Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 47
Chapter 90
तीर्थं चक्रे नृपोनं यदजनि यदुषु स्वः-सरित् पाद-शौचं ।
विद्विट्-स्निग्धाः स्वरूपं ययुरजित-पर श्रीर् यदर्थे ’न्य-यत्नः ॥
यन्-नामामङ्गल-घ्नं श्रुतमथ गदितं यत्कृतो गोत्र-धर्मः ।
कृष्णस्यैतन्न चित्रं क्षिति-भर-हरणं काल-चक्रायुधस्य ॥
tīrthaṃ cakre nṛponaṃ yad ajani yaduṣu svaḥ-sarit pāda-śaucaṃ $ vidviṭ-snigdhāḥ svarūpaṃ yayur ajita-para śrīr yad-arthe 'nya-yatnaḥ & yan-nāmāmaṅgala-ghnaṃ śrutam atha gaditaṃ yat-kṛto gotra-dharmaḥ % kṛṣṇasyaitan na citraṃ kṣiti-bhara-haraṇaṃ kāla-cakrāyudhasya //
The Lord made even a place lacking royal sanctity into a holy tīrtha, for there, among the Yadus, the celestial river washed His feet. Enemies and loving friends alike attained their true spiritual identity; and even Śrī Lakṣmī, the glory of the unconquerable Lord, strives for Him with unequaled effort. His very name, when heard or spoken, destroys inauspiciousness, and by His presence the duties of family and society are established. None of this is wondrous for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, wielder of the wheel of time, who removes the earth’s burden.
This verse glorifies how Kṛṣṇa’s presence sanctifies everything. A place becomes a tīrtha not merely by geography but by contact with the Lord and His devotees. The imagery of the heavenly river washing His feet proclaims that even the highest sanctities of the cosmos serve Him. The Bhāgavatam repeatedly teaches that Kṛṣṇa is impartial in the sense that His spiritual potency acts on all: those who oppose Him and those who love Him are both brought to a decisive encounter with truth. Yet the outcomes differ according to consciousness—devotees receive His sweetness and shelter, while opponents are purified through confrontation with His supremacy. Lakṣmī’s ‘other effort’ indicates that the Lord’s intimate affection is not attained by prestige, austerity, or mere ritual. In Kṛṣṇa-līlā, the highest treasure is loving service (bhakti), which even the goddess of fortune seeks. Finally, the verse anchors these wonders in Kṛṣṇa’s cosmic mission: as Kāla-cakrāyudha, He turns the wheel of time and removes the earth’s burden—restoring dharma and giving liberation through the sound of His name. Thus, nāma-saṅkīrtana is shown as both auspicious and transformative: hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name reorders one’s life toward dharma and awakens one’s eternal identity.
FAQs
This verse states that Kṛṣṇa’s name is amaṅgala-ghna—destroying inauspiciousness—simply when heard or spoken, indicating the purifying and liberating potency of nāma.
It emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa’s intimate favor is attained through loving devotion, not merely through status or opulence—so even Lakṣmī seeks Him with extraordinary effort.
Make your home and heart a tīrtha by daily hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names, and align duties (dharma) around devotion rather than around prestige or anxiety.