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Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.69.1-6

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Eagerness to See Kṛṣṇa’s Household Pastimes

“Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing that Lord Kṛṣṇa had killed Narakāsura and had alone married many brides, Nārada Muni desired to see the Lord in this situation. He thought, “It is quite amazing that in a single body Lord Kṛṣṇa simultaneously married sixteen thousand women, each in a separate palace.” Thus the sage of the demigods eagerly went to Dvārakā. The city was filled with the sounds of birds and bees flying about the parks and pleasure gardens, while its lakes, crowded with blooming indīvara, ambhoja, kahlāra, kumuda and utpala lotuses, resounded with the calls of swans and cranes. Dvārakā boasted nine hundred thousand royal palaces, all constructed with crystal and silver and splendorously decorated with huge emeralds. Inside these palaces, the furnishings were bedecked with gold and jewels. Traffic moved along a well-laid-out system of boulevards, roads, intersections and marketplaces, and many assembly houses and temples of demigods graced the charming city. The roads, courtyards, commercial streets and residential patios were all sprinkled with water and shaded from the sun’s heat by banners waving from flagpoles.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda · Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.69.1-6, translation

What the purport teaches

  • Nārada desired to see how Kṛṣṇa was managing His household affairs with so many wives. Amazed by the Lord’s simultaneous marriages in separate palaces, he eagerly went to Dvārakā.
  • Dvārakā’s gardens held colorful flowers and trees overloaded with fruit. Lotus-filled lakes resounded with the voices of swans and cranes.
  • The city’s splendid palaces, beautifully decorated streets and clean pathways made Dvārakā glow. Large trees shaded the avenues for the comfort of passersby.

Try this today

Reread this description of Dvārakā slowly, giving your attention to Kṛṣṇa’s household pastimes.

Ask yourself

What in this description awakens your eagerness to hear about Kṛṣṇa?

Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

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