Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 69 Verses 1-6

sri-sukah uvaca -- Sukadeva Gosvami said; narakam -- the demon Naraka; nihatam -- killed; srutva -- hearing; tatha -- also; udvaham -- the marriage; ca -- and; yoshitam -- with women; krishnena -- by Lord Krishna; ekena -- one; bahvinam -- with many; tat -- that; didrikshuh -- wanting to see; sma -- indeed; naradah -- Narada; citram -- wonderful; bata -- ah; etat -- this; ekena -- with a single; vapusha -- body; yugapat -- simultaneously; prithak -- separate; griheshu -- in residences; dvi -- two times; ashta -- eight; sahasram -- thousand; striyah -- women; ekah -- alone; udavahat -- He married; iti -- thus; utsukah -- eager; dvaravatim -- to Dvaraka; deva -- of the demigods; rishih -- the sage, Narada; drashtum -- to see; agamat -- came; pushpita -- flowery; upavana -- in parks; arama -- and pleasure gardens; dvija -- of birds; ali -- and bees; kula -- with flocks and swarms; naditam -- resounding; utphulla -- blooming; indivara -- with blue lotuses; ambhoja -- day-blooming lotuses; kahlara -- white esculent lotuses; kumuda -- moonlight-blooming lotuses; utpalaih -- and water lilies; churiteshu -- filled; sarahsu -- within lakes; uccaih -- loudly; kujitam -- filled with the calling; hamsa -- by swans; sarasaih -- and cranes; prasada -- with palaces; lakshaih -- hundreds of thousands; navabhih -- nine; jushtam -- adorned; sphatika -- made of crystal glass; rajataih -- and silver; maha-marakata -- with great emeralds; prakhyaih -- splendorous; svarna -- of gold; ratna -- and jewels; paricchadaih -- whose furnishings; vibhakta -- systematically divided; rathya -- with main avenues; patha -- roads; catvara -- intersections; apanaih -- and marketplaces; sala-sabhabhih -- with assembly houses; ruciram -- charming; sura -- of the demigods; alayaih -- with temples; samsikta -- sprinkled with water; marga -- whose roads; angana -- courtyards; vithi -- commercial streets; dehalim -- and patios; patat -- flying; pataka -- with banners; dhvaja -- by the flagpoles; varita -- warded off; atapam -- the heat of the sun.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami said: Hearing that Lord Krishna had killed Narakasura and had alone married many brides, Narada Muni desired to see the Lord in this situation. He thought, "It is quite amazing that in a single body Lord Krishna simultaneously married sixteen thousand women, each in a separate palace." Thus the sage of the demigods eagerly went to Dvaraka.

The city was filled with the sounds of birds and bees flying about the parks and pleasure gardens, while its lakes, crowded with blooming indivara, ambhoja, kahlara, kumuda and utpala lotuses, resounded with the calls of swans and cranes. Dvaraka boasted nine hundred thousand royal palaces, all constructed with crystal and silver and splendorously decorated with huge emeralds. Inside these palaces, the furnishings were bedecked with gold and jewels. Traffic moved along a well laid-out system of boulevards, roads, intersections and marketplaces, and many assembly houses and temples of demigods graced the charming city. The roads, courtyards, commercial streets and residential patios were all sprinkled with water and shaded from the sun's heat by banners waving from flagpoles.

PURPORT

In Krishna, Srila Prabhupada beautifully describes the city of Dvaraka as follows: "Being inquisitive as to how Krishna was managing His household affairs with so many wives, Narada desired to see these pastimes and so set out to visit Krishna's different homes. When Narada arrived in Dvaraka, he saw that the gardens and parks were full of various flowers of different colors and orchards that were overloaded with a variety of fruits. Beautiful birds were chirping, and peacocks were delightfully crowing. There were tanks and ponds full of blue and red lotus flowers, and some of these sites were filled with varieties of lilies. The lakes were full of nice swans and cranes, whose voices resounded everywhere. In the city there were as many as 900,000 great palaces built of first-class marble, with gates and doors made of silver. The posts of the houses and palaces were bedecked with jewels such as touchstone, sapphires and emeralds, and the floors gave off a beautiful luster. The highways, lanes, streets, crossings and marketplaces were all beautifully decorated. The whole city was full of residential homes, assembly houses and temples, all of different architectural beauty. All of this made Dvaraka a glowing city. The big avenues, crossings, lanes and streets, and also the thresholds of every residential house, were very clean. On both sides of every path there were bushes, and at regular intervals there were large trees that shaded the avenues so that the sunshine would not bother the passersby."

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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