S'rî
S'uka said: 'Comfortably
seated on a couch after having been that much honored by
Râma and Krishna saw he [Akrûra] thus all
he on his way had pictured in his mind realized before
him.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Having been honored so much by
Lord Balarâma and Lord Krishna, Akrûra, seated
comfortably on a couch, felt that all the desires he had
contemplated on the road were now fulfilled.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
What
would be unattainable with the Supreme Lord, the shelter of
S'rî, being satisfied; yet do the ones devoted to Him, o
King, indeed not desire anything.
My
dear King, what is unattainable for one who has satisfied
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the shelter of the
goddess of fortune? Even so, those who are dedicated to His
devotional service never want anything from Him.
(Vedabase)
Text
3
After
the evening meal had been enjoyed asked the Supreme Lord, the
son of Devakî about the behavior of Kamsa towards His
friends and relatives as also what his plans
were.
After
the evening meal, Lord Krishna, the son of Devakî,
asked Akrûra how Kamsa was treating their dear
relatives and friends and what the King was planning to do.
(Vedabase)
Text
4
The
Supreme Lord said: 'O gentle one, have you recovered from your
trip? All good to you! Are your friends and relatives and other
associates all healthy and hale?
The
Supreme Lord said: My dear, gentle uncle Akrûra, was
your trip here comfortable? May all good fortune be yours.
Are our well-wishing friends and our relatives, both close
and distant, happy and in good health? (Vedabase)
Text
5
But
what my dear, am I to ask about our well-being, our relatives
and the subject citizens, as long as that disease of the family
Kamsa, in name our maternal uncle, is insolent?
But,
my dear Akrûra, as long as King Kamsa - that disease
of our family who goes by the name "maternal uncle" - is
still prospering, why should I even bother to ask about the
well-being of our family members and his other subjects?
(Vedabase)
Text
6
Just
see how my offenseless parents because of Me had to suffer
greatly with him causing the death of their sons and holding
them captive.
Just
see how much suffering I have caused My offenseless parents!
Because of Me their sons were killed and they themselves
imprisoned. (Vedabase)
Text
7
Today
has the wish been fulfilled that We may enjoy the good fortune
of you, My close relative, seeking My presence, o gentle one;
please explain o uncle for what reason you came
here.'
By
good fortune We have today fulfilled Our desire to see you,
Our dear relative. O gentle uncle, please tell Us why you
have come. (Vedabase)
Text
8
S'rî
S'uka said: 'On the request of the Supreme Lord described the
descendant of Madhu [Akrûra, see 9.23:
29]
the inimical attitude and the murder schemes [of Kamsa]
towards Vasudeva and the Yadus.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: In response to the Supreme Lord's
request, Akrûra, the descendant of Madhu, described
the whole situation, including King Kamsa's enmity toward
the Yadus and his attempt to murder Vasudeva.
(Vedabase)
Text
9
He
disclosed for what message he had been sent as an envoy and
what Nârada had told him [Kamsa] about Krishna's
being born as a son of Ânakadundubhi.
Akrûra
relayed the message he had been sent to deliver. He also
described Kamsa's real intentions and how Nârada had
informed Kamsa that Krishna had been born as the son of
Vasudeva. (Vedabase)
Text
10
Hearing what
Akrûra had to say made Krishna and Balarâma, the
destroyer of all boldness in opposition, laugh and they told
Nanda, their (foster-)father, what the king had
ordered.
Lord
Krishna and Lord Balarâma, the vanquisher of heroic
opponents, laughed when They heard Akrûra's words. The
Lords then informed Their father, Nanda
Mahârâja, of King Kamsa's orders.
(Vedabase)
Text
11-12:
The
gopas he then on his turn told: 'Gather all dairy, take
gifts and yoke the wagons. Tomorrow will we together with all
the people under my care go to Mathurâ to offer the King
our products and have a great festival', and so had the
gopa Nanda it announced by spokesmen all over his
domain.
Nanda
Mahârâja then issued orders to the cowherd men
by having the village constable make the following
announcement throughout Nanda's domain of Vraja: "Go collect
all the available milk products. Bring valuable gifts and
yoke your wagons. Tomorrow we shall go to Mathurâ,
present our milk products to the King and see a very great
festival. The residents of all the outlying districts are
also going." (Vedabase)
Text
13
The
cowherd-girls then who heard that Akrûra had come to
Vraja to take Râma and Krishna to the city, got totally
upset.
When
the young gopîs heard that Akrûra had
come to Vraja to take Krishna and Balarâma to the
city, they became extremely distressed. (Vedabase)
Text
14
With some of
them created that in their hearts such a great pain that they
with their beautiful faces sighing turned pale while of others
the knots in their hair, their bracelets and dresses came to
slip.
Some
gopîs felt so pained at heart that their faces
turned pale from their heavy breathing. Others were so
anguished that their dresses, bracelets and braids became
loose. (Vedabase)
Text
15
With others,
fixed in meditation on Him, ceased, just like with those who
have attained the realm of self-realization, all the sensory
functions taking no notion of this world
anymore.
Other
gopîs entirely stopped their sensory activities
and became fixed in meditation on Krishna. They lost all
awareness of the external world, just like those who attain
the platform of self-realization. (Vedabase)
Text
16
Still other
women fainted, thinking of how S'auri
sending His loving smiles would touch the heart and express
Himself in wonderful phrases.
And
still other young women fainted simply by remembering the
words of Lord S'auri [Krishna]. These words,
decorated with wonderful phrases and expressed with
affectionate smiles, would deeply touch the young girls'
hearts. (Vedabase)
Text
17-18
Thinking about
the movements so charming, the activities, the affectionate
smiles, the glances removing all unhappiness, the jesting words
and mighty deeds of Mukunda, joined they in fear of the
separation greatly distressed in groups speaking deeply
absorbed in Acyuta with tears on their faces.
The
gopîs were frightened at the prospect of even
the briefest separation from Lord Mukunda, so now, as they
remembered His graceful gait, His pastimes, His
affectionate, smiling glances, His heroic deeds and His
joking words, which would relieve their distress, they were
beside themselves with anxiety at the thought of the great
separation about to come. They gathered in groups and spoke
to one another, their faces covered with tears and their
minds fully absorbed in Acyuta. (Vedabase)
Text
19
The fine
gopîs said: 'O providence, where is your mercy to
bring together the embodied in love and friendship while you
leave each of us to her devices unfulfilled in her aims; how
useless you toy with us like a child!
The
gopîs said: O Providence, you have no mercy!
You bring embodied creatures together in friendship and love
and then senselessly separate them before they fulfill their
desires. This whimsical play of yours is like a child's
game. (Vedabase)
Text
20
Having shown to
us the face of Mukunda framed in black locks, His fine cheeks
and straight nose and the beauty of His modest smile dispelling
the misery, you're not doing any good making them
invisible.
Having
shown us Mukunda's face, framed by dark locks and beautified
by His fine cheeks, raised nose and gentle smiles, which
eradicate all misery, you are now making that face
invisible. This behavior of yours is not at all good.
(Vedabase)
Text
21
By the name of
Akrûra [meaning 'not-cruel'] you for certain are
cruel; the Perfection of All Creation, the perfection of the
enemy of Madhu, that you once granted our eyes to see you
indeed just like a fool alas take away.
O
Providence, though you come here with the name Akrûra,
you are indeed cruel, for like a fool you are taking away
what you once gave us - those eyes with which we have seen,
even in one feature of Lord Madhudvisha's form, the
perfection of your entire creation. (Vedabase)
Text
22
Alas, now that
He has taken up a new love, does the son of Nanda, in a second
breaking with His friendship, have no eyes for us
[anymore] who under His control in direct service to
Him were moved to give up our homes, relatives, children and
husbands.
Alas,
Nanda's son, who breaks loving friendships in a second, will
not even look directly at us. Forcibly brought under His
control, we abandoned our homes, relatives, children and
husbands just to serve Him, but He is always looking for new
lovers. (Vedabase)
Text
23
How happy is
the dawn after this night when unfailingly the hopes have been
fulfilled of the women of the city [of Mathurâ]
who will drink in the face of the master of Vraja entering
there with a nectarean smile that is hiding in the corners of
His eyes.
The
dawn following this night will certainly be auspicious for
the women of Mathurâ. All their hopes will now be
fulfilled, for as the Lord of Vraja enters their city, they
will be able to drink from His face the nectar of the smile
emanating from the corners of His eyes. (Vedabase)
Text
24
However
subservient and intelligent Mukunda may be, once His mind is
seized by their honey-sweet words, o girls, what chance have we
that He, moved by the enchantments of their bashful smiles,
will return to us rustics?
O
gopîs, although our Mukunda is intelligent and
very obedient to His parents, once He has fallen under the
spell of the honey-sweet words of the women of Mathurâ
and been enchanted by their alluring, shy smiles, how will
He ever return to us unsophisticated village girls?
(Vedabase)
Text
25
Today will
there certainly be a great festival to the eyes of the
Dâs'ârhas, Bhojas, Andhakas, Vrishnis and
Sâtvatas and all others out there when they on the road
see passing by the Darling of the Goddess, the reservoir of all
transcendental qualities that is the son of
Devakî.
When
the Dâs'ârhas, Bhojas, Andhakas, Vrishnis and
Sâtvatas see the son of Devakî in Mathurâ,
they will certainly enjoy a great festival for their eyes,
as will all those who see Him traveling along the road to
the city. After all, He is the darling of the goddess of
fortune and the reservoir of all transcendental qualities.
(Vedabase)
Text
26
The name of
such an unkind person, a person as extremely cruel as him here,
shouldn't be 'a-krûra' because he without any
excuse takes away from the presence of us people [of
Vraja] full of sorrow, the One dearer to us than the
dearest.
He
who is doing this merciless deed should not be called
Akrûra. He is so extremely cruel that without even
trying to console the sorrowful residents of Vraja, he is
taking away Krishna, who is more dear to us than life
itself. (Vedabase)
Text
27
This
one, He who, to the indifference of the elders, so coolly has
mounted the chariot, is by these besotted gopas followed
in their bullock carts; today providence is not working in our
favor.
Hard-hearted
Krishna has already mounted the chariot, and now the foolish
cowherds are hurrying after Him in their bullock carts. Even
the elders are saying nothing to stop Him. Today fate is
working against us. (Vedabase)
Text
28
Let's go to Him
and stop Him, He cannot do this to us, the family, the elders
and our relatives who not even for a half a second can miss the
association of Mukunda; separated by that fate our hearts will
be broken!
Let
us directly approach Mâdhava and stop Him from going.
What can our family elders and other relatives do to us? Now
that fate is separating us from Mukunda, our hearts are
already wretched, for we cannot bear to give up His
association even for a fraction of a second.
(Vedabase)
Text
29
For us who to
the charm of His loving affection, attractive smiles, intimate
discussions and playful glances and embraces, were brought to
the assembly of the râsadance [10.33],
passed the night in a moment; how, o gopîs, can
now we get over the insurmountable darkness of being without
Him?
When
He brought us to the assembly of the râsa dance, where
we enjoyed His affectionate and charming smiles, His
delightful secret talks, His playful glances and His
embraces, we passed many nights as if they were a single
moment. O gopîs, how can we possibly cross over
the insurmountable darkness of His absence?
(Vedabase)
Text
30
How can we ever
exist without Him, that Friend of Ananta [Râma]
who at the end of the day, surrounded by gopas entered
Vraja with His hair and garland smeared with the dust of the
hoofs and who, playing His flute, smiling from the corners of
His eyes, with His glances stole our minds?'
How
can we exist without Ananta's friend Krishna, who in the
evening would return to Vraja in the company of the cowherd
boys, His hair and garland powdered with the dust raised by
the cows' hooves? As He played His flute, He would captivate
our minds with His smiling sidelong glances.
(Vedabase)
Text
31
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus speaking hopelessly unsettled of the
separation, forgot the ladies of Vraja, in attachment thinking
of Krishna, all their shame and cried they out aloud: 'O
Govinda, o Dâmodara, o Mâdhava!'
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: After speaking these words, the
ladies of Vraja, who were so attached to Krishna, felt
extremely agitated by their imminent separation from Him.
They forgot all shame and loudly cried out, "O Govinda! O
Dâmodara! O Mâdhava!" (Vedabase)
Text
32
As the women
thus lamented then set at sunrise Akrûra, having
performed his morning duties, out with his
chariot.
But
even as the gopîs cried out in this way,
Akrûra, having at sunrise performed His morning
worship and other duties, began to drive the chariot.
(Vedabase)
Text
33
The
gopas headed by Nanda following Him then in their wagons
brought along an abundance of offerings and clay pots filled
with dairy products.
Led
by Nanda Mahârâja, the cowherd men followed
behind Lord Krishna in their wagons. The men brought along
many offerings for the King, including clay pots filled with
ghee and other milk products. (Vedabase)
Text
34
The
gopîs to that, following Krishna hoping for some
pacifying words from Him to please them, stood
waiting.
[With
His glances] Lord Krishna somewhat pacified the
gopîs, and they also followed behind for some
time. Then, hoping He would give them some instruction, they
stood still. (Vedabase)
Text
35
Seeing them
thus lamenting as He was leaving, consoled the greatest of the
Yadus them full of love giving the message: 'Keep courage'
[*].
As
He departed, that best of the Yadus saw how the
gopîs, were lamenting, and thus He consoled
them by sending a messenger with this loving promise: "I
will return." (Vedabase)
Text
36
Sending their
minds after him for as long as the flag was visible and the
dust of the chariot could be seen, stood they there as painted
figures.
Sending
their minds after Krishna, the gopîs stood as
motionless as figures in a painting. They remained there as
long as the flag atop the chariot was visible, and even
until they could no longer see the dust raised by the
chariot wheels. (Vedabase)
Text
37
They without
hope of ever seeing Him returning, full of sorrow went back
spending their days and nights singing about the activities of
their Beloved.
The
gopîs then turned back, without hope that
Govinda would ever return to them. Full of sorrow, they
began to spend their days and nights chanting about the
pastimes of their beloved. (Vedabase)
Text
38
With the
chariot swift as the wind arrived the Supreme Lord together
with Râma and Akrûra, o King, at the Yamunâ,
the river defeating all sin.
My
dear King, the Supreme Lord Krishna, traveling as swiftly as
the wind in that chariot with Lord Balarâma and
Akrûra, arrived at the river Kâlindî,
which destroys all sins. (Vedabase)
Text
39
After touching
the water there, drinking the sweet liquid as effulgent as
jewels from His hand, moved He on to a grove and mounted He
with Balarâma the chariot.
The
river's sweet water was more effulgent than brilliant
jewels. After Lord Krishna had touched it for purification,
He drank some from His hand. Then He had the chariot moved
near a grove of trees and climbed back on, along with
Balarâma. (Vedabase)
Text
40
Akrûra
asking Them to stay behind on the chariot went to a pool of the
Yamunâ and performed his bath according the
injunctions.
Akrûra
asked the two Lords to take Their seats on the chariot.
Then, taking Their permission, he went to a pool in the
Yamunâ and took his bath as enjoined in the
scriptures. (Vedabase)
Text
41
Immersing
himself in that water reciting perennial mantras saw
Akrûra before him the both of Râma and Krishna
together.
While
immersing himself in the water and reciting eternal mantras
from the Vedas, Akrûra suddenly saw Balarâma and
Krishna before him. (Vedabase)
Text
42-43
He thought:
'How can the two sons of Ânakadundhubhi present on the
chariot be here; let's see if they're still there', and rising
from the water saw he Them sitting where he left Them. Again
entering the water alone he wondered: 'Was it perhaps a
hallucination of me seeing Them in the water?'
Akrûra
thought, "How can the two sons of Ânakadundubhi, who
are sitting in the chariot, be standing here in the water?
They must have left the chariot." But when he came out of
the river, there They were on the chariot, just as before.
Asking himself "Was the vision I had of Them in the water an
illusion?" Akrûra reentered the pool.
(Vedabase)
Text
44-45
And again in
that same place saw he the Lord of the Serpents [Ananta or
Balarâma], the Godhead with the thousands of heads,
hoods and helmets, clad in blue and white like the filaments of
a lotus stem, situated as if He were mount Kailâsa with
its white peaks, with the perfected, the venerable ones, the
singers of heaven and the ones of darkness bowing their
heads.
There
Akrûra now saw Ananta S'esha, the Lord of the
serpents, receiving praise from Siddhas, Câranas,
Gandharvas and demons, who all had their heads bowed. The
Personality of Godhead whom Akrûra saw had thousands
of heads, thousands of hoods and thousands of helmets. His
blue garment and His fair complexion, as white as the
filaments of a lotus stem, made Him appear like white
Kailâsa Mountain with its many peaks.
(Vedabase)
Text
46-48
On His lap
there was, like a dark cloud clad in yellow silk, the Original
Personality with the four arms in peace; with reddish eyes like
the petals of a lotus; an attractive cheerful face with a
charming, smiling glance; fine eyebrows, ears and a straight
nose; beautiful cheeks and red lips; a broad chest and high
shoulders; stout, long arms and a conchshell-like neck; a deep
navel and a belly with lines like those of a [banyan]
leaf.
Akrûra
then saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead lying peacefully
on the lap of Lord Ananta S'esha. The complexion of that
Supreme Person was like a dark-blue cloud. He wore yellow
garments and had four arms and reddish lotus-petal eyes. His
face looked attractive and cheerful with its smiling,
endearing glance and lovely eyebrows, its raised nose and
finely formed ears, and its beautiful cheeks and reddish
lips. The Lord's broad shoulders and expansive chest were
beautiful, and His arms long and stout. His neck resembled a
conchshell, His navel was deep, and His abdomen bore lines
like those on a banyan leaf (Vedabase)
Text
49-50
Tight were His
buttocks and hips, like an elephant's trunk His two thighs and
shapely His two knees and attractive the pair of shanks He had.
High were His ankles, reddish the rays emanating from His
toenails and glowing like flower petals the soft toes
surrounding the two big toes.
He
had large loins and hips, thighs like an elephant's trunk,
and shapely knees and shanks. His raised ankles reflected
the brilliant effulgence emanating from the nails on His
petallike toes, which beautified His lotus feet.
(Vedabase)
Text
51-52
Adorned with a
helmet bedecked with great and precious gems, with bracelets,
armlets, a belt, a sacred thread, necklaces, ankle bells and
earrings, carried He an effulgent lotus, a conchshell, a disc
and held He a club in His hands to the S'rîvatsa on His
chest, the brilliant Kaustubha jewel and a flower
garland.
Adorned
with a helmet, bracelets and armlets, which were all
bedecked with many priceless jewels, and also with a belt, a
sacred thread, necklaces, ankle bells and earrings, the Lord
shone with dazzling effulgence. In one hand He held a lotus
flower, in the others a conchshell, discus and club. Gracing
His chest were the S'rîvatsa mark, the brilliant
Kaustubha gem and a flower garland. (Vedabase)
Text
53-55
He was awaited
by His attendants with Nanda and Sunanda first. By Sanaka and
the others [the Kumâras], by the leading demigods
headed by Brahmâ and S'iva, by the foremost twiceborn
[headed by Marîci]
and by the most exalted devotees lead by Prahlâda,
Nârada and Vasu,
was He, according each his different type of loving attitude,
praised
in
sanctified words and served by His [feminine] internal
potencies of fortune [S'rî], development
[Pushthi or also strength], speech [Gîr or
knowledge], beauty [Kânti], renown
[Kîrti], contentment [Tushthi or renunciation
- these first ones are His six opulences]; comfort
[Ilâ, bhû-s'akti, the earth-element or
sandhinî] and power [Ûrjâ,
expanding as Tulasî]; His potencies of knowing and
ignorance [vidyâ
and avidyâ, leading to liberation and
bondage]; His internal pleasure potency [S'akti or
hlâdinî], his marginal potency
[jîva-s'akti] and His creative
potency
[Mâyâ].
Encircling
the Lord and worshiping Him were Nanda, Sunanda and His
other personal attendants; Sanaka and the other
Kumâras; Brahmâ, Rudra and other chief demigods;
the nine chief brâhmanas; and the best of the saintly
devotees, headed by Prahlâda, Nârada and
Uparicara Vasu. Each of these great personalities was
worshiping the Lord by chanting sanctified words of praise
in his own unique mood. Also in attendance were the Lord's
principal internal potencies - S'rî, Pushthi,
Gîr, Kânti, Kîrti, Tushthi, Ilâ and
Ûrjâ - as were His material potencies
Vidyâ, Avidyâ and Mâyâ, and His
internal pleasure potency, S'akti. (Vedabase)
Text
56-57
Witnessing this
to his great pleasure, stood he [Akrûra],
enthused with supreme devotion, with the hairs on his body
erect and with his eyes and body getting wet of loving ecstasy.
Getting himself together offered the great devotee with his
voice choked his respects bowing his head down and joined he
his hands attentively praying slowly.'
As
the great devotee Akrûra beheld all this, he became
extremely pleased and felt enthused with transcendental
devotion. His intense ecstasy caused His bodily hairs to
stand on end and tears to flow from his eyes, drenching his
entire body. Somehow managing to steady himself,
Akrûra bowed his head to the ground. Then he joined
his palms in supplication and, in a voice choked with
emotion, very slowly and attentively began to pray.
(Vedabase)
*
The
Sanskrit root to the verb used here is
âyâsya, meaning agile, dexterous, valiant,
and is by some translators interpreted as returning. But since
Krishna will not return to Vraja but by sending Uddhava later
on as also by Balarâma who once comes back, has been
chosen here for the literal: 'mind to be valiant' of the
'âyâsye iti' for: 'keep tight, hold on, keep
courage, stay strong'.