104 - Entry into Dvaraka and Crowning of Ugrasena

Narayana said- In the meantime Brahma, Shiva with Bhavani, Ananta, Dharma Surya, Agni,

The city of Dvaraka had innumerable high palaces. All these were built with the best of gems in which the jewels, diamonds and other precious stones were studded. It had several vases made of gems. The steps also were made of gems, they had very strong doors with shutters. There were several pillars of rubies. The courtyards were decorated with sapphire and emeralds, the street was decorated with gems. The roads were quite white, the entire city of Dvaraka was shining like the mid-day sun of the summer season. There were lakhs of window and horse stables, all the gods felt surprised while looking at the city of Dvaraka. Sri Krishna with a delightful mind together with Balarama and other respectable persons of the race of Yadu including Ugrasena, Vasudeva, Devaki, mothers of Pandavas, Nanda, Yasoda, cowherds besides the kings and the sages, Gandharvas and Kinnaras entered the city.

 O Narada, at that point of time several people arrived before Sri Krishna  including Nanda, Yasoda, cowherds, Pandavas with mothers, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Vidyadharis, Kinnaris, the dancers, the singers, the players of musical instruments the beggars, the bards, astrologers kings of several countries, the physician, human beings, ascetics, Yatis, Avadhutas, Brahmachari, the sages with their pupils, siddhas in groups, Sanaka, Sananda Sanatana and Sanatkumara the teacher of the intellectuals, who always remained five year old and naked also arrived with three crores of his pupils.

 The sage Durvasa, arrived with three lakhs of his pupils, Kashyapa with a lakh of his pupils, Valmiki with three lakhs of his pupils, Gautama with one lakh of pupils, Bruhaspati with three crores of pupils, Sukracharya with three crores of pupils, Bharadvaja with a lakh of pupils, Angira with three crores of pupils, Vasistha and Praceta with a crore of pupils each. Atri with three crores of people, Bhrgu with five crores of pupils, Marici with three crores of people, Agastya with crores of pupils, Pulastya with three lakhs of pupils, Pulaha and Kratu with a lakh of pupils each, Shatananda with thousand of pupils, Vibhandaka Rsyas'rnga with three and a half crores of pupils, Panini with crores of pupils and Katyayana arrived with lakhs of pupils.

Yajnavalkya arrived with thousand of his pupils, Vyasa arrived with three crores of pupils, the family priest Garga arrived with lakhs of pupils, Galava and Saubhari arrived with a thousand pupil each, Lomasa and Markandeya arrived with three crores of pupils, Vamadeva with crores of pupils, Jaigisavya with three crores of pupils and thereafter pupils Sandipani with three crores of pupils, while Devala arrived with crores of pupils, Vodhu arrived with the crores of pupils, Pancasikha arrived with the lakhs of pupils, Narayana arrived with three crores of pupils besides Nara, Visvamitra arrived with crores of pupils, Jaratkaru, Parasurama and Astika, arrived with three crores of pupils each. Vatsa arrived with lakhs of pupils, Daksha arrived with three lakhs of pupils, Kapila arrived with five crores of pupils, Samvarta and Utathya with three lakhs of pupils each, Jaimini arrived with thousand of pupils, Paila arrived with lakh of pupils, Suvarna arrived with thousand of pupils, Vyasa pupil Vaisampayana arrived with lakhs of pupils, Srngi and Upamanyu arrived with lakhs of pupils each. Gauramukha arrived with thousand of pupils, Kaca arrived with a lakh of pupils.

 Ashvatthama and Dronacharya, Krupacharya with their pupils, Bhisma, Karna, Shakuni, the king Duryodhana and his brother stayed with Jagadguru.

Sri Krishna said- All the people who have arrived here will return only after completion of the auspicious festivities. O king, you enter the city gate of Dvaraka in the Mahendra muhurta together with the mothers, fathers and Yadavas. All other people of the race of Yadu should go back to Mathura. At these Ugrasena felt terrified and said to him.

O Vasudeva, I shall go back to my ancestral, land because it happens to be more auspicious that any other place for the performing of adoration of the gods and the manes. The one who does make the offering of the pindas to the ancestors on the land and the fire, the ancestors destroy the performers and the sraddha. The s'raddhas performed by such a person for the ancestors become fruitless or bear little fruit but such a performance when made at the ancestral place bears much fruit. The ancestors land is considered to be dearer than the son, grandson and wife. The inaccessible ancestral land is dearer than the parents. Therefore, for performing the adoration of the gods and the ancestors, it is considered to be quite auspicious, whatever is playfully given there is considered, to be. The charity, the charity given by someone at some other place is considered to be inauspicious, when one dies at the ancestral land one achieves great merit like dyeing at a holy place. O Hari, the water of the pool of the ancestral and is considered to be quite auspicious like the water of the Ganga. By taking a bath there in that pool, one earns the merit of having a bath in the Ganga. The adoration of the gods and offering of water (tarpana) are considered to be quite auspicious. In case the birthplace is an ancestral place the fruit of tarpana and other performance is doubled.

Sri Krishna said- You have spoken the truth, who can stop the birth and the ancestors land is' like a holy place but can that holy place be more important than the city of Dvaraka. The city of Dvaraka is the best of all and bestows great merit, with the entry of the people in Dvaraka they achiever moksha. O king, by giving away charities or by, performing sraddha or the adoration of gods in Dvaraka, one achieves four times more the merit than taking a bath in Ganga and other holy places.

You go to the royal palace together with Brahma, gods and the sages beside the Yadavas and reside there. This city of Dvaraka puts Amaravati, the city of Indra to shame. O king, you enter the divine assembly named Sudharma in the auspicious time of Mahendra. The people of Jambudvipa, the great kings, the courtiers and others would give you the taxes as the gods give to Indra. You conquer Kubera in riches, the sun in the lustre, Indra in fortunes, the gods in the battle, the sages in sacredness and the mendicants in tapas besides with vratas, you would excel the vratas (performers). There has been no king like Ugrasena nor would there any such king be in future. In his court the extremely valorous Balarama is present over one of whose thousand heads, the entire globe is lodged like the sesamum seed in a windowing basket. There is no one else more valorous than Baladeva and there is no end to his virtues. This is the reason the people have given him the name of Ananta.

The eight Vasus, Rudras, without Shiva, the valorous twelve Adityas and Indra together with all the gods would not be able to over-power Ugrasena. On hearing the words of Krishna, the king started together with all Yadavas. He found his palace in the middle of Dvaraka shining with gems on the gates of which thousands of gods were deputed holding the staff and the trident in their hands. The camp was inside the six gates. There were palaces inlaid with hundreds of precious stones. The king found a crore of intoxicated elephants in the elephant stable. The number of ordinary elephants ran to four crores. He found very strong horses in the horse-stable, the number of which was six times more than the elephants who could gallop with the speed of with the horse of the sun. O Narada, the herd of those elephants was superior than all the vehicles of Indra and were jeering at Airavata. The king then came across the horses of very high breed of Ucchaisarva. Thereafter there were ten crores of donkeys, and the number of foot soldiers was six times more than the same, there were five lakhs of chariots built with the best of gems and an equal number of charioteers. The number of horses was six times more then the cavalry men. The king also witnesses the assembly named Sudharma.

The assembly, which was quite charming to look at, accommodated the gods and the sages. The assembly was issuing lustre like the fire. It had enough of silken clothes of red and yellow colours, besides the lion thrones. It was decorated with the lines of invaluable gems and was surrounded by a hundred crores of disciplined soldiers. At the time of entering into beautiful assembly hall, the conches were blown, and drums were beaten. The sages recited the Vedic hymns. Finding the kings arrival, Krishna and Balarama got up from their seats.

Brahma, Shiva, Sesa, the ascetics, the best of the gods also stood up. All the kings and the siddhas together with Vasudeva also stood up. Thereafter valorous Ugrasena with the permission of Indra, the sages, lord Krishna, the gods and the teacher, also took his seat. O Narada, the coronation of the king was completed with the reciting of the hymns from the Vedas and pouring water from the seven holy places. The king was then offered the two divine garments sanctified by fire which were presented by Varuna to Krisna.

 The valorous Baladeva presented him the chatra of gems, Brahma presented a kamandalu, Shiva the trident, Parvati a garland of gems, the chaste Malati presented him a garland of flowers. Thereafter several other gods, the sages, the best of the kings and the siddhas also gave their presents to him.

 Vasudeva presented him with an auspicious white flywhisk, which was presented to Krishna by Vasudeva.

Nanda presented him a Kamadhenu cow. Yasoda and Devaki delightfully gifted him the best of gems.

The seven attendants started serving him moving the white flywhisks, Akrura with the permission of Sri Krishna held chatra on the head of the king. The king while seated on the gem- studded lion throne looked at the mirror which could be achieved by performing several good deeds. Thereafter, Sri Krishna offered a present. The Bhata then started praising the king while the Brahmanas, the gods and the sages showered their blessings on him. The king distributed with great devotion, crores of diamonds, together with the bhatas and the beggars, all the people of the race of Yadu after attending the coronation of the king adored the gods. The sages, Brahmana, the bhatas, the beggars and the teachers went back to their respective abodes. All the attendants of Krishna also went back to their respective abodes. The next morning all of them came to attend the court named Sudharma. In the assembly they bowed before the king and took their seats.