1.11.

Lord Kåñëa’s Entrance into Dvärakä

1-10: The Lord’s arrival and the citizens’ reception

1. WBN on the effects of the Lord’s conch blowing.

Sū ta Gosvā mī said: Upon reaching the border of His most prosperous metropolis, known as
the country of the Ā nartas [Dvā rakā ], the Lord sounded His auspicious conchshell, heralding
His arrival and apparently pacifying the dejection of the inhabitants.
the inhabitants of the city of Dvā rakā were in a mood of dejection and expected the arrival of
the Lord at any moment. So the heralding sound of the auspicious conchshell was very
encouraging, and apparently the sound pacified their dejection.
The white and fat-bowled conchshell, being gripped by the hand of Lord Kṛṣṇ a and sounded
by Him, appeared to be reddened by the touch of His transcendental lips. It seemed that a
white swan was playing in the stems of red lotus flowers.
The redness of the white conchshell due to the lip-touch of the Lord is a symbol of spiritual
significance.
By ardent love and devotional service to the Lord, or in other words by spiritual contact with
the Lord, everything becomes spiritually reddened like the conchshell in the grip of the Lord,
and the paramahaṁsa, or the supremely intelligent person, plays the part of the ducking swan
in the water of spiritual bliss, eternally decorated by the lotus flower of the Lord’s feet.
The citizens of Dvā rakā , having heard that sound which threatens fear personified in the
material world, began to run towards Him fast, just to have a long desired audience with the
Lord, who is the protector of all devotees.
The sound heralded by Lord Kṛṣṇ a was something like the heralding of the sunrise in the
morning. So all the citizens of Dvā rakā awoke from a state of slumber because of the
sunrise of Kṛṣṇ a, and they all hastened towards Him just to have an audience.

2. Give lessons from the Dvärakä-väsés’ offering presentations to Kåñëa.

The citizens arrived before the Lord with their respective presentations, offering them to the
fully satisfied and self-sufficient one, who, by His own potency, incessantly supplies
others.
He is eternally existent; He is all-cognizant and all-blissful. Therefore, any presentation,
however valuable it may be, is not needed by Him. But still, because He is the well-wisher
for one and all, He accepts from everyone everything that is offered to Him in pure
devotional service.
It is not that He is in want for such things, because the things are themselves generated from
His energy. The comparison is made herein that making offerings to the Lord is something
like offering a lamp in the worship of the sun-god. Anything fiery and illuminating is but an
emanation of the energy of the sun, and yet to worship the sun-god it is necessary to offer
him a lamp.
In the worship of the sun, there is some sort of demand made by the worshiper, but in the
case of devotional service to the Lord, there is no question of demand from either side. It is
all a sign of pure love and affection between the Lord and the devotee.

3. Summarize the talks of the Dvärakä-väsés from 1.11.6-10. Quote any two verses. (BS
p. 88-89)
 ŚB 1.11.6
नता: स्म ते नाथ सदाङ् ‌घ्रिपङ् कजं
विरिञ्चवैरिञ्च्यसुरेन्द्रवन्दितम् ।
परायणं क्षेममिहेच्छतां परं
न यत्र काल: प्रभवेत् पर: प्रभु: ॥ ६ ॥

natāḥ sma te nātha sadāṅghri-paṅkajaṁ

viriñca-vairiñcya-surendra-vanditam
parāyaṇaṁ kṣemam ihecchatāṁ paraṁ
na yatra kālaḥ prabhavet paraḥ prabhuḥ
Synonyms

natāḥ — bowed down; sma — we had done so; te — unto You; nātha — O Lord; sadā —
always; aṅghri-paṅkajam — the lotus feet; viriñca — Brahmā , the first living
being; vairiñcya — sons of Brahmā like Sanaka and Sanā tana; sura-indra — the King of
heaven; vanditam — worshiped by; parāyaṇam — the supreme; kṣemam — welfare; iha — in
this life; icchatām — one who so desires; param — the highest; na — never; yatra —
wherein; kālaḥ — inevitable time; prabhavet — can exert its influence; paraḥ —
transcendental; prabhuḥ — the Supreme Lord.

Translation

The citizens said: O Lord, You are worshiped by all demigods like Brahmā, the four
Sanas and even the King of heaven. You are the ultimate rest for those who are really
aspiring to achieve the highest benefit of life. You are the supreme transcendental Lord,
and inevitable time cannot exert its influence upon You.

Purport

The Supreme Lord is Śrī Kṛṣṇ a, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, Brahma-saṁhitā and other
authorized Vedic literatures. No one is equal to or greater than Him, and that is the verdict of
all scriptures. The influence of time and space is exerted upon the dependent living entities,
who are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. The living entities are
predominated brahma, whereas the Supreme Lord is the predominating Absolute. As soon as
we forget this clear fact, we are at once in illusion, and thus we are put into threefold
miseries, as one is put into dense darkness. The clear consciousness of the cognizant living
being is God consciousness, in which one bows down unto Him in all circumstances.

ŚB 1.11.7
भवाय नस्त्वं भव विश्वभावन
त्वमेव माताथ सुहृत्पति: पिता ।
त्वं सद्गुरुर्न: परमं च दैवतं
यस्यानुवृत्त्या कृ तिनो बभूविम ॥ ७ ॥

bhavāya nas tvaṁ bhava viśva-bhāvana

tvam eva mātātha suhṛt-patiḥ pitā
 tvaṁ sad-gurur naḥ paramaṁ ca daivataṁ
yasyānuvṛttyā kṛtino babhūvima
Synonyms

bhavāya — for welfare; naḥ — for us; tvam — Your Lordship; bhava — just become; viśva-
bhāvana — the creator of the universe; tvam — Your Lordship; eva — certainly; mātā —
mother; atha — as also; suhṛt — well-wisher; patiḥ — husband; pitā — father; tvam — Your
Lordship; sat-guruḥ — spiritual master; naḥ — our; paramam — the supreme; ca —
and; daivatam — worshipable Deity; yasya — whose; anuvṛttyā — following in the
footsteps; kṛtinaḥ — successful; babhūvima — we have become.

Translation

O creator of the universe, You are our mother, well-wisher, Lord, father, spiritual
master and worshipable Deity. By following in Your footsteps we have become
successful in every respect. We pray, therefore, that You continue to bless us with Your
mercy.

Purport

The all-good Personality of Godhead, being the creator of the universe, also plans for the
good of all good living beings. The good living beings are advised by the Lord to follow His
good advice, and by doing so they become successful in all spheres of life. There is no need
to worship any deity but the Lord. The Lord is all-powerful, and if He is satisfied by our
obedience unto His lotus feet, He is competent to bestow upon us all kinds of blessings for
the successful execution of both our material and spiritual lives. For attaining spiritual
existence, the human form is a chance for all to understand our eternal relation with God. Our
relation with Him is eternal; it can neither be broken nor vanquished. It may be forgotten for
the time being, but it can be revived also by the grace of the Lord, if we follow His
injunctions, which are revealed in the scriptures of all times and all places.

Oh, it is our good luck that we have come again today under Your protection by Your
presence, for Your Lordship rarely visits even the denizens of heaven. Now it is possible for
us to look into Your smiling face, which is full of affectionate glances. We can now see Your
transcendental form, full of all auspiciousness.
O lotus-eyed Lord, whenever You go away to Mathurā -Vṛndā vana or Hastinā pura to meet
Your friends and relatives, every moment of Your absence seems like millions of years. O
infallible one, at that time our eyes become useless, as if bereft of sun.
O master, if You live abroad all the time, then we cannot look at Your attractive face, whose
smiles vanquish all our sufferings. How can we exist without Your presence? Upon hearing
their speeches, the Lord, who is very kind to the citizens and the devotees, entered the city of
Dvā rakā and acknowledged all their greetings by casting His transcendental glance over
them.

11-15: City of Dvärakä described

4. WBN on Dvärakä city. (BS p. 89)
The city of Dvā rakā purī was filled with the opulences of all seasons. There were
hermitages, orchards, flower gardens, parks and reservoirs of water breeding lotus
flowers all over.
 The city gateway, the household doors and festooned arches along the roads were all
nicely decorated with festive signs like plantain trees and mango leaves, all to
welcome the Lord. Flags, garlands and painted signs and slogans all combined to
shade the sunshine.

The highways, subways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were all thoroughly
cleansed and then moistened with scented water. And to welcome the Lord, fruits,
flowers and unbroken seeds were strewn everywhere.

In each and every door of the residential houses, auspicious things like curd, unbroken
fruits, sugarcane and full waterpots with articles for worship, incense and candles
were all displayed.

16-23: Dvärakä-väsés’ Reception and the Lord’s Reciprocation

5. How did the Dvärakä-väsés receive Lord Kåñëa? How did He reciprocate with them? (BS
p. 89-90)
On hearing that the most dear Kṛṣṇ a was approaching Dvā rakā -dhā ma, magnanimous
Vasudeva, Akrū ra, Ugrasena, Balarā ma (the superhumanly powerful), Pradyumna,
Cā rudeṣṇ a and Sā mba the son of Jā mbavatī, all extremely happy, abandoned resting,
sitting and dining.

They hastened toward the Lord on chariots with brā hmaṇ as bearing flowers. Before
them were elephants, emblems of good fortune. Conchshells and bugles were
sounded, and Vedic hymns were chanted. Thus they offered their respects, which
were saturated with affection.

At the same time, many hundreds of well-known prostitutes began to proceed on

various vehicles. They were all very eager to meet the Lord, and their beautiful faces
were decorated with dazzling earrings, which enhanced the beauty of their foreheads.

Expert dramatists, artists, dancers, singers, historians, genealogists and learned

speakers all gave their respective contributions, being inspired by the superhuman
pastimes of the Lord. Thus they proceeded on and on.

Lord Kṛṣṇ a, the Personality of Godhead, approached them and offered due honor and
respect to each and every one of the friends, relatives, citizens and all others who
came to receive and welcome Him.

The almighty Lord greeted everyone present by bowing His head, exchanging
greetings, embracing, shaking hands, looking and smiling, giving assurances and
awarding benedictions, even to the lowest in rank.

Then the Lord personally entered the city accompanied by elderly relatives and
invalid brā hmaṇ as with their wives, all offering benedictions and singing the glories
of the Lord. Others also praised the glories of the Lord.

24-27: The Lord’s attractive beauty

6. Describes various aspects of Kåñëa’s beautiful form with analogies and the effect of seeing
it. Quote 1.11.25. nityam… Elaborate based on the purports. (BS p. 90)
Anything material seen for a number of times ultimately becomes unattractive by the law of
satiation. The law of satiation acts materially, but there is no scope for it in the spiritual
realm. The word infallible is significant here, because although the Lord has mercifully
descended to the earth, He is still infallible. The living entities are fallible because when they
come in contact with the material world they lack their spiritual identity, and thus the body
materially obtained becomes subjected to birth, growth, transformation, situation,
deterioration and annihilation under the laws of nature. The Lord’s body is not like that. He
descends as He is and is never under the laws of the material modes. His body is the source of
everything that be, the reservoir of all beauties beyond our experience. No one, therefore, is
satiated by seeing the transcendental body of the Lord because there are always
manifestations of newer and newer beauties. The transcendental name, form, qualities,
entourage, etc., are all spiritual manifestations, and there is no satiation in chanting the holy
name of the Lord, there is no satiation in discussing the qualities of the Lord, and there is no
limitation of the entourage of the Lord. He is the source of all and is limitless.

28-39: Dealings with mothers, queens. Lord’s transcendental character

7. WBN on the relationship between Kåñëa and His queens based on relevant verses and
purports. Quote 1.11.36. uddama… (BS p.91)
The Lord married and lived like a householder. This is certainly like a mundane affair, but
when we learn that He married 16,108 wives and lived with them separately in each and
every palace, certainly it is not mundane. Therefore, the Lord, living as a householder
amongst His competent wives, is never mundane, and His behavior with them is never to be
understood as mundane sex relation. The women who became the wives of the Lord are
certainly not ordinary women, because to get the Lord as one’s husband is the result of many,
many millions of births’ tapasya (austerity).

8. WBN on the transcendental character of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Quote

1.11.38. etad éçanam… (BS p. 92
that the divinity of the Personality of Godhead is never in contact with the qualities of
material nature in any circumstances. Actually He is in contact with such qualities because
He is the ultimate source of everything, yet He is above the actions of such qualities. He is
known, therefore, as Yogeśvara, or the master of mystic power, or in other words the all-
powerful.

Memorisation: 25,26,36,38
Translation: 4,5,6,7,9,24,27

Texts 4-5:
The citizens arrived before the Lord with their respective presentations, offering them to the
fully satisfied and self-sufficient one, who, by His own potency, incessantly supplies others.
These presentations were like the offering of a lamp to the sun. Yet the citizens began to
speak in ecstatic language to receive the Lord, just as wards welcome their guardian and
father.
Purport:
5--In the worship of the sun, there is some sort of demand made by the worshiper, but in the
case of devotional service to the Lord, there is no question of demand from either side. It is
all a sign of pure love and affection between the Lord and the devotee.
12--Advancement of civilization is estimated not on the growth of mills and factories to
deteriorate the finer instincts of the human being, but on developing the potent spiritual
instincts of human beings and giving them a chance to go back to Godhead.
13--Mango trees, coconut palms and plantain trees are still accepted as auspicious signs.
15--Without distribution of food, no function is complete, and that is the way of Vedic
culture.
18--Such a program of reception is full of sincerity, on the part of both the receiver and the
received.
19-- The criterion of advancement of civilization is whether the people are educated and
advanced on the path of salvation.
24--Female respectability is preserved more elegantly by keeping the woman separate from
the man.
28--According to scriptures also, there are seven mothers: (1) the real mother, (2) the wife of
the spiritual master, (3) the wife of a brā hmaṇ a, (4) the wife of the king, (5) the cow, (6) the
nurse, and (7) the earth.
32--The embrace of the son is not exactly the embrace of husband and wife from the sexual
point of view, but the embrace is satisfaction from the affectionate point of view.

Text 24:

When Lord Kṛṣṇ a passed over the public roads, all the ladies from the respectable
families of Dvā rakā went up to the roofs of their palaces just to have a look at the
Lord. They considered this to be the greatest festival.
Text 27:

As the Lord passed along the public road of Dvā rakā , His head was protected from
the sunshine by a white umbrella. White feathered fans moved in semicircles, and
showers of flowers fell upon the road. His yellow garments and garlands of flowers
made it appear as if a dark cloud were surrounded simultaneously by sun, moon,
lightning and rainbows.