Adhyaya 17

Verse 1

अक्रूरो ऽपि विनिष्क्रम्य स्यन्दनेनाशुगामिना कृष्णसंदर्शनाकाङ्क्षी प्रययौ नन्दगोकुलम्

Akrūra too set forth in a swift-moving chariot; yearning for the blessed darśana of Kṛṣṇa, he journeyed to Nanda’s Gokula.

Verse 2

चिन्तयाम् आस चाक्रूरो नास्ति धन्यतरो मया यो ऽहम् अंशावतीर्णस्य मुखं द्रक्ष्यामि चक्रिणः

Akrūra reflected: “None is more blessed than I, for I shall behold the face of the Discus-bearing Lord, who has descended into the world as a partial manifestation of His divine being.”

Verse 3

अद्य मे सफलं जन्म सुप्रभाता च मे निशा यद् उन्निद्राब्जपत्राक्षं विष्णोर् द्रक्ष्याम्य् अहं मुखम्

Today my birth has borne its true fruit, and even my night has become a radiant dawn—since I shall behold the face of Viṣṇu, whose eyes are like lotus petals newly opened from sleep.

Verse 4

पापं हरति यत् पुंसां स्मृतं संकल्पनामयम् तत् पुण्डरीकनयनं विष्णोर् द्रक्ष्याम्य् अहं मुखम्

The remembrance of Him—even if it arises in the mind as mere intention—removes the sins of human beings. Therefore I shall behold the face of Viṣṇu, the Lotus‑eyed Lord.

Verse 5

निर्जग्मुश् च यतो वेदा वेदाङ्गान्य् अखिलानि च द्रक्ष्यामि तत् परं धाम देवानां भगवन्मुखम्

I shall behold that supreme abode—the divine Face of the Blessed Lord—from which the Vedas themselves, and all the Vedāṅgas in their entirety, have gone forth.

Verse 6

यज्ञेषु यज्ञपुरुषः पुरुषैः पुरुषोत्तमः इज्यते यो ऽखिलाधारस् तं द्रक्ष्यामि जगत्पतिम्

He who is worshipped in sacrifices as the Yajña-Puruṣa by men—He, the Puruṣottama, the support of all—I shall behold that Lord of the world.

Verse 7

इष्ट्वा यम् इन्द्रो यज्ञानां शतेनामरराजताम् अवाप तम् अनन्तादिम् अहं द्रक्ष्यामि केशवम्

He whom Indra attained—after worshipping through hundreds of sacrifices and winning the sovereignty of the gods—Him, that Keśava, beginningless and endless, I shall behold.

Verse 8

न ब्रह्मा नेन्द्ररुद्राश्विवस्वादित्यमरुद्गणाः यस्य स्वरूपं जानन्ति स्प्रक्ष्यत्य् अङ्गं स मे हरिः

Neither Brahmā, nor Indra, nor Rudra; neither the Aśvins, nor Vivasvān, nor the Ādityas, nor the hosts of the Maruts truly know His essential form. May that Hari, my Lord, touch and sanctify my limbs.

Verse 9

सर्वात्मा सर्ववित् सर्वः सर्वभूतेष्व् अवस्थितः यो वितत्याव्ययो व्यापी स वक्ष्यति मया सह

He who is the Self of all, who knows all, who is all—abiding within every being; who, having spread Himself everywhere, remains imperishable and all-pervading—He will speak together with me (through my words).

Verse 10

मत्स्यकूर्मवराहाश्वसिंहरूपादिभिः स्थितिम् चकार जगतो यो ऽजः सो ऽद्य माम् आलपिष्यति

He who—though unborn—upholds the stability of the worlds by assuming forms such as the Fish, the Tortoise, the Boar, the Horse, and the Lion: that very Lord will speak with me today.

Verse 11

साम्प्रतं च जगत्स्वामी कार्यम् आत्महृदि स्थितम् कर्तुं मनुष्यतां प्राप्तः स्वेच्छादेहधृग् अव्ययः

Now the Lord of the universe, holding within His own heart the work that must be fulfilled, has assumed the human state. Unfailing and undecaying, He takes a body by His own free will to accomplish His destined work in the world.

Verse 12

यो ऽनन्तः पृथिवीं धत्ते शेखरस्थितिसंस्थिताम् सो ऽवतीर्णो जगत्यर्थे माम् अक्रूरेति वक्ष्यति

He who is Ananta—the Infinite—who upholds the Earth, firmly poised upon the summit of His own cosmic station: that very Lord has descended for the welfare of the world, and He will address me, saying, “O Akrūra.”

Verse 13

पितृपुत्रसुहृद्भ्रातृमातृबन्धुमयीम् इमाम् यन्मायां नालम् उत्तर्तुं जगत् तस्मै नमो नमः

Obeisance again and again to Him—whose Māyā this world cannot cross—this Māyā that takes the form of father and son, friend and brother, mother and kin, binding beings in the very fabric of relationship.

Verse 14

तरत्य् अविद्यां विततां हृदि यस्मिन् निवेशिते योगी मायाम् अमेयाय तस्मै विद्यात्मने नमः

When He is firmly enthroned within the heart, the yogin crosses beyond the wide-spread darkness of ignorance and passes over māyā itself. Salutations to that immeasurable Lord, whose very essence is Vidyā—true Knowledge.

Verse 15

यज्विभिर् यज्ञपुरुषो वासुदेवश् च सात्वतैः वेदान्तवेदिभिर् विष्णुः प्रोच्यते यो नतो ऽस्मि तम्

He whom the sacrificers praise as the Person of Sacrifice (Yajña-Puruṣa), whom the Sātvatas adore as Vāsudeva, and whom the knowers of Vedānta proclaim as Viṣṇu—unto that One I bow in reverence.

Verse 16

यथा तत्र जगद् धाम्नि धातर्य् एतत् प्रतिष्ठितम् सदसत् तेन सत्येन मय्य् असौ यातु सौम्यताम्

As there, in that cosmic abode, the whole universe—manifest and unmanifest—stands established in the Sustainer, so by that very Truth may this one become gentle and attain peace in Me.

Verse 17

स्मृते सकलकल्याणभाजनं यत्र जायते पुरुषस् तम् अजं नित्यं व्रजामि शरणं हरिम्

I take refuge forever in Hari, the Unborn and Eternal—the Supreme Person—by whose remembrance a human being becomes a vessel fit for every auspicious good.

Verse 18

इत्थं संचिन्तयन् विष्णुं भक्तिनम्रात्ममानसः अक्रूरो गोकुलं प्राप्तः किंचित् सूर्ये विराजति

Thus, meditating unbrokenly on Vishnu—with his inner being and mind bowed down by devotion—Akrūra reached Gokula, as the sun still shone a little while longer in the sky.

Verse 19

स ददर्श तदा तत्र कृष्णम् आदोहने गवाम् वत्समध्यगतं फुल्लनीलोत्पलदलच्छविम्

Then, right there, he beheld Kṛṣṇa at the milking of the cows—standing amid the calves—his beauty shining like the fresh petals of a fully-bloomed blue lotus.

Verse 20

प्रस्पष्टपद्मपत्राक्षं श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम् प्रलम्बबाहुम् आयामितुङ्गोरःस्थलम् उन्नसम्

His eyes were clear and wide like lotus petals; upon His chest shone the mark of Śrīvatsa. His arms were long and graceful; His chest broad and lofty; and His nose high—such is the auspicious form of the Supreme Lord.

Verse 21

सविलासस्मिताधारं बिभ्राणं मुखपङ्कजम् तुङ्गरक्तनखं पद्भ्यां धरण्यां सुप्रतिष्ठितम्

He bears a lotus-like face, resting in a gentle, playful smile; and with lofty feet—whose nails glow red—He stands firmly established upon the earth, the Supreme made present and steady within the world.

Verse 22

बिभ्राणं वाससी पीते वन्यपुष्पविभूषितम् सान्द्रनीललताहस्तम् सिताम्भोजावतंसकम्

He wore two garments of yellow, adorned with wild forest-flowers; his hands were like dense-blue creepers, and a white lotus was set as an ornament upon his head—thus shone the Lord.

Verse 23

हंसकुन्देन्दुधवलं नीलाम्बरधरं द्विज तस्यानु बलभद्रं च ददर्श यदुनन्दनः

O twice-born one, the Yadu prince beheld him—radiant white like a swan, like jasmine, like the moon—clad in dark-blue garments; and behind him he also saw Balabhadra.

Verse 24

प्रांशुम् उत्तुङ्गबाह्वंसं विकासिमुखपङ्कजम् मेघमालापरिवृतं कैलासाद्रिम् इवापरम्

Lofty in stature, with magnificently raised and powerful arms, and with a lotus-like face in full bloom—he appeared, encircled by wreaths of clouds, like another Mount Kailāsa itself.

Verse 25

तौ दृष्ट्वा विकसद्वक्त्रसरोजः स महामतिः पुलकाञ्चितसर्वाङ्गस् तदाक्रूरो ऽभवन् मुने

Seeing those two, the noble-minded Akrūra’s face blossomed like a lotus; and in that very moment, O sage, his entire body was covered with gooseflesh—so deeply did devotion surge within him at the sight of the divine brothers.

Verse 26

एतत् तत् परमं धाम तद् एतत् परमं पदम् भगवद्वासुदेवांशो द्विधा यो ऽयम् अवस्थितः

This indeed is that Supreme Abode; this indeed is that highest State. Here, the very portion (aṃśa) of Bhagavān Vāsudeva stands established in a twofold manner.

Verse 27

साफल्यम् अक्ष्णोर् युगम् एतद् अत्र दृष्टे जगद्धातरि यातम् उच्चैः अप्य् अङ्गम् एतद् भगवत्प्रसादाद् दत्ते ऽङ्गसङ्गे फलवन् मम स्यात्

Now this pair of my eyes has attained its true fulfillment—for here I have beheld the Sustainer of the universe, exalted above all. And may this very body of mine, too, by the Lord’s own grace, become fruitful—if it is granted the blessing of contact with His divine person.

Verse 28

अप्य् एष पृष्ठे मम हस्तपद्मं करिष्यति श्रीमदनन्तमूर्तिः यस्याङ्गुलिस्पर्शहताखिलाघैर् अवाप्यते सिद्धिर् अनाशदोषा

May that glorious Lord of endless form—Śrī Ananta—place the lotus of His hand upon my back; for by the mere touch of His fingers, all sins are destroyed, and one attains flawless fulfilment, untouched by any taint of failure.

Verse 29

येनाग्निविद्युद्रविरश्मिमाला करालम् अत्युग्रम् अपास्य चक्रम् चक्रं घ्नता दैत्यपतेर् हृतानि दैत्याङ्गनानां नयनाञ्जनानि

Casting aside that wheel—terrible, exceedingly fierce, wreathed in a garland of fire, lightning, and sunlike rays—he struck down the Daitya-lord with the discus; and in that very moment the collyrium from the eyes of the Daitya women was snatched away, as their gaze froze in shock and grief.

Verse 30

यत्राम्बु विन्यस्य बलिर् मनोज्ञान् अवाप भोगान् वसुधातलस्थः तथामरत्वं त्रिदशाधिपत्यं मन्वन्तरं पूर्णम् अपेतशत्रुः

There—having placed the consecrating water—Bali, dwelling upon the surface of the earth, attained delights that the mind itself might long for; and, moreover, he obtained immortality and lordship over the gods. Thus, with his enmities removed, he brought a full Manvantara to completion.

Verse 31

अप्य् एष मां कंसपरिग्रहेण दोषास्पदीभूतम् अदोषदुष्टम् कर्तावमानोपहतं धिग् अस्तु तज् जन्मनः साधु बहिष्कृतो यः

Alas—under Kaṁsa’s domination, though blameless, I have become a vessel for reproach; struck by the contempt of my own kin, I am made to seem defiled. Fie upon that birth by which one is rightly cast out from the good.

Verse 32

ज्ञानात्मकस्यामलसत्त्वराशेर् अपेतदोषस्य सदा स्फुटस्य किं वा जगत्य् अत्र समस्तपुंसाम् अज्ञातम् अस्यास्ति हृदि स्थितस्य

He is pure consciousness itself—an immaculate mass of sattva, free from every defect, ever self-manifest and unmistakably clear. What in this world could be unknown to Him, who abides established within the heart of all beings?

Verse 33

तस्माद् अहं भक्तिविनम्रचेता व्रजामि सर्वेश्वरम् ईश्वराणाम् अंशावतारं पुरुषोत्तमस्य अनादिमध्यान्तमयस्य विष्णोः

Therefore, with a heart bowed down by devotion, I go for refuge to Viṣṇu—the Lord of all lords, the sovereign of the universe—who is the partial manifestation of the Supreme Person, and who, as the reality of beginning, middle, and end, is without origin, without limit, and without cessation.