Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī - Canto 10, chapter 90

This article presents a thematic survey of the queens of Dvārakā and the glories of the Yadu dynasty spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 10, chapter 90. It organizes the quotes found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the liberated sage and son of Vyāsadeva. In these specific verses, he concludes his instructions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit regarding the Tenth Canto by summarizing the Lord's absolute supremacy, the unparalleled devotion of His eternal associates, and the guaranteed liberation awaiting those who faithfully hear these transcendental narrations.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the top speaker of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with 4,872 verses at Vanisource. He speaks in all cantos except the 1st canto. He speaks in the 2nd (176 verses), 3rd (36 verses), 4th (5 verses), 5th (437 verses), 6th (371 verses), 7th (16 verses), 8th (538 verses), 9th (733 verses), 10th (2,278 verses), 11th (103 verses), and 12th canto (179 verses).

Water Sports in Dvārakā

Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the breathtaking opulence of the Lord's capital and His loving reciprocation with His queens.

Splashing in the Lotus Ponds

Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the breathtaking opulence of Dvārakā and Lord Kṛṣṇa's playful water sports with His sixteen thousand queens. Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally self-satisfied, He reciprocates with the conjugal desires of His pure devotees, showering them with His boundless affection. These intimate exchanges demonstrate that the highest spiritual bliss far surpasses any mundane conception of romantic love.

"Śukadeva Gosvamī said: The master of the goddess of fortune resided happily in His capital city, Dvārakā, which was endowed with all opulences and populated by the most eminent Vṛṣṇis and their gorgeously dressed wives. When these beautiful women in the bloom of youth would play on the city's rooftops with balls and other toys, they shone like flashing lightning. The main streets of the city were always crowded with intoxicated elephants exuding mada, and also with cavalry, richly adorned infantrymen, and soldiers riding chariots brilliantly decorated with gold. Gracing the city were many gardens and parks with rows of flowering trees, where bees and birds would gather, filling all directions with their songs. Lord Kṛṣṇa was the sole beloved of His sixteen thousand wives. Expanding Himself into that many forms, He enjoyed with each of His queens in her own richly furnished residence. On the grounds of these palaces were clear ponds fragrant with the pollen of blooming utpala, kahlāra, kumuda and ambhoja lotuses and filled with flocks of cooing birds. The almighty Lord would enter those ponds, and also various rivers, and enjoy sporting in the water while His wives embraced Him, leaving the red kuṅkuma from their breasts smeared on His body."
"As Gandharvas joyfully sang His praises to the accompaniment of mṛdaṅga, paṇava and ānaka drums, and as professional reciters known as Sūtas, Māgadhas and Vandīs played vīṇās and recited poems praising Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa would play with His wives in the water. Laughing, the queens would squirt water on Him with syringes, and He would squirt them back. Thus Kṛṣṇa would sport with His queens in the same way that the lord of the Yakṣas sports with the Yakṣī nymphs."
"Under the drenched clothing of the queens, their thighs and breasts would become visible. The flowers tied in their large braids would scatter as they sprayed water on their consort, and on the plea of trying to take away His syringe, they would embrace Him. By His touch their lusty feelings would increase, causing their faces to beam with smiles. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa's queens shone with resplendent beauty."
"Lord Kṛṣṇa's flower garland would become smeared with kuṅkuma from their breasts, and His abundant locks of hair would become disheveled as a result of His absorption in the game. As the Lord repeatedly sprayed His young consorts and they sprayed Him in turn, He enjoyed Himself like the king of elephants enjoying in the company of his bevy of she-elephants."
"Afterward, Lord Kṛṣṇa and His wives would give the ornaments and clothing they had worn during their water sports to the male and female performers, who earned their livelihood from singing and from playing instrumental music."
"In this way Lord Kṛṣṇa would sport with His queens, totally captivating their hearts with His gestures, talks, glances and smiles, and also with His jokes, playful exchanges and embraces."

The Perfection of the Queens

Śukadeva Gosvāmī details the absolute spiritual success achieved by the Lord's eternal consorts.

The Ideal Householder

Śukadeva Gosvāmī details how the queens of Dvārakā achieve the ultimate goal of life through their ecstatic trance and unalloyed absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By acting as an ideal householder, the Lord perfectly upholds Vedic religious principles while simultaneously remaining completely detached. This proves that even within family life, one can attain the highest spiritual perfection by keeping the Supreme Lord at the absolute center.

"The queens would become stunned in ecstatic trance, their minds absorbed in Kṛṣṇa alone. Then, thinking of their lotus-eyed Lord, they would speak as if insane. Please hear these words from me as I relate them."
"Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: By thus speaking and acting with such ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of all masters of mystic yoga, His loving wives attained the ultimate goal of life."
"The Lord, whom countless songs glorify in countless ways, forcibly attracts the minds of all women who simply hear about Him. What to speak, then, of those women who see Him directly?"
"And how could one possibly describe the great austerities that had been performed by the women who perfectly served Him, the spiritual master of the universe, in pure ecstatic love? Thinking of Him as their husband, they rendered such intimate services as massaging His feet."
"Thus observing the principles of duty enunciated in the Vedas, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the goal of the saintly devotees, repeatedly demonstrated how one can achieve at home the objectives of religiosity, economic development and regulated sense gratification."
"While fulfilling the highest standards of religious householder life, Lord Kṛṣṇa maintained more than 16,100 wives."

The Sons of the Supreme Lord

Śukadeva Gosvāmī lists the powerful descendants born directly from the Personality of Godhead.

Pradyumna and the Princes

Śukadeva Gosvāmī enumerates the glorious sons begotten by Lord Kṛṣṇa, highlighting the unequaled prowess of the great warrior Pradyumna. By expanding Himself into countless powerful descendants, the Lord directly manifests His limitless spiritual opulence upon the earth. The extraordinary qualifications of these sons confirm that everything connected to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully divine and invincible.

"Among these jewellike women were eight principal queens, headed by Rukmiṇī. I have already described them one after another, O King, along with their sons."
"The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose endeavor never fails, begot ten sons in each of His many wives."
"Among these sons, all possessing unlimited valor, eighteen were mahā-rathas of great renown. Now hear their names from me."
"They were Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Dīptimān, Bhānu, Sāmba, Madhu, Bṛhadbhānu, Citrabhānu, Vṛka, Aruṇa, Puṣkara, Vedabāhu, Śrutadeva, Sunandana, Citrabāhu, Virūpa, Kavi and Nyagrodha."
"O best of kings, of these sons begotten by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Madhu, the most prominent was Rukmiṇī's son Pradyumna. He was just like His father."
"The great warrior Pradyumna married Rukmī's daughter (Rukmavatī), who gave birth to Aniruddha. He was as strong as ten thousand elephants."

The Opulence of the Yadu Dynasty

Śukadeva Gosvāmī recounts the staggering, inconceivable expansion of the Lord's eternal family.

Millions of Yādavas

Śukadeva Gosvāmī recounts the staggering expansion of the Yadu dynasty, noting that their immense population and wealth are entirely beyond human calculation. When the Supreme Lord descends, He brings with Him His eternal associates and paraphernalia, transforming the earthly kingdom into a direct manifestation of Vaikuṇṭha. The inconceivable numbers of teachers and attendants perfectly illustrate the limitless grandeur of the Lord's royal pastimes.

"Rukmī's daughter's son (Aniruddha) married Rukmī's son's daughter (Rocana). From her was born Vajra, who would remain among the few survivors of the Yadus' battle with clubs."
"From Vajra came Pratibāhu, whose son was Subāhu. Subāhu's son was Śāntasena, from whom Śatasena was born."
"No one born in this family was poor in wealth or progeny, short-lived, weak or neglectful of brahminical culture."
"The Yadu dynasty produced innumerable great men of famous deeds. Even in tens of thousands of years, O King, one could never count them all."
"I have heard from authoritative sources that the Yadu family employed 38,800,000 teachers just to educate their children."
"Who can count all the great Yādavas, when among them King Ugrasena alone was accompanied by an entourage of thirty trillion attendants?"

The Supreme Glories of Kṛṣṇa

Śukadeva Gosvāmī summarizes the divine purpose of the Lord's descent and His absolute supremacy.

Eclipsing the Heavenly Ganges

Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains that the demigods took birth among the Yādavas specifically to assist Lord Hari in annihilating the arrogant demonic kings burdening the earth. Because the Vṛṣṇis are fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their glories completely eclipse even the sanctity of the heavenly Ganges. The Lord's descent permanently destroys all inauspiciousness, proving that His holy name and transcendental form are the ultimate shelter for all moving and nonmoving beings.

"The savage descendants of Diti who had been killed in past ages in battles between the demigods and demons took birth among human beings and arrogantly harassed the general populace."
"To subdue these demons, Lord Hari told the demigods to descend into the dynasty of Yadu. They comprised 101 clans, O King."
"Because Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Yādavas accepted Him as their ultimate authority. And among them, all those who were His intimate associates especially flourished."
"The Vṛṣṇis were so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that they forgot their own bodies while sleeping, sitting, walking, conversing, playing, bathing and so on."
"The heavenly Ganges is a holy place of pilgrimage because her waters wash Lord Kṛṣṇa's feet. But when the Lord descended among the Yadus, His glories eclipsed the Ganges as a holy place. Both those who hated Kṛṣṇa and those who loved Him attained eternal forms like His in the spiritual world. The unattainable and supremely self-satisfied goddess of fortune, for the sake of whose favor everyone else struggles, belongs to Him alone. His name destroys all inauspiciousness when heard or chanted. He alone has set forth the principles of the various disciplic successions of sages. What wonder is it that He, whose personal weapon is the wheel of time, relieved the burden of the earth?"
"Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is He who is known as jana-nivāsa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakīnandana or Yaśodā-nandana, the son of Devakī and Yaśodā. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. May He be all glorious and happy!"

The Ultimate Destination

Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes the majestic Tenth Canto with the supreme spiritual benefit of hearing these narrations.

Conquering Death

Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes the majestic Tenth Canto by declaring the supreme spiritual benefit of hearing and meditating upon the Lord's transcendental pastimes. By faithfully engaging in this process of devotional service (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam), a conditioned soul is guaranteed to conquer the insurmountable laws of death. This final instruction confirms that unalloyed absorption in Lord Mukunda's activities elevates one directly to His eternal spiritual kingdom.

"To protect the principles of devotional service to Himself, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the best of the Yadus, accepts the pastime forms that have been glorified here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One who desires to faithfully serve His lotus feet should hear of the activities He performs in each of these incarnations—activities that suitably imitate those of the forms He assumes. Hearing narrations of these pastimes destroys the reactions to fruitive work."
"By regularly hearing, chanting and meditating on the beautiful topics of Lord Mukunda with ever-increasing sincerity, a mortal being will attain the divine kingdom of the Lord, where the inviolable power of death holds no sway. For this purpose, many persons, including great kings, abandoned their mundane homes and took to the forest."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.