अक्रूर आगत: किं वा य: कंसस्यार्थसाधक: । येन नीतो मधुपुरीं कृष्ण: कमललोचन: ॥ ४८ ॥
akrūra āgataḥ kiṁ vā yaḥ kaṁsasyārtha-sādhakaḥ yena nīto madhu-purīṁ kṛṣṇaḥ kamala-locanaḥ
Ist Akrūra etwa zurückgekehrt – jener, der Kaṁsas Wunsch erfüllte, indem er den lotusäugigen Śrī Kṛṣṇa nach Madhupurī (Mathurā) brachte?
The gopīs angrily spoke this statement.
This verse shows their intense pain of separation (viraha), as they recall Akrūra as the one who took lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa to Mathurā, making their longing and love even sharper.
From the gopīs’ perspective in separation, Akrūra appears as the instrument of Kaṁsa’s plan because he escorted Kṛṣṇa from Vraja to Mathurā, even though Akrūra is personally a devotee.
When one cannot feel immediate closeness to God, one can deepen remembrance through hearing, chanting, and serving—turning longing into steady devotion rather than discouragement.