Shloka 30
अक्रूरः क्रूरहृदयः शीघ्रं प्रेरयते हयान् एवम् आर्तासु योषित्सु घृणा कस्य न जायते
akrūraḥ krūrahṛdayaḥ śīghraṃ prerayate hayān evam ārtāsu yoṣitsu ghṛṇā kasya na jāyate
Akrūra, cruel at heart, hastens the horses onward. Seeing women thus afflicted and in agony, in whom would compassion not arise?
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna’s departure to Mathurā proceeds through Akrūra’s chariot, setting in motion the confrontation with tyrannical rule and the protection of the Yādavas.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of the righteous in Mathurā and the eventual removal of adharma embodied by Kaṃsa.
Concept: Witnessing the suffering of the innocent naturally calls forth compassion, while hardness of heart is censured.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Let empathy become action—comfort the grieving, refrain from callous speech, and slow down when others are in distress.
Vishishtadvaita: Devotees’ suffering is not dismissed; the Purāṇa validates their bhāva, aligning dharma with compassionate responsiveness under the Lord’s overarching līlā.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Madhurya
FAQs
The verse frames compassion as an almost universal, spontaneous dharmic response when one witnesses innocent suffering—especially the visible distress of women—thereby judging cruelty as a moral deviation.
By contrasting Akrūra’s harsh urgency with the women’s anguish, Parāśara uses the episode to evoke ethical discernment: dharma is recognized not only through rules but through the heart’s response to suffering.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Purāṇa’s underlying theology presents dharma and compassion as expressions of the cosmic order sustained by Vishnu, the supreme sovereign who upholds the world’s moral balance.