Srila Prabhupad and the Dwaraka Shila controversey cleared up:

Some other information on Dwarka Silas here:

Destination Dwaraka:
The Dwarkadish web-stie:

Lord Matsya Dwarka sila

by Bimal Prasad dasa ACBSP

Shastra tells us:
It  is recommended to worship the Salagrama with a Dvaraka  sila.  A  good Dvaraka sila should be white,  round or square,  unbroken and without holes, and with well formed cakras.

     dve cakre dvarakayan tu salagrama siladvyam
     etesam arcanannityam udvegam prapnuyad grhi

     Worshipping  two dvaraka silas or two Salagram silas at once will cause disturbance in the mind.
                                Manra tantra prakasah

If one has two Salagrama, one should worship them separately, not together.   However  if one has many Salagrams,  one can  worship them all together.
 

The Brahma Purana states that wherever shalagrama-shila and Dvaraka-shila sit together, there certainly mukti also resides. In the conversation between Brahma and Narada in the Skanda Purana Brahma says, "O Munishvara! Wherever dvaraka-shila sits in front of the shalagrama-shila every class of opulence goes on increasing unlimitedly." In another place it says that one who daily worships dvaraka-shila along with twelve shalagrama-shila will be honored even in Vaikuntha-dhama.

The Prahlada Samhita states that a dvaraka-shila with one cakra is known as Sudarshana, a shila with two cakras is Lakshmi-Narayana, and one with three cakras is Trivikrama. The shila marked with four cakras is Janardana, with five cakras is Vasudeva, with six cakras is Pradyumna, and with seven cakras is Baladeva. The one that has eight cakras is called Purushottama, with nine cakras Navavyuha, with ten cakras Dashmurti, and with eleven cakras Aniruddha. That dvaraka-shila with twelve cakras is Dvadasatmaka, and one with more than twelve cakras is known as Ananta.

The Varaha Purana says that whoever touches a shila with the mark of a Vishnu-cakra will become free of all sins. The Garuda Purana declares that simply the darshana of Sudarshana and other dvaraka-shila fulfils all desires. The Skanda Purana declares that without a doubt if a very sinful man worships a dvaraka-shila with devotion, or even without devotion, he becomes free from all sinful reactions. According to the Dvaraka Mahatmya, a shila marked with cakras coming from Dvaraka is also called cakra-tirtha. Even if this shila is worshipped by a sinful person from a degraded country, the worships still becomes liberated.

The Kapila-pancaratra explains the benefits of worshiping different types of dvaraka-shilas. That charming shila known as Sudarsana, which has one cakra on it, gives one liberation. The Lakshmi-Narayana dvaraka-shila with two cakras gives opulence and liberation, and an Acyuta-shila with three cakras gives one respect equal to Lord Indra. The shila known as Caturbhuja with four cakras brings religion, economic development, enjoyment, and liberation. A Vasudeva-shila, Which has five cakras, will remove the fear of birth and death, and a Pradyumna-shila with six cakras will give one beauty and wealth. The one called Balabhadra-shila with seven cakras gives fame and a continuation of one's dynasty, while a Purushottama-shila with eight cakras gives all types of benedictions. With nine cakras, a Narasimhadeva-shila gives the highest benefits, and a Dashavatara dvaraka-shila with ten cakras gives kingship. An Aniruddha-shila, which has eleven cakras, give fame and lordship, and the one known as Dvadasatmaka-shila with twelve cakras gives liberation and happiness. - The Kapila-pancaratra also describes the bad results derived from worshiping certain types of dvaraka-shilas. A black dvaraka-shila gives death, a smoke colored one gives constant fear, a multi-colored one gives bad health and a blue coloured shila takes away one's wealth. That dvaraka-shila that has a hole passing through it brings poverty, a pale one gives terrible distress, and a broken shila brings separation from the wife. The white shila gives sons, grandsons, wealth, power, and all types of happiness, so this type of shila should be adored. - The Prahlada-samhita also says that a black shila causes death, reddish gives constant fear, multi-colored brings disease, yellow or smoke-coloured gives poverty, and a broken one causes death to the wife. Shilas with a hole, uneven cakras, triangular in shape, or half-moon shaped should never be worshiped. Garga and Galava Rishis have stated that a shila with uniform cakras brings happiness, a twelve cakra shila is very auspicious, and round and square shilas give happiness. But worshiping shilas that are broken, triangular, having holes, with uneven cakras, or half-moon shaped is fruitless.

As regards the Dwarkasila, this variety also is found to be divided into different kinds in accordance with its colour and other qualities, which may be summarised as under (Padmapurane quoted in Praanatoshanitantra, page 360.)

(1) The blue type: It is the giver of untimely death
(2) The reddish brown: It brings in serious dangers.
(3) Variegated: It gives insanity
(4) Yellow: It causes destruction of wealth.
(5) Smoky Colour: It causes untimely death of children.
(6) The broken type: It causes death of wife.
(7) The white type with dot prints: It fulfils all desires.
(8) The type with unbroken circular marks: It removes poverty and sorrow.
(9) The type having glaced circular shape: It gives the same results as above.
(10) The type with quadrangular shape: It gives the same result as above.
(11) The type with even number of circular marks: It gives bliss and worldly pleasure.
(12) The type with odd number of circular marks: It causes sorrow and worldly pain.
 The same authority adds that one should not offer worship to any of the following types because of their habit of giving undesirable results (loc. cit)
(1) The type with one or more holes on its body.
(2) The broken one.
(3) That which is neither round, nor has angles on its sides.
(4) That which has odd number of circles marked on its body.
(5) That which is shaped like the half part of the moon.

     DWARKA SHILAS: The Glories of Dwaraka-Shila -The Varaha Purana says that whoever touches a Dwarka Shila with the mark of a Vishnu-Chakra will become free of all sins. The Garuda Purana declares that simply the Darshana of all Dwaraka-Shila fulfils all desires. The Skanda Purana declares that without a doubt if a very sinful man worships a Dwaraka-Shila with devotion, or even without devotion, he becomes free from all sinful reactions. According to the Dwaraka Mahatmya, a Shila marked with Chakras coming from Dwaraka is also called Chakra-Tirtha. Even if this Shila is worshipped by a sinful person from a degraded country, the worshiper still becomes liberated.
     As per Brahma Purana the worshipper of Dwarka Shilas along with Shaligrama Shilas bestows the devotee with liberation, opulence, gives one respect equal to Lord Indra, brings religious thinking, economic development, worldly comforts, all sorts of enjoyment, remove the fear of birth and death, will give one beauty and wealth, gives fame and a continuation of one's dynasty, kingship, lordship, gives sons, grandsons, wealth, power, peace, extreme protection and Vaikuntha Dhama.
       Identifying Symbols of Dwaraka-Shilas - The Prahlada Samhita states that a Dvaraka-Shila with one prominent Wheel (Chakra) is known as Sudarshana, a Shila with two Chakras is Lakshmi-Narayana, and one with three Chakras is Trivikrama. The Shila marked with four Chakras is Janardana, with five Chakras is Vasudeva, with six Chakras is Pradyumna, and with seven Chakras is Baladeva. The one that has eight Chakras is called Purushottama, with nine Chakras Navavyuha, with ten Chakras is Dashmurti, and with eleven Chakras is Aniruddha. That Dwaraka-Shila with twelve Chakras is Dvadasatmaka, and one with more than twelve Chakras is known as Ananta. The shape of the Dwarka Shila also determines the type of the Shila.
     Benefits of Different Types of Dwaraka-Shilas-The Kapila-Pancaratra explains the benefits of worshiping different types of Dwaraka-Shilas. That charming shila known as Sudarsana, which has one Chakra on it, gives one liberation. The Lakshmi-Narayana Dvaraka-Shila with two Chakras gives opulence and liberation, and an Acyuta-Shila with three Chakras gives one respect equal to Lord Indra. The Shila known as Chaturbhuja with four Chakras brings religious thinking, economic development, enjoyment, and liberation. A Vasudeva-Shila, Which has five Chakras, will remove the fear of birth and death, and a Pradyumna-Shila with six Chakras will give one beauty and wealth.
      The one called Balabhadra-Shila with seven Chakras gives fame and a continuation of one's dynasty, while a Purushottama-Shila with eight Chakras gives all types of benedictions. With nine Chakras, a Narasimhadeva-Shila gives the highest benefits, and a Dashavatara Dwaraka-Shila with ten Chakras gives kingship.

      An Aniruddha-Shila, which has eleven Chakras, give fame and lordship, and the one known as Dwadasatmaka-shila with twelve Chakras gives liberation and happiness. - The Kapila-Pancaratra also describes that the white Shila gives sons, grandsons, wealth, power, and all types of happiness, so this type of Shila should be adored. Garga and Galava Rishis have stated that a Dwarka Shilas with uniform Chakras brings happiness, a twelve or more Chakra Shila is very auspicious, and round and square shilas give happiness.
     Worshiping Shaligrama-Shila with Dwaraka-Shila-The Brahma Purana states that wherever Shalagrama-Shila and Dvaraka-Shila sitting together are worshipped, certainly salavation or mukti resides there. In the conversation between Brahma and Narada in the Skanda Purana Brahma says, "O Munishvara! Wherever Dwaraka-Shila sits in front of the Shalagrama-Shila every class of opulence goes on increasing unlimitedly." In another place it says that one who daily worships Dvaraka-Shila along with twelve Shalagrama-Shila will be honored even in Vaikuntha-dhama.

 It was mentioned earlier that in the Vaishnava tradition, the worship of the Dvararvati-stone (obtained from the Gomati river in Dvaraka) along with the salagrama-stone is considered meritorious, for the latter variety of stones are special forms assumed by Krishna himself.
      The chakra-mark is the most distinguishing feature of the Dvarvati stones, and hence they are called ‘chakrankita-sila’. According to Garuda-purana, there are twelve varieties of this stone, owing to the number of chakras, colours and forms (‘dasadha cha prabhinnas ta varnakrti-vibhedatah’). When there is only one chakra, the stone is called Devesa; when there are two chakras, it is Sudarshana; three chakras represent the deity Ananta.
     When there are four chakras, the stone is Janardana. Vasudeva is represented by the stone having five chakras, Pradyumna by six chakras, Bala-bhadra by seven, Purushottama by eight, Nava-vyuha by nine, Dasavatara by ten, Aniruddha by eleven and Dvadastma by twelve. Nava-vyuha represents the collection of nine forms of Vishnu: Vasudeva, Samkarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Narayana, Hayagriva, Vishnu, Nrsimha and Varaha. The first four forms are well known as ‘chatur-vyuha’. The twelve major forms of Vishnu are derived from these nine forms, according to the Tantra-siddhanta division of Pancharatra.
       The text also indicates the specific rewards for worshipping each of these twelve varieties of Dvaravati-silas: 1) and 2) salvation; 3) freedom from the fear of births and deaths 4) fulfillment of desires; 5) obtainment of prosperity and elimination of enemies; 6) wealth and lustre; 7) continuation of progeny and celebrity; 8) satisfaction of all that one aspires for; 9) rewards which are difficult even for the gods to obtain; 10) sovereignty and prosperity; 11) lordship; and 12) final emancipation. The stones having more chakras fulfill whatever one longs for, when worshipped.
     Prahlada-samhita, quoted in Salagrama-pariksha (by Anupasimha) gives the first few names differently. The Dvaravati-sila with only one chakra is called Sudarsana, with two chakras Lakshmi-narayana and with three Trivikrama. The rest of the names are the same as given above. The name Ananta is given to stones have more than twelve chakras. The name for Dasavatara in the above list is given here as Dasamurti.
     When the chakras are more than twelve, only even numbered chakras are to be preferred, according to Galava-smrtir.
       The Dvaravati-sila also occurs in different colours, but white stones are considered most suitable for worship. The dark (blue-black) stones forebode death, the tawny ones cause anxiety, the multi-coloured ones bring about disease and sorrow, the yellow ones take away wealth, the smoke coloured ones produce loss
of wealth, and the blue stones will bring about obstacles to any undertaking. Only the white coloured stones will make for a worldly prosperity in all aspects and spiritual welfare (Skanda-purana). Garuda-purana gives a slightly different account, but white is the preferred colour. According to Galava-smrti, the Dvaravati-stones are auspicious if they are round in shape or square.

It was mentioned earlier that in the Vaishnava tradition, the worship  of the Dvararvati-stone (obtained from the Gomati river in Dvaraka) along with the salagrama-stone is considered meritorious, for the latter variety of stones are special forms assumed by Krishna himself. However, the worship of the Dvaravati-sila is not as widespread as the Salagrama-sila, nor has it ever had a popular appeal. It appears that its celebrity is confined to the Vaishnava cults in Saurashtra, Bengal and Maharashtra; the Madhva sect in Karnataka has accorded some importance to it. The Dvaravati-stone is not as frequently seen as the salagrama-stones in temples or households. These stones are white in colour (the hue-variations), small in size and have markings on them resembling the chakra (in a rather distant way). The openings in them are not characteristic features, and are not important even when they are found. We read in several Vaishnava texts that the worship of these stones must be conjoined with that of the Salagramas.

The chakra-mark is the most distinguishing feature of the Dvarvati stones, and hence they are called ‘chakrankita-sila’.

The Skanda-purana has this eulogy…

According to Garuda-purana, there are twelve varieties of this stone, owing to the number of chakras, colours and forms (‘dasadha cha prabhinnas ta varnakrti-vibhedatah’). When there is only one chakra, the stone is called Devesa; when there are two chakras, it is Sudarshana; three chakras represent the deity Ananta. When there are four chakras, the stone is Janardana. Vasudeva is represented by the stone having five chakras, Pradyumna by six chakras, Bala-bhadra by seven, Purushottama by eight, Nava-vyuha by nine, Dasavatara by ten, Aniruddha by eleven and Dvadastma by twelve. Nava-vyuha represents the collection of nine forms of Vishnu: Vasudeva, Samkarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Narayana, Hayagriva, Vishnu, Nrsimha and Varaha. The first four forms are well known as ‘chatur-vyuha’. The twelve major forms of Vishnu are derived from these nine forms, according to the Tantra-siddhanta division of Pancharatra.

The twelve forms of Vishnu are called ‘vyuhantara’: Kesava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudana, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrshikesa, Padmanabha and Damodara.

The Dasavatara-murti is the collective representation of the ten incarnatory forms, which are also called ‘prahurbhava-gana’ (matsya, kurma etc).

The text also indicates the specific rewards for worshipping each of these twelve varieties of Dvaravati-silas: 1) and 2) salvation; 3) freedom from the fear of births and deaths 4) fulfillment of desires; 5) obtainment of prosperity and elimination of enemies; 6) wealth and lustre; 7) continuation of progeny and celebrity; 8) satisfaction of all that one aspires for; 9) rewards which are difficult even for the gods to obtain; 10) sovereignty and prosperity; 11) lordship; and 12) final emancipation. The stones having more chakras fulfill whatever one longs for, when worshipped.

Prahlada-samhita, quoted in Salagrama-pariksha (by Anupasimha) gives the first few names differently. The Dvaravati-sila with only one chakra is called Sudarsana, with two chakras Lakshmi-narayana and with three Trivikrama. The rest of the names are the same as given above. The name Ananta is given to stones have more than twelve chakras. The name for Dasavatara in the above list is given here as Dasamurti.
When the chakras are more than twelve, only even numbered chakras are to be preferred, according to Galava-smrtir.

The Dvaravati-sila also occurs in different colours, but white stones are considered most suitable for worship. The dark (blue-black) stones forebode death, the tawny ones cause anxiety, the multi-coloured ones bring about disease and sorrow, the yellow ones take away wealth, the smoke coloured ones produce loss of wealth, and the blue stones will bring about obstacles to any undertaking. Only the white coloured stones will make for a worldly prosperity in all aspects and spiritual welfare (Skanda-purana).

Garuda-purana gives a slightly different account, but white is the preferred colour.

According to Galava-smrti, the Dvaravati-stones are auspicious if they are round in shape or square; but not so if they are triangular or uneven in shape. The stone which is split or broken must not be worshipped, nor the stone which is crescent in shape. Such stones when worshipped do not bring any rewards.

As in the case of prohibited Salagramas, the Dvaravati-stones also have ill-effects, when improperly selected and thoughtlessly worshipped. A crooked stone will kill the progeny, a broken one will ruin any undertaking; the stone with many fissures or holes will produce poverty and misery. The triangular, uneven shaped and crescent-shaped stones must not be worshipped (Garuda-purana).

Go to Salagram kosha page

Acyutänanda: They have rewritten the Bible, “Thou shalt not murder.”
Prabhupäda: [break] ...can be used as paper weight. (laughter) [break] ...use anything for Kåñëa.
Yaçodänandana: ...temples they are worshiping this Dvärakä-çilä with the çalagräma-çilä.
Prabhupäda: That’s all right, but we have no such instruction. (end)
(Morning Walk 8th January 1976, Nellore.)

the off handed informal quote is better looked at here to see if it was an instruction and directive for the society to adopt or just a personal preference on Srila Prabhupada's part.

This is the same conversation as cited above, but with a little more entirity (Morning Walk 8th January 1976, Nellore.)
Prabhupäda: ...sambhava. Where is brähmaëa? All çüdra.
Indian man (1): But according to.... [break]
Prabhupäda: ...not vegetarian. We are neither nonvegetarian. We eat kåñëa-prasädam. Kåñëa says, “Give me this food.” Patraà puñpaà phalaà toyaà [Bg. 9.26]. So we offer Him, and then we eat it, so we have nothing to do with vegetarian and nonvegetarian. If Kåñëa says that, “You give Me flesh,” then we can eat flesh also. But Kåñëa does not say that.
Tamäla Kåñëa: Çréla Prabhupäda? I have heard one person say that patraà puñpaà phalaà toyaà doesn’t include other things. There are many other things that we offer Kåñëa besides patraà puñpaà phalaà toyaà.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Tamäla Kåñëa: So similarly, why can’t we offer meat? He doesn’t say, “Don’t offer me meat.”
Prabhupäda: Hm. Hm?
Tamäla Kåñëa: In the Bhagavad-gétä it doesn’t say you can’t offer Kåñëa meat.
Prabhupäda: So if you like, you can do that.
Tamäla Kåñëa: I don’t want to.
Prabhupäda: (chuckles) What directly He says, you have to take. And if you interpret, that can be interpreted.
Acyutänanda: They have rewritten the Bible, “Thou shalt not murder.”
Prabhupäda: [break] ...can be used as paper weight. (laughter) [break] ...use anything for Kåñëa.
Yaçodänandana: ...temples they are worshiping this Dvärakä-çilä with the çalagräma-çilä.
Prabhupäda: That’s all right, but we have no such instruction. (end)

Another angle on the above documentation is enclosed herein:

January 6th, 1976

On the morning walk there was some discussion about the Tirupati temple, which houses Balaji, the richest Deity in India. Prabhupada suggested that Mahamsa Swami approach the managers of the temple for a grant to build our temple here in Nellore. Mahamsa explained that in recent years the management of Tirupati, along with that of all the temples in the State, had been taken over by the Government.

This led to a long discussion whether our ISKCON temples could also be taken over. If they could, it would be on the basis of their being "Hindu" temples. So Srila Prabhupada, in order to avoid any government interference, suggested that we register the temples as American property. Apart from that, he said we are not Hindu. The word Hindu isn't in the Bhagavad-gita, and the teachings of Bhagavad-gita are for everyone, not just Hindus. Srila Prabhupada strongly emphasized this point and even said that we could go to court to prove we are not Hindus.

After the morning walk the sannyasis gathered in Srila Prabhupada's room. Yasodanandana Maharaja showed him what he said was a Dvaraka-sila, a brown-and-white-freckled stone, and asked if it was all right to worship.

"It can be used as paper weight," Prabhupada said, unimpressed.

When Yasodanandana Swami mentioned that some temples worshipped the Dvaraka-sila along with the Salagrama-sila, Prabhupada was dismissive. "That's all right, but we have no such instruction."

- From the "A Transcendental Diary Vol 1" by HG Hari Sauri dasa

There were no previous nor after discussions on the merits, qualities, characterisitcs etc of Dwaraka or the Dwaraka shilas mentioned in the Vedabase.

There's a nice reply from Gaura Keshava prabhu relating to similar statements in the same regard being bounded around in our society which I for one believe sheds a very nice and clear light on the subject while maintaining respect from Srila Prabhupad, the previous acharyas and their writings and the sacred Tirtha of Dwarka itself:

Dear Jaya Tirtha Charanji, namaskaram

Thanks for including me in this discussion. I wonder why I didn't get this email that came from Krsna Ksetraji. What list was it sent to? Anyway here's my comment.

Krsna Kshetra dasa wrote:
Prabhupada's comment "That's alright but we have no such instruction" I
understand to indicate that Dvaraka-sila worship is not general practiced by
Gaudiya-Vaisnavas, since they are focussing on worship of Krsna in Vrindavan
(and therefore there would be no need for his disciples to all go running to
Dvaraka to scour the place for Dvaraka-silas);

Gaura Keshava prabhu continues:
Krsna Ksetra is assuming here that because Srila Prabhupada says that he basically doesn't know about Dvaraka Sila worship that it is not generally practiced by Gaudiya Vaisnavas. I don't agree. This is an assumption based upon our faith that Srila Prabhuapda knew everything about Gaudiya Vaisnava ritualism. Why should that be?

Krsna Kshetra dasa wrote:
 but by this comment I don't consider that Prabhupada intended to counter the Haribhaktivilasa, which
describes Dvaraka-sila worship at the end of the 5th Vilasa, after a lengthy
discussion on Salagrama-sila worship. Put another way, Prabhupada clearly
did not put importance on worship of Dvaraka-sila, but neither did he say
"My instruction is that my disciples shall not worship Dvaraka-sila".

GKd continues:
Yes, for sure, I agree that since he never actually forbade the worship of Dvaraka sila ISKCON people should have no problem with it. And especially if they are also worshipping Salagramas. By the way there is no mention of Govardhana Sila in HBV, and yet even though there is no mention of it in sastra it is an important feature of Gaudiya Vaisnava ritualism.

Krsna Kshetra dasa wrote:
Since it is mentioned in HBV, and since Krsna's pastimes in Dvaraka are
celebrated in the Srimad Bhagavatam and thus relished by the Gaudiya
Vaisnavas, I see no 'harm' in keeping a Dvaraka-sila and offering simple
worship as remembrance of these pastimes (and perhaps, to connect this in a
specifically 'Gaudiya way', you might want to remember the description in
Sanatana Goswami's [soon to be published by BBT] Brhad-Bhagavatamrta, part
I, ch. 5-7 description of Narada's visit to Dvaraka and the ensuing
expression of feelings by Lord Krsna toward the residents of Vrindavan).

GKd responds:
Again I disagree with the above that worshipping Dvaraka Sila means that one automatically is engaged in remembrance of Dvaraka pastimes. If this were so then would not the worship of Salagrama be conducive only for those seeking to worship Lord Visnu in His different forms and NOT (Vrndavana) Krsna? This type of comment would seem to indicate that the only true worship of (Vrndavana) Krsna in sila form can be performed through Govardhana Sila worship. However we see many Gaudiya Vaisnavas worshipping Salagrama as (Vrndavana) Krsna, so why not also worship Dvaraka Sila in that way?

I personally have a small Dvaraka Sila with 7 chakras. According to HBV it is Balarama. I therefore keep Him with my Giriraj (Govardhana Sila). In this way I am worshipping Krsna Balarama. I have never thought that I am worshipping Vrnadavana Krsna with Dvaraka Balarama or Krsna and Balarama in Dvaraka. The mood of the worshipped has nothing to do with the particular type of Sila that one has. Of course many silas have distinct personalities that are identified by their markings. For instance there are many Nrsimha silas identified by their markings. So to worship Nrsimha as Krsna is a bit of a stretch, but even then I see no problem with someone who wants to identify any sila as Krsna.

ys

Gaura Keshava das

   From: M.S.HARI Madabhushi Sarangarajan Hari <mshari@usa.net>
Subject: DwArakA SilA mUrtis & its AarAdhanam

SrI:
SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:

Dear SrI VaishNavas,

There were two personal mails, which I received from two SrI VaishNavas regarding SrI dwAraka SilA mUrtis. I wanted to share my reply to all SrI VaishNavas in these email lists as follows:
=============================================================
I present a very short article on SrI dwArakA SilA mUrti, which is worshipped with SrI SAlagrAma mUrti as per SAstras.

According to brahma purANam, the presence of SrI SAlagrAma mUrti and dwArakA-SilA leads a person certainly to attaining mumukshutvam - interest in attaining mOksham.  The skAnda purANam also talks about richness which becomes ever-increasing when SrI SAlagrAma mUrti and dwArakA-SilA are worshipped together.

The Varaha PurANam, Garuda PurANam and also the SrI dvAraka Mahatmyam declare the greatness of SrI dwAraka SilA and its worship with SrI SAligrAma mUrti. The dwAraka SilA is also considered as SrI dEvi (SrI mahA lakhsmI) mUrti when accompanied with SrI SAligrAma mUrti - SrIman nArAyaNa mUrti. Many SishTas place SrI dwAraka SilA on the right side of SrI sAlagrAma mUrti very closely. Our SrI VaishNava pUrvAchArya Aahnika grantams mentions lot of these pramANams and advocates SrI dwArakA SilA mUrti AarAdhanam along with with SrI SAlagrAma mUrti as per SAstras.

The SrI dwAraka SilA can be obtained from SrI dwAraka divya dESam-kshEtram, its vicinity sea-shore. It will be generally white or very light-yellow in color with charka insignia of unparalleled and unsurpassed supreme-self parabrahma-bhUtan purushOtaman Lord SrIman nArAyaNan. Like the SrI SAlagrAma mUrti, the Lord's sAnidhyam is by virtue naturally in SrI dwArka SilA also. Therefore, similar to SrI SAlagrAma mUrti, the dwArakA SilA also requires no consecration-pratishTA/AavAhanam. It can be worshipped as such by all who have undergone pancha-samskAram & according to one's own dharma-prescriptions by SAstras.

The tirumanjanam etc in milk as I told for SrI SAlagrAma mUrti can be followed for  dwArakA SilA. The AarAdhanam to SrI dwArakA SilA is done along with SrI SAlagrAma mUrti in the same manner as we do for SrI SAlagrAma mUrti. Similar to mUrti-lakshaNams in SrI SAlagrAma mUrti, there are lakshaNams and names specified for SrI dwArakA SilA also. Accoring to the Prahlada Samhita, the count of charkas determine the name of the dwArakA SilA mUrti.

It is as follows:
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI sudArSanan when it has  1 chakram.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI lakshmI nArAyaNan when it has  2 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI trivikraman when it has  3 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI janArdanan when it has  4 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI vAsudEvan when it has  5 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI pradyumnan when it has  6 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI balabhadran/baladEvan when it has  7 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI purushOttaman when it has  8 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI navavyUha  when it has  9 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI daSamUrti  when it has  10 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI anirudhdan when it has  11chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI dwAdaSAtmakan when it has  12 chakrams.
The SrI dwArakA SilA is called as SrI anantan when it has  more than 12 chakrams.

The above mentioned dwAraka SilAs must be white. The lakshaNams for SAlagrAma mUrti are different from the above mentioned lakhsaNams for dwAraka SilAs. By Lord SrIman nArAyaNan's anugraham, various benefits can be obtained through the worship of the above mentioned SrI dwAraka SilAs as declared by SAstras.  For prapannas, this AarAdhanam is also ananya-prayOjana bhagavath kainkaryam.  But certain dwAraka SilAs which are black, smoke-colored, multi-coloured, blue, with hole, broken, red, uneven chakrams, triangular in shape, half-crescent-moon shaped are not considered for AarAdhanam as per the SAstras. The sale and purchase of SrI dwAraka SilA is also not seen among SrI VaishNavas. It is also obtained through SAstra-prescribed dAnam similar to SrI SAlagrAma mUrti.
 

Thanks & Regards
naidhurva mAdabhUshi S. HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari@usa.net)

The Dwaraka Shilas are stones found near the sea at Dwaraka, one of the most holy places of India. They are rocks with marks of wheels (chakra) on them. It is recommended to worship the Salagrama with a Dwaraka Shila. A good Dwaraka sila should be white, round or square, unbroken and without holes, and with well formed chakras.

At Dwaraka, the place where the Gomati river meets the sea is known as Chakra Teertha. It is said that lord Vishnu manifested here in the form of Dwaraka Shila.

The famous Nageswar Jyotirlinga near Dwaraka is made of a large Dwaraka Sila.

The Brahma Purana states that wherever shalagrama-shila and Dwaraka sila sit together, there certainly mukti (salvation) also resides. In the conversation between Brahma and Narada in the Skanda Purana Brahma says, "O Munishvara! Wherever Dwaraka sila sits in front of the shalagrama-shila every class of opulence goes on increasing unlimitedly." In another place it says that one who daily worships dvaraka-shila along with twelve shalagrama-shila will be honored even in Vaikuntha-dhama.

The Varaha Purana says that whoever touches a shila with the mark of a Vishnu-chakra will become free of all sins. The Garuda Purana declares that simply the darshana of Sudarshana and other Dwaraka sila fulfils all desires. The Skanda Purana declares that without a doubt if a very sinful man worships a Dwaraka sila with devotion, or even without devotion, he becomes free from all sinful reactions. According to the Dwaraka Mahatmya, a shila marked with chakras coming from Dvaraka is also called chakra-tirtha. Even if this shila is worshipped by a sinful person from a degraded country, the worships still becomes liberated.

The Kapila-pancaratra explains the benefits of worshiping different types of Dwaraka sila. That charming shila known as Sudarsana, which has one chakra on it, gives one liberation. The Lakshmi-Narayana Dwaraka sila with two chakras gives opulence and liberation, and an Acyuta-shila with three chakras gives one respect equal to Lord Indra. The shila known as Caturbhuja with four cakras brings religion, economic development, enjoyment, and liberation. A Vasudeva-shila, Which has five chakras, will remove the fear of birth and death, and a Pradyumna-shila with six chakras will give one beauty and wealth. The one called Balabhadra-shila with seven cakras gives fame and a continuation of one's dynasty, while a Purushottama-shila with eight chakras gives all types of benedictions. With nine chakras, a Narasimhadeva-shila gives the highest benefits, and a Dashavatara Dwaraka sila with ten chakras gives kingship. An Aniruddha-shila, which has eleven chakras, give fame and lordship, and the one known as Dvadasatmaka-shila with twelve chakras gives liberation and happiness.

The Kapila-pancaratra also describes the bad results derived from worshiping certain types of Dwaraka sila. A black one gives death, a smoke colored one gives constant fear, a multi-colored one gives bad health and a blue coloured shila takes away one's wealth. That Dwaraka-shila that has a hole passing through it brings poverty, a pale one gives terrible distress, and a broken shila brings separation from the wife. The white shila gives sons, grandsons, wealth, power, and all types of happiness, so this type of shila should be adored.

The Prahlada-samhita also says that a black shila causes death, reddish gives constant fear, multi-colored brings disease, yellow or smoke-coloured gives poverty, and a broken one causes death to the wife. Shilas with a hole, uneven chakras, triangular in shape, or half-moon shaped should never be worshiped. Garga and Galava Rishis have stated that a shila with uniform chakras brings happiness, a twelve chakra shila is very auspicious, and round and square shilas give happiness. But worshiping shilas that are broken, triangular, having holes, with uneven chakras, or half-moon shaped is fruitless.

All about the Lost City of Dwaraka:
http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Dwaraka.htm

Dwaraka:
http://www.vihari.com/Divine/dwaraka.asp

Places of Pilgrimage in Gujarat - Dwarka:
http://www.shubhyatra.com/htm/gujarat/pilgrimage_dwarka.htm

Info' about Dwaraka - excavations and findings:
http://sarasvati.simplenet.com/sarasvati_river/legacy.html

Dwaraka Temples:
http://www.thebharat.com/tourism/temples/dwarka.html

Udupi Krishna a Shalagram carved to resemble Krishna in Dwaraka:
http://www.udupipages.com/temple/kmutt.html

Mahabharata a reality - myths cleared by Dwaraka excavations:
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/mahabharat/mahab_reality.html

Mahabharat links:
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/mahabharat/mahab_link.html

The Search for Historical Krishna:
http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/archives/byauthor/navaratnarajaram/sfthkp1.html

The NEW Dwarkadish Temple Web-site:
http://www.dwarkadhish.net/3e_dwarkadhish_temple/index.htm

Gomati silas from the confluence of the Gomati (Gumpti) river and the sea at Dwarka HERE

Vedik links: