VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 69
Nârada Muni's Vision of Krishna in His Household Affairs
(Nārada Muni Visits Lord Kṛṣṇa's Palaces in Dvārakā)
This chapter relates how Nārada Muni was amazed to see the household pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and how he offered prayers to the Lord.
After killing the demon Naraka, Lord Kṛṣṇa had simultaneously married sixteen thousand maidens, and sage Nārada wanted to observe the Lord's diverse activities in this unique family situation. Thus he went to Dvārakā. Nārada entered one of the sixteen thousand palaces and saw Goddess Rukmiṇī personally rendering menial service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, despite her being in the company of thousands of maidservants. As soon as Lord Kṛṣṇa noticed Nārada, He got up from His bed, offered obeisances to the sage and seated him on His own seat. Then the Lord bathed Nārada's feet and sprinkled the water on His own head. Such was the exemplary behavior of the Lord.
After conversing with the Lord for a short while, Nārada went to another of His palaces, where the sage saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa playing at dice with His queen and Uddhava. Going from there to another palace, he found Lord Kṛṣṇa coddling His infant children. In another palace he saw Him preparing to take a bath; in another, performing fire sacrifices, in another, feeding brāhmaṇas; and in another, eating the remnants left by brāhmaṇas. In one palace the Lord was performing noontime rituals; in another, quietly chanting the Gāyatrī mantra; in another, sleeping on His bed; in another, consulting with His ministers; and in yet another, playing in the water with His female companions. Somewhere the Lord was giving charity to brāhmaṇas, in another place He was joking and laughing with His consort, in yet another place He was meditating on the Supersoul, somewhere He was serving His spiritual masters, in another place He was arranging for the marriages of His sons and daughters, somewhere else He was going out to hunt animals, and elsewhere He was moving about in disguise to find out what the citizens were thinking.
Having seen all this, Nārada addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa: "Only because I have served Your lotus feet can I understand these varieties of Your Yogamāyā potency, which ordinary living beings bewildered by illusion cannot begin to perceive. Thus I am most fortunate, and I simply desire to travel all over the three worlds chanting the glories of Your pastimes, which purify all the worlds."
Śrī Kṛṣṇa asked Nārada not to be confused by his vision of the Lord's transcendental opulences, and He described to him the purposes of His appearances in this world. He then honored the sage properly, according to religious principles, and Nārada departed, continuously meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
10.69.1-6
kṛṣṇenaikena bahvīnāḿ
ity utsuko dvāravatīḿ
puṣpitopavanārāma-
utphullendīvarāmbhoja-
kahlāra-kumudotpalaiḥ
churiteṣu saraḥsūccaiḥ
prāsāda-lakṣair navabhir
(1-6) S'rî S'uka said: 'Hearing that Lord Krishna had killed Naraka [see 10.59] and that He alone had married so many women, wanted Nârada to see that with his own eyes [and thought he]: 'How wonderful it is that He with a single body is married to that many, at the same time in sixteen thousand separate residences being alone with each of the women.' Thus eager to take a look came the sage of the gods to Dvârakâ, the place flowery with its parks and pleasure gardens resounding with the noise of flocks of birds and swarms of bees. Blooming blue lotuses [indîvaras], day-blooming ones [ambhojas], white esculent ones [kahlâras], moonlight-blooming lotuses [kumudas] and water lilies [utpalas] filled the lakes where the sounds were heard of swans and cranes. There were, embellished with crystal glass, silver and great emeralds, nine hundred thousand palatial mansions splendorously furnished with gold and jewels. They were systematically arranged with many avenues, roads, intersections and squares. With its assembly houses and charming temples for the gods, were its paths and courtyards, shopping streets and patios, all sprinkled with water and was the sun warded off by banners that waved from the flagpoles.
the city of Dvārakā as follows: "Being inquisitive as to how Kṛṣṇa was managing His household affairs with so many wives, Nārada desired to see these pastimes and so set out to visit Kṛṣṇa's different homes. When Nārada arrived in Dvārakā, he saw that the gardens and parks were full of various flowers of different colors and orchards that were overloaded with a variety of fruits. Beautiful birds were chirping, and peacocks were delightfully crowing. There were tanks and ponds full of blue and red lotus flowers, and some of these sites were filled with varieties of lilies. The lakes were full of nice swans and cranes, whose voices resounded everywhere. In the city there were as many as 900,000 great palaces built of first-class marble, with gates and doors made of silver. The posts of the houses and palaces were bedecked with jewels such as touchstone, sapphires and emeralds, and the floors gave off a beautiful luster. The highways, lanes, streets, crossings and marketplaces were all beautifully decorated. The whole city was full of residential homes, assembly houses and temples, all of different architectural beauty. All of this made Dvārakā a glowing city. The big avenues, crossings, lanes and streets, and also the thresholds of every residential house, were very clean. On both sides of every path there were bushes, and at regular intervals there were large trees that shaded the avenues so that the sunshine would not bother the passersby."
10.69.7-8
viveśaikatomaḿ śaureḥ
(7-8) In the city there was an opulent quarter favored by all the different authorities. There had Tvashthâ [the architect Vis'vakarmâ], for the Lord [who resided there], in full exhibited his talents making the sixteen thousand residences for S'auri's wives as beautiful as could be. Nârada entered one of the great palaces.
that Tvaṣṭā, Viśvakarmā, manifested the expertise of the Supreme Lord, and thus he was able to build such exquisite palaces. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, "The great kings and princes of the world used to visit these palaces just to worship [Lord Kṛṣṇa]. The architectural plans were made personally by Viśvakarmā, the engineer of the demigods, and in the construction of the palaces he exhibited all of his talents and ingenuity."
10.69.9-12
viṣṭabdhaḿ vidruma-stambhair
vaidūrya-phalakottamaiḥ
vitānair nirmitais tvaṣṭrā
dāntair āsana-paryańkair
maṇy-uttama-pariṣkṛtaiḥ
dāsībhir niṣka-kaṇṭhībhiḥ
su-vāsobhir alańkṛtam
dhvāntaḿ vicitra-valabhīṣu śikhaṇḍino 'ńga
(9-12) The building was supported by coral pillars that were excellently covered with vaidûrya ['cat-eye' gemstone]. The walls were bedecked with sapphires and the floors shone everywhere. It was built with canopies that by Tvashthâ were constructed with hangings of pearls and had seats and beds made of ivory that were decorated with the finest jewels. There were well-dressed, adorned maidservants with lockets around their necks and finely clad men with turbans and armor, jewels and earrings. Many gem-studded lamps dispelled with their light the darkness and on the carved eaves, my best, danced the peacocks crying loudly about the clouds of aguru smoke they saw curling upwards from the latticed windows.
"There was so much incense and fragrant gum burning that the scented fumes were coming out of the windows. The peacocks... became illusioned by the fumes, mistaking them for clouds, and began dancing jubilantly. There were many maidservants, all of whom were decorated with gold necklaces, bangles and beautiful sārīs. There were also many male servants, who were nicely decorated in cloaks and turbans and jeweled earrings. Beautiful as they were, the servants were all engaged in different household duties."
10.69.13
(13) Inside saw the man of learning the Lord of the Sâtvatas together with His wife who fanned Him with a yak-tail fan with a golden handle. She on her turn was at every moment supported by a thousand maidservants equal to her in personal qualities, beauty, youth and fine dress.
10.69.14
taḿ sannirīkṣya bhagavān sahasotthita-śrī-
(14) The Supreme Lord, the best of all who are subservient to the dharma, noticing him, immediately rose from S'rî her couch and offered him, as He bowed down with joined palms, His own seat.
10.69.15
(15) Even though He was the Supreme Guru of the Living Being, washed He his feet and carried He that water on His head; [the water to which] He as the master of the saintly justly carries the name of 'the Well-wisher of the Brahmins' [Brâhmanya deva] because one from the holy shrine of His feet finds complete purification [see also the stories of the Ganges 5.17 & 9.9].
Since Lord Kṛṣṇa's own lotus feet are the source of the most holy Ganges, the Lord did not have to purify Himself by bathing Nārada Muni's feet. Rather, as Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, "Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā enjoyed the pastimes of a perfect human being. When, therefore, He washed the feet of the sage Nārada and took the water on His head, Nārada did not object, knowing well that the Lord did so to teach everyone how to respect saintly persons."
10.69.16
nārāyaṇo nara-sakho vidhinoditena
(16) As enjoined by the scriptures having been of full worship with the devarishi did the Greatest Sage, the Original Nârâyana, the friend of Nara, converse with him in weighed words that were as sweet as nectar and asked: 'O Master what may We do for the Fortunate One?'
In this verse the words nārāyaṇo nara-sakhaḥ indicate that Kṛṣṇa is Himself the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa, who appeared as the friend of the sage Nara. In other words, Lord Kṛṣṇa is ṛṣiḥ purāṇaḥ, the original and supreme spiritual master. Nevertheless, following the Vedic injunctions (vidhinoditena) that a kṣatriya should worship the brāhmaṇas, Lord Kṛṣṇa happily worshiped His pure devotee Nārada Muni.
10.69.17
(17) S'rî Nârada said: 'It is not that surprising at all for You to show friendship with the people, o Almighty Ruler of All the Worlds who subdues all the envious, for You, widely acclaimed, are well known out of Your own will to have descended for the highest good of the continuation and the protection of the Living Being [*].
all living beings are in fact servants of the Lord. The ācārya quotes the following verse from the Padma Purāṇa to elucidate:
a-kāreṇocyate viṣṇuḥ
pañca-viḿśaḥ prakīrtitaḥ
"[In the mantra om] the letter a signifies Lord Viṣṇu, the letter u signifies the goddess Śrī, and the letter m refers to their servant, who is the twenty-fifth element." The twenty-fifth element is the jīva, the living being. Every living being is a servant of the Lord, and the Lord is the true friend of every living being. Thus even when the Lord chastises envious persons like Jarāsandha, such punishment amounts to real friendship, since both the Lord's chastisement and His blessing are for the benefit of the living being10.69.18
dṛṣṭaḿ tavāńghri-yugalaḿ janatāpavargaḿ
dhyāyaḿś carāmy anugṛhāṇa yathā smṛtiḥ syāt
(18) Having seen Your pair of feet, that for Your devotees are the path of liberation upon which Lord Brahmâ and the other gods with their unfathomable intelligence meditate in the heart and which for those who are fallen in the well of a material existence are the shelter for deliverance, I ask for Your blessing to remember You so that I in my travels can constantly think of You.'
Lord Kṛṣṇa had asked Nārada Muni, "What can We do for you?" and here Nārada answers. Nārada Muni is a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and thus his request is sublime.
10.69.19
tato 'nyad āviśad gehaḿ
yogeśvareśvarasyāńga
(19) Next entered Nârada, my dear, another residence of a wife of Krishna, with the desire to know the mystical power of illusion [yogamâyâ] of the Master of All Masters of Yoga.
10.69.20-22
pratyutthānāsanādibhiḥ
pṛṣṭaś cāviduṣevāsau
apūrṇair asmad-ādibhiḥ
janmaitac chobhanaḿ kuru
(20-22) And there indeed he saw Him as well, with Uddhava playing a game of dice, being of worship with transcendental devotion and standing up in order to seat him and so on, asking him, as if He didn't know, 'When has your good self arrived? How can those [householders] who are not so complete, as We are, do what should be done for those [sannyâsîs] who are complete? Anyway, please tell Us, o brahmin, how to be a success in this birth', but Nârada, astonished, standing up said nothing and went to another palace.
In Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when Nārada arrived at the second palace, "Lord Kṛṣṇa acted as if He did not know what had happened in the palace of Rukmiṇī." Nārada understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa was simultaneously present in both palaces, performing different activities, so "he simply left the palace silently, in great astonishment over the Lord's activities."
10.69.23
majjanāya kṛtodyamam
(23) And there he saw Govinda cuddling His small children. Then, in another house, he saw Him preparing for a bath.
that in virtually all the palaces Nārada visited, Lord Kṛṣṇa worshiped and honored him.
10.69.24
juhvantaḿ ca vitānāgnīn
(24) Here he saw Him offering oblations and there worshiping the five sacrificial fires [see mahâ-yajñas] with the obligatory rituals; then He fed the twice-born and somewhere else He ate of what had remained from the sacrifices.
The five mahā-yajñas, or great sacrifices, are defined as follows: pāṭho homaś cātithīnāḿ saparyā tarpaṇaḿ baliḥ — "reciting the Vedas, offering oblations into the sacrificial fire, waiting on guests, making offerings to the forefathers, and offering [a share of one's food] to living entities in general." "In another palace Kṛṣṇa was found performing the pañca-yajña sacrifice, which is compulsory for a householder. This yajña is also known as pañca-sūnā. Knowingly or unknowingly, everyone, specifically the householder, is committing five kinds of sinful activities. When we receive water from a water pitcher, we kill many germs that are in it. Similarly, when we use a grinding machine or take foodstuffs, we kill many germs. When sweeping the floor or igniting a fire, we kill many germs. When we walk on the street we kill many ants and other insects. Consciously or unconsciously, in all our different activities we are killing. Therefore it is incumbent upon every householder to perform the pañca-sūnā sacrifice to rid himself of the reactions to such sinful activities." that all the different times of the day were occurring simultaneously in Lord Kṛṣṇa's palaces. Thus Nārada saw a fire sacrifice — a morning ritual — and at about the same time he saw Lord Kṛṣṇa feeding the brāhmaṇas and accepting their remnants — a noontime activity.
10.69.25
ekatra cāsi-carmābhyāḿ
(25) Somewhere of sunset-worship chanted He controlling His speech the mantra [see Gâyatrî and japa] and elsewhere moved He about with His sword and shield in the lanes of practice.
the words sandhyām upāsīnam indicate sunset rituals, whereas the words asi-carmābhyāḿ carantam refer to sword practice, which takes place at dawn.
10.69.26
vicarantaḿ gadāgrajam
kvacic chayānaḿ paryańke
(26) Here the Elder Brother of Gada, rode horses, elephants and chariots and there He was lying on His sofa being praised by bards.
t that riding on horses and elephants is a noon activity, whereas one lies down during the latter part of night.
10.69.27
mantrayantaḿ ca kasmiḿścin
mantribhiś coddhavādibhiḥ
vāramukhyābalāvṛtam
(27) This place He was consulting with advisers, Uddhava and others and that place was He engaged sporting in the water surrounded by dancing girls and other women.
Lord Kṛṣṇa met with His counselors around dusk and enjoyed water sports in the afternoon.
10.69.28
kutracid dvija-mukhyebhyo
(28) Somewhere He donated excellent, well ornamented cows to the twice-born and elsewhere listened He to the auspicious classical stories [Purânas] and epic histories [Itihâsas].
that giving cows in charity occurs in the morning, while hearing the histories takes place in the afternoon.
10.69.29
(29) Laughing and joking with His beloved in this mansion, practiced He elsewhere the religion [dharma], the economy [artha] and the [kâma] physical lusts [to be regulated, see also purushârthas].
Joking conversations take place during the nighttime, whereas religious rituals, economic development and family enjoyment occur during both the day and the night.
10.69.30
(30) Sitting alone in a place to meditate on the Original Person Transcendental to the Material Nature, rendered He in another place menial service to the elders being of worship with things they liked.
"Meditation, as recommended in authorized scripture, is meant for concentrating one's mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Lord Kṛṣṇa is Himself the original Viṣṇu, but because He played the part of a human being, He taught us definitely by His personal behavior what is meant by meditation."
This activity of meditation indicates the brāhma-muhūrta, the early morning hours before sunrise.
10.69.31
(31) Planning for war with certain people here and elsewhere making peace, were Kes'ava together with Râma elsewhere heartening the welfare of the pious.
10.69.32
kāle vidhy-upayāpanam
dārair varais tat-sadṛśaiḥ
(32) [He saw Him] arranging opulent weddings of daughters and sons at the right time according the vidhi with wives and husbands compatible to them.
The word kāle here means that Kṛṣṇa arranged for His sons and daughters to be married when each of them reached the proper age.
10.69.33
prasthāpanopanayanair
apatyānāḿ mahotsavān
vīkṣya yogeśvareśasya
(33) [He saw how] with the people full of wonder about the celebrations with which the children of the Master of the Masters of Yoga were sent away from home and brought back.
10.69.34
pūrtayantaḿ kvacid dharmaḿ
kūrpārāma-maṭhādibhiḥ
(34) With elaborate sacrifices in worship of all the gods being busy here was He there according the dharma in civil service arranging for wells, parks and monasteries and such.
10.69.35
(35) For a hunting expedition He this place mounted His horse from Sindhî while He that place, surrounded by the most valorous Yadus, killed the animals to be offered in sacrifice [see **].
"According to Vedic regulations, the kṣatriyas were allowed to kill prescribed animals on certain occasions, either to maintain peace in the forests or to offer the animals in the sacrificial fire. Kṣatriyas are allowed to practice this killing art because they have to kill their enemies mercilessly to maintain peace in society."
10.69.36
kvacic carantaḿ yogeśaḿ
(36) Some place moved the Yogamaster about in disguise in the homes of His ministers, eager to find out with each of them what their mentality was.
Although Lord Kṛṣṇa is all-knowing, while executing His pastimes as a typical monarch He sometimes traveled about incognito to acquire necessary information about His kingdom.
10.69.37
athovāca hṛṣīkeśaḿ
(37) Thereupon said Nârada to Hrishîkes'a, constraining his laughter to what he had seen unfolding of His yogamâyâ of assuming the human role:
Nārada fully understood the Lord's omniscience, and thus when he saw the Lord trying to find out the mood of His ministers, moving about in disguise, Nārada could not help laughing. But remembering the Lord's supreme position, he somewhat constrained his laughter.
10.69.38
yogeśvarātman nirbhātā
(38) 'From what we saw happening with the service at Your feet we [now] know of Your mystical potencies, potencies that even for the great mystics are hard to envision, o Lord of Yoga, o Supreme Soul.
According to the ācāryas, this verse indicates that even great mystics like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot fully comprehend the mystic power of the Supreme Lord.
10.69.39
lokāḿs te yaśasāplutān
paryaṭāmi tavodgāyan
(39) Permit me to follow You in humility, o Godhead, I'll wander about Your places that are flooded with the fame and loudly sing about Your pastimes that purify all the worlds.'
Even Nārada Muni was bewildered to see Lord Kṛṣṇa's amazing pastimes as a human being. Therefore, with the words anujānīhi māḿ deva he requests permission to return to his normal service of traveling and preaching. Inspired by what he has seen, he wants to preach widely the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
10.69.40
brahman dhannasya vaktāhaḿ
(40) The Supreme Lord said: 'O brahmin, I am the speaker of it, the performer of it and the sanctioner teaching it to the world; situated in this spirit, o son, do not be disturbed.'
that Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to dispel Nārada's distress, which the sage felt because he saw Lord Kṛṣṇa worshiping the demigods and even Nārada himself. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains Lord Kṛṣṇa's feelings as follows: "As I state in the Bhagavad-gītā, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ: [ 'Whatever a great person does, ordinary people follow.'] Thus I bathed your feet today in order to help propagate the principles of religion. In the past, before I began My pastimes of directly teaching religious principles, you came and offered prayers to Me after I had killed the Keśī demon, but I simply listened to your elaborate prayers and glorification and did nothing to honor you. Just remember this and consider.
"Do not think that you have committed an offense by allowing Me to bathe your feet today and accept the water as holy remnants. Just as a son does not offend his father by touching him with his foot while sitting on the father's lap, so you should understand that in the same way, My son, you have not offended Me."
10.69.41
ity ācarantaḿ sad-dharmān
(41) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus he saw [as no one else could see ***] Him present in one form in all the mansions where He performed the purifying spiritual duties for householders.
In this verse Śukadeva Gosvāmī repeats what the Lord has Himself explained"The Supreme Personality of Godhead was engaged in His so-called household affairs in order to teach people how one can sanctify one's household life although he may be attached to the imprisonment of material existence. Actually, one is obliged to continue the term of material existence because of household life. But the Lord, being very kind upon householders, demonstrated the path of sanctifying ordinary household life. Because Kṛṣṇa is the center of all activities, a Kṛṣṇa conscious householder's life is transcendental to Vedic injunctions and is automatically sanctified."
As stated in Text 2 of this chapter, all the Lord's activities in the many palaces were performed by the Lord's single spiritual form (ekena vapuṣā), which manifested in many places at once. This vision was revealed to Nārada because of his desire to see it and the Lord's desire to show it to him. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the other residents of Dvārakā could see Kṛṣṇa only in the particular part of the city they themselves occupied, and not anywhere else, even if they would sometimes go to another precinct on some business. Thus the Lord gave a special view of His pastimes to His beloved devotee Nārada Muni.
10.69.42
kṛṣṇasyānanta-vīryasya
muhur dṛṣṭvā ṛṣir abhūd
(42) Having witnessed Krishna's unlimited prowess in the elaborate, manifold manifestation of His yogamâyâ, fell the seer filled with wonder in amazement.
10.69.43
kṛṣṇena śraddhitātmanā
samyak sabhājitaḥ prītas
(43) With the artha, kâma and dharma [of household life, see also 7.14] thus by Lord Krishna's faithful heart thoroughly honored, went he satisfied away with Him in his mind all the time.
in Kṛṣṇa, the phrase artha-kāma-dharmeṣu indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa was behaving like an ordinary householder deeply concerned with economic development, sense gratification and religious duties. Nārada could understand the Lord's purpose, and he was most pleased by Śrī Kṛṣṇa's exemplary behavior. Thus fully enlivened in his pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he departed.
10.69.44
(44) Thus following the path of human beings did Nârâyana, who for the welfare of everyone had manifested His potencies, my dear, enjoy, being satisfied by the shy affectionate glances and laughter of sixteen thousand of the finest consorts.
10.69.45
karmāṇy ananya-viṣayāṇi harīś cakāra
(45) Whoever, my dear, but chants, listens or appreciates [reads about] the sensual activities which, inimitable in this world, are performed by Him who is the cause of the dissolution, generation and ongoing business of the universe, will develop devotion for the Supreme Lord, the path to liberation.'
the word ananya-viṣayāṇi. This term may indicate that the Lord performed activities in Dvārakā that were unusual even for His plenary expansions, to say nothing of others. Or the term can be understood to indicate that the Lord performed these activities for the sake of His pure, exclusive devotees. In any case, one who recites or hears accounts of these pastimes will certainly be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and, as Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, "certainly find it very easy to traverse the path of liberation and taste the nectar of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa." Śrīla Prabhupāda further points out that the word anumodate here indicates that one who "supports a preacher of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement" will also receive the benefits mentioned here.
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Sixty-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled 'Nārada Muni Visits Lord Kṛṣṇa's Palaces in Dvārakā."
Canto 10
Chapter 70
Krishna's Routines, Troubles and Nârada Pays Another Visit
This chapter describes Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's daily activities and two proposals placed before Him — one by a messenger from Dvārakā and another by the sage Nārada.
In the early hours of the morning, Lord Kṛṣṇa would rise from bed and bathe Himself in clear water. After executing the dawn rituals and other religious duties, He would offer oblations into the sacred fire, chant the Gāyatrī mantra, worship and pay tribute to the demigods, sages and forefathers, and offer respects to learned brāhmaṇas. Then He would touch auspicious substances, decorate Himself with celestial ornaments and gratify His subjects by giving them whatever they desired.
The Lord's chariot driver, Dāruka, would bring His chariot, and the Lord would mount it and drive to the royal assembly hall. When He would take His seat in the assembly, surrounded by the Yādavas, He would appear like the moon surrounded by the circle of stars called nakṣatras. Bards would recite His praises to the accompaniment of drums, cymbals, vīṇās and other instruments.
On one occasion, the doorkeepers escorted a messenger into the assembly hall. The messenger offered prostrated obeisances to the Lord and then, standing with joined palms, addressed Him: "O Lord, Jarāsandha has captured twenty thousand kings and is holding them prisoner. Please do something, for these kings are all Your surrendered devotees."
Just at that moment Nārada Muni appeared. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and all the members of the assembly stood up and offered obeisances to Nārada by bowing their heads. The sage accepted a seat, and then Lord Kṛṣṇa gently questioned him: "Since you travel all over the universe, please inform Us what the Pāṇḍava brothers are planning to do." Nārada then praised the Supreme Lord and replied, "King Yudhiṣṭhira desires to perform the Rājasūya sacrifice. For this he requests Your sanction and presence. Many demigods and illustrious kings will come just to see You."
Understanding that the Yādavas wanted Him to defeat Jarāsandha, Lord Kṛṣṇa asked His wise minister Uddhava to determine which of the two matters at hand — the defeat of Jarāsandha or the Rājasūya sacrifice — should be attended to first.
10.70.1
athoṣasy upavṛttāyāḿ
kukkuṭān kūjato 'śapan
gṛhīta-kaṇṭhyaḥ patibhir
mādhavyo virahāturāḥ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Then, as dawn was approaching, were the roosters crowing cursed by the wives of the Sweet Lord who, with their heads being held by their husbands [the One Yogamâyâ Lord in Many], were disturbed over [the consequent] separation.
This description of Lord Kṛṣṇa's daily activities starts with the crowing of the rooster. Lord Kṛṣṇa's wives knew that the Lord would dutifully get up and perform His prescribed morning rituals, and thus they were agitated at their coming separation from Him and cursed the roosters.
10.70.2
vayāḿsy aroruvan kṛṣṇaḿ
bodhayantīva vandinaḥ
gāyatsv aliṣv anidrāṇi
(2) Birds roused from sleep by the breeze from the parijâta trees with their bees woke Krishna noisily singing like they were the poets at the court.
10.70.3
(3) But Vaidarbhî [Rukminî] didn't like that most auspicious time of the day because it would deny her the arms of Krishna around her.
10.70.4-5
vāry upaspṛśya mādhavaḥ
(4-5) Rising during the brahma-muhûrta [the hour before sunrise] touched Mâdhava water and cleared He His mind to meditate upon the unequaled, exclusive, self-luminous Self beyond all dullness of matter. This True Self dispels, infallible as it is, by its [His] own nature perpetually the impurity and gives the joy of existence. It is known as the Brahman which with its [His] own energies constitutes the cause of creation and destruction in this universe [see also 3.29: 31 & 36-37, B.G. 7: 5 & 6 and *].
that the word bhāva in this verse indicates the created beings. Thus the compound word lakṣita-bhāva-nirvṛtim means that Lord Kṛṣṇa gives pleasure to the created beings through His various energies. Of course, the soul is never created, but our material, conditioned existence is created by the interaction of the Lord's energies.
One who is favored by the Lord's internal potency can understand the nature of the Absolute Truth; this understanding is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa explains that His energies are divided into inferior and superior, or material and spiritual, potencies. The Brahma-saḿhitā further explains that the material potency acts like a shadow, following the movements of the spiritual reality, which is the Lord Himself and His spiritual potency. When one is favored by Lord Kṛṣṇa, He reveals Himself to the surrendered soul, and thus the same creation that formerly covered the soul becomes an impetus for spiritual enlightenment.
10.70.6
cakāra sandhyopagamādi sattamo
(6) Then, according the vidhi having bathed in pure water, performed He, the most truthful One, first dressing in lower and upper garments, the entire sequence of the worship at dawn and such and chanted He, after offering oblations in the fire, quietly controlling His speech the vedic mantra [the Gâyatrî, see also **].
since Lord Kṛṣṇa was in the disciplic succession from Kaṇva Muni, He offered oblations to the fire before sunrise. Then He chanted the Gāyatrī mantra.
10.70.7-9
upasthāyārkam udyantaḿ
tarpayitvātmanaḥ kalāḥ
alańkṛtebhyo viprebhyo
(7-9) Consequently according His own nature propitiated He in worship of the rising sun His own expansions: with due respect for the gods, the sages and forefathers, His elders and the ones of learning, donated He day by day many, many good-natured cows with gold on their horns, silver on the front of their hooves and pearl necklaces, who were rich with milk and had only one calf born from them. They, nicely caparisoned were to the ones of learning presented with linen, deerskins, sesame seeds and ornaments [see also ***].
several Vedic scriptures to show that in the context of Vedic ritual, a badva here refers to 13,084 cows. The words badvaḿ badvaḿ dine dine indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa would give the learned brāhmaṇas many such groups of cows on a daily basis. Śrīdhara Svāmī further gives evidence that the usual practice for great saintly kings in previous ages was to give 107 such badva, or groups of 13,084 cows. Thus the total number of cows given in this sacrifice, known as Mañcāra, is 14 lakhs, or 1,400,000.
The words alańkṛtebhyo viprebhyaḥ indicate that in Lord Kṛṣṇa's kingdom the brāhmaṇas were given nice clothes and ornaments and were thus well attired.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes with striking and profound insight on these pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The reader is strongly urged to study this book, which contains an invaluable wealth of information and commentary on the pastimes described in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Our humble attempt here can never equal the consummate purity and skill of our great master. Still, as a service offered at his lotus feet, we are simply presenting the original Sanskrit text of the Tenth Canto, word-for-word meanings, a clear translation and essential commentary, for the most part based on the statements of the great spiritual masters in our line.
10.70.10
namaskṛtyātma-sambhūtīr
(10) Paying His respects to the cows, the men of learning, the godly, the elders, the spiritual teachers and to all living beings who were but expansions of Himself, touched He [giving darshan, all persons and] things auspicious.
10.70.11
vāsobhir bhūṣaṇaiḥ svīyair
divya-srag-anulepanaiḥ
(11) He, the very ornament of society, decorated Himself with the clothes, divine garlands, colors and jewelry befitting Him.
10.70.12
avekṣyājyaḿ tathādarśaḿ
kāmāḿś ca sarva-varṇānāḿ
(12) Caring as well for the ghee [used in the sacrifices] as the mirror, attended He to the cows, the bulls, the twice-born, the gods and the objects of desire, in arranging for gifts to the satisfaction of all societal classes living in the city and the palace and greeted He His ministers answering in full to all their needs.
10.70.13
saḿvibhajyāgrato viprān
srak-tāmbūlānulepanaiḥ
(13) First distributing garlands, betel nut and sandalwood paste to the learned, [and then] to His friends, His ministers and His wives, would He next partake of them Himself.
10.70.14
syandanaḿ paramādbhutam
sugrīvādyair hayair yuktaḿ
praṇamyāvasthito 'grataḥ
(14) His driver, by then having brought His supremely wonderful chariot yoked with the horses Sugrîva and so on [see 10.53: 5], stood bowing before Him.
10.70.15
sārathes tam athāruhat
sātyaky-uddhava-saḿyuktaḥ
pūrvādrim iva bhāskaraḥ
(15) Holding the charioteer his hands He then together with Sâtyaki and Uddhava mounted it like He was the sun rising over the mountains in the east.
The ācāryas point out that the Lord's chariot driver would stand with joined palms and that the Lord, holding on to his joined hands with His right hand, would mount the chariot.
10.70.16
kṛcchrād visṛṣṭo niragāj
(16) With difficulty leaving the palace women behind who looked at Him with glances shy and loving, He left, showing a smile that seized their minds.
"The shy, loving glances of the palace women, hinting at their agitation, implied, 'How can we tolerate this torment of being separated from You?' The idea here is that because the Lord was captured by their affection, He smiled, indicating 'My dear restless ladies, you are so overwhelmed by this little bit of separation. I am coming back later today to enjoy with you.' And then, with His smile captivating their minds, He got away only with difficulty, freeing Himself from the bondage of their loving glances."
10.70.17
sudharmākhyāḿ sabhāḿ sarvair
prāviśad yan-niviṣṭānāḿ
(17) Awaited by all the Vrishnis He entered the assembly hall known as Sudharmâ [see also 10.50: 54] which for those who entered wards off the six waves, my dear [see shath-ûrmi].
"It may be remembered that the Sudharmā assembly house was taken away from the heavenly planet and was reestablished in the city of Dvārakā. The specific significance of the assembly house was that anyone who entered it would be free from the six kinds of material pangs, namely hunger, thirst, lamentation, illusion, old age and death. These are the whips of material existence, and as long as one remained in that assembly house of Sudharmā, he would not be affected by these six material whips." when Lord Kṛṣṇa would exit separately from each of His many palaces, each individual form would be visible to the persons present on those particular palace grounds and to the neighboring residents, but not to others. Then, at the gateway path of the Sudharmā assembly hall, all the forms of the Lord would merge into a single form, and thus He would enter the hall.
10.70.18
tatropavistaḥ paramāsane vibhur
vṛto nṛ-siḿhair yadubhir yadūttamo
(18) The Almighty One, the Best of the Yadus seated there high on His throne in the midst of the Yadus, the lions among men, illuminated all the quarters as He with His effulgence shone like the moon in the sky surrounded by the stars.
10.70.19
tatropamantriṇo rājan
upatasthur naṭācāryā
nartakyas tāṇḍavaiḥ pṛthak
(19) There the jesters, o King, served the Almighty One with various forms of amusement, just as professional entertainers [like magicians] and women dancing energetic dances did on their turn.
that the word naṭācāryāḥ refers, among other things, to expert magicians. All of these different entertainers, one after the other, would perform for the Lord in the assembly of great kings.
10.70.20
nanṛtur jagus tuṣṭuvuś ca
(20) They danced to the sounds of vînâs, mridangas and muraja-drums, flutes, cymbals and conches while the bards, storytellers and panegyrists sang and offered praise.
10.70.21
tatrāhur brāhmaṇāḥ kecid
(21) There recited some brahmins sitting continually vedic mantras while others recounted stories about kings from the past famous for their piety.
10.70.22
tatraikaḥ puruṣo rājann
vijñāpito bhagavate
(22) Some day was the arrival announced of a person, o King, who, given access to the Fortunate One by the doorkeepers, had never been seen there before. 10.70.23
pareśāya kṛtāñjaliḥ
(23) After his reverence with joined palms before Krishna, the Supreme Lordship, submitted he the suffering of the kings held captive by Jarâsandha.10.70.24
prasahya ruddhās tenāsann
(24) During a conquest by him of all directions were all those kings who did not accept him in complete subservience - about twenty thousand of them - by force detained in the fortress of Girivraja.
that these kings refused the payment of tribute and other forms of submission to Jarāsandha. Also, there is a well-known account in the Mahābhārata and other literatures that Jarāsandha desired to worship Mahā-bhairava by offering him the lives of one hundred thousand kings in sacrifice.
10.70.25
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇāprameyātman
(25) The kings relayed: 'Krishna, o Krishna, o immeasurable Soul, o You who takes away the fear of the surrendered; being so different in mentality do we, afraid as we are in our material existence, come to You for shelter!
the kings present their entreaty in this and the following five verses. In this verse they take shelter of the Lord, in the next three verses they describe their fear, and in the last two verses they make their prayerful request.
10.70.26
loko vikarma-nirataḥ kuśale pramattaḥ
sadyaś chinatty animiṣāya namo 'stu tasmai
(26) The whole world prone to doing it wrong is bewildered about the duties out here that are beneficial in the worship of You to Your command that, in so far one is doing one's own in this, constitutes the power of existence in serving longevity and hope; may there be the obeisances to Him, the Ever Vigilant ['unblinking of Time'] who all of a sudden cuts this all off [at the time of one's death].
Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.27),
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform — do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me."
This is the Supreme Lord's commandment, but people in general are bewildered and neglect this auspicious activity, preferring instead to perform sinful activities that lead them to terrible suffering. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is working to enlighten the world about this most essential activity of loving service to the Lord.
10.70.27
sad-rakṣaṇāya khala-nigrahaṇāya cānyaḥ
(27) You, the predominating authority of this universe, have descended with Your expansion [Balarâma] to protect the saintly and to subdue the wicked; we do not understand o Lord how any other person in transgression with Your law [like Jarâsandha] or else by dint of his own creativity [like us] would achieve that.
the kings were bewildered by the suffering that had come upon them. They state here that since the Lord has descended to this world to protect the pious and punish the wicked, how is it that Jarāsandha, who brazenly transgressed the order of the Lord, continued to perform his wicked activities, whereas the kings were put into a miserable condition? that the kings could not understand how Jarāsandha, who harassed the saintly devotees and nourished the envious, could continue to prosper, whereas the kings were being tormented by the wicked Jarāsandha. Similarly Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes the kings as follows in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: "My dear Lord, You are the proprietor of all the worlds, and You have incarnated Yourself along with Your plenary expansion Lord Balarāma. It is said that Your appearance in this incarnation is for the purpose of protecting the faithful and destroying the miscreants. Under the circumstances, how is it possible that miscreants like Jarāsandha can put us into such deplorable conditions of life against Your authority? We are puzzled at the situation and cannot understand how it is possible. It may be that Jarāsandha has been deputed to give us such trouble because of our past misdeeds, but we have heard from revealed scriptures that anyone who surrenders unto Your lotus feet immediately becomes immune to the reactions of sinful life.... [We] therefore... wholeheartedly offer ourselves unto Your shelter, and we hope that Your Lordship will now give us full protection."
10.70.28
kliśyāmahe 'ti-kṛpaṇās tava māyayeha
(28) The conditional happiness of kings, o Lord, is like a dream, always being full of fear with the burden of this mortal frame; in rejecting that happiness of the soul that is obtained by selfless service unto You, do we, with Your bewildering material reality of mâyâ out here, suffer the greatest misery.
After expressing their doubts in the previous verse, the kings herein admit that actually they are suffering because of their own foolishness, having given up the eternal happiness of the soul in exchange for the temporary, conditional happiness of a so-called kingly position. Most people make a similar mistake, desiring wealth, power, prestige, aristocratic family and so on, in exchange for their own soul. The kings admit that they have fallen under the spell of the Lord's illusory energy and have mistaken the tremendous anxiety of political leadership for happiness.
10.70.29
baddhān viyuńkṣva magadhāhvaya-karma-pāśāt
(29) Therefore, o Goodness whose pair of feet remove the sorrow, please release us, the surrendered, who were bound in the fetters of karma by him carrying the name of Maghada who, like the king of the animals with sheep, alone wielding the prowess of a ten thousand mad elephants imprisoned us in His residence.
The kings here pray for the Lord to release them from the bondage of karma created by the Lord's material potency. The kings make it clear that Jarāsandha is so powerful that there is no hope for them to escape by their own power.
10.70.30
(30) Eighteen times having raised Your cakra and crushed him defeated he only once in battle You, who confident in Your unlimited power were absorbed in human affairs [see 10.50: 41 & 10.52: 7]; and now, filled with pride, he torments us, Your subjects, o Unconquerable One; please rectify that!'
The word nṛ-loka-niratam indicates that the Lord was absorbed in playing within the world of human beings. Thus, while acting like a human king He allowed Jarāsandha to be victorious in a single battle after the Lord had crushed him seventeen times. The kings here imply that Jarāsandha is especially harassing them because they are souls surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they beg the Lord, "O You who hold the cakra weapon high, please make the proper arrangement."
My dear Lord, You have already fought with Jarāsandha eighteen times consecutively, out of which You have defeated him seventeen times by surpassing his extraordinary powerful position. But in Your eighteenth fight You exhibited Your human behavior, and thus it appeared that You were defeated. My dear Lord, we know very well that Jarāsandha cannot defeat You at any time, because Your power, strength, resources and authority are all unlimited. No one can equal You or surpass You. The appearance of defeat by Jarāsandha in the eighteenth engagement is nothing but an exhibition of human behavior. Unfortunately, foolish Jarāsandha could not understand Your tricks, and he has since then become puffed up over his material power and prestige. Specifically, he has arrested us and imprisoned us, knowing fully that as Your devotees, we are subordinate to Your sovereignty."
10.70.31
bhavad-darśana-kańkṣiṇaḥ
(31) The messenger said: 'Thus do the ones held captive by Jarâsandha and who have surrendered to the base of Your feet hanker for the sight of You; please bestow Your welfare on these poor souls!'
10.70.32
(32) S'rî S'uka said: 'After the envoy of the kings thus had spoken, appeared the supreme rishi [Nârada] who with his yellowish mass of matted locks had an effulgence like that of the sun.
10.70.33
sarva-lokeśvareśvaraḥ
(33) Seeing him offered the Supreme Lord Krishna, the Supreme Controller of the controllers of all the worlds, with His head His respects, gladly standing up along with His followers and the members of the assembly.
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word mudā indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa was delighted to see that Nārada had arrived.
10.70.34
kṛtāsana-parigraham
(34) With him having been of worship according the rules and his acceptance of a seat, spoke He with truthful, pleasing words of reverence that pleased the sage:
10.70.35
(35) 'It is a fact that today the three worlds are completely rid of all fear, for that is the quality of the great and fortunate one [of you] traveling the worlds.
10.70.36
(36) With the three worlds the way they are arranged by their Controller is there nothing you don't know; so, therefore, let's hear from you what the plans of the Pândavas are.'
10.70.37
(37) S'rî Nârada said: 'I witnessed the many forms of Your inscrutable mâyâ, o Almighty One, Bewilderer of [even] the Creator of the Universe [see 10.14]; for me it is not that amazing, o All-encompassing One, that You covered by Your own energies move among the created beings like a fire of which the light is covered.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa questioned Nārada Muni about the intentions of the Pāṇḍavas, the sage replied that the Lord is Himself all-powerful and all-knowing, even to the extent that He can bewilder the creator of the universe, Brahmā. Nārada understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa desired to kill Jarāsandha and was thus beginning to arrange for this pastime by inquiring from Nārada about the Pāṇḍavas' intentions. Understanding the Lord's own intention, Nārada was not astonished when Lord Kṛṣṇa humbly requested information from him.
10.70.38
sva-māyayedaḿ sṛjato niyacchataḥ
yad vidyamānātmatayāvabhāsate
(38) Who is able to properly understand the purpose of You who by Your own material energy creates and withdraws this universe which manifests [for its beings] to exist in relation to You; my obeisances for You inconceivable in Your nature.
"My dear Lord, by Your inconceivable potencies You create this cosmic manifestation, maintain it and again dissolve it. It is by dint of Your inconceivable potency only that this material world, although a shadow representation of the spiritual world, appears to be factual. No one can understand what You plan to do in the future. Your transcendental position is always inconceivable to everyone. As far as I am concerned, I can simply offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again."
10.70.39
jīvasya yaḥ saḿsarato vimokṣaṇaḿ
na jānato 'nartha-vahāc charīrataḥ
līlāvatāraiḥ sva-yaśaḥ pradīpakaḿ
(39) He who for the individual soul in samsâra, not knowing liberation from the trouble that the material body brings, by His avatâras for His pastimes lights His own torch of fame; You, that Lord, I approach for shelter.
"[Nārada said,] In the bodily concept of knowledge, everyone is driven by material desires, and thus everyone develops new material bodies one after another in the cycle of birth and death. Being absorbed in such a concept of existence, one does not know how to get out of the encagement of the material body. Out of Your causeless mercy, my Lord, You descend to exhibit Your different transcendental pastimes, which are illuminating and full of glory. Therefore I have no alternative but to offer my respectful obeisances unto You. My dear Lord, You are the Supreme, Parabrahman, and Your pastimes as an ordinary human are another tactical resource, exactly like a play on the stage, in which an actor plays parts different from his own identity."
10.70.40
(40) Nonetheless will I tell You, o Highest Truth imitating the human ways, what Your devotee the king [Yudhishthhira], the son of Your father's sister intends to do.
10.70.41
pārameṣṭhya-kāmo nṛpatis
(41) The king, the son of Pându, desiring the top position for Your sake wants to perform the greatest sacrifice known as Râjasûya, please give that Your blessing.
King Yudhiṣṭhira is described here as pārameṣṭhya-kāma, or "desiring pārameṣṭhya." The word pārameṣṭhya means "unrivaled supremacy" and also indicates "the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who stands at the very height of all existence." Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda translates Nārada's message as follows: "You have inquired about Your cousins the Pāṇḍavas in the role of their well-wisher, and therefore I shall let You know about their intentions. Now please hear me. First of all, may I inform You that King Yudhiṣṭhira has all material opulences that are possible to achieve in the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka. He has no material opulence for which to aspire, and yet he wants to perform the Rājasūya sacrifice only to get Your association and to please You.... He wants to worship You in order to achieve Your causeless mercy, and I beg to request You to fulfill his desires."
Since the word pārameṣṭhya may also indicate the position of Lord Brahmā, the term pārameṣṭhya-kāma is taken here by Śrīla Prabhupāda to indicate not only that King Yudhiṣṭhira desired Lord Kṛṣṇa's association and mercy but also that King Yudhiṣṭhira himself possessed pārameṣṭhya, all the opulences of Lord Brahmā.
10.70.42
bhavantaḿ vai surādayaḥ
rājānaś ca yaśasvinaḥ
(42) O Lord to that best of all sacrifices will all enlightened and likewise souls as well as the kings of glory eager as they are to see You attend.
The ācāryas explain that Nārada here means to say that since all the great personalities will come especially to see Lord Kṛṣṇa, He should also come to that sacrifice.
10.70.43
pūyante 'nte-vasāyinaḥ
kim utekṣābhimarśinaḥ
(43) When from hearing, chanting and meditating about You, the Full of the Absolute, even the dregs of society find purification, what then may one expect for those who see You and touch You?
the word brahma-mayasya to mean brahma-ghana-mūrteḥ, "of the concentrated form of the Absolute Truth."
10.70.44
yasyāmalaḿ divi yaśaḥ prathitaḿ rasāyāḿ
mandākinīti divi bhogavatīti cādho
(44) The spotless fame of You is, expanding [like a canopy] in all directions, proclaimed in heaven, in the lower regions and on the earth, o Bringer of Good Fortune to All the Worlds. In the form of the water washing from Your feet that purifies the entire unverse, is that grace called the Mandâkinî in the divine spheres, the Bhogavatî in the lower worlds and the Ganges here on earth.'
This translation is based on Śrīla Prabhupāda's Kṛṣṇa. Śrīdhara Svāmī mentions that the word dig-vitānam indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental glories spread throughout the universe like a cooling canopy over the universal directions. In other words, the whole world can find shelter under the cooling shade of the Lord's lotus feet. Thus the Lord is bhuvana-mańgala, the symbol of everything auspicious for this world.
10.70.45
gṛṇatsu vijigīṣayā
(45) S'rî S'uka said: 'When His own supporters [the Yâdus] did not agree because they wanted to defeat [Jarâsandha] spoke Kes'ava smiling to His servant Uddhava with a charming use of words.
"Just before the great sage Nārada arrived in the Sudharmā assembly house of Dvārakā, Lord Kṛṣṇa and His ministers and secretaries had been considering how to attack the kingdom of Jarāsandha. Because they were seriously considering this subject, Nārada's proposal that Lord Kṛṣṇa go to Hastināpura for Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's great Rājasūya sacrifice did not much appeal to them. Lord Kṛṣṇa could understand the intentions of His associates because He is the ruler of even Lord Brahmā. Therefore, in order to pacify them, He smilingly [spoke] to Uddhava."
10.70.46
athātra brūhy anuṣṭheyaḿ
(46) The Fortunate One said: 'You indeed as the apple of Our eye and Our well-wishing friend from that position perfectly know what expression would be of use in this regard, please tell Us what should be done, We have full faith in you and will carry that out.'
10.70.47
ity upāmantrito bhartrā
nideśaḿ śirasādhāya
(47) Thus requested by his Maintainer who acted as if He, the all-knowing One, was puzzled, gave Uddhava humbly accepting the order on his head, a reply.'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Seventieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Kṛṣṇa's Daily Activities."
*** With the M.W. dictionary confirming to the term badva used here the meaning of 'a great number' quotes S'rîdhara Svâmî several Vedic scriptures to show that in the context of Vedic ritual, a badva here refers to 13,084 cows and further gives evidence that the usual practice for great saintly kings in previous ages was to give 107 such badva, or groups of 13,084 cows. Thus the total number of cows given in this sacrifice, known as Mañcâra, could have amounted to 14 lakhs, or 1.400.000.
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