasing His sister [Subhadrâ, who was married with Arjuna], the Lord stayed a few months in the city of Hastinâpura. (8) Upon duly asking permission He was permitted to leave and after embracing and bowing down with the king He ascended His chariot with receiving from the others the same respects and embraces. (9-10) His sister, the wife of the Pândavas Draupadî, their mother Kuntî, Uttarâ and also the father Dhritarâshthra and mother Gândhârî of Duryodhana, their son Yuyutsu, the priest Kripâcârya, the twinbrothers Nakula and Sahadeva together with Bhîma and Dhaumya and also other ladies of the palace and Bhîshma's stepmother Satyavatî, couldn't bear the separation from the One with the conch in His hands, and almost fainted. (11-12) The one intelligent will, concerning the fame that is sung, being liberated from materialistic association by the right company, never think of giving it up, but once having heard the pleasing. How could the Pândavas who gave Him their mind then tolerate separation from Him having seen Him face to face, touching, sleeping, sitting and eating together with Him? (13) All of them, looking at Him with open eyes, melted for Him and bound as they were by pure affection, they were moving restlessly. (14) The ladies of the family who came out of the palace, had difficulty checking their tears from overflowing, as they were afraid that because of it inauspicious things might happen to the son of Devakî. (15) At that time mridangas [drums used in devotional service], conchshells, horns, strings, flutes and more drums, bells and other rhythm-instruments were sounded. (16) For onlooking the ladies of the Kuru dynasty got on the roof of the palace, from where they showered flowers upon Krishna with love and shy smiles. (17) For the Most Beloved of the Beloved the conqueror of sleep [Arjuna] took up an embroidered sun-shade decorated with perls and lace with a handle inlaid with jewels. (18) Uddhava, His cousin brother and His driver Sâtyaki fanned Him while He, as the master of Madhu, sitting on flowers scattered all around, commanded them on the road.

 

 

 

(19) It was being heard here and there that the respects and sayings of the twice born at that time were nor befitting nor unbefitting because it was done for the Absolute that was playing the role of a human being. (20) The ladies of the capital of the king of the Kurus were with their hearts absorbed in talking amongst each other about the Supreme, so hailed by the scriptures, in such a manner that it sounded more attractive than the hymns of the Vedas themselves: (21) 'He, as we definitely remember this Personality of Godhead, is the Original One who existed materially unmanifested in His own Self before the creation of the modes of nature - and with that Supersoul, that Supreme Lord, the living beings merge with their energies suspended as if during the night. (22) He thus entrusts, by the performance of His own personal potency, the individual soul, in the re-creation of the outer illusion in material nature, time and again as the compiler of the revealed scriptures names and forms, assigning them to that what factually is without them. (23) He by providence is the same Personality of Godhead with those great devotees who managed to control their senses and life and who, by the grace of their devotion, can see the development of a pure mind and certainly by this only, deserve a purified existence. (24) O friends, this is He who is spoken of and confidentially described in the Vedas as also by the confidential devotees, as the one and only Supreme Controller and Supersoul of the complete creation, who, by the manifestation of His pastimes creates, maintains and destroys, without ever becoming attached to it. (25) Whenever there are rulers, who ignorantly, like animals, go against the divine principles, He manifests, for sure out of goodness, His supreme power and positive truth, mercy and wonderful activities, in various forms, for the sake of maintenance in the different periods and ages. (26) O, how supremely glorified is the dynasty of King Yadu and the virtue of the land of Mathurâ, because this, of all the living beings, is the supreme leader and husband of the goddess of fortune who appeared and [in His youth] wandered here. (27) How wonderful is Dvârakâ [the island where Krishna resides], that place that, adding to the virtue and fame of the earth, defeats the glory of the heavenly worlds and whose inhabitants are used to constantly see the soul of the living being [Krishna] bestowing His grace with the benediction of His smiling glance. (28) For the wives He married to relish His lips again and again, must they certainly by vow, bath, fire-sacrifice and such have been of perfect worship with the Controller, o friend; often fainted the damsels of Vraja with their minds set on that! (29) Of the lady of Dvârakâ [Rukminî, Krishna's first wife], who with great valor was taken away by Him from the open selection of the bridegroom, as the price that had to be paid by the harassing powerful kings headed by S'is'upâla, or as with other ladies similarly brought after the killing of thousands of wicked kings [headed by Bhaumâsura], there are children like Pradyumna, Sâmba and Amba. (30) All these women of the highest stature that were bereft of their individuality and purity were auspiciously glorified and were never left alone in their homes by their lotus-eyed husband who made His presence in their endeared hearts'.

 

 

 

(31) While the ladies of the capital were praying and talking this way about Him, He granted them the grace of His glance and greeting them with a smile on His face the Lord departed. (32) Yudhishthhira who was without enemies, out of affection and being afraid, engaged four divisions of defense for the protection of the enemy of the atheists. (33) After thus having accompanied Him for a long distance, the Lord politely and full affection persuaded the determined Pândavas, who were overtaken by the thought of future separation, to return - upon which He proceeded for Dvârakâ with His dear companions. (34-35) Through Kurujâñgala [the province of Delhi] and Pâñcâlâ [part of Punjab] and Sûrasenâ and Brahmâvarta [Uttar Pradesh its North] and the districts along the Yamunâ river, He came along Kurukshetra where the battle was fought and the province of Matsyâ, Sârasvatân [part of Punjab] and so on. Then through the land of deserts [Rajasthan] and the land where there is hardly any water [Madhya Pradesh], and after passing through the provinces of Sauvîra [Saurastra] and Âbhîra [part of Gujarat], He, o S'aunaka, finally reached the western side of the province of Dvârakâ with His horses slightly overtaken by fatigue of the long journey. (36) At different places it so happened that the Lord was welcomed and served variously in the evening after the sun had passed the eastern sky to be gone where the ocean is."