Shloka 12
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
ततः प्रभाते विमले कृष्णरामौ महामती अक्रूरेण समं गन्तुम् उद्यतौ मथुरां प्रति
tataḥ prabhāte vimale kṛṣṇarāmau mahāmatī akrūreṇa samaṃ gantum udyatau mathurāṃ prati
Then, at the clear and stainless dawn, the great-souled Krishna and Balarama prepared to set out—together with Akrura—on the journey toward Mathura.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: To set forth to Mathurā with Balarāma and Akrūra, initiating the final approach to Kaṃsa’s destruction.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Transition from pastoral protection to public restoration of righteous order in Mathurā.
Concept: Auspicious beginnings (śubha prabhāta) accompany dharmic resolve and disciplined action.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Begin demanding duties with mental purity and steady intention, treating the start itself as a sacred threshold.
Vishishtadvaita: The ‘stainless dawn’ imagery supports a world-affirming sanctity: the divine works through purified time and embodied action, not by negating the world.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Sakhya
FAQs
This departure marks the narrative transition from Vrindavana’s pastoral līlā to the dharma-restoring confrontation in Mathura, where Kamsa’s rule is destined to end.
Through simple, decisive narrative cues—like the ‘pure dawn’ and the heroes’ readiness—Parāśara frames events as orderly and inevitable, guided by Bhagavan’s sovereign will.
Krishna’s movement toward Mathura shows the Supreme Reality entering worldly time to protect dharma—acting as Lord of all while remaining intrinsically untouched and transcendent.