Shloka 20

Akrūra’s Mission: The Departure from Vraja and the Yamunā Vision of Viṣṇu-Ananta

Devanagari script

यस्त्वं प्रदर्श्यासितकुन्तलावृतं मुकुन्दवक्त्रं सुकपोलमुन्नसम् । शोकापनोदस्मितलेशसुन्दरं करोषि पारोक्ष्यमसाधु ते कृतम् ॥ २० ॥

Transliteration

yas tvaṁ pradarśyāsita-kuntalāvṛtaṁ mukunda-vaktraṁ su-kapolam un-nasam śokāpanoda-smita-leśa-sundaraṁ karoṣi pārokṣyam asādhu te kṛtam

Translation

Du hast uns Mukundas Antlitz gezeigt—von dunklen Locken umrahmt, geschmückt mit schönen Wangen und erhabenem Nasenrücken, und bezaubernd durch ein sanftes Lächeln, das allen Kummer vertreibt. Und nun machst du dieses Antlitz unsichtbar; dein Tun ist keineswegs gut.

Synonyms

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता/subject; correlating to implied ‘सः’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रदर्श्य: having shown
• प्रदर्श्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) with उपसर्ग ‘प्र’—‘having shown’

• असित-कुन्तल-आवृतम्: covered with dark curls
• असित-कुन्तल-आवृतम्: Visheshana (विशेषण of मुकुन्दवक्त्रम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असित (प्रातिपदिक) + कुन्तल (प्रातिपदिक) + आवृत (कृदन्त, √वृ + आ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘असितैः कुन्तलैः आवृतम्’ (covered by black curls); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; मुकुन्द-वक्त्रम् विशेषयति

• मुकुन्द-वक्त्रम्: Mukunda’s face
• मुकुन्द-वक्त्रम्: Karma (कर्म/object of प्रदर्श्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुकुन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘मुकुन्दस्य वक्त्रम्’ (Mukunda’s face); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सु-कपोलम्: with lovely cheeks
• सु-कपोलम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्गवत्) + कपोल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: ‘सुन्दरौ कपोलौ यस्य’ (with beautiful cheeks); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वक्त्रम् विशेषयति

• उन्नसम्: with a prominent nose
• उन्नसम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत् (उपसर्ग) + नास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘उन्नत-नासम्’ (with prominent nose)

• शोक-अपनोद-स्मित-लेश-सुन्दरम्: beautiful with a faint smile that removes sorrow
• शोक-अपनोद-स्मित-लेश-सुन्दरम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + अपनोद (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मित (प्रातिपदिक) + लेश (प्रातिपदिक) + सुन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘शोकस्य अपनोदः’ (removal of sorrow) + ‘स्मितस्य लेशः’ (a trace of smile) → तेन सुन्दरम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वक्त्रम् विशेषयति

• करोषि: you do/make
• करोषि: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पारोक्ष्यम्: disappearance/being out of sight
• पारोक्ष्यम्: Karma (कर्म/object of करोषि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारोक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘being out of sight/indirectness’

• असाधु: not proper
• असाधु: Visheshana (विशेषण of कृतम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असाधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here predicate adjective with कृतम्—‘not good’

• ते: by you/your
• ते: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• कृतम्: (this) act is done
• कृतम्: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇa / Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त, √कृ)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘(this) deed’

Characters & Entities

• Mukunda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Akrūra
• Gopīs

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about devotion in separation (viraha-bhakti)?

This verse shows the gopīs’ love at its peak: even a moment without Kṛṣṇa’s darśana feels unbearable, and His remembered smile becomes the very medicine that removes sorrow—yet separation makes their longing even stronger.

Why did the gopīs speak this way to Akrūra?

Akrūra had enabled their seeing Kṛṣṇa’s enchanting face, but as he prepared to take Kṛṣṇa toward Mathurā, the gopīs felt he was making Kṛṣṇa ‘out of sight’ to them; in the intensity of love, they call that act ‘not proper.’

How can this teaching be applied in modern spiritual life?

When you cannot feel immediate “darśana” or closeness, deepen remembrance—through nāma-japa, śravaṇa of Kṛṣṇa-kathā, and steady practice—so that longing becomes a force that purifies and strengthens devotion rather than discouraging it.