Srimad Bhagavatam · Canto 11 · Chapter 31
श्रीशुक उवाच अथ तत्रागमद् ब्रह्मा भवान्या च समं भव: । महेन्द्रप्रमुखा देवा मुनय: सप्रजेश्वरा: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca atha tatrāgamad brahmā bhavānyā ca samaṁ bhavaḥ mahendra-pramukhā devā munayaḥ sa-prajeśvarāḥ
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.
पितर: सिद्धगन्धर्वा विद्याधरमहोरगा: । चारणा यक्षरक्षांसि किन्नराप्सरसो द्विजा: ॥ २ ॥ द्रष्टुकामा भगवतो निर्याणं परमोत्सुका: । गायन्तश्च गृणन्तश्च शौरे: कर्माणि जन्म च ॥ ३ ॥
pitaraḥ siddha-gandharvā vidyādhara-mahoragāḥ cāraṇā yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi kinnarāpsaraso dvijāḥ draṣṭu-kāmā bhagavato niryāṇaṁ paramotsukāḥ gāyantaś ca gṛṇantaś ca śaureḥ karmāṇi janma ca
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].
ववृषु: पुष्पवर्षाणि विमानावलिभिर्नभ: । कुर्वन्त: सङ्कुलं राजन् भक्त्या परमया युता: ॥ ४ ॥
vavṛṣuḥ puṣpa-varṣāṇi vimānāvalibhir nabhaḥ kurvantaḥ saṅkulaṁ rājan bhaktyā paramayā yutāḥ
O King, crowding the sky with their many airplanes, they showered down flowers with great devotion.
भगवान् पितामहं वीक्ष्य विभूतीरात्मनो विभु: । संयोज्यात्मनि चात्मानं पद्मनेत्रे न्यमीलयत् ॥ ५ ॥
bhagavān pitāmahaṁ vīkṣya vibhūtīr ātmano vibhuḥ saṁyojyātmani cātmānaṁ padma-netre nyamīlayat
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.
लोकाभिरामां स्वतनुं धारणाध्यानमङ्गलम् । योगधारणयाग्नेय्यादग्ध्वा धामाविशत् स्वकम् ॥ ६ ॥
lokābhirāmāṁ sva-tanuṁ dhāraṇā-dhyāna-maṅgalam yoga-dhāraṇayāgneyyā- dagdhvā dhāmāviśat svakam
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.
दिवि दुन्दुभयो नेदु: पेतु: सुमनसश्च खात् । सत्यं धर्मो धृतिर्भूमे: कीर्ति: श्रीश्चानु तं ययु: ॥ ७ ॥
divi dundubhayo neduḥ petuḥ sumanasaś ca khāt satyaṁ dharmo dhṛtir bhūmeḥ kīrtiḥ śrīś cānu taṁ yayuḥ
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.
देवादयो ब्रह्ममुख्या न विशन्तं स्वधामनि । अविज्ञातगतिं कृष्णं ददृशुश्चातिविस्मिता: ॥ ८ ॥
devādayo brahma-mukhyā na viśantaṁ sva-dhāmani avijñāta-gatiṁ kṛṣṇaṁ dadṛśuś cāti-vismitāḥ
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.
सौदामन्या यथाक्लाशे यान्त्या हित्वाभ्रमण्डलम् । गतिर्न लक्ष्यते मर्त्यैस्तथा कृष्णस्य दैवतै: ॥ ९ ॥
saudāmanyā yathākāśe yāntyā hitvābhra-maṇḍalam gatir na lakṣyate martyais tathā kṛṣṇasya daivataiḥ
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.
ब्रह्मरुद्रादयस्ते तु दृष्ट्वा योगगतिं हरे: । विस्मितास्तां प्रशंसन्त: स्वं स्वं लोकं ययुस्तदा ॥ १० ॥
brahma-rudrādayas te tu dṛṣṭvā yoga-gatiṁ hareḥ vismitās tāṁ praśaṁsantaḥ svaṁ svaṁ lokaṁ yayus tadā
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.
राजन् परस्य तनुभृज्जननाप्ययेहा मायाविडम्बनमवेहि यथा नटस्य । सृष्ट्वात्मनेदमनुविश्य विहृत्य चान्ते संहृत्य चात्ममहिनोपरत: स आस्ते ॥ ११ ॥
rājan parasya tanu-bhṛj-jananāpyayehā māyā-viḍambanam avehi yathā naṭasya sṛṣṭvātmanedam anuviśya vihṛtya cānte saṁhṛtya cātma-mahinoparataḥ sa āste
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.
मर्त्येन यो गुरुसुतं यमलोकनीतं त्वां चानयच्छरणद: परमास्त्रदग्धम् । जिग्येऽन्तकान्तकमपीशमसावनीश: किं स्वावने स्वरनयन्मृगयुं सदेहम् ॥ १२ ॥
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
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?
तथाप्यशेषस्थितिसम्भवाप्यये- ष्वनन्यहेतुर्यदशेषशक्तिधृक् । नैच्छत् प्रणेतुं वपुरत्र शेषितं मर्त्येन किं स्वस्थगतिं प्रदर्शयन् ॥ १३ ॥
tathāpy aśeṣa-sthiti-sambhavāpyayeṣv ananya-hetur yad aśeṣa-śakti-dhṛk naicchat praṇetuṁ vapur atra śeṣitaṁ martyena kiṁ sva-stha-gatiṁ pradarśayan
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.
य एतां प्रातरुत्थाय कृष्णस्य पदवीं पराम् । प्रयत: कीर्तयेद् भक्त्या तामेवाप्नोत्यनुत्तमाम् ॥ १४ ॥
ya etāṁ prātar utthāya kṛṣṇasya padavīṁ parām prayataḥ kīrtayed bhaktyā tām evāpnoty anuttamām
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.
दारुको द्वारकामेत्य वसुदेवोग्रसेनयो: । पतित्वा चरणावस्रैर्न्यषिञ्चत् कृष्णविच्युत: ॥ १५ ॥
dāruko dvārakām etya vasudevograsenayoḥ patitvā caraṇāv asrair nyaṣiñcat kṛṣṇa-vicyutaḥ
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.
कथयामास निधनं वृष्णीनां कृत्स्नशो नृप । तच्छ्रुत्वोद्विग्नहृदया जना: शोकविर्मूर्च्छिता: ॥ १६ ॥ तत्र स्म त्वरिता जग्मु: कृष्णविश्लेषविह्वला: । व्यसव: शेरते यत्र ज्ञातयो घ्नन्त आननम् ॥ १७ ॥
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
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.
देवकी रोहिणी चैव वसुदेवस्तथा सुतौ । कृष्णरामावपश्यन्त: शोकार्ता विजहु: स्मृतिम् ॥ १८ ॥
devakī rohiṇī caiva vasudevas tathā sutau kṛṣṇa-rāmāv apaśyantaḥ śokārtā vijahuḥ smṛtim
When Devakī, Rohiṇī and Vasudeva could not find their sons, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, they lost consciousness out of anguish.
प्राणांश्च विजहुस्तत्र भगवद्विरहातुरा: । उपगुह्य पतींस्तात चितामारुरुहु: स्त्रिय: ॥ १९ ॥
prāṇāṁś ca vijahus tatra bhagavad-virahāturāḥ upaguhya patīṁs tāta citām āruruhuḥ striyaḥ
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.
रामपत्न्यश्च तद्देहमुपगुह्याग्निमाविशन् । वसुदेवपत्न्यस्तद्गात्रं प्रद्युम्नादीन् हरे: स्नुषा: । कृष्णपत्न्योऽविशन्नग्निं रुक्मिण्याद्यास्तदात्मिका: ॥ २० ॥
rāma-patnyaś ca tad-deham upaguhyāgnim āviśan vasudeva-patnyas tad-gātraṁ pradyumnādīn hareḥ snuṣāḥ kṛṣṇa-patnyo ’viśann agniṁ rukmiṇy-ādyās tad-ātmikāḥ
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.
अर्जुन: प्रेयस: सख्यु: कृष्णस्य विरहातुर: । आत्मानं सान्त्वयामास कृष्णगीतै: सदुक्तिभि: ॥ २१ ॥
arjunaḥ preyasaḥ sakhyuḥ kṛṣṇasya virahāturaḥ ātmānaṁ sāntvayām āsa kṛṣṇa-gītaiḥ sad-uktibhiḥ
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.
बन्धूनां नष्टगोत्राणामर्जुन: साम्परायिकम् । हतानां कारयामास यथावदनुपूर्वश: ॥ २२ ॥
bandhūnāṁ naṣṭa-gotrāṇām arjunaḥ sāmparāyikam hatānāṁ kārayām āsa yathā-vad anupūrvaśaḥ
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.
द्वारकां हरिणा त्यक्तां समुद्रोऽप्लावयत् क्षणात् । वर्जयित्वा महाराज श्रीमद्भगवदालयम् ॥ २३ ॥
dvārakāṁ hariṇā tyaktāṁ samudro ’plāvayat kṣaṇāt varjayitvā mahā-rāja śrīmad-bhagavad-ālayam
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.
नित्यं सन्निहितस्तत्र भगवान् मधुसूदन: । स्मृत्याशेषाशुभहरं सर्वमङ्गलमङ्गलम् ॥ २४ ॥
nityaṁ sannihitas tatra bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ smṛtyāśeṣāśubha-haraṁ sarva-maṅgala-maṅgalam
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.
स्त्रीबालवृद्धानादाय हतशेषान् धनञ्जय: । इन्द्रप्रस्थं समावेश्य वज्रं तत्राभ्यषेचयत् ॥ २५ ॥
strī-bāla-vṛddhān ādāya hata-śeṣān dhanañjayaḥ indraprasthaṁ samāveśya vajraṁ tatrābhyaṣecayat
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.
श्रुत्वा सुहृद्वधं राजन्नर्जुनात्ते पितामहा: । त्वां तु वंशधरं कृत्वा जग्मु: सर्वे महापथम् ॥ २६ ॥
śrutvā suhṛd-vadhaṁ rājann arjunāt te pitāmahāḥ tvāṁ tu vaṁśa-dharaṁ kṛtvā jagmuḥ sarve mahā-patham
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.
य एतद् देवदेवस्य विष्णो: कर्माणि जन्म च । कीर्तयेच्छ्रद्धया मर्त्य: सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते ॥ २७ ॥
ya etad deva-devasya viṣṇoḥ karmāṇi janma ca kīrtayec chraddhayā martyaḥ sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate
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.
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 ॥
itthaṁ harer bhagavato rucirāvatāra- vīryāṇi bāla-caritāni ca śantamāni anyatra ceha ca śrutāni gṛṇan manuṣyo bhaktiṁ parāṁ paramahaṁsa-gatau labheta
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.
