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KB 1970-1-38 / Akrura's Return Journey and His Visiting of
Visnuloka Within the Yamuna River
38 / Akrura's Return Journey and His Visiting of Visnuloka
Within the Yamuna River
Akrura was warmly received by Lord Krsna and Nanda Maharaja and
offered a resting place for the night. In the meantime, the two
brothers Balarama and Krsna went to take Their supper. Akrura
sat on his bed and began to reflect that all the desires which
he had anticipated while coming from Mathura to Vrndavana had
been fulfilled. Lord Krsna is the husband of the goddess of
fortune; being pleased with His pure devotee, He can offer
whatever the devotee desires. But the pure devotee does not ask
anything from the Lord for his personal benefit.
After taking Their supper, Krsna and Balarama came to bid
goodnight to Akrura. Krsna asked about His maternal uncle,
Kamsa, "How is he dealing with his friends?" And He asked, "
How are my relatives?" He also inquired into Kamsa's plans.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead then informed Akrura that
his presence was very much welcome. He inquired from him
whether all his relatives and friends were well and free from
all kinds of ailments. Krsna stated that He was very sorry that
His maternal uncle Kamsa was the head of the kingdom; He said
that Kamsa was the greatest anachronism in the whole system of
government and that they could not expect any welfare for the
citizens while he ruled. Then Krsna said, "My father has
undergone much tribulation simply from My being his son. For
this reason also he has lost many other sons. I think Myself so
fortunate that you have come as My friend and relative. My good
friend Akrura, please tell Me the purpose of your coming to
Vrndavana."
After this inquiry, Akrura, who belonged to the dynasty of Yadu,
explained the recent events in Mathura, including Kamsa's
attempt to kill Vasudeva, the father of Krsna. He related the
things which happened after the disclosure by Narada that
Krsna was the son of Vasudeva. Sitting by him in the house
of Nanda Maharaja, Akrura narrated all the stories regarding
Kamsa. He told how Narada met Kamsa and how he himself was
deputed by Kamsa to come to Vrndavana. Akrura explained to
Krsna that Narada had told Kamsa all about Krsna's being
transferred from Mathura to Vrndavana just after His birth and
about His killing all the demons sent by Kamsa. Akrura then
explained to Krsna the purpose of his coming to Vrndavana: to
take Him back to Mathura. After hearing of these arrangements,
Balarama and Krsna, who are very expert in killing opponents,
mildly laughed at the plans of Kamsa.
They asked Nanda Maharaja to invite
all the cowherd boys to go to Mathura to
participate in the ceremony known as Dhanur-yajna. Kamsa wanted
them all to go there to participate in the function. On Krsna's
word, Nanda Maharaja at once called for the cowherd boys and
asked them to collect all kinds of milk preparations
and milk to present in the ceremony. He also sent
instructions to the police chief of Vrndavana to tell all the
inhabitants about Kamsa's great Dhanur-yajna function and
invite them to join. Nanda Maharaja informed the cowherd boys
that they would start the next morning. They therefore arranged
for the cows and bulls to carry them all to Mathura.
When the gopis saw that Akrura had come to take Krsna and
Balarama away to Mathura, they became overwhelmed with anxiety.
Some of them became so aggrieved that their faces turned black,
and they began to breathe warmly and had palpitations of the
heart. They discovered that their hair and dress immediately
loosened. Hearing the news that Krsna and Balarama were leaving
for Mathura, others who were engaged in household duties
stopped working as if they had forgotten everything, like a
person who is called forth to die and leave this world at once.
Others immediately fainted due to separation from Krsna.
Remembering His attractive smile and His talks with them, the
gopis became overwhelmed with grief. They all remembered the
characteristics of the Personality of Godhead, how He moved
within the area of Vrndavana and how, with joking words, He
attracted all their hearts. Thinking of Krsna and of their
imminent separation from Him, the gopis assembled together with
heavy beating hearts. Completely absorbed in
thought of Krsna, tears fell from their eyes. They
began to converse as follows.
"O Providence, you are so cruel! It appears that you do not
know how to show mercy to others. By your arrangement, friends
contact one another, but without fulfilling their
desires you separate them. This is exactly like children'
s play that has no meaning. It is very abominable that you
arrange to show us beautiful Krsna, whose bluish curling hair
beautifies His broad forehead and sharp nose, who is always
smiling to minimize all contention in this material world, and
then arrange to separate Him from us. O Providence, you are so
cruel! But most astonishingly you appear now as 'Akrura,' which
means 'not cruel.' In the beginning we appreciated your
workmanship in giving us these eyes to see the beautiful face
of Krsna, but now, just like a foolish creature, you are trying
to take out our eyes so we may not see Krsna here again.
Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is also very cruel! He must
always have new friends; He does not like to keep friendship
for a long time with anyone. We gopis of Vrndavana, having left
our homes, friends, and relatives, have become Krsna's
maidservants, but He is neglecting us and going away. He does
not even look upon us, although we are completely surrendered
unto Him. Now all the young girls in Mathura will have the
opportunity. They are expecting Krsna's arrival, and they will
enjoy His sweet smiling face and will drink its honey. Although
we know that Krsna is very steady and determined, we are
threatened that as soon as He sees the beautiful faces of the
young girls in Mathura, He will forget Himself. We fear He will
become controlled by them and will forget us, for we are simple
village girls. He will no longer be kind to us. We therefore do
not expect Krsna to return to Vrndavana. He will not leave the
company of the girls in Mathura."
The gopis began to imagine the great functions in the city of
Mathura. Krsna would pass through the streets, and the ladies
and young girls of the city would see Him from the balconies of
their respective houses. Mathura City contained different
communities, known then as Dasarha, Bhoja, Andhaka and Satvata.
All these communities were different branches of the same
family in which Krsna appeared, namely the Yadu dynasty. They
were also expecting the arrival of Krsna. It had already been
ascertained that Krsna, who is the rest of the goddess
of fortune and reservoir of all pleasure and transcendental
qualities, was going to visit Mathura City.
The gopis then began to condemn the activities of Akrura. They
stated that he was taking Krsna, who was more dear than the
dearest to them and who was the pleasure of their eyes. He was
being taken from their sight without their being informed or
solaced by Akrura. Akrura should not have been so merciless but
should have taken compassion on them. The gopis went on to say:
"The most astonishing feature is that Krsna, the son of Nanda,
without consideration, has already seated Himself on the
chariot. From this it appears that Krsna is not very
intelligent. Yet He may be very intelligent -- but He is not
very civilized. Not only Krsna, but all the cowherd men are so
callous that they are already yoking the bulls and calves for
the journey to Mathura. The elderly persons in Vrndavana are
also merciless; they do not take our plight into consideration
and stop Krsna's journey to Mathura. Even the demigods are very
unkind to us; they are not impeding His going to Mathura."
The gopis prayed to the demigods to create some natural
disturbance, such as a hurricane, storm or heavy rainfall, so
that Krsna could not go to Mathura. They then began to consider:
"Despite our elderly parents and guardians, we shall
personally stop Krsna from going to Mathura. We have no other
alternative than to take this direct action. Everyone has gone
against us to take away Krsna from our sight. Without Him we
cannot live for a moment." The gopis thus decided to obstruct
the passage through which the chariot of Krsna was supposed to
pass. They began to talk among themselves: "We have passed a
very long night -- which seemed only a moment -- engaged in the
rasa dance with Krsna. We were looking at His sweet smile and
were embracing and talking. Now, how shall we live
even for a moment if He goes away from us? At the end of the
day, in the evening, along with His elder brother Balarama,
Krsna would return home with His friends. His face would be
smeared with the dust raised by the hooves of the cows, and He
would smile and play on His flute and look upon us so kindly.
How shall we be able to forget Him? How shall we be able to
forget Krsna, who is our life and soul? He has already taken
away our hearts in so many ways throughout our days and nights,
and if He goes away, there is no possibility of our continuing
to live." Thinking like this, the gopis became more and more
griefstricken at Krsna's leaving Vrndavana. They could
not check their minds, and they began to cry loudly, calling
the different names of Krsna, "O dear Damodara! Dear Madhava!"
The gopis cried all night before the departure of Krsna. As
soon as the sun rose, Akrura finished his morning bath, got on
the chariot and began to start for Mathura with Krsna and
Balarama. Nanda Maharaja and the cowherd men got up on bullock
carts, after loading them with milk preparations, such as
yogurt, milk, and ghee, filled in big earthen pots,
and began to follow the chariot of Krsna and Balarama.
In spite of Krsna's asking them not to obstruct their
way, all the gopis surrounded the chariot and stood up to see
Krsna with pitiable eyes. Krsna was very much affected upon
seeing the plight of the gopis, but His duty was to start for
Mathura, for this was foretold by Narada. Krsna, therefore,
consoled the gopis. He told them that they should not be
aggrieved; He was coming back very soon after finishing His
business. But they could not be persuaded to disperse. The
chariot, however, began to head west, and as it proceeded, the
minds of the gopis followed it as far as possible. They watched
the flag on the chariot as long as it was visible; finally they
could see only the dust of the chariot in the distance. The
gopis did not move from their places but stood until the
chariot could not be seen at all. They remained standing still,
as if they were painted pictures. All the gopis decided that
Krsna was not returning immediately, and with greatly
disappointed hearts, they returned to their respective homes.
Being greatly disturbed by the absence of Krsna, they simply
thought all day and night about His pastimes and thus derived
some consolation.
The Lord, accompanied by Akrura and Balarama, drove the
chariot with great speed towards the bank of the Yamuna. Simply
by taking a bath in the Yamuna, anyone can diminish the
reaction of his sinful activities. Both Krsna and Balarama
took Their baths in the river and washed Their faces. After
drinking the transparent crystal clear water of the Yamuna,
They took Their seats again on the chariot. The chariot was
standing underneath the shade of big trees, and both
brothers sat down there. Akrura then took Their permission to
also take bath in the Yamuna. According to Vedic ritual,
after taking bath in the river, one should stand at least
half submerged and murmur the Gayatri mantra. While he was
standing in the river, Akrura suddenly saw both Balarama and
Krsna within the water. He was surprised to see Them there
because he was confident that They were sitting on the chariot.
Confused, he immediately came out of the water and went to see
where the boys were, and he was very surprised to see that
They were sitting on the chariot as before. When he saw Them on
the chariot, he began to wonder whether he saw
Them in the water. He therefore went back to the river. This
time he saw not only Balarama and Krsna there, but many of the
demigods and all the Siddhas, Caranas, and Gandharvas. They
were all standing before the Lord, who was lying down. He
also saw the Sesa Naga with thousands of hoods. Lord Sesa
Naga was covered with bluish garments, and His necks were all
white. The white necks of Sesa Naga appeared exactly like
snowcapped mountains. On the curved lap of Sesa Naga, Akrura
saw Krsna sitting very soberly, with four hands. His eyes
were like the reddish petals of the lotus flower.
In other words, after returning, Akrura saw
Balarama turned into Sesa Naga and Krsna turned into Maha-Visnu.
He saw the fourhanded Supreme Personality of Godhead,
smiling very beautifully. He was very pleasing to all and
was looking towards everyone. He
appeared beautiful with His raised nose, broad forehead,
spread-up ears and reddish lips. His arms, reaching to the
knees, were very strongly built. His shoulders were high, His
chest very broad and shaped like the
conchshell. His navel was very deep, and His abdomen was marked
with three lines. His waist was broad and big, resembling
the hips of a woman, and His thighs resembled the trunks of
elephants. The other parts of His legs, the joints and lower
extremities, were all very beautiful, the nails of His feet
were dazzling, and His toes were as beautiful as the petals of
the lotus flower. His helmet was decorated with very valuable
jewels. There was a nice belt around the waist, and He wore a
sacred thread across His broad chest. Bangles were on His
hands and armlets on the upper portion of His arms. He wore
bells on His ankles. He possessed dazzling beauty, and His
palms were like the lotus flower. He was still more
beautiful with different emblems of the Visnu-murti, the
conchshell, club, disc and lotus flower, which He held in His
four hands. His chest was marked with the particular signs of
Visnu, and He wore fresh flower garlands. All in all, He was
very beautiful to look at. Akrura also saw His Lordship
surrounded by intimate associates like the four Kumaras,
Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda and Sanatkumara, and other
associates like Sunanda and Nanda, as well as demigods like
Brahma and Lord Siva. The nine great learned sages were there,
and devotees like Prahlada and Narada
were engaged in offering prayers to the Lord with clean
hearts and pure words. After seeing the transcendental
Personality of Godhead, Akrura immediately became overwhelmed
with great devotion, and all over his body there was
transcendental shivering. Although for the moment he was
bewildered, he retained his clear consciousness and bowed down
his head before the Lord. With folded hands and faltering voice,
he began to offer prayers to the Lord.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-eighth
Chapter of Krsna, "Akrura's Return Journey and His Visiting of
Visnuloka Within the Yamuna River."
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KB 39: Akrura's Return Journey and His Vision of
Visnuloka Within the Yamuna River
CHAPTER THIRTY–NINE
Akrura's Return Journey and His Vision of Visnuloka
Within the Yamuna River
Akrura was warmly received by Lord Krsna and Nanda Maharaja and
offered a resting place for the night. In the meantime, the two
brothers Balarama and Krsna went to take Their supper. Akrura
sat on his bed and began to reflect that all the desires
he had contemplated while coming from Mathura to Vrndavana had
been fulfilled. Lord Krsna is the husband of the goddess of
fortune; being pleased with His pure devotee, He can offer
whatever the devotee desires. But the pure devotee does not ask
anything from the Lord for his personal benefit.
After taking Their supper, Krsna and Balarama came to bid
goodnight to Akrura and asked him how
Kamsa was dealing with Their friends and
relatives. Krsna then inquired into Kamsa's plans.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead then informed Akrura that
his presence was very welcome. He inquired from him
whether all his relatives and friends were well and free from
all kinds of ailments. Krsna stated that He was very sorry that
His maternal uncle Kamsa was the head of the kingdom; He said
that Kamsa was the greatest anomaly in the whole system of
government and that they could not expect any welfare for the
citizens while he ruled. Then Krsna said, "My father has
undergone much tribulation simply from My being his son. For
this reason also he has lost many other sons. I think Myself so
fortunate that you have come as My friend and relative. My dear
uncle Akrura, please tell Me the purpose of your coming to
Vrndavana."
After this inquiry, Akrura, who belonged to the dynasty of Yadu,
explained the recent events in Mathura, including Kamsa's
attempt to kill Vasudeva, the father of Krsna. He related the
things which had happened after the disclosure by Narada that
Krsna was the son of Vasudeva, hidden by Vasudeva in the house
of Nanda Maharaja. Akrura narrated all the stories regarding
Kamsa. He told how Narada had met Kamsa and how he himself was
deputed by Kamsa to come to Vrndavana. Akrura explained to
Krsna that Narada had told Kamsa all about Krsna's being
transferred from Mathura to Vrndavana just after His birth and
about His killing all the demons sent by Kamsa. Akrura then
explained to Krsna the purpose of his coming to Vrndavana: to
take Him back to Mathura. After hearing of these arrangements,
Balarama and Krsna, who are very expert in killing opponents,
mildly laughed at the plans of Kamsa.
They immediately informed Nanda Maharaja that Kamsa had
invited all the cowherd men and boys to go to Mathura to
participate in the ceremony known as Dhanur-yajna. Kamsa wanted
them all to go there to participate in the function. On Krsna's
word, Nanda Maharaja at once called for the cowherd men and
asked them to collect milk and all kinds of milk products
to present to the King in the ceremony. He also sent
instructions to the police chief of Vrndavana to tell all the
inhabitants about Kamsa's great Dhanur-yajna function and
invite them to join. Nanda Maharaja informed the cowherd men
that they would start the next morning. They therefore arranged
for the cows and bulls to carry them all to Mathura.
When the gopis heard that Akrura had come to take Krsna and
Balarama away to Mathura, they became overwhelmed with anxiety.
Some of them became so aggrieved that their faces turned black
and they began to breathe warmly and had palpitations of the
heart. They discovered that their hair and clothes immediately
loosened. Hearing the news that Krsna and Balarama were leaving
for Mathura, others, who were engaged in household duties,
stopped working, as if they had forgotten everything, like a
person who is called forth to die and leave this world at once.
Others immediately fainted due to separation from Krsna.
Remembering His attractive smile and His talks with them, the
gopis became overwhelmed with grief. They all remembered the
characteristics of the Personality of Godhead, how He moved
within the area of Vrndavana and how, with joking words, He
attracted all their hearts. Thinking of Krsna and of their
imminent separation from Him, the gopis assembled together with
heavily beating hearts. They were completely absorbed in
thought of Krsna, and with tears falling from their eyes,
they spoke as follows.
"O Providence, you are so cruel! It appears that you do not
know how to show mercy to others. By your arrangement, friends
contact one another, but before they can fulfill their
desires you separate them. This is exactly like a child'
s game that has no meaning. It is very abominable that you
arrange to show us beautiful Krsna, whose bluish curling hair
beautifies His broad forehead and sharp nose, and who is always
smiling to minimize all grief in this material world, and
then arrange to separate Him from us. O Providence, you are so
cruel! But most astonishingly you appear now as Akrura, which
means ‘not cruel.' In the beginning we appreciated your
workmanship in giving us these eyes to see the beautiful face
of Krsna, but now, just like a foolish creature, you are taking
away our eyes by not letting us see Krsna here anymore.
Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is also very cruel! He must
always have new friends; He does not like to keep friendship
for a long time with anyone. We gopis of Vrndavana, having left
our homes, friends and relatives, have become Krsna's
maidservants, but He is neglecting us and going away. He does
not even look upon us, although we are completely surrendered
unto Him. Now all the young girls in Mathura will have the
opportunity. They are expecting Krsna's arrival, and they will
enjoy His sweet smiling face and will drink its honey. Although
we know that Krsna is very steady and determined, we are
afraid that as soon as He sees the beautiful faces of the
young girls in Mathura, He will forget Himself. We fear He will
become controlled by them and will forget us, for we are simple
village girls. He will no longer be kind to us. We therefore do
not expect Krsna to return to Vrndavana. He will not leave the
company of the girls in Mathura."
The gopis began to imagine the great functions in the city of
Mathura. Krsna would pass through the streets, and the ladies
and young girls of the city would see Him from the balconies of
their respective houses. Mathura City contained different
communities, known then as Dasarha, Bhoja, Andhaka and Satvata.
All these communities were different branches of the same
family in which Krsna appeared, namely the Yadu dynasty. They
were all expecting the arrival of Krsna. It had already been
ascertained that Krsna, who is the resting place of the goddess
of fortune and the reservoir of all pleasure and transcendental
qualities, was going to visit Mathura City.
The gopis then began to condemn the activities of Akrura. They
stated that he was taking Krsna, who was more dear than the
dearest to them and who was the pleasure of their eyes. He was
being taken from their sight without their being informed or
solaced by Akrura. Akrura should not have been so merciless but
should have taken compassion on them.
The gopis went on to say, "The most astonishing feature is that
Krsna, the son of Nanda, without consideration, has already
seated Himself on the chariot. From this it appears that Krsna
is not very intelligent. Yet He may be very intelligent -- but
He is not very merciful. Not only Krsna but all the cowherd men
are so callous that they are already yoking the bulls and
calves for the journey to Mathura. The elderly persons in
Vrndavana are also merciless; they do not take our plight into
consideration and stop Krsna's journey to Mathura. Even the
demigods are very unkind to us; they are also not impeding His
going to Mathura."
The gopis prayed to the demigods to create some natural
disturbance, such as a hurricane, storm or heavy rainfall, so
that Krsna could not go to Mathura. They then began to consider,
"Despite our parents and guardians, we shall
personally stop Krsna from going to Mathura. We have no
alternative but to take this direct action. Everyone has gone
against us to take away Krsna from our sight. Without Him we
cannot live for a moment." The gopis thus decided to obstruct
the passage through which the chariot of Krsna was supposed to
pass. They began to talk among themselves: "We have passed a
very long night -- which seemed only a moment -- engaged in the
rasa dance with Krsna. We looked at His sweet smile and
embraced Him and talked with Him. Now, how shall we live
even for a moment if He goes away from us? At the end of the
day, in the evening, along with His elder brother Balarama,
Krsna would return home with His friends. His face would be
smeared with the dust raised by the hooves of the cows, and He
would smile and play on His flute and look upon us so kindly.
How shall we be able to forget Him? How shall we be able to
forget Krsna, who is our life and soul? He has already taken
away our hearts in so many ways throughout our days and nights,
and if He goes away, there is no possibility of our continuing
to live." Thinking like this, the gopis became more and more
grief-stricken at Krsna's leaving Vrndavana. They could
not check their minds, and they began to cry loudly, calling
the different names of Krsna, "O dear Damodara! Dear Madhava!"
The gopis cried all night before the departure of Krsna. As
soon as the sun rose, Akrura finished his morning bath, got on
the chariot and started for Mathura with Krsna and
Balarama. Nanda Maharaja and the cowherd men got up on bullock
carts after loading them with big earthen pots filled
with yogurt, milk, ghee and other milk products,
and then they began to follow the chariot of Krsna and Balarama.
In spite of Krsna's asking the gopis not to obstruct Their
way, they all surrounded the chariot and stood up to see
Krsna with pitiable eyes. Krsna was very much affected upon
seeing the plight of the gopis, but His duty was to start for
Mathura, for this was foretold by Narada. Krsna therefore
consoled the gopis. He told them that they should not be
aggrieved: He was coming back very soon after finishing His
business. But they could not be persuaded to disperse. The
chariot, however, began to head west, and as it proceeded, the
minds of the gopis followed it as far as possible. They watched
the flag on the chariot as long as it was visible; finally they
could see only the dust of the chariot in the distance. The
gopis did not move from their places but stood until the
chariot could not be seen at all. They remained standing still,
as if they were painted pictures. All the gopis decided that
Krsna was not returning immediately, and with greatly
disappointed hearts they returned to their respective homes.
Being greatly disturbed by the absence of Krsna, they simply
thought all day and night about His pastimes and thus derived
some consolation.
The Lord, accompanied by Akrura and Balarama, traveled in the
chariot with great speed toward the bank of the Yamuna. Simply
by taking a bath in the Yamuna, anyone can diminish the
reactions of his sinful activities. Krsna and Balarama
took Their baths in the river and washed Their faces. After
drinking the transparent, crystal-clear water of the Yamuna,
They took Their seats again on the chariot. The chariot was
standing underneath the shade of big trees, and the two
brothers sat down there. Akrura then took Their permission to
also take a bath in the Yamuna. According to Vedic ritual,
after taking a bath in a river, one should stand at least
half submerged and murmur the Gayatri mantra. While he was
standing in the river, Akrura suddenly saw Balarama and
Krsna within the water. He was surprised to see Them there
because he was confident that They were sitting on the chariot.
Confused, he immediately came out of the water and went to see
where the boys were, and he was very much surprised to see that
They were sitting on the chariot as before. When he saw Them on
the chariot, he began to wonder whether he had mistakenly seen
Them in the water. He therefore went back to the river. This
time he saw not only Balarama and Krsna there but many of the
demigods and all the Siddhas, Caranas and Gandharvas. They
were all bowing down before the Lord. He
also saw Lord Sesa Naga, with thousands of hoods. Lord Sesa
Naga was covered with bluish garments, and His necks were all
white. The white necks of Sesa Naga appeared exactly like
snowcapped mountains. On the coiled lap of Sesa Naga,
Krsna was sitting very soberly, with four hands. His eyes
were like the reddish petals of the lotus flower.
In other words, after returning to the Yamuna, Akrura saw
Balarama turned into Sesa Naga and Krsna turned into Maha-Visnu.
He saw the four-handed Supreme Personality of Godhead,
smiling very beautifully. The Lord was very pleasing to all and
was looking toward everyone with a merciful glance. He
appeared beautiful with His raised nose, broad forehead,
attractive ears and reddish lips. His arms, reaching to the
knees, were very strongly built. His shoulders were high, His
chest was very broad, and His neck was shaped like a
conchshell. His navel was very deep, and His abdomen was marked
with three lines. His hips were broad and big, resembling
those of a woman, and His thighs resembled the trunks of
elephants. The other parts of His legs, the joints and lower
extremities, were all very beautiful, the nails of His feet
were dazzling, and His toes were as beautiful as the petals of
the lotus flower. His helmet was decorated with very valuable
jewels. There was a nice belt around His waist, and He wore a
sacred thread across His broad chest. Bangles were on His hands,
and armlets on the upper portion of His arms. He wore bells on
His ankles. He possessed dazzling beauty, and His palms were
like lotus flowers. He was further beautified by
the different emblems of the visnu-murti -- the conchshell,
club, disc and lotus flower -- which He held in His four hands.
His chest was marked with the particular signs of Visnu, and He
wore fresh flower garlands. All in all, He was very beautiful
to look at. Akrura also saw His Lordship surrounded by intimate
associates like the four Kumaras -- Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda
and Sanat-kumara -- and other associates like Sunanda and
Nanda, as well as demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva. The nine
great learned sages were there, and also devotees like Prahlada
and Narada and the eight Vasus. All were engaged in offering
prayers to the Lord with clean hearts and pure words. After
seeing the transcendental Personality of Godhead, Akrura
immediately became overwhelmed with joy and great devotion, and
all over his body there was transcendental shivering. Although
for the moment he was bewildered, he retained his clear
consciousness and bowed down his head before the Lord. With
folded hands and faltering voice, he began to offer prayers to
the Lord.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-ninth
Chapter of Krsna, "Akrura's Return Journey and His Vision of
Visnuloka Within the Yamuna River."
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