Shloka 31
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
एष कृष्णरथस्योच्चैश् चक्ररेणुर् निरीक्ष्यताम् दूरीभूतो हरिर् येन सो ऽपि रेणुर् न लक्ष्यते
eṣa kṛṣṇarathasyoccaiś cakrareṇur nirīkṣyatām dūrībhūto harir yena so 'pi reṇur na lakṣyate
Behold—this is the dust raised high by the wheels of Kṛṣṇa’s chariot; watch it well. Yet Hari has already sped so far away that even that dust is no longer seen.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna departs Vraja to continue His divine mission while leaving devotees clinging even to the last visible trace (the chariot-dust) as a support for remembrance.
Leela: Moksha-dana
Dharma Restored: Sustaining bhakti through remembrance when direct vision is lost, turning traces into aids for smaraṇa.
Concept: When the Lord is no longer visible, devotees hold to the faintest remnant as an anchor for remembrance, revealing bhakti’s tenacity.
Vedantic Theme: Bhakti
Application: Use tangible supports—mūrti, tulasī, sacred sound, pilgrimage memories—to steady attention when spiritual experience feels distant.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s presence is mediated through His signs and sambandha; the world can bear devotional ‘traces’ because it is His body (śarīra) in qualified non-dualism.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Madhurya
FAQs
It dramatizes Krishna’s transcendence in līlā: even the visible trace of his movement vanishes, suggesting the Lord cannot be contained or fully grasped by ordinary perception.
By portraying Hari as already beyond reach—so swift and sovereign that even the dust raised by his chariot wheels disappears—Parāśara signals divine mastery over space, time, and perception.
Krishna is identified as Hari, underscoring Vaishnava doctrine that the historical, narrative Krishna is the Supreme Lord whose nature exceeds the limits of the material world.