Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.41.20-23

dadarśa tāḿ sphāṭika-tuṇga-gopura-

dvārāḿ bṛhad-dhema-kapāṭa-toraṇām

tāmrāra-koṣṭhāḿ parikhā-durāsadām

udyāna-ramyopavanopaśobhitām

sauvarṇa-śṛńgāṭaka-harmya-niṣkuṭaiḥ

śreṇī-sabhābhir bhavanair upaskṛtām

vaidūrya-vajrāmala-nīla-vidrumair

muktā-haridbhir valabhīṣu vediṣu

juṣṭeṣu jālāmukha-randhra-kuṭṭimeṣv

āviṣṭa-pārāvata-barhi-nāditām

saḿsikta-rathyāpaṇa-mārga-catvarāḿ

prakīrṇa-mālyāńkura-lāja-taṇḍulām

āpūrṇa-kumbhair dadhi-candanokṣitaiḥ

prasūna-dīpāvalibhiḥ sa-pallavaiḥ

sa-vṛnda-rambhā-kramukaiḥ sa-ketubhiḥ

sv-alańkṛta-dvāra-gṛhāḿ sa-paṭṭikaiḥ

SYNONYMS

dadarśa — He saw; tam — that (city); sphāṭika — of crystal; tuńga — high; gopura — whose main gates; dvārām — and household gates; bṛhat — immense; hema — gold; kapāṭa — whose doors; toraṇām — and ornamental arches; tāmra — of copper; āra — and brass; koṣṭhām — whose storehouses; parikhā — with its canals; durāsadām — inviolable; udyāna — with public gardens; ramya — attractive; upavana — and parks; upaśobhitam — beautified; sauvarṇa — gold; śṛńgāṭaka — with crossways; harmya — mansions; niṣkuṭaiḥ — and pleasure gardens; śreṇī — of guilds; sabhābhiḥ — with the assembly halls; bhavanaiḥ — and with houses; upaskṛtām — ornamented; vaidūrya — with vaidūrya gems; vajra — diamonds; amala — crystal quartz; nīla — sapphires; vidrumaiḥ — and coral; muktā — with pearls; haridbhiḥ — and emeralds; valabhīṣu — on the wood panels decorating the rafters in front of the houses; vediṣu — on columned balconies; juṣṭeṣu — bedecked; jāla-āmukha — of lattice windows; randhra — in the openings; kuṭṭimeṣu — and on gem-studded floors; āviṣṭa — sitting; pārāvata — with the pet doves; barhi — and the peacocks; nāditām — resounding; saḿsikta — sprinkled with water; rathyā — with royal avenues; āpaṇa — commercial streets; mārga — other roads; catvarām — and courtyards; prakīrṇa — scattered; mālya — with flower garlands; ańkura — new sprouts; lāja — parched grains; taṇḍulām — and rice; āpūrṇa — full; kumbhaiḥ — with pots; dadhi — with yogurt; candana — and sandalwood paste; ukṣitaiḥ — smeared; prasūna — with flower petals; dīpa-āvalibhiḥ — and rows of lamps; sa-pallavaiḥ — with leaves; sa-vṛnda — with bunches of flowers; rambhā — with trunks of banana trees; kramukaiḥ — and trunks of betel-nut trees; sa-ketubhiḥ — with flags; su-alańkṛta — nicely decorated; dvāra — with doors; gṛhām — whose houses; sa-paṭṭikaiḥ — with ribbons.

TRANSLATION

The Lord saw Mathurā, with its tall gates and household entrances made of crystal, its immense archways and main doors of gold, its granaries and other storehouses of copper and brass, and its impregnable moats. Beautifying the city were pleasant gardens and parks. The main intersections were fashioned of gold, and there were mansions with private pleasure gardens, along with guildhalls and many other buildings. Mathurā resounded with the calls of peacocks and pet turtledoves, who sat in the small openings of the lattice windows and on the gem-studded floors, and also on the columned balconies and on the ornate rafters in front of the houses. These balconies and rafters were adorned with vaidūrya stones, diamonds, crystal quartz, sapphires, coral, pearls and emeralds. All the royal avenues and commercial streets were sprinkled with water, as were the side roads and courtyards, and flower garlands, newly grown sprouts, parched grains and rice had been scattered about everywhere. Gracing the houses' doorways were elaborately decorated pots filled with water, which were bedecked with mango leaves, smeared with yogurt and sandalwood paste, and encircled by flower petals and ribbons. Near the pots were flags, rows of lamps, bunches of flowers and the trunks of banana and betel-nut trees.

PURPORT

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives this description of the elaborately decorated pots: "On either side of each doorway, above the scattered rice, is a pot. Encircling each pot are flower petals, on its neck are ribbons and in its mouth are leaves of mango and other trees. Above each pot, on a gold plate, are rows of lamps. A trunk of a banana tree stands on either side of each pot, and a betel-nut tree trunk stands in front and also behind. Flags lean against the pots."

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