DWARKA MAHATMYA
SAGES' QUERIES TO PRAHLAD
Once, few sages asked Sutji about the means by which Lord Vishnu could be realized in kaliyuga- the era dominated by sin and decaying moral values.
Sutji started by describing how Lord Vishnu on seeing the prevalence of sin in Dwapar yuga had to take incarnation as Krishna to liberate the world from the sinners. He also described in detail all the incidents culminating into the killings of many cruel demons -Kaaliya serpent, Chanur, Shishupaal and ogress like Putna. He gave in depth description of the events leading to the war of Mahabharat and how the infighting among the mighty Yadavas led to their destruction. He told them how a fowler mistook Krishna's feet to be a deer and killed him.
Sutji also told the assembled sages how the magnificent city of Dwarka had been submerged in the ocean ultimately. He revealed to them that the passing away of Krishna marked the advent of Kaliyuga and the situation became even worse. On finding how difficult it was to realize lord Vishnu in the Kaliyuga- the era dominated by sin, some prominent sages decided to seek Lord Brahma's help in this regard. After reaching Brahma loka, they eulogized Brahma and received his blessings. Lord Brahma told them to go to Patal loka and meet Prahlad, the supreme devotee of Lord Vishnu who according to Lord Brahma was in a better position to help them.
All the sages went to Patal loka as per the instructions given by Lord Brahma. There they not only found Prahlad but also the most charitable king-Bali. After the pleasantries were exchanged, they came to the real issue and said-' We are very much distressed by the prevailing situation where it appears that the evil forces have overshadowed the virtuous ones. The ways shown by the Vedas are no longer in practice and the Brahmins are being tormented by the Shudras, who have become the rulers. We have come with a request and a desire to know whether there was any possibility of realizing Lord Vishnu in this dark era of 'Kali'. If yes then where can we find Lord Vishnu?'
THE SANCTITY OF DWARKAPURI
Prahlad, being an ardent devotee of Vishnu himself, understood quite well, the desperation with which a devotee seeks his Lord. So he told them-' By the grace of Almighty Vishnu, I am revealing to you the name of that sacred place which has remained a secret till now. Kushasthal Puri is a divine city situated on the western coast. Nearby is the place where river Gomti meets the ocean and at this convergent point is situated the sacrosanct city called Dwarawati Puri, where you can find Lord Vishnu in all his glory of sixteen kalas. Blessed be the Dwarka Puri, which The almighty Vishnu has chosen as his abode and where he dwells in his glorious Chaturbhuj form. This is the very place, which even liberates the most fallen sinner from all his sins. There is a famous temple of Lord Trivikram at the bank of river Gomti and not far from this temple is a divine pond. Anybody desirous of salvation must bathe in this pond for the fulfillment of his wish. It is believed that before leaving for heaven, Lord Krishna had transferred all his divine powers into the Trivikram idol. So, there is no place as holy as Dwarka and if you are desirous of having a divine glimpse of Lord Krishna then you must visit Dwarka.'
All the sages thanked Prahlad for sharing his secrets with them because nobody else except Prahlad was aware of the fact that Lord Vishnu had given Dwarka the privilege of being his abode. These revelations made them more curious about Dwarka, so they requested Prahlad to disclose how the holy Gomti descended down to Dwarka.
Prahlad began by describing the virtues of going on a pilgrimage to Dwarka-' The mere resolution of going on a pilgrimage to Dwarka is enough to liberate one's ancestors from the tortures of the hells. Each step that a devotee takes towards Dwarka gives virtues similar to what is attained by performing Ashwamedh Yagya. One who encourages others to go on a pilgrimage to Dwarka certainly goes to Vishnu Dhaam.'
Prahlad then switched over to the second part of the sages' question and said-' There is an interesting tale describing how sage Vashishth had brought down Gomti from the heaven to earth. At the time of deluge when the whole world had submerged in water, a lotus flower manifested from Lord Vishnu's navel on which was seated Brahma. Lord Vishnu instructed him to perform his duty as a creator to which Brahma agreed. First of all Brahma created his ten manasputras (Sanak, Sanandan,etc.) and sought their help in increasing the population of the world by becoming householders. But, all of them were extremely virtuous and did not show any inclination towards getting married. Ultimately all of them went to the western coast and engaged themselves in austere penance. Their penance continued for a number of years after which 'Sudarshan chakra' appeared before them. As all of them looked up in bewilderment, they heard a heavenly voice -' O sons of Brahma! Very soon the almighty Vishnu is going to manifest himself. The 'Chakra' you are seeing is his. You all must perform the rituals of 'ardhya' in the name of Lord Vishnu to show your reverence towards him.' All the Manasputras eulogized Sudarshan-Chakra with deep devotion. All of them wished that there were a holy river, with whose water they could perform the rituals of ardhya. But to their utter dismay there was no such holy river nearby. They then remembered Lord Brahma, who immediately understood what they desired. Lord Brahma instructed Ganga by saying-' Ganga! Go to the earth, where you would be known as Gomti. Sage Vashishth will lead you to your destination. Just follow him like a daughter follows her father.'
Finally, when sage Vashishth followed by Gomti reached their destination, all the Manasputras were delighted. They eulogized Ganga and expressed their gratitude to Vashishth for bringing Ganga on earth. All of them thanked Vashishth by saying-' Since you have brought Gomti on earth, you would be considered as her father.' They offered 'ardhya' to Gomti and subsequently eulogized Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu appeared after being pleased and blessed them-' Your unflinching devotion in me has pleased me no bound. Since you did this penance with the objective of Moksha (salvation), this place would become famous as Moksha Dayak (giver of salvation). This sacrosanct place would also be called Chakra teerth because of Sudarshan chakra, who informed you all of my manifestation at Dwarka Puri. I assure you that I won't abandon this sacrosanct place even for a moment.'
This way, all the Manasputras were finally successful in their objective of offering ardhya to Lord Vishnu with the holy water of Gomti. At last, Gomti having fulfilled her mission for which she had descended down to Earth merged with the ocean. Lord Vishnu disappeared from there and Manasputras continued to live there.
Source: Prabhas Khanda Skanada Purana
Dwarka Means - Divine Entrance
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
See the Lord in Everyone
In Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, Chapter 11, verse 7 the residents of Dvaraka glorify the Lord in a wonderful manner when the Lord returns to Dvaraka from Hastinapura. The residents of Dvaraka are immensely separated from Krishna and they run towards Him as soon as Krishna enters Dvaraka blowing the fat-boweled conchshell, the sound of which removes the fear of all living entities.
bhavaaya nas tvam bhava vishva bhaavanaa
tvam eva maataatha suhrt patih pitaa
tvam sad gurur nah paramam ca daivatam
yasyaanuvrttyaa krtino babhuvima
"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 espect. We pray, therefore, that You continue to bless us with Your mercy." (SB 1.11.7)
The Supreme Lord always accepts and reciprocates in the way we pray to Him. He is the sum total and is complete in Himself. He attracts the devotees in any form, provided we surrender to Him. The formula for success in this verse is to follow the footsteps of the Lord.
1. Mata - Mother: The love of a mother is very special among living entities. The mother is the well wisher under all circumstances. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad Gita that He is the Mother to all living entities. In Bhagavad Gita verse 9.17 Krishna declares that "pitaaham asya jagato / mataa dhaataa pitaamahah". Srila Prabhupada in his transcendental purport very nicely says that "Not only are our father and mother parts and parcels of Krishna, but the creator, grandmother and grandfather, etc., are also Krishna. Actually any living entity, being part and parcel of Krishna, is Krishna."
2. Pita - Father: However advanced we progress in science, nobody can produce the seed to create a living entitiy, its Krishna's monopoly. He declares very clearly in Bhagavad Gita verse 14.4, "aham beeja-pradah pitaa" - I am the seed-giving Father.
3. Suhrt - Well wisher: Krishna states in Bhagavad Gita verse 5.29 that He is the well wisher of all living entities, "suhrdam sarva-bhutaanaam". Even though Duryodhana did not respect the Lord, the Lord was not happy when Duryodhana was killed. Though Krishna advised Bhima to hit Duryodhana in the thigh region, but when Duryodhana fell on the ground being attacked by Bhima, the Lord was not happy since he was the well wisher for Duryodhana as well. He personally went even as a messenger to Dhrtarashtra to be rightful to the Pandavas. This pastime explains the Lord's mercy on all living entities. He is the best well wisher.
4. Patih - Husband: Lakshmi Devi who worships the Lord in His most merciful Kama deva form affirms that the Lord is the only husband since the living entities playing the role of husband are not able to protect themselves and they are also under the three modes of nature. Though all of us run behind Lakshmi Devi, the Goddess of fortune is not able to quit from the Lord's feet which becomes newer and newer to Her every moment.
5. Guru - Spiritual master: When Lord Brahma, the Supreme Demigod could not find the source of his Lotus seat and did not have proper direction, the Lord guided him by uttering the word Tapa. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in his wonderful purport to verse 3.9.38 writes, "When a living entity desires to serve the Lord in transcendental loving service, the Lord helps the devotee in so many ways as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master within, and thus the devotee can perform many wonderful activities beyond material estimation. By the mercy of the Lord even a layman can compose prayers of the highest spiritual perfection." When Dhruva Maharaj wanted to offer prayers to the Lord, since he was a small kid, he was not able to express his feelings when the Lord appeared before him. Being seated as the Super soul in everyone's heart, Lord understood Dhruva Maharaja's awkward position and with his conchshell he touched the forehead of Dhruva Maharaj and the small kid glorified the Lord with wonderful prayers. Lord is also the Jagat Guru. When we have the sincere determination and a strong spiritual desire, Krishna definitely talks and instructs us through spiritual master and devotees. When Arjuna completely surrendered to Krishna, Lord spoke the Bhagavad Gita.
6.Param Daivatam - The Supreme Worshipable Deity: Krishna says in verse 10.8 of Bhagavad Gita, "aham sarvasya prabhavo". "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds." Even chief demigods like Brahma need to do a lot of meditation to hear His voice. They surrender to the Lotus feet of the Lord which is like an umbrella for all the surrendered souls.
The residents of Dvaraka truly understood the power of Krishna. The Lord is pleased to appear in the form/role that we desire. He is the reservoir of all qualities of the living entities. We all know that all entities are favored by the Lord. So whenever we deal with other people we need to treat them with utmost care since they are direct representatives of the Lord. Just like how a newly wedded couple gets many additional relatives when they tie the knot to the other person, in the same way we have already tied the kanti mala in our neck indicating that we belong to Krishna's family.
In his wonderful purport to the verse SB 1.8.41, Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains - "Pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. To cut off all family affection means to broaden the field of activities. Without doing this, no one can be qualified as a brahmana, a king, a public leader or a devotee of the Lord."
We need not be upset that our mother, father or any other relative are not physically present with us. Everyone becomes our relative when Krishna is the center. Hence our family circle is expanded to all living entities. Even if we don't do any good to them, at least let us not harm them by our mind, body and words since such actions will displease Guru and Krishna. Our wonderful acharya Srila Prabhupada says, "A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a praakrta bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position." Lets ensure we don't fall in the trap of praakrta bhakta.
To please Krishna, we need to surrender to Him and not to our demoniac mind. Our only business in this world is to glorify the Lord and His devotees.
bhavaaya nas tvam bhava vishva bhaavanaa
tvam eva maataatha suhrt patih pitaa
tvam sad gurur nah paramam ca daivatam
yasyaanuvrttyaa krtino babhuvima
"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 espect. We pray, therefore, that You continue to bless us with Your mercy." (SB 1.11.7)
The Supreme Lord always accepts and reciprocates in the way we pray to Him. He is the sum total and is complete in Himself. He attracts the devotees in any form, provided we surrender to Him. The formula for success in this verse is to follow the footsteps of the Lord.
1. Mata - Mother: The love of a mother is very special among living entities. The mother is the well wisher under all circumstances. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad Gita that He is the Mother to all living entities. In Bhagavad Gita verse 9.17 Krishna declares that "pitaaham asya jagato / mataa dhaataa pitaamahah". Srila Prabhupada in his transcendental purport very nicely says that "Not only are our father and mother parts and parcels of Krishna, but the creator, grandmother and grandfather, etc., are also Krishna. Actually any living entity, being part and parcel of Krishna, is Krishna."
2. Pita - Father: However advanced we progress in science, nobody can produce the seed to create a living entitiy, its Krishna's monopoly. He declares very clearly in Bhagavad Gita verse 14.4, "aham beeja-pradah pitaa" - I am the seed-giving Father.
3. Suhrt - Well wisher: Krishna states in Bhagavad Gita verse 5.29 that He is the well wisher of all living entities, "suhrdam sarva-bhutaanaam". Even though Duryodhana did not respect the Lord, the Lord was not happy when Duryodhana was killed. Though Krishna advised Bhima to hit Duryodhana in the thigh region, but when Duryodhana fell on the ground being attacked by Bhima, the Lord was not happy since he was the well wisher for Duryodhana as well. He personally went even as a messenger to Dhrtarashtra to be rightful to the Pandavas. This pastime explains the Lord's mercy on all living entities. He is the best well wisher.
4. Patih - Husband: Lakshmi Devi who worships the Lord in His most merciful Kama deva form affirms that the Lord is the only husband since the living entities playing the role of husband are not able to protect themselves and they are also under the three modes of nature. Though all of us run behind Lakshmi Devi, the Goddess of fortune is not able to quit from the Lord's feet which becomes newer and newer to Her every moment.
5. Guru - Spiritual master: When Lord Brahma, the Supreme Demigod could not find the source of his Lotus seat and did not have proper direction, the Lord guided him by uttering the word Tapa. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in his wonderful purport to verse 3.9.38 writes, "When a living entity desires to serve the Lord in transcendental loving service, the Lord helps the devotee in so many ways as the caitya-guru, or the spiritual master within, and thus the devotee can perform many wonderful activities beyond material estimation. By the mercy of the Lord even a layman can compose prayers of the highest spiritual perfection." When Dhruva Maharaj wanted to offer prayers to the Lord, since he was a small kid, he was not able to express his feelings when the Lord appeared before him. Being seated as the Super soul in everyone's heart, Lord understood Dhruva Maharaja's awkward position and with his conchshell he touched the forehead of Dhruva Maharaj and the small kid glorified the Lord with wonderful prayers. Lord is also the Jagat Guru. When we have the sincere determination and a strong spiritual desire, Krishna definitely talks and instructs us through spiritual master and devotees. When Arjuna completely surrendered to Krishna, Lord spoke the Bhagavad Gita.
6.Param Daivatam - The Supreme Worshipable Deity: Krishna says in verse 10.8 of Bhagavad Gita, "aham sarvasya prabhavo". "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds." Even chief demigods like Brahma need to do a lot of meditation to hear His voice. They surrender to the Lotus feet of the Lord which is like an umbrella for all the surrendered souls.
The residents of Dvaraka truly understood the power of Krishna. The Lord is pleased to appear in the form/role that we desire. He is the reservoir of all qualities of the living entities. We all know that all entities are favored by the Lord. So whenever we deal with other people we need to treat them with utmost care since they are direct representatives of the Lord. Just like how a newly wedded couple gets many additional relatives when they tie the knot to the other person, in the same way we have already tied the kanti mala in our neck indicating that we belong to Krishna's family.
In his wonderful purport to the verse SB 1.8.41, Srila Prabhupada very nicely explains - "Pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. To cut off all family affection means to broaden the field of activities. Without doing this, no one can be qualified as a brahmana, a king, a public leader or a devotee of the Lord."
We need not be upset that our mother, father or any other relative are not physically present with us. Everyone becomes our relative when Krishna is the center. Hence our family circle is expanded to all living entities. Even if we don't do any good to them, at least let us not harm them by our mind, body and words since such actions will displease Guru and Krishna. Our wonderful acharya Srila Prabhupada says, "A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a praakrta bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position." Lets ensure we don't fall in the trap of praakrta bhakta.
To please Krishna, we need to surrender to Him and not to our demoniac mind. Our only business in this world is to glorify the Lord and His devotees.
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