Radha Krishna - Chapter 38: Akrûra's Musing and Reception in Gokula

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Akrûra with his spirits high spending the night in the city of Mathurâ [after 10.36: 40], then mounted his chariot and set off for Nanda's cowherd village. (2) On his way experienced he an exceptional amount of devotion for the greatly fortunate lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead and thought he thus like this: (3) 'What good works have I done, what severe penance did I suffer or of what other worship was I that I today may see Kes'ava? (4) My reaching the presence of the One Praised in the Verses is, I think, for someone with a worldly mind as difficult to achieve as the chanting of the Vedas is for someone of the lowest class. (5) But enough of that, even for a fallen soul like me there is a chance to have the audience of Acyuta; sometimes does someone pulled along by the river of time reach the other shore! (6) Today has the impure been uprooted and bears my birth indeed fruit, for it are the lotuslike feet of the Supreme Lord meditated upon by the yogis that I am going to respect. (7) Kamsa sending me here indeed did me a great service by obliging me to look for the feet of the Lord who descended into this world; it is by the effulgence of His rounded toenails that in the past many succeeded in freeing themselves from the hard to overcome darkness of a material existence. (8) It is they [those feet], worshiped by Lord Brahmâ, S'iva, the other demigods, by S'rî the goddess of fortune, the sages and the devotees, with which He for tending the cows with His companions moved about in the forest that was marked by the kunkum from the breasts of the gopîs. (9) For certain will I behold the beautiful cheeks and nose, the smiles and glances of His reddish lotuslike eyes and the hair curling around the face of Mukunda; indeed are the deer passing me to the right [an auspicious omen]! (10) No doubt will I today enjoy the direct sight of Vishnu, will I perceive the Abode of Beauty, who by His own desire to diminish the burden of this earth has assumed the form of a human being. (11) He, though being a witness [like me] to the true and untrue, is void of I-ness and has by that personal potency of His dispelled the darkness and bewilderment of an existence in separation [see also 2.5: 14, 2.10: 8-9, 3.27: 18-30 and 10.3: 18]; it is He, who works from the inside out, who by the created beings who manifest themselves when He casts His glance upon the material energy of His creation only indirectly can be seen through the vital airs, senses and intelligence in their bodies [see also 2.2: 35]. (12) The auspicious words, joined with the qualities, activities and the incarnations [of Him and His expansions], destroy all sins in the world and give life, beauty and purity to the entire universe, while words void of these are considered as things beautiful on a corpse. (13) And now has descended indeed in His own dynasty of loyals [Sâtvatas] He who maintains the codes, He who as the chief of the immortals creating delight spreads His fame being present in Vraja as the Controller of whose all-auspicious nature the godly sing. (14) For certain will I today see Him, the destination and spiritual master of the great souls of all three worlds, the real beauty and great feast to all who have eyes, He who exhibits the form that is the desire of the goddess, who is my safe haven of whom all dawns became His auspicious presence. (15) The moment I alight from my chariot to respect the feet of the two Lords, the Principal Personalities to whom even the yogis meditating hold on for their self-realization, will I bow down before Them as also to the friends living with Them in the forest. (16) And having fallen at the base of the feet will the Almighty place upon my head His very own lotuslike hand that makes one unafraid of the serpent of time of whose swift force the people greatly disturbed search for shelter. (17) Putting into that hand a respectful offering attained Purandara [see 8.13: 4] and Bali [see 8.19] as well rulership [the position of Indra] over the three worlds; it is that hand which, during the pastime in contact with the ladies of Vraja, fragrant like an aromatic flower wiped away the fatigue [see 10.33]. (18) Toward me, though being a messenger of Kamsa, will Acyuta develop no attitude of enmity; He is the overseer of everything who inside and outside the heart is the Knower of the field [of the body, see B.G. 13: 3], the Knower who with a perfect vision sees whatever that is sought and tried. (19) Fixed at the base of His feet with joined palms will He look upon me smiling affectionately so that with the immediate eradication of all contamination by His glance I will be freed from doubt and achieve intense happiness. (20) As the best of friends and a family member having Him exclusively as my object of worship, will He embrace me with His two large arms whereupon as a result of which my body instantly will become sanctified and my karma-given bondage will slacken. (21) When I, head down and palms joined, have achieved the physical contact, will Urus'rava ['the Lord of Great Renown'] address me with words like 'O Akrûra, dearest relative' and will thus because of the Greatest of All Persons my birth be a success; indeed is he whose birth is not honored like that to be pitied! (22) No one is His favorite or best friend, nor is anyone indeed disliked, hated or contemptible to Him either [see B.G. 9: 29] and still does He reciprocate with His devotees [see also 10.32: 17-22] for they are just like [desire-] trees from heaven that resorted to give whatever is wished for [see vaishnava pranâma]. (23) Furthermore will His elder brother, the most excellent Yadu, smiling at me standing there with a bowed head embrace me, take hold of my hands and take me into His house to receive me with all respects and inquire how Kamsa fares with the members of His family.'

(24) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus on his way with his chariot pondering over Krishna reached the son of S'vaphalka [see 9.24: 15] the village of Gokula as the sun was setting behind the mountain, o King. (25) The prints of His feet, of which the rulers of all worlds hold the pure dust on their crowns, saw he in the earth of the pasture: a wonderful decoration distinguished by the lotus, the barleycorn, the elephant goad and so on [see also 10.16: 18 and 10.30: 25*]. (26) The ecstasy of seeing them exited him greatly, made his hair stand on end and filled his eyes with tears; getting down from his chariot he rolled himself in the prints exclaiming: 'Oh this is the dust from my masters feet!' (27) This is what of all embodied beings is the goal of life: to give up the pride, fear and sorrow from being commanded [by mâyâ] when one has within one's sight the signs of the Lord that one hears about and so on [see 7.5: 23-24].