Akrura's Visit and the Farewell to Vrindavan

Sent by Kansa to bring Krishna and Balarama to Mathura, Akrura travelled to Vrindavan with a heart full of devotion, while the gopis wept at the parting.

When the sage Narada told Kansa that the dark child of Gokul was in truth the eighth son of Devaki, Kansa's fear turned into a plan. He announced a great bow festival, the Dhanur-yajna, in Mathura, and decided to lure Krishna and Balarama there to be killed by his elephant and his wrestlers. For this errand he chose Akrura, a respected elder of the Yadu clan, knowing that the boys would trust him.

Kansa did not know that Akrura was a devotee at heart. As his chariot rolled towards Vraja, Akrura was not thinking of the king's orders at all. He was thinking only that he would soon see the Lord whom great yogis seek in meditation. When he reached the outskirts of Vrindavan in the evening and saw Krishna's footprints in the dust, marked with the lotus, the flag and the thunderbolt, he leapt down from the chariot and rolled in that dust with tears of joy.

Krishna and Balarama received him with love, washed his feet and fed him, and Nanda Baba heard the king's invitation. It was decided that the cowherds would go to Mathura the next morning with gifts of milk and butter.

When the news spread, the gopis were heartbroken. They spent the night in tears and in the morning surrounded the chariot. They said that the one named Akrura, "the one who is not cruel", was taking away the very life of Vraja. Krishna comforted them with a message that he would return, and the chariot moved on while the gopis stood watching until even the dust of its wheels had settled.

On the way, Akrura stopped at the Yamuna to bathe and recite his prayers. Under the water he saw Krishna and Balarama, though they were sitting in the chariot. Looking again, he saw the Lord resting on the thousand-hooded Ananta Shesha, served by sages and gods. Overwhelmed, Akrura offered heartfelt praises. When he rose from the water, the vision faded, and Krishna smiled at him as if he knew everything.

This leela shows that the Lord can turn even a mission of hatred into an occasion of devotion, and that the love of Vraja is the highest love of all.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, ch. 36–40

Place

Vrindavan – Yamuna – Mathura

Lesson

The Lord turns even a mission born of hatred into an occasion of devotion.