Shloka 5

Akrūra’s Journey to Vraja and His Devotional Vision of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma

Devanagari script

मैवं ममाधमस्यापि स्यादेवाच्युतदर्शनम् । ह्रियमाण: कालनद्या क्‍वचित्तरति कश्चन ॥ ५ ॥

Transliteration

maivaṁ mamādhamasyāpi syād evācyuta-darśanam hriyamāṇaḥ kala-nadyā kvacit tarati kaścana

Translation

അങ്ങനെ ചിന്തിക്കേണ്ട! എന്നെപ്പോലൊരു അധമനുമെങ്കിലും അച്യുതന്റെ ദർശനം ലഭിക്കാം; കാലനദിയിൽ ഒഴുകിപ്പോകുന്ന ജീവൻ ചിലപ്പോൾ കരയിലെത്തും.

Synonyms

• मा: do not
• मा: सम्बन्ध (Negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• एवम्: thus / like this
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीति-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• मम: of me / my
• मम: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अधमस्य: of the lowly (person)
• अधमस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive; of the lowly one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘person’)

• अपि: even / also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षा-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• स्यात्: may be / might occur
• स्यात्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एव: indeed / certainly
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• अच्युतदर्शनम्: the sight of Acyuta (Krishna)
• अच्युतदर्शनम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject of स्यात्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (acyutasya darśanam)

• ह्रियमाणः: being carried away
• ह्रियमाणः: कर्ता (Karta; subject of तरति)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि (being carried away)

• कालनद्या: by the river of time
• कालनद्या: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (kālā nadī = river of time)

• क्वचित्: sometimes
• क्वचित्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/काल-अव्यय (adverb: sometimes/somewhere)

• तरति: crosses
• तरति: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कश्चन: someone
• कश्चन: कर्ता (Karta/Subject of तरति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

Characters & Entities

• Akrūra
• Acyuta (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about seeing Acyuta (Krishna) even if one feels unqualified?

This verse shows Akrūra’s deep humility—he feels fallen and doubts his worthiness for Kṛṣṇa’s darśana, implying that such vision is a rare mercy, not a mundane entitlement.

Why did Akrura say he was being carried by the river of time?

On his way to Vṛndāvana, Akrūra reflects that ordinary beings are swept along by kāla (time) and only by exceptional fortune and divine grace can one ‘cross’ and attain the Lord’s vision.

Practical application of the ‘river of time’ teaching in modern life?

Recognize how time pulls the mind into routine and distraction; cultivate humble prayer and steady devotion (bhakti) so life’s flow leads toward remembrance of Kṛṣṇa rather than away from it.