Shloka 48

Uddhava Sent to Vraja: Consolation to Nanda-Yaśodā and the Gopīs’ Separation

Devanagari script

अक्रूर आगत: किं वा य: कंसस्यार्थसाधक: । येन नीतो मधुपुरीं कृष्ण: कमललोचन: ॥ ४८ ॥

Transliteration

akrūra āgataḥ kiṁ vā yaḥ kaṁsasyārtha-sādhakaḥ yena nīto madhu-purīṁ kṛṣṇaḥ kamala-locanaḥ

Translation

¿Acaso ha regresado Akrūra, aquel que cumplió el deseo de Kaṁsa llevando al Krishna de ojos de loto a Madhupurī (Mathurā)?

Synonyms

• akrūraḥ: Akrūra
• akrūraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akrūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• āgataḥ: has come/arrived
• āgataḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘आगतः’ = ‘has come’

• kim: what?
• kim: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• vā: or/indeed
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/particle: विकल्पार्थ ‘or/indeed’)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• kaṁsasya: of Kaṁsa
• kaṁsasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṁsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• artha-sādhakaḥ: one who accomplishes (his) purpose
• artha-sādhakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक) + sādhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध: ‘अर्थस्य साधकः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• nītaḥ: was led/taken
• nītaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि: ‘was led/taken’

• madhu-purīm: to Mathurā
• madhu-purīm: Karma (कर्म/Object; destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘मधोः पुरी’ = Mathurā), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇaḥ: Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇaḥ: Karma (कर्म/Patient; subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kamala-locanaḥ: lotus-eyed
• kamala-locanaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kamala (प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘कमलम् इव लोचनम् यस्य’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of kṛṣṇaḥ)

Purport

The gopīs angrily spoke this statement.

Characters & Entities

• Akrura
• Kamsa
• Krishna

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the gopīs’ feelings when Kṛṣṇa left for Mathurā?

This verse shows their intense pain of separation (viraha), as they recall Akrūra as the one who took lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa to Mathurā, making their longing and love even sharper.

Why do the gopīs describe Akrūra as an agent who fulfills Kaṁsa’s purpose?

From the gopīs’ perspective in separation, Akrūra appears as the instrument of Kaṁsa’s plan because he escorted Kṛṣṇa from Vraja to Mathurā, even though Akrūra is personally a devotee.

Practical application of viraha-bhakti (devotion in separation) in modern life?

When one cannot feel immediate closeness to God, one can deepen remembrance through hearing, chanting, and serving—turning longing into steady devotion rather than discouragement.