Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 10 - Chapter 1 - Verse 20-23
Sanskrit:
ददर्श तां स्फाटिकतुङ्गगोपुर-द्वारां बृहद्धेमकपाटतोरणाम् ।ताम्रारकोष्ठां परिखादुरासदा-मुद्यानरम्योपवनोपशोभिताम् ॥ २० ॥सौवर्णशृङ्गाटकहर्म्यनिष्कुटै:श्रेणीसभाभिर्भवनैरुपस्कृताम् ।वैदूर्यवज्रामलनीलविद्रुमै-र्मुक्ताहरिद्भिर्वलभीषु वेदिषु ॥ २१ ॥जुष्टेषु जालामुखरन्ध्रकुट्टिमे-ष्वाविष्टपारावतबर्हिनादिताम् ।संसिक्तरथ्यापणमार्गचत्वरांप्रकीर्णमाल्याङ्कुरलाजतण्डुलाम् ॥ २२ ॥आपूर्णकुम्भैर्दधिचन्दनोक्षितै:प्रसूनदीपावलिभि: सपल्लवै: ।सवृन्दरम्भाक्रमुकै: सकेतुभि:स्वलङ्कृतद्वारगृहां सपट्टिकै: ॥ २३ ॥
ITRANS:
dadarśa tāṁ sphāṭika-tuṇga-gopura-dvārāṁ bṛhad-dhema-kapāṭa-toraṇāmtāmrāra-koṣṭhāṁ parikhā-durāsadāmudyāna-ramyopavanopaśobhitām
Translation:
The Lord saw Mathurā, 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. Mathurā 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 vaidūrya 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:
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura 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.”