Srimad Bhagavatam · Canto 10 · Chapter 38
श्रीशुक उवाच अक्रूरोऽपि च तां रात्रिं मधुपुर्यां महामति: । उषित्वा रथमास्थाय प्रययौ नन्दगोकुलम् ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca akrūro ’pi ca tāṁ rātriṁ madhu-puryāṁ mahā-matiḥ uṣitvā ratham āsthāya prayayau nanda-gokulam
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After passing the night in the city of Mathurā, the high-minded Akrūra mounted his chariot and set off for the cowherd village of Nanda Mahārāja.
गच्छन्पथि महाभागो भगवत्यम्बुजेक्षणे । भक्तिं परामुपगत एवमेतदचिन्तयत् ॥ २ ॥
gacchan pathi mahā-bhāgo bhagavaty ambujekṣaṇe bhaktiṁ parām upagata evam etad acintayat
As he traveled on the road, the great soul Akrūra felt tremendous devotion for the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead, and thus he began to consider as follows.
किं मयाचरितं भद्रं किं तप्तं परमं तप: । किं वाथाप्यर्हते दत्तं यद्द्रक्ष्याम्यद्य केशवम् ॥ ३ ॥
kiṁ mayācaritaṁ bhadraṁ kiṁ taptaṁ paramaṁ tapaḥ kiṁ vāthāpy arhate dattaṁ yad drakṣyāmy adya keśavam
[Śrī Akrūra thought:] What pious deeds have I done, what severe austerities undergone, what worship performed or charity given so that today I will see Lord Keśava?
ममैतद् दुर्लभं मन्य उत्तम:श्लोकदर्शनम् । विषयात्मनो यथा ब्रह्मकीर्तनं शूद्रजन्मन: ॥ ४ ॥
mamaitad durlabhaṁ manya uttamaḥ-śloka-darśanam viṣayātmano yathā brahma- kīrtanaṁ śūdra-janmanaḥ
Since I am a materialistic person absorbed simply in sense gratification, I think it is as difficult for me to have gotten this opportunity to see Lord Uttamaḥśloka as it would be for one born a śūdra to be allowed to recite the Vedic mantras.
मैवं ममाधमस्यापि स्यादेवाच्युतदर्शनम् । ह्रियमाण: कालनद्या क्वचित्तरति कश्चन ॥ ५ ॥
maivaṁ mamādhamasyāpi syād evācyuta-darśanam hriyamāṇaḥ kala-nadyā kvacit tarati kaścana
But enough of such thoughts! After all, even a fallen soul like me can have the chance to behold the infallible Supreme Lord, for one of the conditioned souls being swept along in the river of time may sometimes reach the shore.
ममाद्यामङ्गलं नष्टं फलवांश्चैव मे भव: । यन्नमस्ये भगवतो योगिध्येयाङ्घ्रिपङ्कजम् ॥ ६ ॥
mamādyāmaṅgalaṁ naṣṭaṁ phalavāṁś caiva me bhavaḥ yan namasye bhagavato yogi-dhyeyānghri-paṅkajam
Today all my sinful reactions have been eradicated and my birth has become worthwhile, since I will offer my obeisances to the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet, which mystic yogīs meditate upon.
कंसो बताद्याकृत मेऽत्यनुग्रहं द्रक्ष्येऽङ्घ्रिपद्मं प्रहितोऽमुना हरे: । कृतावतारस्य दुरत्ययं तम: पूर्वेऽतरन् यन्नखमण्डलत्विषा ॥ ७ ॥
kaṁso batādyākṛta me ’ty-anugrahaṁ drakṣye ’ṅghri-padmaṁ prahito ’munā hareḥ kṛtāvatārasya duratyayaṁ tamaḥ pūrve ’taran yan-nakha-maṇḍala-tviṣā
Indeed, today King Kaṁsa has shown me extreme mercy by sending me to see the lotus feet of Lord Hari, who has now appeared in this world. Simply by the effulgence of His toenails, many souls in the past have transcended the insurmountable darkness of material existence and achieved liberation.
यदर्चितं ब्रह्मभवादिभि: सुरै: श्रिया च देव्या मुनिभि: ससात्वतै: । गोचारणायानुचरैश्चरद्वने यद् गोपिकानां कुचकुङ्कुमाङ्कितम् ॥ ८ ॥
yad arcitaṁ brahma-bhavādibhiḥ suraiḥ śriyā ca devyā munibhiḥ sa-sātvataiḥ go-cāraṇāyānucaraiś carad vane yad gopikānāṁ kuca-kuṅkumāṅkitam
Those lotus feet are worshiped by Brahmā, Śiva and all the other demigods, by the goddess of fortune, and also by the great sages and Vaiṣṇavas. Upon those lotus feet the Lord walks about the forest while herding the cows with His companions, and those feet are smeared with the kuṅkuma from the gopīs’ breasts.
द्रक्ष्यामि नूनं सुकपोलनासिकं स्मितावलोकारुणकञ्जलोचनम् । मुखं मुकुन्दस्य गुडालकावृतं प्रदक्षिणं मे प्रचरन्ति वै मृगा: ॥ ९ ॥
drakṣyāmi nūnaṁ su-kapola-nāsikaṁ smitāvalokāruṇa-kañja-locanam mukhaṁ mukundasya guḍālakāvṛtaṁ pradakṣiṇaṁ me pracaranti vai mṛgāḥ
Surely I shall see the face of Lord Mukunda, since the deer are now walking past me on my right. That face, framed by His curly hair, is beautified by His attractive cheeks and nose, His smiling glances and His reddish lotus eyes.
अप्यद्य विष्णोर्मनुजत्वमीयुषो भारावताराय भुवो निजेच्छया । लावण्यधाम्नो भवितोपलम्भनं मह्यं न न स्यात् फलमञ्जसा दृश: ॥ १० ॥
apy adya viṣṇor manujatvam īyuṣo bhārāvatārāya bhuvo nijecchayā lāvaṇya-dhāmno bhavitopalambhanaṁ mahyaṁ na na syāt phalam añjasā dṛśaḥ
I am going to see the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, the reservoir of all beauty, who by His own sweet will has now assumed a humanlike form to relieve the earth of her burden. Thus there is no denying that my eyes will achieve the perfection of their existence.
य ईक्षिताहंरहितोऽप्यसत्सतो: स्वतेजसापास्ततमोभिदाभ्रम: । स्वमाययात्मन् रचितैस्तदीक्षया प्राणाक्षधीभि: सदनेष्वभीयते ॥ ११ ॥
ya īkṣitāhaṁ-rahito ’py asat-satoḥ sva-tejasāpāsta-tamo-bhidā-bhramaḥ sva-māyayātman racitais tad-īkṣayā prāṇākṣa-dhībhiḥ sadaneṣv abhīyate
He is the witness of material cause and effect, yet He is always free from false identification with them. By His internal potency He dispels the darkness of separation and confusion. The individual souls in this world, who are manifested here when He glances upon His material creative energy, indirectly perceive Him in the activities of their life airs, senses and intelligence.
यस्याखिलामीवहभि: सुमङ्गलै- र्वाचो विमिश्रा गुणकर्मजन्मभि: । प्राणन्ति शुम्भन्ति पुनन्ति वै जगत् यास्तद्विरक्ता: शवशोभना मता: ॥ १२ ॥
yasyākhilāmīva-habhiḥ su-maṅgalaiḥ vāco vimiśrā guṇa-karma-janmabhiḥ prāṇanti śumbhanti punanti vai jagat yās tad-viraktāḥ śava-śobhanā matāḥ
All sins are destroyed and all good fortune is created by the Supreme Lord’s qualities, activities and appearances, and words that describe these three things animate, beautify and purify the world. On the other hand, words bereft of His glories are like the decorations on a corpse.
स चावतीर्ण: किल सात्वतान्वये स्वसेतुपालामरवर्यशर्मकृत् । यशो वितन्वन् व्रज आस्त ईश्वरो गायन्ति देवा यदशेषमङ्गलम् ॥ १३ ॥
sa cāvatīrṇaḥ kila sātvatānvaye sva-setu-pālāmara-varya-śarma-kṛt yaśo vitanvan vraja āsta īśvaro gāyanti devā yad aśeṣa-maṅgalam
That same Supreme Lord has descended into the dynasty of the Sātvatas to delight the exalted demigods, who maintain the principles of religion He has created. Residing in Vṛndāvana, He spreads His fame, which the demigods glorify in song and which brings auspiciousness to all.
तं त्वद्य नूनं महतां गतिं गुरुं त्रैलोक्यकान्तं दृशिमन्महोत्सवम् । रूपं दधानं श्रिय ईप्सितास्पदं द्रक्ष्ये ममासन्नुषस: सुदर्शना: ॥ १४ ॥
taṁ tv adya nūnaṁ mahatāṁ gatiṁ guruṁ trailokya-kāntaṁ dṛśiman-mahotsavam rūpaṁ dadhānaṁ śriya īpsitāspadaṁ drakṣye mamāsann uṣasaḥ su-darśanāḥ
Today I shall certainly see Him, the goal and spiritual master of the great souls. Seeing Him brings jubilation to all who have eyes, for He is the true beauty of the universe. Indeed, His personal form is the shelter desired by the goddess of fortune. Now all the dawns of my life have become auspicious.
अथावरूढ: सपदीशयो रथात् प्रधानपुंसोश्चरणं स्वलब्धये । धिया धृतं योगिभिरप्यहं ध्रुवं नमस्य आभ्यां च सखीन् वनौकस: ॥ १५ ॥
athāvarūḍhaḥ sapadīśayo rathāt pradhāna-puṁsoś caraṇaṁ sva-labdhaye dhiyā dhṛtaṁ yogibhir apy ahaṁ dhruvaṁ namasya ābhyāṁ ca sakhīn vanaukasaḥ
Then I will at once alight from my chariot and bow down to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the Supreme Personalities of Godhead. Theirs are the same feet that great mystic yogīs striving for self-realization bear within their minds. I will also offer my obeisances to the Lords’ cowherd boyfriends and to all the other residents of Vṛndāvana.
अप्यङ्घ्रिमूले पतितस्य मे विभु: शिरस्यधास्यन्निजहस्तपङ्कजम् । दत्ताभयं कालभुजाङ्गरंहसा प्रोद्वेजितानां शरणैषिणां नृणाम् ॥ १६ ॥
apy aṅghri-mūle patitasya me vibhuḥ śirasy adhāsyan nija-hasta-paṅkajam dattābhayaṁ kāla-bhujāṅga-raṁhasā prodvejitānāṁ śaraṇaiṣiṇāṁ ṇṛnām
And when I have fallen at His feet, the almighty Lord will place His lotus hand upon my head. For those who seek shelter in Him because they are greatly disturbed by the powerful serpent of time, that hand removes all fear.
समर्हणं यत्र निधाय कौशिक- स्तथा बलिश्चाप जगत्त्रयेन्द्रताम् । यद्वा विहारे व्रजयोषितां श्रमं स्पर्शेन सौगन्धिकगन्ध्यपानुदत् ॥ १७ ॥
samarhaṇaṁ yatra nidhāya kauśikas tathā baliś cāpa jagat-trayendratām yad vā vihāre vraja-yoṣitāṁ śramaṁ sparśena saugandhika-gandhy apānudat
By offering charity to that lotus hand, Purandara and Bali earned the status of Indra, King of heaven, and during the pleasure pastimes of the rāsa dance, when the Lord wiped away the gopīs’ perspiration and removed their fatigue, the touch of their faces made that hand as fragrant as a sweet flower.
न मय्युपैष्यत्यरिबुद्धिमच्युत: कंसस्य दूत: प्रहितोऽपि विश्वदृक् । योऽन्तर्बहिश्चेतस एतदीहितं क्षेत्रज्ञ ईक्षत्यमलेन चक्षुषा ॥ १८ ॥
na mayy upaiṣyaty ari-buddhim acyutaḥ kaṁsasya dūtaḥ prahito ’pi viśva-dṛk yo ’ntar bahiś cetasa etad īhitaṁ kṣetra-jña īkṣaty amalena cakṣuṣā
The infallible Lord will not consider me an enemy, even though Kaṁsa has sent me here as his messenger. After all, the omniscient Lord is the actual knower of the field of this material body, and with His perfect vision He witnesses, both externally and internally, all the endeavors of the conditioned soul’s heart.
अप्यङ्घ्रिमूलेऽवहितं कृताञ्जलिं मामीक्षिता सस्मितमार्द्रया दृशा । सपद्यपध्वस्तसमस्तकिल्बिषो वोढा मुदं वीतविशङ्क ऊर्जिताम् ॥ १९ ॥
apy aṅghri-mūle ’vahitaṁ kṛtāñjaliṁ mām īkṣitā sa-smitam ārdrayā dṛśā sapady apadhvasta-samasta-kilbiṣo voḍhā mudaṁ vīta-viśaṅka ūrjitām
Thus He will cast His smiling, affectionate glance upon me as I remain fixed with joined palms, fallen in obeisances at His feet. Then all my contamination will at once be dispelled, and I will give up all doubts and feel the most intense bliss.
सुहृत्तमं ज्ञातिमनन्यदैवतं दोर्भ्यां बृहद्भ्यां परिरप्स्यतेऽथ माम् । आत्मा हि तीर्थीक्रियते तदैव मे बन्धश्च कर्मात्मक उच्छ्वसित्यत: ॥ २० ॥
suhṛttamaṁ jñātim ananya-daivataṁ dorbhyāṁ bṛhadbhyāṁ parirapsyate ’tha mām ātmā hi tīrthī-kriyate tadaiva me bandhaś ca karmātmaka ucchvasity ataḥ
Recognizing me as an intimate friend and relative, Kṛṣṇa will embrace me with His mighty arms, instantly sanctifying my body and diminishing to nil all my material bondage, which is due to fruitive activities.
लब्ध्वाङ्गसङ्गं प्रणतं कृताञ्जलिं मां वक्ष्यतेऽक्रूर ततेत्युरुश्रवा: । तदा वयं जन्मभृतो महीयसा नैवादृतो यो धिगमुष्य जन्म तत् ॥ २१ ॥
labdhvāṅga-saṅgam praṇatam kṛtāñjaliṁ māṁ vakṣyate ’krūra tatety uruśravāḥ tadā vayaṁ janma-bhṛto mahīyasā naivādṛto yo dhig amuṣya janma tat
Having been embraced by the all-famous Lord Kṛṣṇa, I will humbly stand before Him with bowed head and joined palms, and He will address me, “My dear Akrūra.” At that very moment my life’s purpose will be fulfilled. Indeed, the life of anyone whom the Supreme Personality fails to recognize is simply pitiable.
न तस्य कश्चिद् दयित: सुहृत्तमो न चाप्रियो द्वेष्य उपेक्ष्य एव वा । तथापि भक्तान् भजते यथा तथा सुरद्रुमो यद्वदुपाश्रितोऽर्थद: ॥ २२ ॥
na tasya kaścid dayitaḥ suhṛttamo na cāpriyo dveṣya upekṣya eva vā tathāpi bhaktān bhajate yathā tathā sura-drumo yadvad upāśrito ’rtha-daḥ
The Supreme Lord has no favorite and no dearmost friend, nor does He consider anyone undesirable, despicable or fit to be neglected. All the same, He lovingly reciprocates with His devotees in whatever manner they worship Him, just as the trees of heaven fulfill the desires of whoever approaches them.
किं चाग्रजो मावनतं यदूत्तम: स्मयन् परिष्वज्य गृहीतमञ्जलौ । गृहं प्रवेष्याप्तसमस्तसत्कृतं सम्प्रक्ष्यते कंसकृतं स्वबन्धुषु ॥ २३ ॥
kiṁ cāgrajo māvanataṁ yadūttamaḥ smayan pariṣvajya gṛhītam añjalau gṛhaṁ praveṣyāpta-samasta-satkṛtaṁ samprakṣyate kaṁsa-kṛtaṁ sva-bandhuṣu
And then Lord Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother, the foremost of the Yadus, will grasp my joined hands while I am still standing with my head bowed, and after embracing me He will take me to His house. There He will honor me with all items of ritual welcome and inquire from me about how Kaṁsa has been treating His family members.
श्रीशुक उवाच इति सञ्चिन्तयन्कृष्णं श्वफल्कतनयोऽध्वनि । रथेन गोकुलं प्राप्त: सूर्यश्चास्तगिरिं नृप ॥ २४ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca iti sañcintayan kṛṣṇaṁ śvaphalka-tanayo ’dhvani rathena gokulaṁ prāptaḥ sūryaś cāsta-giriṁ nṛpa
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, while the son of Śvaphalka, traveling on the road, thus meditated deeply on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he reached Gokula as the sun was beginning to set.
पदानि तस्याखिललोकपाल- किरीटजुष्टामलपादरेणो: । ददर्श गोष्ठे क्षितिकौतुकानि विलक्षितान्यब्जयवाङ्कुशाद्यै: ॥ २५ ॥
padāni tasyākhila-loka-pāla- kirīṭa-juṣṭāmala-pāda-reṇoḥ dadarśa goṣṭhe kṣiti-kautukāni vilakṣitāny abja-yavāṅkuśādyaiḥ
In the cowherd pasture Akrūra saw the footprints of those feet whose pure dust the rulers of all the planets in the universe hold on their crowns. Those footprints of the Lord, distinguished by such marks as the lotus, barleycorn and elephant goad, made the ground wonderfully beautiful.
तद्दर्शनाह्लादविवृद्धसम्भ्रम: प्रेम्णोर्ध्वरोमाश्रुकलाकुलेक्षण: । रथादवस्कन्द्य स तेष्वचेष्टत प्रभोरमून्यङ्घ्रिरजांस्यहो इति ॥ २६ ॥
tad-darśanāhlāda-vivṛddha-sambhramaḥ premṇordhva-romāśru-kalākulekṣaṇaḥ rathād avaskandya sa teṣv aceṣṭata prabhor amūny aṅghri-rajāṁsy aho iti
Increasingly agitated by ecstasy at seeing the Lord’s footprints, his bodily hairs standing on end because of his pure love, and his eyes filled with tears, Akrūra jumped down from his chariot and began rolling about among those footprints, exclaiming, “Ah, this is the dust from my master’s feet!”
देहंभृतामियानर्थो हित्वा दम्भं भियं शुचम् । सन्देशाद् यो हरेर्लिङ्गदर्शनश्रवणादिभि: ॥ २७ ॥
dehaṁ-bhṛtām iyān artho hitvā dambhaṁ bhiyaṁ śucam sandeśād yo harer liṅga- darśana-śravaṇādibhiḥ
The very goal of life for all embodied beings is this ecstasy, which Akrūra experienced when, upon receiving Kaṁsa’s order, he put aside all pride, fear and lamentation and absorbed himself in seeing, hearing and describing the things that reminded him of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
ददर्श कृष्णं रामं च व्रजे गोदोहनं गतौ । पीतनीलाम्बरधरौ शरदम्बुरुहेक्षणौ ॥ २८ ॥ किशोरौ श्यामलश्वेतौ श्रीनिकेतौ बृहद्भुजौ । सुमुखौ सुन्दरवरौ बलद्विरदविक्रमौ ॥ २९ ॥ ध्वजवज्राङ्कुशाम्भोजैश्चिह्नितैरङ्घ्रिभिर्व्रजम् । शोभयन्तौ महात्मानौ सानुक्रोशस्मितेक्षणौ ॥ ३० ॥ उदाररुचिरक्रीडौ स्रग्विणौ वनमालिनौ । पुण्यगन्धानुलिप्ताङ्गौ स्नातौ विरजवाससौ ॥ ३१ ॥ प्रधानपुरुषावाद्यौ जगद्धेतू जगत्पती । अवतीर्णौ जगत्यर्थे स्वांशेन बलकेशवौ ॥ ३२ ॥ दिशो वितिमिरा राजन्कुर्वाणौ प्रभया स्वया । यथा मारकत: शैलो रौप्यश्च कनकाचितौ ॥ ३३ ॥
dadarśa kṛṣṇaṁ rāmaṁ ca vraje go-dohanaṁ gatau pīta-nīlāmbara-dharau śarad-amburahekṣaṇau kiśorau śyāmala-śvetau śrī-niketau bṛhad-bhujau su-mukhau sundara-varau bala-dvirada-vikramau dhvaja-vajrāṅkuśāmbhojaiś cihnitair aṅghribhir vrajam śobhayantau mahātmānau sānukrośa-smitekṣaṇau udāra-rucira-krīḍau sragviṇau vana-mālinau puṇya-gandhānuliptāṅgau snātau viraja-vāsasau pradhāna-puruṣāv ādyau jagad-dhetū jagat-patī avatīrṇau jagaty-arthe svāṁśena bala-keśavau diśo vitimirā rājan kurvāṇau prabhayā svayā yathā mārakataḥ śailo raupyaś ca kanakācitau
Akrūra then saw Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in the village of Vraja, going to milk the cows. Kṛṣṇa wore yellow garments, Balarāma blue, and Their eyes resembled autumnal lotuses. One of those two mighty-armed youths, the shelters of the goddess of fortune, had a dark-blue complexion, and the other’s was white. With Their fine-featured faces They were the most beautiful of all persons. As They walked with the gait of young elephants, glancing about with compassionate smiles, Those two exalted personalities beautified the cow pasture with the impressions of Their feet, which bore the marks of the flag, lightning bolt, elephant goad and lotus. The two Lords, whose pastimes are most magnanimous and attractive, were ornamented with jeweled necklaces and flower garlands, anointed with auspicious, fragrant substances, freshly bathed, and dressed in spotless raiment. They were the primeval Supreme Personalities, the masters and original causes of the universes, who had for the welfare of the earth now descended in Their distinct forms of Keśava and Balarāma. O King Parīkṣit, They resembled two gold-bedecked mountains, one of emerald and the other of silver, as with Their effulgence They dispelled the sky’s darkness in all directions.
रथात्तूर्णमवप्लुत्य सोऽक्रूर: स्नेहविह्वल: । पपात चरणोपान्ते दण्डवद् रामकृष्णयो: ॥ ३४ ॥
rathāt tūrṇam avaplutya so ’krūraḥ sneha-vihvalaḥ papāta caraṇopānte daṇḍa-vad rāma-kṛṣṇayoḥ
Akrūra, overwhelmed with affection, quickly jumped down from his chariot and fell at the feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma like a rod.
भगवद् दर्शनाह्लादबाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षण: । पुलकाचिताङ्ग औत्कण्ठ्यात्स्वाख्याने नाशकन्नृप ॥ ३५ ॥
bhagavad-darśanāhlāda- bāṣpa-paryākulekṣaṇaḥ pulakacitāṅga autkaṇṭhyāt svākhyāne nāśakan nṛpa
The joy of seeing the Supreme Lord flooded Akrūra’s eyes with tears and decorated his limbs with eruptions of ecstasy. He felt such eagerness that he could not speak to present himself, O King.
भगवांस्तमभिप्रेत्य रथाङ्गाङ्कितपाणिना । परिरेभेऽभ्युपाकृष्य प्रीत: प्रणतवत्सल: ॥ ३६ ॥
bhagavāṁs tam abhipretya rathāṅgāṅkita-pāṇinā parirebhe ’bhyupākṛṣya prītaḥ praṇata-vatsalaḥ
Recognizing Akrūra, Lord Kṛṣṇa drew him close with His hand, which bears the sign of the chariot wheel, and then embraced him. Kṛṣṇa felt pleased, for He is always benignly disposed toward His surrendered devotees.
सङ्कर्षणश्च प्रणतमुपगुह्य महामना: । गृहीत्वा पाणिना पाणी अनत्सानुजो गृहम् ॥ ३७ ॥ पृष्ट्वाथ स्वागतं तस्मै निवेद्य च वरासनम् । प्रक्षाल्य विधिवत् पादौ मधुपर्कार्हणमाहरत् ॥ ३८ ॥
saṅkarṣaṇaś ca praṇatam upaguhya mahā-manāḥ gṛhītvā pāṇinā pāṇī anayat sānujo gṛham pṛṣṭvātha sv-āgataṁ tasmai nivedya ca varāsanam prakṣālya vidhi-vat pādau madhu-parkārhaṇam āharat
As Akrūra stood with his head bowed, Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa [Balarāma] grasped his joined hands, and then Balarāma took him to His house in the company of Lord Kṛṣṇa. After inquiring from Akrūra whether his trip had been comfortable, Balarāma offered him a first-class seat, bathed his feet in accordance with the injunctions of scripture and respectfully served him milk with honey.
निवेद्य गां चातिथये संवाह्य श्रान्तमादृत: । अन्नं बहुगुणं मेध्यं श्रद्धयोपाहरद् विभु: ॥ ३९ ॥
nivedya gāṁ cātithaye saṁvāhya śrāntam āḍṛtaḥ annaṁ bahu-guṇaṁ medhyaṁ śraddhayopāharad vibhuḥ
The almighty Lord Balarāma presented Akrūra with the gift of a cow, massaged his feet to relieve him of fatigue and then with great respect and faith fed him suitably prepared food of various fine tastes.
तस्मै भुक्तवते प्रीत्या राम: परमधर्मवित् । मखवासैर्गन्धमाल्यै: परां प्रीतिं व्यधात्पुन: ॥ ४० ॥
tasmai bhuktavate prītyā rāmaḥ parama-dharma-vit makha-vāsair gandha-mālyaiḥ parāṁ prītiṁ vyadhāt punaḥ
When Akrūra had eaten to his satisfaction, Lord Balarāma, the supreme knower of religious duties, offered him aromatic herbs for sweetening his mouth, along with fragrances and flower garlands. Thus Akrūra once again enjoyed the highest pleasure.
पप्रच्छ सत्कृतं नन्द: कथं स्थ निरनुग्रहे । कंसे जीवति दाशार्ह सौनपाला इवावय: ॥ ४१ ॥
papraccha sat-kṛtaṁ nandaḥ kathaṁ stha niranugrahe kaṁse jīvati dāśārha sauna-pālā ivāvayaḥ
Nanda Mahārāja asked Akrūra: O descendant of Daśārha, how are all of you maintaining yourselves while that merciless Kaṁsa remains alive? You are just like sheep under the care of a butcher.
योऽवधीत्स्वस्वसुस्तोकान्क्रोशन्त्या असुतृप्खल: । किं नु स्वित्तत्प्रजानां व: कुशलं विमृशामहे ॥ ४२ ॥
yo ’vadhīt sva-svasus tokān krośantyā asu-tṛp khalaḥ kiṁ nu svit tat-prajānāṁ vaḥ kuśalaṁ vimṛśāmahe
That cruel, self-serving Kaṁsa murdered the infants of his own sister in her presence, even as she cried in anguish. So why should we even ask about the well-being of you, his subjects?
इत्थं सूनृतया वाचा नन्देन सुसभाजित: । अक्रूर: परिपृष्टेन जहावध्वपरिश्रमम् ॥ ४३ ॥
itthaṁ sūnṛtayā vācā nandena su-sabhājitaḥ akrūraḥ paripṛṣṭena jahāv adhva-pariśramam
Honored by Nanda Mahārāja with these true and pleasing words of inquiry, Akrūra forgot the fatigue of his journey.
