Shloka 4
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
सह ताभ्यां तदाक्रूरः कृतसंवन्दनादिकः भुक्तभोज्यो यथान्यायम् आचचक्षे ततस् तयोः
saha tābhyāṃ tadākrūraḥ kṛtasaṃvandanādikaḥ bhuktabhojyo yathānyāyam ācacakṣe tatas tayoḥ
Then Akrūra, being with the two of them, first performed the proper courtesies—greetings and the like—and, having duly partaken of the hospitality offered. Afterward, in the manner befitting the occasion, he related to them all that had brought him there.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: Krishna receives Akrūra and allows the messenger to disclose Kaṃsa’s designs, setting the stage for Kaṃsa’s downfall and the safeguarding of the righteous.
Leela: Dharma-upadesa
Dharma Restored: Upholding proper conduct (maryādā) and the protection of devotees through timely counsel.
Concept: Proper courtesies and hospitality are dhārmic obligations that precede even urgent political speech.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Maintain respect and listening etiquette in difficult conversations; let right conduct frame strategy and disagreement.
Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s household-līlā models dharma in embodied life, showing the divine immanent within social order and right conduct.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Dasya
Vyuha Form: Vasudeva
FAQs
The verse highlights dharmic social order: greetings, respectful formalities, and feeding a guest precede serious discussion, showing how righteousness frames even urgent political missions.
He marks a clear sequence—arrival, formal courtesies, receiving hospitality, and then delivering the message—creating a disciplined, courtly rhythm before the plot advances toward Mathura.
Krishna is approached with due reverence and orderly conduct, subtly affirming the Purana’s vision of Vishnu’s sovereignty expressed through Krishna’s human-like interactions governed by dharma.