Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.69.1-6
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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didṛkṣuḥ
—
wanting to see
Desiderative of √dṛś. The exact disposition of the devotee: not wanting to argue, prove, or possess — only to behold. Gauḍīya darśana begins from didṛkṣā, the eye's longing for Bhagavān.
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ekena vapuṣā
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with a single body
Compound (joined from the synonyms): one body — yet sixteen thousand simultaneous unions. The verse sets up the whole chapter's wonder: not many forms multiplying, but one Bhagavān whose svarūpa-śakti is unbounded.
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yugapat
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simultaneously
The technical word for Bhagavān's non-sequential acting. Acintya-bhedābheda permits Him to be wholly present in many places at once without division — a property no jīva possesses, marking the verse as ontological, not merely magical.
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citram
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wonderful, astonishing
From √cit (to perceive vividly). Nārada's own word for what he is about to witness. The Bhāgavatam uses citra repeatedly for Kṛṣṇa-līlā — the proper response is not analysis but wonder.
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dvāravatīm
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to Dvārakā
Dvārakā is one of the four dhāmas (with Vṛndāvana, Mathurā, Ayodhyā). Gauḍīyas distinguish Dvārakā-līlā (aiśvarya-mayī, opulent) from Vraja-līlā (mādhurya-mayī, sweet) — both eternal, both Kṛṣṇa, with Vraja held topmost.
In Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully describes 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.”
In the sixty ninth chapter Krsna shows Narada how he expanded one form into each of the palaces in Dvaraka. Narada desired to see this (didrksuh). That he married with one body at one time each of the sixteen thousand queens in separate courtyards of separate houses surrounded by separate walls was indeed astonishing. Saubari and others, by expanding as kaya vyuha enjoyed with many women at once with different bodies, but not with one body alone. For this reason (iti) Narada went to Dvaraka. Dvaraka is described in three and a half verses. It was resounding with the loud cries of swans and herons in lakes spread (churitesu) with lotuses. The turrets and spires were bright with emeralds. The attendants there wore clothing of gold and jewels. It was charming with wide roads, lanes, intersections, marketplaces, assembly halls and temples. It was shaded by flagpoles with flags moving in the wind.
After killing Naraka, Kṛṣṇa brought all the captive girls to Dvārakā and married them. Nārada wanted to see this. Since Nārada went there, Śukadeva settled on a new story suitable for narration since it was filled with rasa. Concentrating, he begins to praise Dvārakā. Hearing that Naraka had been killed along with his troops (ni—hatam) by Kṛṣṇa and being joyful, Nārada wanted to see how he had married so many women. This is most astonishing (citram bataitad). He was surprised on hearing about this, even though he was omniscient and could know all of this by his nature. The events were always being glorified by everyone with the greatest astonishment. He wanted to see Kṛṣṇa’s powers. Sma indicates that this was well known. Having shown Nārada’s astonishment, and related his going to Dvārakā to see the powers of Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva then describes Dvārakā in five verses in order to nourish the story. His astonishment on seeing and his going there are described in one and a half verses. Ah! This is amazing, filled with his acintya-śakti. What was astonishing? One person had married sixteen thousand women. “One sees persons marrying even more that number of women.” But he did this simultaneously. “Like Ṣaubhari, Nārada and others could expand their bodies. They could simultaneously do this. Why is it amazing for him?” He did this with one body. “One body can be expanded into many. It is not astonishing that these many bodies could marry the women at once, since he is more powerful than Saubhari.” He appeared in each of the houses. He married them all fully (ud-ā-vahat). Thinking in this way (iti), he thus sent to Dvārakā wanting to see Kṛṣṇa’s powers. In describing Dvārakā, first the exterior portion is described. There were pleasant gardens filled with the chirping of birds. Lakes inside and outside of the groves were decorated with blossoming blue, white and pink lotuses as well as fragrant ones (kahlāra). Swans warbled loudly because of intoxication from drinking the nectar. The interiors of the buildings are then described. The palaces were made of crystal and silver. Verse 6 is in a longer meter to express bliss in describing the interior of the city. The main roads (rathyā) and various other roads (patha) were constructed spaciously (vibhakta). The city was attractive with various buildings for horses etc., assembly halls, all placed in locations according to use, as well as temples. The buildings are in order of increasing attractiveness. The roads, public squares, private yards (vīthi) and altars in the doorways (dehalīm) were all completely soaked with perfumed water. The order of the list is from public areas to private dwellings. The beauty above is then described: flying flags created shade.
After killing Naraka, Kṛṣṇa brought all the captive girls to Dvārakā and married them. Nārada wanted to see this. Since Nārada went there, Śukadeva settled on a new story suitable for narration since it was filled with rasa. Concentrating, he begins to praise Dvārakā. Hearing that Naraka had been killed along with his troops (ni—hatam) by Kṛṣṇa and being joyful, Nārada wanted to see how he had married so many women. This is most astonishing (citram bataitad). He was surprised on hearing about this, even though he was omniscient and could know all of this by his nature. The events were always being glorified by everyone with the greatest astonishment. He wanted to see Kṛṣṇa’s powers. Sma indicates that this was well known. Having shown Nārada’s astonishment, and related his going to Dvārakā to see the powers of Kṛṣṇa, Śukadeva then describes Dvārakā in five verses in order to nourish the story. His astonishment on seeing and his going there are described in one and a half verses. Ah! This is amazing, filled with his acintya-śakti. What was astonishing? One person had married sixteen thousand women. “One sees persons marrying even more than that number of women.” But he did this simultaneously. “Like Ṣaubhari, Nārada and others could expand their bodies. They could simultaneously do this. Why is it amazing for him?” He did this with one body. “One body can be expanded into many. It is not astonishing that these many bodies could marry the women at once, since he is more powerful than Saubhari.” He appeared in each of the houses. He married them all fully (ud-ā-vahat). Thinking in this way (iti), he thus went to Dvārakā wanting to see Kṛṣṇa’s powers. In describing Dvārakā, first the exterior portion is described. There were pleasant gardens filled with the chirping of birds. Lakes inside and outside of the groves were decorated with blossoming blue, white and pink lotuses as well as fragrant ones (kahlāra). Swans warbled loudly because of intoxication from drinking the nectar. The interiors of the buildings are then described. The palaces were made of crystal and silver. Verse 6 is in a longer meter to express bliss in describing the interior of the city. The main roads (rathyā) and various other roads (patha) were constructed spaciously (vibhakta). The city was attractive with various buildings for horses etc., assembly halls, all placed in locations according to use, as well as temples. The buildings are in order of increasing attractiveness. The roads, public squares, private yards (vīthi) and altars in the doorways (dehalīm) were all completely soaked with perfumed water. The order of the list is from public areas to private dwellings. The beauty above is then described: flying flags created shade.
- What aspect of Kṛṣṇa's līlā do I find puzzling, and could that puzzlement become reverent inquiry?
- Where might my doubts actually be unrecognized invitations to look more closely?
A traveler approaches a great kingdom and first sees the outer signs — flowering parks, the cries of swans, jewel-bright palaces — and only then the King. Śuka begins this chapter the same way: before Nārada can witness Kṛṣṇa's sixteen-thousand-fold self, the poet must show that Dvārakā itself is fit to hold such a wonder. Bhagavān's līlā is always framed by His dhāma.
Nārada is the chapter's pratiyogin — the chosen witness. Across the Bhāgavatam he has appeared again and again at the door of līlā: at Dhruva's forest seat (SB 4.8), at the side of the boy Vyāsa (SB 1.5), beside Yudhiṣṭhira when Prahlāda's story is told (SB 7.1). Wherever Bhagavān is doing something only Bhagavān can do, Nārada arrives to look.
Here too he arrives with the same posture: didṛkṣuḥ, wanting to see. Gauḍīyas read his curiosity as a model — the sage's eyes are not jaded; he still wants to behold Kṛṣṇa freshly, even in His domestic role.
My note
Source: vedabase.io