dadarÅ›a tÄá¹ sphÄá¹­ika-tuṇga-gopura-
dvÄrÄá¹ bá¹›had-dhema-kapÄá¹­a-toraṇÄm
tÄmrÄra-koṣṭhÄá¹ parikhÄ-durÄsadÄm
udyÄna-ramyopavanopaÅ›obhitÄm
sauvarṇa-śṛṅgÄá¹­aka-harmya-niá¹£kuá¹­aiḥ
Å›reṇī-sabhÄbhir bhavanair upaská¹›tÄm
vaidÅ«rya-vajrÄmala-nÄ«la-vidrumair
muktÄ-haridbhir valabhīṣu vediá¹£u
juṣṭeá¹£u jÄlÄmukha-randhra-kuá¹­á¹­imeá¹£v
Äviṣṭa-pÄrÄvata-barhi-nÄditÄm
saá¹sikta-rathyÄpaṇa-mÄrga-catvarÄá¹
prakÄ«rṇa-mÄlyÄá¹…kura-lÄja-taṇá¸ulÄm
ÄpÅ«rṇa-kumbhair dadhi-candanoká¹£itaiḥ
prasÅ«na-dÄ«pÄvalibhiḥ sa-pallavaiḥ
sa-vá¹›nda-rambhÄ-kramukaiḥ sa-ketubhiḥ
sv-alaá¹…ká¹›ta-dvÄra-gá¹›hÄá¹ sa-paá¹­á¹­ikaiḥ

 dadarÅ›a - He saw; tam - that (city); sphÄá¹­ika - of crystal; tuá¹…ga - high; gopura - whose main gates; dvÄrÄm - and household gates; bá¹›hat - immense; hema - gold; kapÄá¹­a - whose doors; toraṇÄm - and ornamental arches; tÄmra - of copper; Ära - and brass; koṣṭhÄm - whose storehouses; parikhÄ - with its canals; durÄsadÄm - inviolable; udyÄna - with public gardens; ramya - attractive; upavana - and parks; upaÅ›obhitam - beautified; sauvarṇa - gold; Å›á¹›á¹…gÄá¹­aka - with crossways; harmya - mansions; niá¹£kuá¹­aiḥ - and pleasure gardens; Å›reṇī - of guilds; sabhÄbhiḥ - with the assembly halls; bhavanaiḥ - and with houses; upaská¹›tÄm - ornamented; vaidÅ«rya - with vaidÅ«rya gems; vajra - diamonds; amala - crystal quartz; nÄ«la - sapphires; vidrumaiḥ - and coral; muktÄ - with pearls; haridbhiḥ - and emeralds; valabhīṣu - on the wood panels decorating the rafters in front of the houses; vediá¹£u - on columned balconies; juṣṭeá¹£u - bedecked; jÄla-Ämukha - of lattice windows; randhra - in the openings; kuá¹­á¹­imeá¹£u - and on gem-studded floors; Äviṣṭa - sitting; pÄrÄvata - with the pet doves; barhi - and the peacocks; nÄditÄm - resounding; saá¹sikta - sprinkled with water; rathyÄ - with royal avenues; Äpaṇa - commercial streets; mÄrga - other roads; catvarÄm - and courtyards; prakÄ«rṇa - scattered; mÄlya - with flower garlands; aá¹…kura - new sprouts; lÄja - parched grains; taṇá¸ulÄm - and rice; ÄpÅ«rṇa - full; kumbhaiḥ - with pots; dadhi - with yogurt; candana - and sandalwood paste; uká¹£itaiḥ - smeared; prasÅ«na - with flower petals; dÄ«pa-Ävalibhiḥ - and rows of lamps; sa-pallavaiḥ - with leaves; sa-vá¹›nda - with bunches of flowers; rambhÄ - with trunks of banana trees; kramukaiḥ - and trunks of betel-nut trees; sa-ketubhiḥ - with flags; su-alaá¹…ká¹›ta - nicely decorated; dvÄra - with doors; gá¹›hÄm - whose houses; sa-paá¹­á¹­ikaiḥ - with ribbons.


Text

The Lord saw MathurÄ, 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. MathurÄ 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 vaidÅ«rya 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

ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura 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.â€