॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
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श्रीशुक उवाच
अथ तत्रागमद् ब्रह्मा भवान्या च समं भव: । महेन्द्रप्रमुखा देवा मुनय: सप्रजेश्वरा: ॥
पितर: सिद्धगन्धर्वा विद्याधरमहोरगा: । चारणा यक्षरक्षांसि किन्नराप्सरसो द्विजा: ॥
द्रष्टुकामा भगवतो निर्याणं परमोत्सुका: । गायन्तश्च गृणन्तश्च शौरे: कर्माणि जन्म च ॥
T: Sage Shuka said: "Then Lord Brahma arrived at Prabhasa along with Lord Shiva and his consort, Devi Parvati, the sages, the Prajapatis and all the gods, headed by Indra. The forefathers, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas and great serpents also came, along with the Charanas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Kinnaras, Apsaras and relatives of Garuda, greatly eager to witness the departure of Bhagavan. As they were coming, all these personalities variously chanted and glorified the birth and activities of Lord Shauri, Bhagavan Sri Krishna."
ववृषु: पुष्पवर्षाणि विमानावलिभिर्नभ: । कुर्वन्त: सङ्कुलं राजन् भक्त्या परमया युता: ॥
T: "Oh King, crowding the sky with their many aerial vehicles, they showered down flowers with great devotion."
भगवान् पितामहं वीक्ष्य विभूतीरात्मनो विभु: । संयोज्यात्मनि चात्मानं पद्मनेत्रे न्यमीलयत् ॥
लोकाभिरामां स्वतनुं धारणाध्यानमङ्गलम् । योगधारणयाग्नेय्यादग्ध्वा धामाविशत् स्वकम् ॥
T: "Seeing before him Brahma, the grandfather of the universe, along with the other gods, who are all his personal and powerful expansions, the Almighty Lord closed his lotus eyes, fixing his mind within himself, Bhagavan, i.e. Ishwara. Without employing the mystic Agneyi meditation (prescribed for mortals) to burn up his transcendental body, which is the all-attractive resting place of all the worlds and the object of all contemplation and meditation, Bhagavan Sri Krishna entered into his own abode."
दिवि दुन्दुभयो नेदु: पेतु: सुमनसश्च खात् ।सत्यं धर्मो धृतिर्भूमे: कीर्ति: श्रीश्चानु तं ययु: ॥
देवादयो ब्रह्ममुख्या न विशन्तं स्वधामनि । अविज्ञातगतिं कृष्णं ददृशुश्चातिविस्मिता: ॥
सौदामन्या यथाक्लाशे यान्त्या हित्वाभ्रमण्डलम् । गतिर्न लक्ष्यते मर्त्यैस्तथा कृष्णस्य दैवतै: ॥
T: "As soon as Bhagavan Sri Krishna left the earth, Truth, Religion, Faithfulness, Glory and Beauty immediately followed him. Kettledrums resounded in the heavens and flowers showered from the sky.
Most of the gods and other higher beings led by Brahma could not see Bhagavan Sri Krishna as he was entering his own abode, since he did not reveal his movements. But some of them did sense his presence, and they were extremely amazed. Just as ordinary men cannot ascertain the path of a lightning bolt as it leaves a cloud, the gods could not trace out the movements of Bhagavan Sri Krishna as he returned to his abode."
ब्रह्मरुद्रादयस्ते तु दृष्ट्वा योगगतिं हरे: । विस्मितास्तां प्रशंसन्त: स्वं स्वं लोकं ययुस्तदा ॥
T: "A few of the gods, however — notably Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva — could ascertain the Lord’s Yogic Path, and thus they became astonished. All the gods praised the Lord’s mystic power and then returned to their own abodes."
राजन् परस्य तनुभृज्जननाप्ययेहा मायाविडम्बनमवेहि यथा नटस्य ।
सृष्ट्वात्मनेदमनुविश्य विहृत्य चान्ते संहृत्य चात्ममहिनोपरत: स आस्ते ॥
T: "My dear King, you should understand that the Supreme Lord’s appearance and disappearance, which also occur materially like the birth and departure of embodied conditioned souls, are actually a Leela enacted by Maha Maya, just like the performance of an actor. After creating this universe, he enters into it, plays within it for some time, and at last winds it up. Then the Lord remains situated in his own transcendental glory, after having ceased from the functions of cosmic manifestation."
मर्त्येन यो गुरुसुतं यमलोकनीतं त्वां चानयच्छरणद: परमास्त्रदग्धम् ।
जिग्येऽन्तकान्तकमपीशमसावनीश: किं स्वावने स्वरनयन्मृगयुं सदेहम् ॥
T: "Bhagavan Sri Krishna brought the son of his Guru back from Yama's den in the boy’s self-same body, and as the ultimate giver of protection he saved you, Parikshit, also when you were burned by the Brahmastra of Ashvatthama. He conquered in battle even Lord Shiva, who deals death to the agents of death, and he sent the hunter Jara directly to Vaikuntha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect his own self? So understand it all as his Leela!"
तथाप्यशेषस्थितिसम्भवाप्ययेष्वनन्यहेतुर्यदशेषशक्तिधृक् ।
नैच्छत् प्रणेतुं वपुरत्र शेषितं मर्त्येन किं स्वस्थगतिं प्रदर्शयन् ॥
T: "Although Bhagavan Sri Krishna, being the possessor of infinite powers, is the only cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of innumerable living beings, he simply did not desire to keep his body in this world any longer. Thus he revealed the destination of those fixed in the self and demonstrated that this mortal world is of no intrinsic value."
य एतां प्रातरुत्थाय कृष्णस्य पदवीं पराम् । प्रयत: कीर्तयेद् भक्त्या तामेवाप्नोत्यनुत्तमाम् ॥
T: "Anyone who regularly rises early in the morning and carefully chants with devotion the glories of Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s transcendental disappearance and his return to his own abode will certainly achieve that same supreme destination."
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Daruka returned to Dwaraka and fell at Vasudeva's feet, disclosing the end of all the Yadavas and the disappearance of Balarama and Sri Krishna. You can imagine the wailing and distress all around. Everyone rushed to the spot where Balarama and Sri Krishna had been last seen, and were grieved beyond description. They saw all the Yadavas lying dead from their internecine battles. Vasudeva, Devaki and Rohini gave up their bodies instantly. All the queens performed Agni Pravesha as an act of Sati Sahagamana to join their husbands in the next world, including Sri Krishna's queens and Balarama's queens. So did all the other Yadavas' wives.
अर्जुन: प्रेयस: सख्यु: कृष्णस्य विरहातुर: । आत्मानं सान्त्वयामास कृष्णगीतै: सदुक्तिभि: ॥
T: Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Bhagavan Sri Krishna, his dearest friend. But he consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words the Lord had sung to him (Srimad Bhagavadgita).
बन्धूनां नष्टगोत्राणामर्जुन: साम्परायिकम् । हतानां कारयामास यथावदनुपूर्वश: ॥
T: Arjuna then saw to it that the funeral rites were properly carried out for the dead, who had no remaining male family members. He executed the required ceremonies for each of the Yadus, one after another.
द्वारकां हरिणा त्यक्तां समुद्रोऽप्लावयत् क्षणात् । वर्जयित्वा महाराज श्रीमद्भगवदालयम् ॥
नित्यं सन्निहितस्तत्र भगवान् मधुसूदन: । स्मृत्याशेषाशुभहरं सर्वमङ्गलमङ्गलम् ॥
T: As soon as Dwaraka was abandoned by Bhagavan, the ocean flooded it on all sides, sparing only his palace. Lord Madhusudana, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, is eternally present in Dwaraka. It is the most auspicious of all auspicious places, and merely remembering it destroys all contamination.
Arjuna took all the survivors safely to Indraprastha. There, Sri Krishna's great-grandson Vajra was anointed the king of the Yadus. Parikshit was anointed the king of Indraprastha, and the Pandavas went away for their final journey to the Himalayas.
य एतद् देवदेवस्य विष्णो: कर्माणि जन्म च । कीर्तयेच्छ्रद्धया मर्त्य: सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते ॥
इत्थं हरेर्भगवतो रुचिरावतारवीर्याणि बालचरितानि च शन्तमानि ।
अन्यत्र चेह च श्रुतानि गृणन् मनुष्यो भक्तिं परां परमहंसगतौ लभेत ॥
कलेर्दोषनिधे राजन्नस्ति ह्येको महान् गुण: । कीर्तनादेव कृष्णस्य मुक्तसङ्ग: परं व्रजेत् ॥
T: It is assured hereby that any mortal who recounts, recites and sings of the glorious pastimes of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, the God of gods, and his sojourn here on earth will be cleansed of all defects and bad Karmas. The Srimad Bhagavatam enshrines the stories of Sri Krishna as a child, as a lover, as a world saviour, as a friend and Guru. Anyone who immerses himself in these stories of Bhagavatam and other scriptures will attain true Bhakti, the goal of all exalted sages.
The end of Skandha XI.
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