S'rî
S'uka said: 'While
he [Akrûra] was praying withdrew Krishna, the
Supreme Lord, having shown His personal form in the water,
Himself the way an actor winds up his
performance.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: While Akrûra was still
offering prayers, the Supreme Lord Krishna withdrew His form
that He had revealed in the water, just as an actor winds up
his performance. (Vedabase)
Text
2
When
he saw that the image had disappeared, emerged he quickly from
the water, finished he his ritual duties and went all-surprised
to the chariot.
When
Akrûra saw the vision disappear, he came out of the
water and quickly finished his various ritual duties. He
then returned to the chariot, astonished. (Vedabase)
Text
3
Hrisîkes'a
asked him: 'Have you seen something miraculous on the earth, in
the heavens or in the water? We gather you did!'
Lord
Krishna asked Akrûra: Have you seen something
wonderful on the earth, in the sky or in the water? From
your appearance, We think you have. (Vedabase)
Text
4
S'rî
Akrûra said: 'Whatever wonderful things there are out
here on the earth, in the sky or in the water, are all in You
who comprises everything; what would I not have seen seeing
You?
S'rî
Akrûra said: Whatever wonderful things the earth, sky
or water contain, all exist in You. Since You encompass
everything, when I am seeing You, what have I not seen?
(Vedabase)
Text
5
Beholding
You, the One Person in whom are found all wonders of the earth,
the sky and the waters, o Absolute of the Truth, what else
would amaze me to see in this world?'
And
now that I am seeing You, O Supreme Absolute Truth, in whom
reside all amazing things on the earth, in the sky and in
the water, what amazing things could I see in this world?
(Vedabase)
Text
6
With
those words drove the son of Gândinî
[Akrûra] the chariot forward in order to take
Râma and Krishna to Mathurâ at the end of the
day.
With
these words, Akrûra, the son of Gândinî,
began driving the chariot onward. At the end of the day he
arrived in Mathurâ with Lord Balarâma and Lord
Krishna. (Vedabase)
Text
7
The
people of the villages here and there on the road approaching,
were pleased to see the sons of Vasudeva o King, and couldn't
take their eyes of Them.
Wherever
they passed along the road, O King, the village people came
forward and looked upon the two sons of Vasudeva with great
pleasure. In fact, the villagers could not withdraw their
eyes from Them. (Vedabase)
Text
8
Nanda,
the gopas and the rest of the inhabitants of Vraja who
by then had arrived at a park outside the city, were staying
there to wait for Them.
Nanda
Mahârâja and the other residents of
Vrindâvana, having reached Mathurâ ahead of the
chariot, had stopped at a garden on the outskirts of the
city to wait for Krishna and Balarâma.
(Vedabase)
Text
9
Catching up
with them said the Supreme Lord, the Master of the Universe, to
the humbly smiling Akrûra while taking his hand into His
own:
After
joining Nanda and the others, the Supreme Lord Krishna, the
controller of the universe, took humble Akrûra's hand
in His own and, smiling, spoke as follows. (Vedabase)
Text
10
'You go ahead
and first enter with the chariot the city and go home while We
from our side will alight here and thereafter will see for the
city.'
[Lord
Krishna said:] Take the chariot and enter the city ahead
of us. Then go home. After resting here a while, we will go
to see the city. (Vedabase)
Text
11
S'rî
Akrûra: 'How can I without the two of You enter
Mathurâ, o Master? Don't let me down o Lord, o Caretaker
of the Devotees, I'm Your devotee!
S'rî
Akrûra said: O master, without the two of You I shall
not enter Mathurâ. I am Your devotee, O Lord, so it is
not fair for You to abandon me, since You are always
affectionate to Your devotees. (Vedabase)
Text
12
Please come,
let's go with Your elder brother, the gopas and Your
friends, and make it so, o Lord of the Beyond, that our house
has a master.
Come,
let us go to my house with Your elder brother, the cowherd
men and Your companions. O best of friends, O transcendental
Lord, in this way please grace my house with its master.
(Vedabase)
Text
13
Please
bless with the dust of Your feet the home of us so attached to
household rituals and may with that purification my
forefathers, the sacrificial fires and the demigods be
satisfied.
I
am simply an ordinary householder attached to ritual
sacrifices, so please purify my home with the dust of Your
lotus feet. By that act of purification, my forefathers, the
sacrificial fires and the demigods will all become
satisfied. (Vedabase)
Text
14
The
great king Bali bathing the two feet became glorious [see
8.19]
and achieved unequaled power and the destination indeed
reserved for the unalloyed devotee.
By
bathing Your feet, the exalted Bali Mahârâja
attained not only glorious fame and unequaled power but also
the final destination of pure devotees. (Vedabase)
Text
15
The water
washing from Your feet purely spiritual has purified the three
worlds and the sons of king Sagara [9.8]
who with Lord S'iva taking it on his head
[9.9]
went to heaven.
The
water of the river Ganges has purified the three worlds,
having become transcendental by bathing Your feet. Lord
S'iva accepted that water on his head, and by that water's
grace the sons of King Sagara attained to heaven.
(Vedabase)
Text
16
O God of the
Gods, o Master of the Universe about whom one in piety hears
and chants, o Best of the Yadus, o Lord Praised in the Verses,
o Nârâyana, may there be all homage to
You.'
O
Lord of lords, master of the universe, O You whose glories
it is most pious to hear and chant! O best of the Yadus, O
You whose fame is recounted in excellent poetry ! O Supreme
Lord Nârâyana, I offer You my obeisances.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
The Supreme
Lord said: 'I will come to your house accompanied by My elder
brother; when I kill my enemy in the midst of the Yadus
[Kamsa] will I grant My well-wishers the
satisfaction.'
The
Supreme Lord said: I will come to Your house with My elder
brother, but first I must satisfy My friends and
well-wishers by killing the enemy of the Yadu clan.
(Vedabase)
Text
18
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus addressed by the Supreme Lord entered he,
Akrûra, somewhat disheartened the city to inform Kamsa of
the success of his mission and went he home.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Thus addressed by the Lord,
Akrûra entered the city with a heavy heart. He
informed King Kamsa of the success of his mission and then
went home. (Vedabase)
Text
19
Later in the
afternoon joined by the gopas entered Krishna together
with Sankarshana [Râma] Mathurâ to take a
look around.
Lord
Krishna desired to see Mathurâ, so toward evening He
took Lord Balarâma and the cowherd boys with Him and
entered the city. (Vedabase)
Text
20-23
He saw it with
its high main gates and doorways of crystal, its doors of gold
and immense archways with copper and brass and with its
storehouses and its inviolable moats, beautified by public
gardens and attractive parks. The intersections with gold, the
mansions with their pleasure gardens, the assembly halls of the
guilds and the houses their columned balconies and ornate
paneled rafters were bedecked with vaidûrya gems,
diamonds, quartz crystals, sapphires, coral, pearls and
emeralds. It vibrated of the pet doves and peacocks sitting in
the openings of the lattice windows and on the gem-studded
floors and on its avenues, streets and courtyards that were
sprinkled with water
there [for a welcome] were scattered garlands, new
sprouts, parched grains and rice. The doorways of the houses
were nicely decorated with pots full of yogurt smeared with
sandal paste, ribbons and flower petals, rows of lamps, leaves,
bunches of flowers, trunks of banana trees and betel-nut trees
and flags.
The
Lord saw Mathurâ, 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. Mathurâ 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 vaidûrya 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
24
As the sons of
Vasudeva entered there surrounded by their friends, hurried the
women of the city to crowd at the side of the king's road and
climbed they also eager for a look on top of their houses, o
King.
The
women of Mathurâ hurriedly assembled and went forth to
see the two sons of Vasudeva as They entered the city on the
King's road, surrounded by Their cowherd boyfriends. Some of
the women, my dear King, eagerly climbed to the roofs of
their houses to see Them. (Vedabase)
.
Text
25
Some had put on
their clothes backwards and forgotten one of the pair of their
ornaments putting on one earring or one set of ankle bells
only; other ladies made up one eye but not the other
one.
Some
of the ladies put their clothes and ornaments on backwards,
others forgot one of their earrings or ankle bells, and
others applied makeup to one eye but not the other.
(Vedabase)
Text
26
Some had
abandoned the meals they were taking or didn't finish in their
excitement their massage, their bathing or did, hearing the
commotion, get up not finishing their nap or put as mothers
aside the infant they were feeding milk.
Those
who were taking their meals abandoned them, others went out
without finishing their baths or massages, women who were
sleeping at once rose when they heard the commotion, and
mothers breast-feeding their infants simply put them aside.
(Vedabase)
Text
27
Walking like a
bull elephant in rut, stole He boldly with the glances of His
lotuslike eyes and game of smiles their minds affording their
eyes a festival with His body, that source of pleasure to the
Goddess of Fortune.
The
lotus-eyed Lord, smiling as He recalled His bold pastimes,
captivated those ladies' minds with His glances. He walked
with the gait of a lordly elephant in rut, creating a
festival for their eyes with His transcendental body, which
is the source of pleasure for the divine goddess of fortune.
(Vedabase)
Text
28
Seeing Him whom
they repeatedly had heard about melted their hearts receiving
the honor of being sprinkled by the nectar of His glances and
broad smiles and embraced they through their eyes within
themselves with goose pimples their idol of ecstasy, giving up
their endless distress [of missing Him], o subduer of
the enemies.
The
ladies of Mathurâ had repeatedly heard about Krishna,
and thus as soon as they saw Him their hearts melted. They
felt honored that He was sprinkling upon them the nectar of
His glances and broad smiles. Taking Him into their hearts
through their eyes, they embraced Him, the embodiment of all
ecstasy, and as their bodily hairs stood on end, O subduer
of enemies, they forgot the unlimited distress caused by His
absence. (Vedabase)
Text
29
Having
climbed the rooftops of their mansions showered the attractive
women with faces blooming with affection like lotuses
Balarâma and Kes'ava with flowers.
Their
lotus faces blooming with affection, the ladies who had
climbed to the roofs of the mansions rained down showers of
flowers upon Lord Balarâma and Lord Krishna.
(Vedabase)
Text
30
With yogurt,
barleycorns and pots with water, fragrant substances and other
items of worship were the Two joyfully at several places
worshiped by the twice-born.
Brâhmanas
standing along the way honored the two Lords with
presentations of yogurt, unbroken barleycorns, pots full of
water, garlands, fragrant substances such as sandalwood
paste, and other items of worship. (Vedabase)
Text
31
The women of
the city said: 'Oh what great austerity have the
gopîs performed indeed constantly seeing these
Two, who for the human society are the greatest source of
pleasure.'
The
women of Mathurâ exclaimed: Oh, what severe
austerities the gopîs must have performed to be able
to regularly see Krishna and Balarâma, who are the
greatest source of pleasure for all mankind!
(Vedabase)
Text
32
The elder
brother of Gada [Balarâma see 9.24:
46]
approached a certain washerman engaged in dyeing and asked him
for first class clean garments.
Seeing
a washerman approaching who had been dyeing some clothes,
Krishna asked him for the finest laundered garments he had.
(Vedabase)
Text
33
'Please, best
man, give the two of Us some suitable clothes; for you when you
donate them to the two of us who deserve it, will there be the
highest benefit, that suffers no doubt!'
[Lord
Krishna said:] Please give suitable garments to the two
of Us, who certainly deserve them. If you grant this
charity, you will undoubtedly receive the greatest benefit.
(Vedabase)
Text
34
He, requested
by the Supreme Lord absolute and full in every way, insolent
spoke angered most falsely proud as a servant of the
king.
Thus
requested by the Supreme Lord, who is perfectly complete in
all respects, that arrogant servant of the King became angry
and replied insultingly. (Vedabase)
Text
35
'Isn't it
impudent of You, who roam the mountains and the forests, to
want to put on garments like these that are the king his
things?
[The
washerman said:] You impudent boys! You're accustomed to
roaming the mountains and forests, and yet You would dare
put on such clothes as these! These are the King's
possessions You're asking for! (Vedabase)
Text
36
Get lost You
fools, don't beg like this if You want to live, I swear, people
as bold as You are by the king's men arrested, killed and
looted!''
Fools,
get out of here quickly! Don't beg like this if You want to
stay alive. When someone is too bold, the King's men arrest
him and kill him and take all his property.
(Vedabase)
Text
37
He who thus
humiliated Them raised the anger of the son of Devakî who
with the side of one hand hit his head down from his
body.
As
the washerman thus spoke brazenly, the son of Devakî
became angry, and then merely with His fingertips He
separated the man's head from his body. (Vedabase)
Text
38
When all his
assistants fled down the road in all directions and left behind
the bundles of clothes, took Acyuta the
garments.
The
washerman's assistants all dropped their bundles of clothes
and fled down the road, scattering in all directions. Lord
Krishna then took the clothes. (Vedabase)
Text
39
Throwing away
on the ground several of them dressed Krishna and
Balarâma Themselves with a set of clothes to Their liking
and gave They the rest to the gopas.
Krishna
and Balarâma put on pairs of garments that especially
pleased Them, and then Krishna distributed the remaining
clothes among the cowherd boys, leaving some scattered on
the ground. (Vedabase)
Text
40
Next came a
weaver who full of love for Them befittingly ornamented Their
clothing with pieces of cloth of different
colors.
Thereupon
a weaver came forward and, feeling affection for the Lords,
nicely adorned Their attire with cloth ornaments of various
colors. (Vedabase)
Text
41
Krishna and
Râma with each His own specific high quality outfit and
nice decorations looked as resplendent as a pair of young
elephants, one light and one dark, adorned for a
festival.
Krishna
and Balarâma looked resplendent, each in His own
unique, wonderfully ornamented outfit. They resembled a pair
of young elephants, one white and the other black, decorated
for a festive occasion. (Vedabase)
Text
42
The Supreme
Lord pleased with him [the weaver] granted him
sârûpya [the beatitude of His likeness,
see also mukti]
with in this world the same supreme opulence, physical
strength, influence, memory and sense-control.
Pleased
with the weaver, the Supreme Lord Krishna blessed him that
after death he would achieve the liberation of attaining a
form like the Lord's, and that while in this world he would
enjoy supreme opulence, physical strength, influence, memory
and sensory vigor. (Vedabase)
Text
43
Then went the
Two of Them to the house of Sudâmâ
['well-giving'], the garland-maker, who seeing Them
stood up and then bowed down putting his head to the
ground.
The
two Lords then went to the house of the garland-maker
Sudâmâ. When Sudâmâ saw Them he at
once stood up and then bowed down, placing his head on the
ground. (Vedabase)
Text
44
With seats for
Them he brought water to wash Their feet and hands and presents
and such, and performed he for the Two worship with garlands,
betel-nut and sandalwood paste.
After
offering Them seats and bathing Their feet,
Sudâmâ worshiped Them and Their companions with
arghya, garlands, pân, sandalwood paste and other
presentations. (Vedabase)
Text
45
He said: 'Our
birth has been worthwhile and the family has been purified, o
Master, and with me are my forefathers, the gods and the seers
satisfied about Your having arrived.
[Sudâmâ
said:] O Lord, my birth is now sanctified and my family
free of contamination. Now that You both have come here, my
forefathers, the demigods and the great sages are certainly
all satisfied with me. (Vedabase)
Text
46
You two indeed,
the Ultimate Cause of the Universe, have with Your plenary
portions descended here for the protection and the happiness of
the world.
You
two Lords are the ultimate cause of this entire universe. To
bestow sustenance and prosperity upon this realm, You have
descended with Your plenary expansions. (Vedabase)
Text
47
With
You there is, even though reciprocating with those who are of
worship, no bias because You in Your vision, as the Soul of the
Universe, are equal to all living beings as well-wishing
friends.
Because
You are the well-wishing friends and Supreme Soul of the
whole universe, You regard all with unbiased vision.
Therefore, although You reciprocate Your devotees' loving
worship, You always remain equally disposed toward all
living beings. (Vedabase)
Text
48
You Two should
order me, Your servant, what I should do for You; this indeed
is for anyone the greatest blessing: thus to be engaged by
You.'
Please
order me, Your servant, to do whatever You wish. To be
engaged by You in some service is certainly a great blessing
for anyone. (Vedabase)
Text
49
S'uka said:
'With that consideration, o best of kings, presented
Sudâmâ steeped in love garlands made of fresh and
fragrant flowers.
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] O best of kings, having
spoken these words, Sudâmâ could understand what
Krishna and Balarâma wanted. Thus with great pleasure
he presented Them with garlands of fresh, fragrant flowers.
(Vedabase)
Text
50
With those
beautifully adorned gave the two benefactors Krishna and
Râma, who together with Their companions were most
satisfied, the surrendered one bowing down all that he wished
for.
Beautifully
adorned with these garlands, Krishna and Balarâma were
delighted, and so were Their companions. The two Lords then
offered the surrendered Sudâmâ, who was bowing
down before Them, whatever benedictions he desired.
(Vedabase)
Text
51
And he chose
for unshakable devotion to Him alone, the Supreme soul of the
Complete, for friendship with all living beings and to be
blessed with transcendence.
Sudâmâ
chose unshakable devotion for Krishna, the Supreme Soul of
all existence; friendship with His devotees; and
transcendental compassion for all living beings.
(Vedabase)
Text
52
Thus granting
him the benediction and prosperity, a thriving family,
strength, a long life, renown and beauty, left He together with
His elder brother.
Not
only did Lord Krishna grant Sudâmâ these
benedictions, but He also awarded him strength, long life,
fame, beauty and ever-increasing prosperity for his family.
Then Krishna and His elder brother took Their leave.
(Vedabase)