Story of Lord Krishna - SRIMAD BHAGAVATA by Krsna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

Krsna and Balarama Enter Mathura

1. While Akrura was still offering prayers, the Supreme Lord Krsna withdrew His form that He had revealed in the water, just as an actor winds up his performance.

2. When Akrura saw the vision disappear, he came out of the water and quickly finished his various ritual duties. He then returned to the chariot, astonished.

3. Lord Krsna asked Akrura: Have you seen something wonderful on the earth, in the sky or in the water? From your appearance, We think you have.

4. Sri Akrura 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?

5. 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?

6. With these words, Akrura, the son of Gandini, began driving the chariot onward. At the end of the day he arrived in Mathura with Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna.

7. Wherever they passed along the road, 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.

8. Nanda Maharaja and the other residents of Vrndavana, having reached Mathura ahead of the chariot, had stopped at a garden on the outskirts of the city to wait for Krsna and Balarama.

9. After joining Nanda and the others, the Supreme Lord Krsna, the controller of the universe, took humble Akrura’s hand in His own and, smiling, spoke as follows.

10. [Lord Krsna 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.

11. Sri Akrura said: O master, without the two of You I shall not enter Mathura. I am Your devotee, O Lord, so it is not fair for You to abandon me, since You are always affectionate to Your devotees.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. By bathing Your feet, the exalted Bali Maharaja attained not only glorious fame and unequaled power but also the final destination of pure devotees.

15. The water of the river Ganges has purified the three worlds, having become transcendental by bathing Your feet. Lord Siva accepted that water on his head, and by that water’s grace the sons of King Sagara attained to heaven.

16. 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 Narayana, I offer You my obeisances.

17. 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.

18. Thus addressed by the Lord, Akrura entered the city with a heavy heart. He informed King Kamsa of the success of his mission and then went home.

19. Lord Krsna desired to see Mathura, so toward evening He took Lord Balarama and the cowherd boys with Him and entered the city.

20. The Lord saw Mathura, 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. Mathura 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 vaidurya 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.

21. The women of Mathura 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. The ladies of Mathura had repeatedly heard about Krsna, 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, they forgot the unlimited distress caused by His absence.

26. Their lotus faces blooming with affection, the ladies who had climbed to the roofs of the mansions rained down showers of flowers upon Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna.

27. Brahmanas 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.

28. The women of Mathura exclaimed: Oh, what severe austerities the gopis must have performed to be able to regularly see Krsna and Balarama, who are the greatest source of pleasure for all mankind!

29. Seeing a washerman approaching who had been dyeing some clothes, Krsna asked him for the finest laundered garments he had.

30. [Lord Krsna 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.

31. Thus requested by the Supreme Lord, who is perfectly complete in all respects, that arrogant servant of the King became angry and replied insultingly.

32. [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!

33. 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.

34. As the washerman thus spoke brazenly, the son of Devaki became angry, and then merely with His fingertips He separated the man’s head from his body.

35. The washerman’s assistants all dropped their bundles of clothes and fled down the road, scattering in all directions. Lord Krsna then took the clothes.

36. Krsna and Balarama put on pairs of garments that especially pleased Them, and then Krsna distributed the remaining clothes among the cowherd boys, leaving some scattered on the ground.

37. Thereupon a weaver came forward and, feeling affection for the Lords, nicely adorned Their attire with cloth ornaments of various colors.

38. Krsna and Balarama 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.

39. Pleased with the weaver, the Supreme Lord Krsna 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.

40. The two Lords then went to the house of the garland-maker Sudama. When Sudama saw Them he at once stood up and then bowed down, placing his head on the ground.

41. After offering Them seats and bathing Their feet, Sudama worshiped Them and Their companions with arghya, garlands, pan, sandalwood paste and other presentations.

42. [Sudama 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.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. Having spoken these words, Sudama could understand what Krsna and Balarama wanted. Thus with great pleasure he presented Them with garlands of fresh, fragrant flowers.

47. Beautifully adorned with these garlands, Krsna and Balarama were delighted, and so were Their companions. The two Lords then offered the surrendered Sudama, who was bowing down before Them, whatever benedictions he desired.

48. Sudama chose unshakable devotion for Krsna, the Supreme Soul of all existence; friendship with His devotees; and transcendental compassion for all living beings.

49. Not only did Lord Krsna grant Sudama these benedictions, but He also awarded him strength, long life, fame, beauty and ever-increasing prosperity for his family. Then Krsna and His elder brother took Their leave.

GURU

GURU teaches us the art of living a balanced life with restraint and stability of mind. He is the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and shows you the path of light and eternal bliss. He is the one who brings about awareness that actions (karmas) performed under the influence of senses, give rise to sensuous pleasures and pains, which are transitory and fleeting. He guides you how to discipline and bring under control the five wild horses - 'kaam' (passion), 'krodha' (anger), 'lobh' (greed), 'moh' (emotional attachment) and 'ahankaar' (ego) and helps you to take the chariot of your life in the right direction of inner peace and tranquility. He brings about a realization in you that over-indulgence in sensuous objects give rise to TAMOGUNA and the end result is regret, remorse, sorrow and loss of peace. Like a Divine Father, he holds your little finger and conditions you to fearlessly travel from the illusionary material world, to the realms of spirituality so that you could be one with the Real One and realize the ultimate truth - i.e., God.

Krishna Playing
Poet: surdas

Hari (Krishna) is singing something in his courtyard (aangan). He is dancing with His little-little feet and enticing His own mind.

Sometimes, He lifts His hands and calls the cows, by names Kajari and Dhauri, and then returns back to His home calling His father as Baba Nand.

He takes a bit of butter in His small hand and puts in His small mouth. Sometimes, He assumes the reflection in pillar to be another child and tries to offer Him a bit of butter.

Jasomati, the mother of Krishna, observes Him from far off and enjoys the sportive activities of baby Krishna. Surdas, the poet, observes these sportive actions of Baby Krishna and feels elated day by day.

Sri Radhe-Krsna's playful pastimes (vihara) - Jogiya-sthala

Mahadeva Sankara worships Krsna here, and therefore this place is also known as Mahadeva's sitting-place (baithaka). Once, Mahadeva Sankara, desiring to have Krsna's darsana, was wandering throughout Vraja like a madman, but his repeated attempts bore no success. Sometimes, Krsna would be sleeping when he arrived and sometimes He would be sucking the breast of His mother. Also, Mother Yasoda did not want to show her baby Krsna to this strange yogi, whose hair was matted, who was adorned with a neclace of serpents, and who was riding a bull and carrying a trident in his hand. She thought that he might give her son the "evil eye".

Finally, a defeated Sankara sat down at this very spot firm in his decision not to leave until his desire was fulfilled. He started to beg by invoking the name of God, loudly calling out,"Alakha niranjana, alakha niranjana!" ang playing on his damaru drum. Inside Nanda-bhavana, baby Krsna also started to bawl just as loudly as Sankara was calling out and playing his drum. The drum playing did not stop; nor did Krsna's crying. Finally the clever elderly gopis advised Yasoda,"This must be the work of that yogi. He certainly knows some mantras, so why not call him to pacify the child?" They went to the yogi and said,"O yogi, come, Nandarani Yasomati is calling you to Nanda-bhavana." Hearing this, Sankaraji became so happy and made his way to Nanda-bhavana, where he took some mustard seeds and salt in his hands, touched the head of baby Krsna and blessed Him. When touched by the hands of Sankara, Nanda-lala immediately stopped crying and began to make the sounds of joy. Seeing the yogi's wonderful act Nandarani(Yasoda) became very pleased with him and gave him her pearl neclace in charity, saying,"Yogi, you should stay here at Nanda-bhavana and whenever my lala cries, you should pacify Him by your darsana."

Suradasa has described this pastime in the follwing poem:

cal re jogi nandabhavan mein yasumati tohi bulave
latkat-latkat sankar avai man mein mod bhadave

nandabhavan mein ayo jogi rai non kar lino
bar pher lalake upar hath sis par dino

vitha bhai ab dur badan ki kilak uthe nandalala
khusi bhai nandajuki rani dini motiyan mala

rahure jogi nandabhavan mein braj ko baso kijai
jab-jab mero lala rovai tab-tab darsan dijai

tum to jogi param manohar tum ko ved bakhane
(siv bole)budho baba nam hamaro sursyam mohi janen

Story of Lord Krishna - SRIMAD BHAGAVATA by Krsna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

The Prayers of Akrura

1. Sri Akrura said: I bow down to You, the cause of all causes, the original and inexhaustible Supreme Person, Narayana. From the whorl of the lotus born from Your navel, Brahma appeared, and by his agency this universe has come into being.

2. Earth; water; fire; air; ether and its source, false ego; the mahat-tattva, the total material nature and her source, the Supreme Lord’s purusa expansion; the mind; the senses; the sense objects; and the senses’ presiding deities—all these causes of the cosmic manifestation are born from Your transcendental body.

3. The total material nature and these other elements of creation certainly cannot know You as You are, for they are manifested in the realm of dull matter. Since You are beyond the modes of nature, even Lord Brahma, who is bound up in these modes, does not know Your true identity.

4. Pure yogis worship You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by conceiving of You in the threefold form comprising the living entities, the material elements that constitute the living entities’ bodies, and the controlling deities of those elements.

5. Brahmanas who follow the regulations concerning the three sacred fires worship You by chanting mantras from the three Vedas and performing elaborate fire sacrifices for the various demigods, who have many forms and names.

6. In pursuit of spiritual knowledge, some persons renounce all material activities and, having thus become peaceful, perform the sacrifice of philosophic investigation to worship You, the original form of all knowledge.

7. And yet others—those whose intelligence is pure—follow the injunctions of Vaisnava scriptures promulgated by You. Absorbing their minds in thought of You, they worship You as the one Supreme Lord manifesting in multiple forms.

8. There are still others, who worship You, the Supreme Lord, in the form of Lord Siva. They follow the path described by him and interpreted in various ways by many teachers.

9. But all these people, my Lord, even those who have turned their attention away from You and are worshiping other deities, are actually worshiping You alone, O embodiment of all the demigods.

10. As rivers born from the mountains and filled by the rain flow from all sides into the sea, so do all these paths in the end reach You, O master.

11. Goodness, passion and ignorance, the qualities of Your material nature, entangle all conditioned living beings, from Brahma down to the nonmoving creatures.

12. I offer My obeisances to You, who as the Supreme Soul of all beings witness everyone’s consciousness with unbiased vision. The current of Your material modes, produced by the force of ignorance, flows strongly among the living beings who assume identities as demigods, humans and animals.

13. Fire is said to be Your face, the earth Your feet, the sun Your eye, and the sky Your navel. The directions are Your sense of hearing, the chief demigods Your arms, and the oceans Your abdomen. Heaven is thought to be Your head, and the wind Your vital air and physical strength. The trees and plants are the hairs on Your body, the clouds the hair on Your head, and the mountains the bones and nails of You, the Supreme. The passage of day and night is the blinking of Your eyes, the progenitor of mankind Your genitals, and the rain Your semen.

14. All the worlds, with their presiding demigods and teeming populations, originate in You, the inexhaustible Supreme Personality of Godhead. These worlds travel within You, the basis of the mind and senses, just as aquatics swim in the sea or tiny insects burrow within an udumbara fruit.

15. To enjoy Your pastimes You manifest Yourself in various forms in this material world, and these incarnations cleanse away all the unhappiness of those who joyfully chant Your glories.

16. I offer my obeisances to You, the cause of the creation, Lord Matsya, who swam about in the ocean of dissolution, to Lord Hayagriva, the killer of Madhu and Kaitabha, to the immense tortoise [Lord Kurma], who supported Mandara Mountain, and to the boar incarnation [Lord Varaha], who enjoyed lifting the earth.

17. Obeisances to You, the amazing lion [Lord Nrsimha], who remove Your saintly devotees’ fear, and to the dwarf Vamana, who stepped over the three worlds.

18. Obeisances to You, Lord of the Bhrgus, who cut down the forest of the conceited royal order, and to Lord Rama, the best of the Raghu dynasty, who put an end to the demon Ravana.

19. Obeisances to You, Lord of the Satvatas, and to Your forms of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.

20. Obeisances to Your form as the faultless Lord Buddha, who will bewilder the Daityas and Danavas, and to Lord Kalki, the annihilator of the meat-eaters posing as kings.

21. O Supreme Lord, the living entities in this world are bewildered by Your illusory energy. Becoming involved in the false concepts of “I” and “my,” they are forced to wander along the paths of fruitive work.

22. I too am deluded in this way, O almighty Lord, foolishly thinking my body, children, home, wife, money and followers to be real, though they are actually as unreal as a dream.

23. Thus mistaking the temporary for the eternal, my body for my self, and sources of misery for sources of happiness, I have tried to take pleasure in material dualities. Covered in this way by ignorance, I could not recognize You as the real object of my love.

24. Just as a fool overlooks a body of water covered by the vegetation growing in it and chases a mirage, so I have turned away from You.

25. My intelligence is so crippled that I cannot find the strength to curb my mind, which is disturbed by material desires and activities and constantly dragged here and there by my obstinate senses.

26. Being thus fallen, I am approaching Your feet for shelter, O Lord, because although the impure can never attain Your feet, I think it is nevertheless possible by Your mercy. Only when one’s material life has ceased, O lotus-naveled Lord, can one develop consciousness of You by serving Your pure devotees.

27. Obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth, the possessor of unlimited energies. He is the embodiment of pure, transcendental knowledge, the source of all kinds of awareness, and the predominator of the forces of nature that rule over the living being.

28. O son of Vasudeva, obeisances to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Lord of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisances. O master, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You.

GURU

In the Physical Form, Guru provides protection to his devotees, but when He leaves His corporal frame (physical form), in an ‘aatmic’ form He is still THERE, as a shapeless power. He comes to the rescue of his devotees in ‘Nirakaar Roop’ (shapeless form) whenever such a need arises. It is also within His power to attain any shape or to remain in shapeless form for as long as He wishes to. In the shapeless form, He is ‘Nirakaar’ Paar Brahma – the Supreme Power.

Mangalacarana verse of Bhagavat_arca_marici_mala by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Sri Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krsna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.

Sri Radhe-Krsna's playful pastimes (vihara) - Sahasi-kunda

Here, the sakhis encouraged and arranged for Radhaji to meet with Krsna. The sakhis would hang a beautiful swing from the nearby banyan tree, and swing Radha and Krsna while singing songs in malhara and other ragas. Sometimes Krsna came here to meet with Radhika and enjoy pastimes with Her.

Another name of Sahasi-kunda is Sarasi-kunda. Krsna and Balarama were inseperable. They would eat together, play together and even sleep together. Once, the two brothers were playing here when Yasoda-maiya came looking for them. She affectionately addressed Them as a pair of swans, or saras. Since then, this pond has been called Sarasi-kunda.

Story of Lord Krishna - SRIMAD BHAGAVATA by Krsna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

Akrura’s Vision

1. Having been honored so much by Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna, Akrura, seated comfortably on a couch, felt that all the desires he had contemplated on the road were now fulfilled.

2. 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.

3. After the evening meal, Lord Krsna, the son of Devaki, asked Akrura how Kamsa was treating their dear relatives and friends and what the King was planning to do.

4. The Supreme Lord said: My dear, gentle Uncle Akrura, 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?

5. But, my dear Akrura, 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?

6. Just see how much suffering I have caused My offenseless parents! Because of Me their sons were killed and they themselves imprisoned.

7. 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.

8. In response to the Supreme Lord’s request, Akrura, the descendant of Madhu, described the whole situation, including King Kamsa’s enmity toward the Yadus and his attempt to murder Vasudeva.

9. Akrura relayed the message he had been sent to deliver. He also described Kamsa’s real intentions and how Narada had informed Kamsa that Krsna had been born as the son of Vasudeva.

10. Lord Krsna and Lord Balarama, the vanquisher of heroic opponents, laughed when They heard Akrura’s words. The Lords then informed Their father, Nanda Maharaja, of King Kamsa’s orders.

11. Nanda Maharaja 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 Mathura, present our milk products to the King and see a very great festival. The residents of all the outlying districts are also going.”

12. When the young gopis heard that Akrura had come to Vraja to take Krsna and Balarama to the city, they became extremely distressed.

13. Some gopis 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.

14. Other gopis entirely stopped their sensory activities and became fixed in meditation on Krsna. They lost all awareness of the external world, just like those who attain the platform of self-realization.

15. And still other young women fainted simply by remembering the words of Lord Sauri [Krsna]. These words, decorated with wonderful phrases and expressed with affectionate smiles, would deeply touch the young girls’ hearts.

16. The gopis 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.

17. The gopis 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.

18. 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.

19. O Providence, though you come here with the name Akrura, 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 Madhudvisa’s form, the perfection of your entire creation.

20. 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.

21. The dawn following this night will certainly be auspicious for the women of Mathura. 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.

22. O gopis, 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 Mathura and been enchanted by their alluring, shy smiles, how will He ever return to us unsophisticated village girls?

23. When the Dasarhas, Bhojas, Andhakas, Vrsnis and Satvatas see the son of Devaki in Mathura, 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.

24. He who is doing this merciless deed should not be called Akrura. He is so extremely cruel that without even trying to console the sorrowful residents of Vraja, he is taking away Krsna, who is more dear to us than life itself.

25. Hard-hearted Krsna 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.

26. Let us directly approach Madhava 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.

27. When He brought us to the assembly of the rasa 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 gopis, how can we possibly cross over the insurmountable darkness of His absence?

28. How can we exist without Ananta’s friend Krsna, 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.

29. After speaking these words, the ladies of Vraja, who were so attached to Krsna, felt extremely agitated by their imminent separation from Him. They forgot all shame and loudly cried out, “O Govinda! O Damodara! O Madhava!”

30. But even as the gopis cried out in this way, Akrura, having at sunrise performed His morning worship and other duties, began to drive the chariot.

31. Led by Nanda Maharaja, the cowherd men followed behind Lord Krsna in their wagons. The men brought along many offerings for the King, including clay pots filled with ghee and other milk products.

32. [With His glances] Lord Krsna somewhat pacified the gopis, and they also followed behind for some time. Then, hoping He would give them some instruction, they stood still.

33. As He departed, that best of the Yadus saw how the gopis, were lamenting, and thus He consoled them by sending a messenger with this loving promise: “I will return.”

34. Sending their minds aher Krsna, the gopis 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.

35. The gopis 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.

36. The Supreme Lord Krsna, traveling as swiftly as the wind in that chariot with Lord Balarama and Akrura, arrived at the river Kalindi, which destroys all sins.

37. The river’s sweet water was more effulgent than brilliant jewels. After Lord Krsna 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 Balarama.

38. Akrura asked the two Lords to take Their seats on the chariot. Then, taking Their permission, he went to a pool in the Yamuna and took his bath as enjoined in the scriptures.

39. While immersing himself in the water and reciting eternal mantras from the Vedas, Akrura suddenly saw Balarama and Krsna before him.

40. Akrura thought, “How can the two sons of Anakadundubhi, 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?” Akrura reentered the pool.

41. There Akrura now saw Ananta Sesa, the Lord of the serpents, receiving praise from Siddhas, Caranas, Gandharvas and demons, who all had their heads bowed. The Personality of Godhead whom Akrura 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 Kailasa Mountain with its many peaks.

42. Akrura then saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead lying peacefully on the lap of Lord Ananta Sesa. 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.

43. 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.

44. 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 Srivatsa mark, the brilliant Kaustubha gem and a flower garland.

45. Encircling the Lord and worshiping Him were Nanda, Sunanda and His other personal attendants; Sanaka and the other Kumaras; Brahma, Rudra and other chief demigods; the nine chief brahmanas; and the best of the saintly devotees, headed by Prahlada, Narada 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—Sri, Pusti, Gur, Kanti, Kirti, Tusti, Ila and Urja—as were His material potencies Vidya, Avidya and Maya, and His internal pleasure potency, Sakti.

46. As the great devotee Akrura 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, Akrura 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.