Text 13] Lord Krsna’s Entrance in Dvaraka 567
TRANSLATION
The city of Dvaraka Puri was filled with the opulences of all seasons.
There were hermitages, orchards, flower gardens, parks and reservoirs of
water breeding lotus flowers all over.
PURPORT

Perfection of human civilization is made possible by utilizing the gifts of
nature in their own way. As we find herewith in the description of its opu-
lence, Dvaraka was surrounded by flower gardens and fruit orchards along
with reservoirs of water and growing lotuses. There is no mention of mills
and factories supported by slaughterhouses, which are the necessary
paraphernalia of the modern metropolis. The propensity to utilize nature’s
own gifts is still there, even in the heart of modern civilized men. The
leaders of modern civilization select their own residential quarters in a
place where there are such naturally beautiful gardens and reservoirs of
water, but they leave the common men to reside in congested areas with-
out parks and gardens. Herein of course we find a different description of
the city of Dvaraka. It is understood that the whole dhama or residential
quarter was surrounded by such gardens and parks with reservoirs of water
where lotuses grew. It is understood that all the people depended on
nature’s gifts of fruits and flowers without industrial enterprises promoting
filthy huts and slums for residential quarters. Advancement of civilization
is estimated not on the growth of mills and factories to deteriorate the
finer instincts of the human being, but it rests on developing the potent
spiritual instincts of human beings and giving them a chance to go back to
Godhead. Development of factories and mills is called ugra-karma, or
pungent activities, and such activities deteriorate the finer sentiments of
the human being and society to form a dungeon of demons.

We find herein the mention of pious trees which produce seasonal
flowers and fruits. The impious trees are useless jungles only, and they can
only be used to supply fuels. In the modern civilization such impious
trees are planted on the sides of roads. Human energy should be properly
utilized in developing the finer senses for spiritual understanding, in which
lies the solution of life. Fruits, flowers, beautiful gardens, parks and
reservoirs of waters with ducks and swans playing in the midst of lotus
flowers and cows giving sufficient milk and butter are essential for
developing the finer tissues of the human body. As against this, the
dungeons of mines, factories and workshops develop demoniac propen-
