Akrūra at Vṛndāvana

When Kaṃsa sent Akrūra to bring Kṛshṇa and Balarāma to Mathurā for a Dhanuryāga (the bow yajña), Akrūra received the order as the greatest blessing of his life. Akrūra was a great bhakta (devotee) and an elder of the Yādavas. The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa tells how he had good dreams, saw good omens on the road, and reached Nandavṛndāvana trembling with devotion. There he saw Bhagavān Kṛshṇa in five forms, then in his own highest beauty, and sang a great stotra.

Akrūra’s inner joy

Kaṃsa called Akrūra and ordered him to go to Vṛndāvana and bring the sons of Nanda to Mathurā. Kaṃsa meant to kill them. But Akrūra’s heart leapt with joy. He said to his friend Uddhava: “The puṇya (merit) I have gathered across crores of births has now borne fruit. Today the prison of my saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) will open. Kaṃsa’s very hatred of Kṛshṇa has become a blessing for me. His enmity has given me the darśana (sight) that I sought.”

Then he spoke of how hard it is to reach Bhagavān Kṛshṇa: “Brahmā did tapas for a thousand manvantaras without food, seated on the lotus, and heard only the words ‘Do more tapas.’ After more tapas he at last had darśana of Kṛshṇa. Śiva did tapas for a whole Brahmā lifetime in the jyotir-maṇḍala (circle of light) of Goloka, to receive darśana of Kṛshṇa and firm bhakti. Ananta did tapas for a thousand Indra lifetimes before he received ātma-samajñāna (knowledge of the self). Dharma did tapas for a thousand Indra lifetimes before he became the witness of all karma and the giver of its fruit. And today I shall see him, the Supreme, who rules from Hiraṇyagarbha down to a blade of grass!”

He fell into a swoon of bhakti-rasa (the sweetness of devotion), and then set out. (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 65)

The good dream

In the good brahma-muhūrta (the hour before dawn) before his journey, Akrūra had a very clear dream. He saw a dark boy with lotus eyes. The boy wore a yellow cloth (pīta-vastra), held a flute, wore a forest garland (vanamālā) and sandal paste (candana), had a peacock feather in his hair, and smiled. He shone with the beauty of a divine brāhmaṇa child. Then he saw a beautiful woman with her husband and son, dressed in yellow and white, holding a lamp and white grain, smiling and giving a vara (boon). Then he saw a good brāhmaṇa giving blessings.

He also saw a white lotus, a royal swan (rājahaṃsa) on a lake, a ripe flowering mango, and neem, coconut, arjuna and banana trees. He saw an elephant on a mountain, a horse on a tree, and a white snake biting him. He saw himself playing the vīṇā, eating pāyasam (sweet rice pudding) from a lotus leaf, and drinking milk and yogurt. His body was covered with insects and dung, which are dream signs of great wealth. He saw silver, jewels (maṇi), gold, pearls, rubies and other gems, and full water pots (pūrṇakumbha). Then he saw a Lakshmī cow with her calf, a bull, a peacock chick, a parrot, a heron, a swan, and many kinds of good birds. He saw betel (tāmbūla), garlands, a blazing fire, pūjā of the devas, images of Pārvatī and Kṛshṇa, a Śivaliṅga, a brāhmaṇa girl, a ripe harvest, a temple, a noble king, a lion, a tiger, a guru and a deva.

He woke up, told Uddhava all that he had seen, did his morning rites, and set out. (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 61)

Good omens on the road

On the road to Vṛndāvana, Akrūra saw a remarkable line of good signs. On his left, the direction that is good for certain omens, he saw a pair of jackals (male and female), a full water pot, a mongoose, a pālapikki (a roller bird), a faithful wife (sādhvī) with her husband and children, white flowers, garlands, grain, and a kāṭukapakshī.

On his right he saw a blazing fire, a brāhmaṇa, a bull, an elephant, a cow with her calf, a white horse, a royal swan, an auspicious woman, flower garlands, yogurt, pāyasam, precious gems, wine, meat, sandalwood, ghee, a black deer, fruits, puffed rice, cooked rice, a mirror, a painted vimāna (flying palace), a bright image, white water lilies, a lotus forest, a conch (śaṅkha), sparrows, buds, a cat, a mountain, a cloud, a peacock, a parrot and a heron.

He heard the sounds of the conch, of kokila birds, of musical instruments, the cuckoo-like call of Kṛshṇa’s flute, the parrot’s call, and shouts of victory (jaya-dhvani).

Akrūra rejoiced at every step and entered the holy Vṛndāvana. He saw the rāsa-maṇḍala (the circle of the rāsa dance), sweet with sandal, aguru, musk and flowers. It was decorated with auspicious pots (maṅgala-ghaṭa), banana pillars, garlands of mango sprouts, floors of ruby (padmarāga), crores of jewelled houses (ratna-mandira), and one crore beautiful leaf huts in the groves (kuñja-kuṭīra). Then he saw the splendid Nandavṛndāvana itself, with steps of gems, jewelled pillars (ratna-stambha), lovely paintings and jewelled rings (ratna-valaya), all made by Viśvakarmā. (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 61)

Arrival at Nanda’s Vraja

Akrūra came to the gates of Nanda’s house. Nanda received him with joy, together with Rāma and Kṛshṇa, with all the honours due to a great Yādava elder. Bulls were led in front. A company of paṇḍitas came, with veśyās going before them. There were a full water pot, a fine elephant, white grain, a black cow, madhuparka (a honey mixture offered to guests), pādya (water for the feet) and a jewelled seat (ratna-āsana). Nanda embraced Akrūra warmly. All the gopas bowed.

Akrūra held Kṛshṇa and Balarāma to his chest and kissed their cheeks, weeping with joy. Then, in a series of visions, he saw Kṛshṇa change before him:

  1. Four-armed Nārāyaṇa. Kṛshṇa appeared as the four-armed Vishṇu with Lakshmī and Sarasvatī, with Sunanda, Nanda and Kumuda at his sides.
  2. Five-faced Śiva. Then he appeared as the three-eyed, five-faced Maheśvara.
  3. Brahmā in dhyāna. Then he appeared as the lotus-born creator, still in meditation.
  4. Dharma. He appeared as the first witness and giver of the fruit of karma (karma-phala).
  5. Śesha and Sūrya. He appeared as Ananta Śesha, then as the blazing Sūrya.

Then, beyond all these, Kṛshṇa appeared in his own highest beauty, parampraśobhā, which beats the beauty of a crore Manmathas put together. He was the Parabrahman himself in his most near and approachable form. (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 62)

Akrūra’s stotra to Kṛshṇa

Nanda showed Akrūra to a jewelled throne. Akrūra bowed to the ground before Kṛshṇa and sang a great hymn. He called Kṛshṇa by these names: Kāraṇa-rūpa, Paramātma-svarūpa, Sarvaviśveśvara, Para, Prakṛti-Īśa, Nirguṇa, Nirīha, Sarvadeva-svarūpa, Sarvadeveśvara, Brahma-Vishṇu-Śivātmaka, Goāṅganeśa, Gaṇeśvara-rūpa, Rādheśa, Rādhāramaṇa-rūpa, Rādhāprāṇādhideva-priyatama and Mahad-Vishṇu-Īśvara.

He fell into a swoon as he recited, bowed down again, and once more saw Kṛshṇa filling all things, dark in colour (śyāmala), the Viśvarūpa, the innermost Paramātmā. Nanda comforted him and asked what he had seen. Akrūra described all his visions with trembling feeling.

Phala-śruti (the fruit of hearing): A person who reads or hears Akrūra’s stotra gains a son, a wife, wealth and land. At the end of life he reaches Hari-dāsya (the service of Hari).

Nanda then fed Akrūra richly. Akrūra gave Kaṃsa’s message and explained why Rāma and Kṛshṇa had to go to Mathurā for the Dhanuryāga. (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 62)

Sources

  • Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 61
  • Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 62
  • Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janana Khaṇḍa, Chapter 65