Shloka 19
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
एषएष रथम् आरुह्य मथुरां याति केशवः क्रूरेणाक्रूरकेणात्र निराशेन प्रतारितः
eṣaeṣa ratham āruhya mathurāṃ yāti keśavaḥ krūreṇākrūrakeṇātra nirāśena pratāritaḥ
Look—there, look! Keśava has mounted the chariot and is going to Mathurā, deceived here by that cruel Akrūra—who, though named ‘A-krūra’ (not-cruel), comes without hope and yet contrives this betrayal.
The cowherd women of Vraja (Gopīs), lamenting as Krishna departs; narrated within Parāśara’s discourse to Maitreya
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna departs for Mathurā to confront Kaṃsa and relieve the earth of the burden of adharma through the protection of the Yādavas.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Removal of tyrannical oppression and re-establishment of righteous governance in Mathurā.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Madhurya
FAQs
It marks the divinely guided turning point where Krishna moves from Vraja’s intimate pastoral līlā toward confronting Kamsa’s regime in Mathura—revealing that the Lord’s actions, though painful to devotees, serve cosmic order (dharma).
Through the narrative voice of the Vraja women, the Purana shows that intense longing and grief can become a concentrated form of bhakti—where the mind clings to the Supreme (Keśava) even when He is outwardly absent.
Krishna is addressed as Keśava, indicating the Supreme Lord whose līlā operates beyond ordinary morality and emotion; the apparent ‘deception’ underscores the contrast between human perception and the Lord’s sovereign, dharma-restoring purpose.