Garga Bhagavatham : Sri Mathura khanda - Chapter 3

 

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Akrura’s departure to Nandgaon; Meeting Balaram and Sri Krishna on the way and entering the palace of Nanda along with them; Conversation with Sri Krishna and His decision to go to Mathura;  The lamentation of Gopis upon hearing about the Krishna’s plans to depart to Mathura

 

 

Sri Narada says :- King of Mithila ! Akrura ascended the chariot and left for Nandgoan very merrily. He had immense devotion towards Sri Krishna. During the journey, the very wise Akrura began to ponder in this manner.

 

Akrura said:- In this land of Bharatavarsha, what good deeds did I perform? What kind of donation did I give in a selfless manner? Did I render service to Brahmanas or did  I undertake any pilgrimage in order to become eligible for the Darshan (sighting) of the Supreme Lord Sri Hari? What great penance did I do in my past life or which great saint did I serve, as a result of which I am going to blessed with the impossible Darshan of Lord Sri Krishna. Those whose eyes behold the Supreme Lord Sri Krishan, only their lives become successful on this planet Earth. After receiving His Darshan today, I will be blessed in every possible way.

 

Sri Narada says:-  Thus sitting in his chariot and  immersed in the divine thoughts of Sri Krishna, while sighting many auspicious omens, Akrura, the son of Gandhini, reached NandGokul at dusk. On his path, Akrura saw the footprints of Lord Krishna, which had divine symbols such as yava (barley, a kind of grain) and ankusha ( a kind of  tool employed by the elephant keepers to control the elephant), and the reddish dust of the Lord’s feet. In his eagerness to meet the Lord, Akrura jumped from his chariot and rolled in the dust from the Lord’s feet, shedding tears of joy and devotion. O King of Mathura, for those whose hearts have been blessed with the appearance of devotion towards Lord Krishna, all forms of happiness found in the entire Brahmaloka (the world of Brahma) are nothing more than mere a blade of grass.

            Then, climbing back into the chariot, Akrura reached Nandgoan very swiftly. When he reached the cowshed, he saw Sri Krishna, along with Balarama coming towards him.  The dark complexion and fair complexioned eternal divine duo had lotus like eyes. It seemed as though a mountain of sapphire and mountain of diamonds were walking together towards him. Their crowns were shining like the early sun and bright lightning.  The aura from their bodies were like that of a dark rain cloud during the monsoon season and like that of bright while cloud during the autumn season respectively.  As soon as he saw them, Akrura immediately got off his chariot and fell that their feet. His face was covered with tears, and he had horripilation all over his body. Seeing him, the Supreme Lord Sri Hari picked him up with both hands. Sri Madhav, shedding tears of compassion, embraced his devotee. Along with Balaram, Sri Hari brought Akrura into his home and offered him the best seat. Sri Krishna donated a cow lovingly to honor his guest, Akrura and offered him delicious food.  Nanda embraced Akrura with both hands and said, “Alas, how are you surviving in the kingdom of Kamsa? How can the shameless One, who killed his sister’s infants, be kind towards others?” After Nanda went inside the palace, Sri Krishna enquired Akrura about the wellbeing of his parents. He also enquired about the well being and activities of His other relatives.

 

Akrura said :-  My Lord, Just day-before-yesterday, Kamsa, the king of Bhoja, advanced towards Vasudeva with a sword in his hand, with the intention of slaying him. Just then, Sage Narada intervened. All Your Yadava relatives are trembling with fear and worry. My Lord, many of them fled to other countries, along with their families, out of their immense fear for Kamsa. He is eager to kill all the Yadavas and conquer the demi-gods. There are other worse things that the mighty king of demons, Kamsa wants to accomplish.  Therefore, I implore You and Balarama, to proceed there for the welfare of the world. Without Your Lordships, the  welfare of the good people is not possible.

 

Sri Narada says:-  O King! After hearing the word of Akrura, Balarama along with Sri Krishna held a discussion with Nanda and other main Gopas.

 

Sri Bhagavan said:- My dear relatives, along with the elderly cowherds, Balaram and me will accompany King Nanda to Mathura. Along with the nine Nandas and Upanandas and the six VrishaBhanus, we will all wake up early at dawn and leave for Mathura. There please collect milk, curds, ghee and other dairy products. Apart from that there are other offerings that will be made to the king. Get the chariots and bullock carts ready for the travel.

 

Sri Narada says:-  After hearing this, the Gopas went to their respective homes and began discussing this, while the Gopis overheard their conversations. Hearing the is the Gopis were heart-broken. Contemplating upon the impending separation, the Gopis became anxious and gathered at different homes and started discussing among one another. The news of the great Lord Sri Krishna reached the house of the head of the Vrishabhanus. ‘My beloved is leaving’ – hearing this news in the packed assembly, the daughter of Vrishabhanu was immensely saddened. Just as a banana tree is uprooted and thrown to the ground, She fell to the floor unconscious. The face of the Gopis became covered with dirt. Their wrists became so thin that her finger rings became bangles. Their hair loosened and the flowers that adorned them became dry and withered. Those Gopis became motionless like the images in paintings. O King, some of the Gopis became extremely distraught. They started chanting, “Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare’ in their homes and having given up their house hold chores, became immersed in Dhyana(meditation) like great Yogis. O King, a few Gopis who were able to remain intact, gathered together and started talking among one another. While speaking, their voices chocked and their voices trembled. Tears were rolling down their faces.

 

Gopis said:- Alas, The lives of the extremely detached people are very strange. A detached man says one thing but keeps different feelings in their hearts. When even the divine cannot understand what they are thinking, how is it possible for ordinary people to understand? He said several things to us during Raasa, but He is eager to leave everything incomplete and leave! If our beloved leaves to Mathura, imagine the kind of difficulties that we will have to face!

 

 

 

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