Shloka 21
Jarāsandha’s Siege of Mathurā, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma’s Victory, and the Founding of Dvārakā amid Kālayavana’s Threat
सुपर्णतालध्वजचिह्नितौ रथा- वलक्षयन्त्यो हरिरामयोर्मृधे । स्त्रिय: पुराट्टालकहर्म्यगोपुरं समाश्रिता: सम्मुमुहु: शुचार्दिता: ॥ २१ ॥
suparṇa-tāla-dhvaja-cihitnau rathāv alakṣayantyo hari-rāmayor mṛdhe striyaḥ purāṭṭālaka-harmya-gopuraṁ samāśritāḥ sammumuhuḥ śucārditaḥ
Les femmes se tenaient sur les tours de guet, dans les palais et aux hautes portes de la cité. Lorsqu’elles ne purent plus apercevoir les chars de Kṛṣṇa et de Balarāma, reconnaissables à leurs bannières marquées de Garuḍa et du palmier, elles furent accablées de chagrin et s’évanouirent.
The women are especially mentioned here because of their extraordinary attachment to Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma.
FAQs
This verse shows that even devoted onlookers, like the women of Mathurā, can feel intense fear and sorrow when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma enter danger—love for the Lord naturally brings deep concern and emotional absorption.
As Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma went out to face battle, the women gathered on high vantage points—attics, terraces, and gates—to see Them, but grief and fear for Their safety overwhelmed them.
It teaches that devotion is not merely intellectual—real love expresses itself as heartfelt concern and remembrance; channel such emotion into steady hearing, chanting, and prayer rather than anxiety alone.