Chapter summary
शङ्खोद्धारमाहात्म्यम् Śaṅkhoddhāra Māhātmyam
The Devotees said: We have heard the glories of Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Gokula, and Govardhana. O good Guru, having also heard the magnificence of Govinda and the Yamunā, our minds are now fixed upon Krishna, and we are most pleased. We are now filled with immense curiosity and wish to hear the glory of Dvārakā, that sacred city which destroys great sins, where Krishna, Vāsudeva, the Lord of the worlds, resided, engaged in various divine pastimes, and protected the entire cosmos. (v.1-4)
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
I shall now narrate that sacred story of Murāri, recounting the holy deeds performed in Śrī Dvāravatī—a tale so pure and profound that even the gods, along with Brahmā, Śiva, and others, always desire to hear it in their celestial assemblies. (v.5)
After His sacred thread initiation, Lord Mukunda, ever the protector of His own dharma, went with His brother Rāma to the hermitage of Sāndīpani to undertake the study of the Vedas. There, Vāsudeva, accompanied by Rāma, His dear friend Sudāmā, and other students, diligently served Sāndīpani with reverence while pursuing their scriptural studies. Krishna, exemplary in His devotion to His teacher, daily journeyed to the bank of the Kṣiprā river to gather firewood, wild roots, and fruits for the āśrama. (v.6-8)
All the wise and learned ones extol that ancient city of Avantī [modern Ujjain], purified by the pollen of Govinda's lotus feet, as supremely blessed throughout the three worlds. Though Lord Śiva resides there as Mahākāla, and Śakti as Mahākālī, it is Krishna's mere presence that truly elevates Ujjayinī to conquer the three worlds in glory. (v.9-10)
Having completed His studies of all the Vedas in Avantī, Krishna, the younger brother of Rāma, devoutly approached His Guru to offer the traditional preceptor's fee (dakṣiṇā). Sāndīpani, however, requested the return of his son, who had been lost at sea, as his desired offering. With His charming form, the Lord, intent on retrieving the boy, set forth with Rāma. (v.11-12)
The Lord then commanded the ocean to bring forth the Guru's son. The ocean, in turn, revealed that a great demon named Pañcajana was responsible for the child's demise. Having slain Pañcajana and taken the conch that rested upon his head, Mukunda journeyed to the abode of Yama. There, He placed the divine conch, Śrī Pāñcajanya, to His lips and sounded it. Hearing the resounding call, Yama, the controller of the worlds, immediately ordered the boy to be brought. With folded hands, Kṛtānta (Yama) reverently worshipped Krishna and, to the Lord's delight, returned the Guru's son. (v.13-15)
After restoring the boy to His Guru and receiving Sāndīpani's blessings, Mukunda—the son of Vasudeva, whose true nature is revealed through the Vedānta—returned to Mathurā with Rāma. (v.16)
This supreme holy place is thus known as Śaṅkhoddhāra [Retrieval of the Conch], for it was here that Hari, after slaying Pañcajana, retrieved the divine conch. Without a doubt, those who behold Śrīnātha, the Lord of Dvārakā, here, holding His conch, shall find gain and victory in all their endeavors. (v.17-18)
Whoever devoutly reads this account of the Guru's son being returned shall, like Sāndīpani, be blessed with a long-lived son. (v.19)
Bathing at the confluence of the Gomatī instantly purges countless sins, including those as grave as the killing of Brāhmaṇas and cows. For those who devoutly worship Krishna, Janārdana, holding His conch, at this sacred confluence, there is no fear of Kāla (Time or Death). Indeed, the mere sight of Krishna at the Gomatī confluence wards off untimely death, obliterates all sins, and bestows supreme auspiciousness. Furthermore, a person who journeys to Śaṅkhoddhāra and bathes in the sea there will find the sins accumulated over a hundred births instantly destroyed. (v.20-23)
Thus ends the twenty-first chapter, named "The Glory of Śaṅkhoddhāra," in the First Part of the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
