65 - Festivities of Akrura 

Narayana said- On hearing the words of Kamsa, Akrura who was the best of the religious people, quite peaceful and who always remained happy in his heart, calmly said to Uddhava. 

Akrura said- "Today, our night has been turned into a dawn. The day is quite auspicious. The teacher, the Brahmanas and the gods are indeed, happy with me, the merit I had earned during the crores of last births has appeared before me. Akrura who was held in bondage because of his actions, the same have been destroyed today. Getting relieved of the prison of the universe, I am proceeding to the abode of Hari. 

The intelligent Kamsa has made me to seek for a friend. Therefore, the anger of the king has turned into a boon for me. 

I shall immediately move to Vraja in order to bring Sri Krishna here. Krishna who happens to be the bestower of enjoyment of pleasures and moksha will meet me there.

He has a complexion of new clouds, the eyes like blue lotus flowers he is clad in pitambara on his entire body, would be covered with dust or applied with the sandal-paste. He would otherwise have the butter rubbed on his limbs and would be smiling; I shall look at him in this form. 

Or playfully he would be playing on the flute and would be running after the cows grazing here and there. 

Otherwise either seated or walking, either sleeping or awake, I would be in a position to look at the lord. After looking at him in the auspicious moment I shall achieve great pleasure. 

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and all the gods meditate upon his lotus-like feet and the serpent Ananta having the vast body is unable to know about his end. 

The influence of whom is unknown to the gods and the ascetics, the one whose glory is beyond the recitation of Sarasvati and while doing so she becomes dumb. 

For serving whom Mahalakshmi is deputed like a slave girl and the auspicious Ganga emerged out of his feet which removes birth, death, old and destroys the sins of others to just have a glance at her. 

At whose lotus-like feet Durga meditated who happens to be the destroyer of all the misfortunes, is the mother of the three lokas, is the great goddess besides being Mula-Prakruti.  

Lord Vishnu in whose hair-pits, innumerable globes are enshrined and who happens to be harder than the hardest and who happens to be the sixteenth Goloka of lord Krishna. О brother, I am going to have a look at him; he has an  illusory form, is the inner soul of all, all  knowledgeable beyond Prakruti, the form of  eternal light, who takes to a definite form in  order to grace his devotees, is beyond qualities,  unattached, devoid of bliss, devoid of shelter, the  great lord, all blissful, bestower of bliss, the one  who delights Nanda, who moves at will, is  beyond everyone, the cause of all and is believed  to be eternal. All the ascetics meditate upon his child-like form throughout the day and night.  

In the initial Padmakalpa, Brahma who emerged from the lotus, performed tapas seated on a lotus for a thousand manvantaras in which because of his remaining without food, his belly shrank. He then heard the words, "Perform the tapas again and you will find me". But in spite of performing such a long tapa he was unable to have an audience with the lord.

О Uddhava, in the meantime he performed tapas again and then he had an audience with the lord who also bestowed on him a boon. I would be able to have an audience with such a great lord.

In the earlier times Shiva had performed tapas up to the length of the sage of Brahma and then he could look at the lord in the Jyotirmandala in Goloka.

He then achieved the best of his devotion besides the knowledge of all the tattvas, all the success and the best of the tattvas. The lord who is graceful to his devotees, made Shiva like him. О Uddhava, I shall have an opportunity to meet with such a lord today.

О Uddhava, Ananta had adored the lord for the life of a thousand Indras with devotion, remaining without food and only after that he could achieve the lord who bestowed all the knowledge on him. I am going to meet such a great lord today.

Dharma also meditated upon him up to the life of a thousand Indras and as a result of the same he became the witness of the deeds of all and by the grace of the same he became the ruler on the humans and the bestower of the reward for their deeds. О Uddhava, I shall have a chance of meeting with such a great lord today, whose one day and night is counted after the destruction of twenty-eight Indras. In this order with the passage of months and years, Brahma lives for a hundred years and after the spending of the age of Brahma, whose one second is counted. I am going to meet with such a great lord. 

О brother, as the particles of dust on earth are beyond counting, similarly the number of Brahmandas also is beyond counting the base of which happens to be Mahavirat. In every globe there are separate Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and other gods besides the sages, the ascetics, siddhas, human beings and other movable and immovable creatures. The one whose sixteenth Goloka is Virat, who is playfully born and is destroyed such a great lord who is a ruler will be met my me today. 

Thus, speaking Akrura felt overwhelmed and his eyes started shedding tears of joy. He fainted at that time. He then started adoring the lotus-like feet of the lord.

Remembering the lotus-like feet of the lord Krishna again and again with devotion, he circumambulated lord Krishna. Thereafter Uddhava embraced Akrura again and again and praised him. Thereafter, he immediately left for his abode and Akrura also went back to his abode.