॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
19 May 2023, Friday - Srimad Bhagavatam X.a48 - Sri Krishna fulfils his promise to Kubja and receives her physical love in her home. He visits Akrura and after receiving his prayers, instructs him to go to Hastinapura and ascertain the condition of Pandavas under Dhritarashtra.
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I am on the road and therefore have to be brief. This is a fascinating short chapter that shows the prowess of Sage Vyasa as a storyteller. After narrating how Uddhava found such ecstatic devotion in the Gopis and reported it to Sri Krishna, he takes up the story of how Sri Krishna obliged Kubja who was hopelessly besotted physically with his love. He gave her the physical pleasure she craved for.
Then, at once, shifting gears, Sage Vyasa introduces Bhagavan's next Leela restoring Dharma among the Kshatriyas. He brings up the subject of Pandavas and their misery and how Bhagavan wants to help them.
सा मज्जनालेपदुकूलभूषणस्रग्गन्धताम्बूलसुधासवादिभिः । प्रसाधितात्मोपससार माधवं सव्रीडलीलोत्स्मितविभ्रमेक्षितैः ॥
सानङ्गतप्तकुचयोरुरसस्तथाक्ष्णोर्जिघ्रन्त्यनन्तचरणेन रुजो मृजन्ती ।
दोर्भ्यां स्तनान्तरगतं परिरभ्य कान्तमानन्दमूर्तिमजहादतिदीर्घतापम् ॥
सैवं कैवल्यनाथं तं प्राप्य दुष्प्रापमीश्वरम् । अङ्गरागार्पणेनाहो दुर्भगेदमयाचत ॥
T: When Sri Krishna arrived at her lovely home, Kubja was thrilled. After respectful formalities of receiving Sri Krishna and Uddhava, she went and prepared herself by bathing, anointing her body, dressing in fine garments, putting on jewellery, garlands and perfume, and also by chewing betel nut, drinking fragrant liquor, and so on. She was thus ready for the bridal bed. She then approached Sri Krishna with shy, playful smiles and coquettish glances. Sri Krishna embraced her in her bed and gave her the best of a man's love.
Just smelling the fragrance of Sri Krishna's lotus feet, Kubja satisfied her overflowing lust. With her two arms, she embraced between her breasts her lover, the personification of bliss, and thus she was relieved of her pent-up desire. Having thus gotten the hard-to-get Supreme Lord by the simple act of offering Him fragrances and perfumes when he had first met her in Mathura's high street, here she was, blessed so completely in body and mind!
***
Just as he had promised Kubja, Sri Krishna had promised Akrura also that he would visit him. Now he went to his home with Balarama and Uddhava. Whereas we saw the physical love of Kubja, now Vyasa describes the exalted state of devotion that Akrura displayed towards Sri Krishna. He conluded a long prayer with these words:
दिष्ट्या जनार्दन भवानिह नः प्रतीतो योगेश्वरैरपि दुरापगतिः सुरेशैः ।
छिन्ध्याशु नः सुतकलत्रधनाप्तगेहदेहादिमोहरशनां भवदीयमायाम् ॥
T: Bhagavan, You are giving us Your constant Darshan, and this is so precious and rare even for the gods and the greatest of Yogis! Please now quickly cut the ropes of our attachments to friends, home and this body. Kindly cut down the play of Your Maya in our lives!
To this Bhagavan replies most graciously that saints like Akrura are rare in this world and usher spirituality into ordinary men's lives, unlike even the gods who are after their own welfare!
न ह्यम्मयानि तीर्थानि न देवा मृच्छिलामयाः । ते पुनन्त्युरुकालेन दर्शनादेव साधवः ॥
T: The holy pilgrimage centres with sacred rivers, the gods worshipped as deities made of earth and stone, both indeed purify the soul but only slowly, over a long period of time. But saintly persons purify ordinary mortals just by being seen by them!
Then he asks him to do something. We can sense the voice of divine authority here, in a Sri Krishna who became Geetacharya later!
स भवान् सुहृदां वै नः श्रेयान् श्रेयश्चिकीर्षया । जिज्ञासार्थं पाण्डवानां गच्छस्व त्वं गजाह्वयम् ॥
पितर्युपरते बालाः सह मात्रा सुदुःखिताः । आनीताः स्वपुरं राज्ञा वसन्त इति शुश्रुम ॥
तेषु राजाम्बिकापुत्रो भ्रातृपुत्रेषु दीनधीः । समो न वर्तते नूनं दुष्पुत्रवशगोऽन्धदृक् ॥
गच्छ जानीहि तद्वृत्तमधुना साध्वसाधु वा । विज्ञाय तद्विधास्यामो यथा शं सुहृदां भवेत् ॥
T: "Dear Akrura, please go to Hastinapura and, find out as our well-wisher how the Pandavas are doing.
We have heard that when their father passed away, the young Panḍavas were brought with their anguished mother to the capital city by King Dhritarashtra and that they are now living there."
"Indeed, the weak-minded Dhritarashtra, born to the weak-hearted Ambika, has come under the control of his wicked sons, and therefore that blind king is not treating his brother’s sons fairly. Go and see whether Dhritarashtra is acting properly or not. After ascertaining this, we shall act to help our dear friends."
Sri Krishna took leave of Akrura then and left with Balarama and Uddhava.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
