Chapter Twenty-one Tṛtīye Durge Piṇḍāraka-māhātmya In the Description of the Third Fort, the Glories of Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha

A person who sees the very powerful devotee Hanumān becomes a great devotee of the Lord.

Meditating on Lord Kṛśṇa in his heart, the Sudarśana-cakra, guards the southern gate day and night.

Simply by seeing the Sudarśana-cakra one becomes a devotee of the Lord. The Sudarśana-cakra guards the devotees eternally.

Filled with love for the Lord, powerful Jāmbavān, the king of the ṛkśas, guards the western gate day and night.

A person who sees the very powerful devotee Jāmbavān becomes a devotee of the Lord eternally.

Meditating on Lord Kṛśṇa in his heart, powerful Viśvaksena guards the northern gate day and night.

Simply by seeing Viśvaksena one attains the goal of life. O king, please hear of Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha, which is situated outside the third fortress.

O best of kings, please hear the glories of Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha. Simply by hearing its glories one becomes free from the greatest sin.

As if it were standing between perfection and the goal of life, Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha, the best of holy places, stands between Mount Raivata and the ocean.

By the perfect Supreme Personality of Godhead's order, powerful Ugrasena, the king of the Yādavas, performed a Rājasūya-yajṣa, the best of yajṣas, at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha.

When they were called, all holy places came to King Ugrasena's Rājasūya-yajṣa.

Because all the holy places converged (piṇḍ) at that place, it was named Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha. A person who bathes there attains the result of performing a Rājasūya-yajṣa.

ihaiva nara-devaḥ syāt sa mahātmā na saṁśayaḥ nityaṁ śṛṇoti satataṁ vandi-vāgbhir yaśaḥ svayam tatra—there; eva—indeed; tri-dinam—for three days; snātvā—bathing; vratī—following vows; bhūtvā—becoming; samāhitaḥ—careful; brāhmaṇebhyaḥ—top the brāhmaṇas; svarṇa-dānam—a gift of gold; dattvā—giving; yaḥ—one who; praṇataḥ—bowing down; bhavet—becomes; iha—here; eva—indeed; nara-devaḥ—a great king; syāt—becomes; sa—he; mahātmā—a great soul; na—no; saṁśayaḥ—doubt; nityam—always; śṛṇoti—hears; satatam—always; vandi-vāgbhiḥ—by the poets' words; yaśaḥ—glories; svayam—personally. A person who, carefully following religious vows, stays there for three days, bathes there, gives gold in charity to the brāhmaṇas, and humbly bows down before them, becomes a great saintly king in this world. Again and again he hears the poets chanting his glories.

He is dressed in costly garments and decorated with gold and jewels. Many beautiful moon-faced wives serve him always. He is powerful and and happy.

Day and night at the gateway to his palace many drums are sounded, many regal elephants trumpet, and many horses neigh.

Surrounded by his entourage, he is splendidly manifested in his many jewel palaces decorated with flags and enveloping charming gardens and courtyards.

The entrance to his palace is decorated with regal attendants and with swarms of bees struck by the ears of intoxicated elephants.

Without bathing at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha, how can one attain a kingdom in this world? How can even a sinner attain liberation?

Without bathing at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha there is no happiness. Without bathing at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha there are no pious deeds. Without bathing at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha there is no religion. Without bathing at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha there is no protection.

Without bathing at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha one cannot be a yogī. One who bathes at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha becomes a yogī. One who bathes at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha enjoys all happiness. One who bathes at Piṇḍāraka-tīrtha is never diseased.

A person who in the month of Mādhava (April-May) circumambulates Dvārakā finds that in both this life and the next all perfections rest in the palm of his hand.

tat-puṇya-saṇkhyaṁ gadituṁ na śakyas catur-mukho vedamayo vidhātā yo megha-dhāraṁ gaṇayet kadācit kālena puṇyāni na kṛśṇa-puryāḥ tīrtha—in the holy place; āplutaḥ—bathing; adhaḥ—below; śayanaḥ—resting; śuciś—pure; ca—and; maunī—silent; vratī—following vows; vā—or; yava-bhojanena—by eating barley; ārabhya—beginning; caitrīm—the month of Caitra; kila—indeed; paurṇamāsīm—on the fuill moon; yaḥ—one who; mādhavīm—in the month of Mādhava; etya—going; karoti—does; yātrām—pilgrimage; tat-puṇya-saṇkhyam—that piety; gaditum—to speak; na—not; śakyaḥ—able; catur-mukhaḥ—Brahmā; vedamayaḥ—the master of the Vedas; vidhātā—the creator; yaḥ—who; megha-dhāram—the water of the clouds; gaṇayet—may count; kadācit—sometime; kālena—in time; puṇyāni—the piety; na—not; kṛśṇa-puryāḥ—of Lord Kṛśṇa's city. A person who, following many vows, including a vow of silence and a vow of eating only barley, goes on a pilgrimage to Dvārakā and bathes and sleeps at Dvārakā on the full-moon day of the month of Caitra (March-April) or the full-moon day of the month of Mādhava (April-May) attains piety so great even the demigod Brahmā, who is the creator of the planets and the master of Vedas, cannot measure it. If one could somehow, with a great effort and after a long time, count the drops of rain that fall during the monsoon rains, still he could never measure the piety one gains by visiting Lord Kṛśṇa's city of Dvārakā.

tat-puṇya-saṇkhyaṁ gadituṁ na śakyas catur-mukho vedamayo vidhātā yo megha-dhāraṁ gaṇayet kadācit kālena puṇyāni na kṛśṇa-puryāḥ tīrtha—in the holy place; āplutaḥ—bathing; adhaḥ—below; śayanaḥ—resting; śuciś—pure; ca—and; maunī—silent; vratī—following vows; vā—or; yava-bhojanena—by eating barley; ārabhya—beginning; caitrīm—the month of Caitra; kila—indeed; paurṇamāsīm—on the fuill moon; yaḥ—one who; mādhavīm—in the month of Mādhava; etya—going; karoti—does; yātrām—pilgrimage; tat-puṇya-saṇkhyam—that piety; gaditum—to speak; na—not; śakyaḥ—able; catur-mukhaḥ—Brahmā; vedamayaḥ—the master of the Vedas; vidhātā—the creator; yaḥ—who; megha-dhāram—the water of the clouds; gaṇayet—may count; kadācit—sometime; kālena—in time; puṇyāni—the piety; na—not; kṛśṇa-puryāḥ—of Lord Kṛśṇa's city. A person who, following many vows, including a vow of silence and a vow of eating only barley, goes on a pilgrimage to Dvārakā and bathes and sleeps at Dvārakā on the full-moon day of the month of Caitra (March-April) or the full-moon day of the month of Mādhava (April-May) attains piety so great even the demigod Brahmā, who is the creator of the planets and the master of Vedas, cannot measure it. If one could somehow, with a great effort and after a long time, count the drops of rain that fall during the monsoon rains, still he could never measure the piety one gains by visiting Lord Kṛśṇa's city of Dvārakā.

yathā hi deveśu ca deva-devaḥ śrī-vāsudevo yadu-deva-devaḥ tathā purī kśetra-samasta-madhye dvāravatī puṇyavatī praśastā yathā—as; tithīnām—of days; hari-vāsaram—ekādaśī; ca—and; yathā—as; hi—indeed; śeśaḥ—Śeśa; phaṇinām—of snakes; phaṇīndraḥ—the king of snakes; yathā—as; garutmān—Garuḍa; divi—in the sky; pakśiṇām—of birds; ca—and; yathā—as; purāṇeśu—in the Purāṇas; ca—and; bhāratam—the Mahābhārata; ca—and; yathā—as; hi—indeed; deveśu—among the demigods; ca—and; deva-devaḥ—the master of the demigods; śrī-vāsudevaḥ—Śrī Vāsudeva; yadu-deva-devaḥ—the master of the Yādavas; tathā—so; purī—the city; kśetra-samasta-madhye—among all holy places; dvāravatī—Dvārakā; puṇyavatī—sacred; praśastā—glorious. As Ekādaśī is glorious among sacred days, as Lord Śeśa, the king of serpents, is glorious among serpents, as Garuḍa is glorious among birds in the sky, as the Mahābhārata is glorious among the Purāṇas, and as Śrī Kṛśṇa, the master of the demigods and the Yādavas, is glorious among all deities, so sacred Dvārakā is glorious among all sacred places.

yathā hi deveśu ca deva-devaḥ śrī-vāsudevo yadu-deva-devaḥ tathā purī kśetra-samasta-madhye dvāravatī puṇyavatī praśastā yathā—as; tithīnām—of days; hari-vāsaram—ekādaśī; ca—and; yathā—as; hi—indeed; śeśaḥ—Śeśa; phaṇinām—of snakes; phaṇīndraḥ—the king of snakes; yathā—as; garutmān—Garuḍa; divi—in the sky; pakśiṇām—of birds; ca—and; yathā—as; purāṇeśu—in the Purāṇas; ca—and; bhāratam—the Mahābhārata; ca—and; yathā—as; hi—indeed; deveśu—among the demigods; ca—and; deva-devaḥ—the master of the demigods; śrī-vāsudevaḥ—Śrī Vāsudeva; yadu-deva-devaḥ—the master of the Yādavas; tathā—so; purī—the city; kśetra-samasta-madhye—among all holy places; dvāravatī—Dvārakā; puṇyavatī—sacred; praśastā—glorious. As Ekādaśī is glorious among sacred days, as Lord Śeśa, the king of serpents, is glorious among serpents, as Garuḍa is glorious among birds in the sky, as the Mahābhārata is glorious among the Purāṇas, and as Śrī Kṛśṇa, the master of the demigods and the Yādavas, is glorious among all deities, so sacred Dvārakā is glorious among all sacred places.

Beautiful and glorious Dvārakā, in this world the home of the Yādavas and the pastimes of Vaikuṇṭha, is splendid like monsoon clouds and lightning.

I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Kṛśṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who expands as the catur-vyūha, and who gave the Yādavas' kingdom to Ugrasena.

When Lord Kṛśṇa returns to His own abode, the ocean will flood Dvārakā City. O king of Videha, the Lord will not reside then in that palace on the earth.

In the Kali-yuga if a person, either unlettered or a learned brāhmaṇa, hears Lord Kṛśṇa's voice in the sound of the Dvārakā ocean's waves, then Lord Kṛśṇa Himself declares, “That person represents Me."

A brāhmaṇa who establishes a Deity form of the Lord in a great temple by the ocean at Dvārakā becomes glorious like the sun.

In Kali-yuga the devotees who gaze on the Deity of Lord Kṛśṇa, the master of Dvārakā, go to Lord Viśṇu's transcendental abode, which even the greatest yogīs cannot attain.

O king, thus I have spoken to you the glories of Lord Kṛśṇa's Dvārakā City. A person who with devotion hears or causes others to hear these glories of Dvārakā attains the spiritual result of having lived there.

O king, now I have spoken to you the very sacred Dvārakā-khaṇḍa, which gives fame, good family, devotional service, and liberation to they who regularly hear it.