Chapter Five Ayodhyā-pura-vāsiny-upākhyāna The Story of the Ayodhyā Women

Srī Nārada said: Please hear the story of the Ayaodhyā women that became gopīs, a story that grants the four goals of life and brings the company of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

O king of Mithilā, in Sindhu-deśa there was a city named Campakā. The saintly king there was Vimala.

Like Kuvera he was wealthy. Like a lion he was noble and chivalrous. Like Prahlāda he was a peaceful-hearted devotee of Lord Viṣṇu.

However, King Vimala's six thousand beautiful, lotus-eyed wives were all barren.

He spent many years wondering, "What pious deed with bring me a child?"

One day Yājṣavalkya, the king of sages, visited. The king bowed down, worshiped him, and stood respectfully before him.

Seeing the king was very anxious, the peaceful and all-knowing sage Yājṣavalkya spoke.

Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O king, why are you distraught? What is the worry in your heart? I can see the seven limbs of your body are marked with all auspiciousness.

Srī Vimala said: O brāhmaṇa, what do you not know? Because you have spiritual eyes attained by great austerities, you know everything. Still I will tell you my worry.

Because I have no child I am filled with grief. O best of sages, please describe the austerity or charity that will bring me a child.

Srī Nārada said: Hearing this, the great sage Yāj 24avalkya for a long time closed his eyes. Meditating in trance, he looked into the past and future.

Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O best of kings, in this birth you have no son. No son at all. You will have ten million daughters.

The king said: O king of sages, without a son no one in this world can become free of his many debts (to the sages, demigods, and forefathers) and become liberated. Without a son there is always trouble at home. Without a son there can be no happiness in either this life or the next.

Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O king, don't be unhappy. With a great dowry you will give all your daughters in marriage to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

O tiger of kings, by doing that you will be free of your debts to the demigods, sages, and ancestors, and you will attain liberation.

Srī Nārada said: Very happy to hear these words, the king asked Yājṣavalkya Muni the following question.

The king said: In what country will Lord Kṛṣṇa appear? In what family? What will be His form? What will be His caste? How many years hence will He come?

tasmin varṣe yadu-kule mathurāyāṁ yadoḥ pure bhādre budhe kṛṣṇa-pakṣe dhātrarkṣe harṣane vṛṣe vave 'ṣṭamyām ardha-rātre nakṣatreśa-mahodaye andhakārāvṛte kāle devakyāṁ śauri-mandire bhaviṣyati hariḥ sākṣād araṇyām adhvare 'gni-vat śrīvatsāṅko ghana-śyāmo vana-māly-ati-sundaraḥ śrī-yājṣavalkya uvāca—Srī Yājṣavalkya said; dvāparasya—of the Dvapara; yugasya—yuga; asya—of that; tava—of you; rājyāt—will be manifested; mahā-bhuja—O mighty-armed one; avaśeṣe—at the end; varṣa-śate—of a hundred years; tathā—so; pañca-daśe—fifteen; nṛpa—O king; tasmin—in this; varṣe—varsa; yadu-kule—in the Yadu family; mathurāyām—in Mathurā; yadoḥ—of the Yadus; pure—in the city; bhādre—in the month of Bhadra; budhe—on Wednesday; kṛṣṇa-pakṣe—during the dark fortnight; dhātrarkṣe—in the star Rohiṇī; harṣane—in harsana-yoga; vṛṣe—in Taurus; vave—directly after midnight; aṣṭamyām—on the eighth day; ardha-rātre—in the middle of the night; nakṣatreśa-mahodaye—in the rising of the moon; andhakārāvṛte—filled with blinding darkness; kāle—at the time; devakyām— bhaviṣyati—will be; hariḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa; sākṣāt—directly; araṇyam—in the arani wood; adhvare—in the fire; agni—fire; vat—like; śrīvatsāṅkaḥ—marked withb Srīvatsa; ghana-śyāmaḥ—dark as a monsoon cloud; vana-māli—wearing a forest garland; ati-sundaraḥ—very handsome. Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O mighty-armed king, in the Dvāpara-yuga, when you have reigned for 115 years, in this (Bhārata) varṣa, in Mathurā, the city of the Yadus, in the Yadu family, during the month of Bhādra (August-September), on a Monday that is the eighth-day of the dark-moon, in the middle of a very dark night, just as the moon is rising, when Taurus and the star Rohiṇī are prominent, and when the stars are in harṣaṇa-yoga, in Vasudeva's palace, handsome Lord Kṛṣṇa, dark as a monsoon cloud, decorated with a forest garland, and marked with Srīvatsa, will appear in Devakī's womb as fire appears in a yajṣa's araṇi sticks.

tasmin varṣe yadu-kule mathurāyāṁ yadoḥ pure bhādre budhe kṛṣṇa-pakṣe dhātrarkṣe harṣane vṛṣe vave 'ṣṭamyām ardha-rātre nakṣatreśa-mahodaye andhakārāvṛte kāle devakyāṁ śauri-mandire bhaviṣyati hariḥ sākṣād araṇyām adhvare 'gni-vat śrīvatsāṅko ghana-śyāmo vana-māly-ati-sundaraḥ śrī-yājṣavalkya uvāca—Srī Yājṣavalkya said; dvāparasya—of the Dvapara; yugasya—yuga; asya—of that; tava—of you; rājyāt—will be manifested; mahā-bhuja—O mighty-armed one; avaśeṣe—at the end; varṣa-śate—of a hundred years; tathā—so; pañca-daśe—fifteen; nṛpa—O king; tasmin—in this; varṣe—varsa; yadu-kule—in the Yadu family; mathurāyām—in Mathurā; yadoḥ—of the Yadus; pure—in the city; bhādre—in the month of Bhadra; budhe—on Wednesday; kṛṣṇa-pakṣe—during the dark fortnight; dhātrarkṣe—in the star Rohiṇī; harṣane—in harsana-yoga; vṛṣe—in Taurus; vave—directly after midnight; aṣṭamyām—on the eighth day; ardha-rātre—in the middle of the night; nakṣatreśa-mahodaye—in the rising of the moon; andhakārāvṛte—filled with blinding darkness; kāle—at the time; devakyām— bhaviṣyati—will be; hariḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa; sākṣāt—directly; araṇyam—in the arani wood; adhvare—in the fire; agni—fire; vat—like; śrīvatsāṅkaḥ—marked withb Srīvatsa; ghana-śyāmaḥ—dark as a monsoon cloud; vana-māli—wearing a forest garland; ati-sundaraḥ—very handsome. Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O mighty-armed king, in the Dvāpara-yuga, when you have reigned for 115 years, in this (Bhārata) varṣa, in Mathurā, the city of the Yadus, in the Yadu family, during the month of Bhādra (August-September), on a Monday that is the eighth-day of the dark-moon, in the middle of a very dark night, just as the moon is rising, when Taurus and the star Rohiṇī are prominent, and when the stars are in harṣaṇa-yoga, in Vasudeva's palace, handsome Lord Kṛṣṇa, dark as a monsoon cloud, decorated with a forest garland, and marked with Srīvatsa, will appear in Devakī's womb as fire appears in a yajṣa's araṇi sticks.

tasmin varṣe yadu-kule mathurāyāṁ yadoḥ pure bhādre budhe kṛṣṇa-pakṣe dhātrarkṣe harṣane vṛṣe vave 'ṣṭamyām ardha-rātre nakṣatreśa-mahodaye andhakārāvṛte kāle devakyāṁ śauri-mandire bhaviṣyati hariḥ sākṣād araṇyām adhvare 'gni-vat śrīvatsāṅko ghana-śyāmo vana-māly-ati-sundaraḥ śrī-yājṣavalkya uvāca—Srī Yājṣavalkya said; dvāparasya—of the Dvapara; yugasya—yuga; asya—of that; tava—of you; rājyāt—will be manifested; mahā-bhuja—O mighty-armed one; avaśeṣe—at the end; varṣa-śate—of a hundred years; tathā—so; pañca-daśe—fifteen; nṛpa—O king; tasmin—in this; varṣe—varsa; yadu-kule—in the Yadu family; mathurāyām—in Mathurā; yadoḥ—of the Yadus; pure—in the city; bhādre—in the month of Bhadra; budhe—on Wednesday; kṛṣṇa-pakṣe—during the dark fortnight; dhātrarkṣe—in the star Rohiṇī; harṣane—in harsana-yoga; vṛṣe—in Taurus; vave—directly after midnight; aṣṭamyām—on the eighth day; ardha-rātre—in the middle of the night; nakṣatreśa-mahodaye—in the rising of the moon; andhakārāvṛte—filled with blinding darkness; kāle—at the time; devakyām— bhaviṣyati—will be; hariḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa; sākṣāt—directly; araṇyam—in the arani wood; adhvare—in the fire; agni—fire; vat—like; śrīvatsāṅkaḥ—marked withb Srīvatsa; ghana-śyāmaḥ—dark as a monsoon cloud; vana-māli—wearing a forest garland; ati-sundaraḥ—very handsome. Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O mighty-armed king, in the Dvāpara-yuga, when you have reigned for 115 years, in this (Bhārata) varṣa, in Mathurā, the city of the Yadus, in the Yadu family, during the month of Bhādra (August-September), on a Monday that is the eighth-day of the dark-moon, in the middle of a very dark night, just as the moon is rising, when Taurus and the star Rohiṇī are prominent, and when the stars are in harṣaṇa-yoga, in Vasudeva's palace, handsome Lord Kṛṣṇa, dark as a monsoon cloud, decorated with a forest garland, and marked with Srīvatsa, will appear in Devakī's womb as fire appears in a yajṣa's araṇi sticks.

tasmin varṣe yadu-kule mathurāyāṁ yadoḥ pure bhādre budhe kṛṣṇa-pakṣe dhātrarkṣe harṣane vṛṣe vave 'ṣṭamyām ardha-rātre nakṣatreśa-mahodaye andhakārāvṛte kāle devakyāṁ śauri-mandire bhaviṣyati hariḥ sākṣād araṇyām adhvare 'gni-vat śrīvatsāṅko ghana-śyāmo vana-māly-ati-sundaraḥ śrī-yājṣavalkya uvāca—Srī Yājṣavalkya said; dvāparasya—of the Dvapara; yugasya—yuga; asya—of that; tava—of you; rājyāt—will be manifested; mahā-bhuja—O mighty-armed one; avaśeṣe—at the end; varṣa-śate—of a hundred years; tathā—so; pañca-daśe—fifteen; nṛpa—O king; tasmin—in this; varṣe—varsa; yadu-kule—in the Yadu family; mathurāyām—in Mathurā; yadoḥ—of the Yadus; pure—in the city; bhādre—in the month of Bhadra; budhe—on Wednesday; kṛṣṇa-pakṣe—during the dark fortnight; dhātrarkṣe—in the star Rohiṇī; harṣane—in harsana-yoga; vṛṣe—in Taurus; vave—directly after midnight; aṣṭamyām—on the eighth day; ardha-rātre—in the middle of the night; nakṣatreśa-mahodaye—in the rising of the moon; andhakārāvṛte—filled with blinding darkness; kāle—at the time; devakyām— bhaviṣyati—will be; hariḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa; sākṣāt—directly; araṇyam—in the arani wood; adhvare—in the fire; agni—fire; vat—like; śrīvatsāṅkaḥ—marked withb Srīvatsa; ghana-śyāmaḥ—dark as a monsoon cloud; vana-māli—wearing a forest garland; ati-sundaraḥ—very handsome. Srī Yājṣavalkya said: O mighty-armed king, in the Dvāpara-yuga, when you have reigned for 115 years, in this (Bhārata) varṣa, in Mathurā, the city of the Yadus, in the Yadu family, during the month of Bhādra (August-September), on a Monday that is the eighth-day of the dark-moon, in the middle of a very dark night, just as the moon is rising, when Taurus and the star Rohiṇī are prominent, and when the stars are in harṣaṇa-yoga, in Vasudeva's palace, handsome Lord Kṛṣṇa, dark as a monsoon cloud, decorated with a forest garland, and marked with Srīvatsa, will appear in Devakī's womb as fire appears in a yajṣa's araṇi sticks.

You will give your daughters in marriage to Lord Kṛṣṇa, who has four arms, lotus eyes, and yellow garments. In this way you will attain the supreme goal of life. Of this there is no doubt. .pa