Part 11: The founding of Dvārakā

Learning of Kāla’s death as they marched, the Yadus, very happy, paid honor to Kroṣṭuki, confidence in whom had been created. The flying ascetic, Atimuktaka, came to them while they were in a forest on the road and was worshipped by the lord of Daśārhas. Samudravijaya bowed to the muni and asked him, “Blessed One, what will happen to us in this misfortune?'” The sage said: “Do not fear. Your Prince Ariṣṭanemi will be the twenty-second Tīrthakṛt, whose heroism is unequaled in the three worlds. Rāma and Kṛṣṇa will be a Bala and a Viṣṇu, located at Dvārakā, lords of half of Bharata by the slaying of Jarāsandha.” Delighted, then Samudra worshipped and dismissed the muni.

He went to the province Surāṣṭra by easy marches. There they made a camp together with eighteen crores of families to the northwest of Mt. Raivataka.^[1] Kṛṣṇa’s wife, Satyabhāmā, bore two sons there, Bhānu and Bhāmara by name, the color of pure gold. On a day designated by Kroṣṭuki, after Hari had bathed and made an oblation, he made a pūjā to the ocean, and fasted for three days. On the third night, the god Susthita,^[2] Lord of the Lavaṇa Ocean, came there, standing in the air, his hands folded submissively. The god gave Pāṭcajanya to Kaṃsāri (Kṛṣṇa) and Sughoṣa to Muṣṭikāri (Bala); and he gave divine jewels, wreaths, and garments.

The god said to Kṛṣṇa: “For what reason was I, the god Susthita, recalled by you? Tell me, what can I do for you?” Kṛṣṇa said to the god: “The city Dvārakā here, which belonged to former Śārṅgins in the past,^[3] was covered with water by you. Reveal its site for my place of residence.” The god did so, went to Indra, and announced it to him. At Śakra’s command Vaiśravaṇa made a city of jewels, twelve yojanas long and nine yojanas wide. He made a wall twenty-seven feet high, thirteen and a half feet in the ground, and eighteen feet wide, with a moat. Palaces with such names as round, square, long, mountain-peak, svastika, sarvatobhadra, mandara, earring, powder-flask were built by the lac, one-storied, two-storied, three-storied, ct cetera. Divine shrines of the Jinas were made of various jewels and gems by the thousand at junctures of three and four roads. In the front part of it in the southeast part of the city was the golden palace of Samudravijaya, named Svastika, provided with a wall. Near it were the palaces of Akṣobhya and Stimita in succession, named Nandyāvarta and Girikuṭa, which had walls. In the southwest was the lofty palace of Sāgara, called Aṣṭāṃśa, and then the palaces, named Vardhamāna, of the fifth and sixth (Daśārhas). In the northwest was Dharaṇa’s palace, Puṣkarapatra, and then Pūraṇa’s, Ālokadarśana. Near them was Abhicandra’s, named Vimukta. In the northeast was Vasudeva’s, named Kuberacchanda. The lofty palace of King Ugrasena was named Strīvihārakṣama from its nearness to the king’s highway. All were surrounded by wishing-trees; all had elephant-stables, horse-stables, walls, large gates, and rows of banners.

Inside these Baladeva’s palace, named Pṛthivījaya, was made, four-cornered, with large gates. Vāsudeva’s palace was eighteen stories high, named Sarvatobhadra, surrounded by various houses. In front of Rāma’s and Kṛṣṇa’s houses was the council-hall, named Sarvaprabhāsā, resembling Sudharmā,^[4] made of various gems. Viśvakarman made a beautiful temple of the Arhats, adorned with a hundred and eight tall statues of the Jinas, lofty as the peak of Mem, made of jewels, gems, and gold, rich with windows in the various stories and with beautiful golden balconies. Pools, ponds, tanks, shrines, rows of gardens, and everything else in it Dhanada made in a day and night. Thus Vāsudeva’s beautiful city, Dvārakā, equal to Indra’s city, was made by the gods. To the east of it was Raivataka,^[5] to the south was Mālyavat, to the west Mt. Saumanasa, and to the north Gandhamādana.

Then at dawn Kubera gave Viṣṇu yellow garments, the crown Nakṣatramālā, the great jewel Kaustubha, the bow Śārṅga. two quivers Akṣayyaśara (with imperishable arrows), the sword Nandaka, the club Kaumodakī, and the chariot Garuḍadhvaja. To Rāma he gave Vanamālā, a pestle, dark blue garments, a palm tree-banner, a chariot, two quivers Akṣayyeṣu (with imperishable arrows), a bow, and a plough. Vaiśravaṇa bestowed jewels and ornaments on the ten Daśārhas. For they were entitled to honor from Rāma and Kṛṣṇa.

Knowing that Kṛṣṇa had destroyed his enemies, all the Yadus, delighted, sprinkled him (as king) on the bank of the Western Ocean. The two heroes got into their respective chariots—Rāma into his with the charioteer Siddhārtha and Kṛṣṇa into his with the charioteer Dāruka—to enter the city Dvārakā. The two, surrounded by the Yadus in chariots, like the sun and the moon by the constellations and planets, entered the city with shouts of “Hail! Hail” arising. The Daśārhas, Hari, Rāma, the other Yadus, other members of the tribe, and their attendants at Kṛṣṇa’s command stopped in the houses in the city pointed out by Vaiśravaṇa. The Lord of Yakṣas filled the new city with jewels, gold, money, with various garments, and with grain, raining them down for three and one-half days.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The modern Girnār.

[2]:

Cf. II,p. 115.

[3]:

See in Vol. III the biographies of the first four Vāsudevas, all of whom lived in Dvārakā. There is no account, however, of the construction or destruction of the first city.

[4]:

The council-hall in Saudharma.

[5]:

See Appendix I.