SB 10.38.18 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.38.18

न मय्युपैष्यत्यरिबुद्धिमच्युत: कंसस्य दूत: प्रहितोऽपि विश्वद‍ृक् । योऽन्तर्बहिश्चेतस एतदीहितं क्षेत्रज्ञ ईक्षत्यमलेन चक्षुषा ॥ १८ ॥

na mayy upaiṣyaty ari-buddhim acyutaḥ

[na mayy upaishyaty ari-buddhim achyutah]

kaṁsasya dūtaḥ prahito ’pi viśva-dṛk

[kamsasya dootah prahito ’pi vishva-drik]

yo ’ntar bahiś cetasa etad īhitaṁ

[yo ’ntar bahish chetasa etad eehitam]

kṣetra-jña īkṣaty amalena cakṣuṣā

[kshetra-jna eekshaty amalena chakshushaa]

Word-for-word

na — not mayi — toward me upaiṣyati — will He develop ari — of being an enemy buddhim — the attitude acyutaḥ — the infallible Lord kaṁsasya — of Kaṁsa dūtaḥ — a messenger prahitaḥ — sent api — although viśva — of everything dṛk — the witness yaḥ — who antaḥ — inside bahiḥ — and outside cetasaḥ — of the heart etat — this īhitam — whatever is done kṣetra — of the field (of the material body) jñaḥ — the knower īkṣati — He sees amalena — with perfect cakṣuṣā — vision .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

na mayy upaiṣyaty ari-buddhim acyutaḥ

not

mayi

toward me

upaiṣyati

will He develop

ari

of being an enemy

buddhim

the attitude

acyutaḥ

the infallible Lord

kaṁsasya dūtaḥ prahito ’pi viśva-dṛk

kaṁsasya

of Kaṁsa

dūtaḥ

a messenger

prahitaḥ

sent

api

although

viśva

of everything

dṛk

the witness

yo ’ntar bahiś cetasa etad īhitaṁ

kṣetra-jña īkṣaty amalena cakṣuṣā

yaḥ

who

antaḥ

inside

bahiḥ

and outside

cetasaḥ

of the heart

etat

this

īhitam

whatever is done

kṣetra

of the field (of the material body)

jñaḥ

the knower

īkṣati

He sees

amalena

with perfect

cakṣuṣā

vision .

Important Words

acyutaḥ — the infallible Lord
Returning epithet from v.5. Used here for the Lord's unfailing discernment — He does not fall into mistaken identifications. Gauḍīyas hold this as the basis of trust in dīkṣā: Bhagavān knows the disciple's actual mood, not his outward role.
viśva — of everything
The whole universe. Combined with dṛk — the seer of everything. Gauḍīyas read this as personalist omniscience: not impersonal awareness, but the conscious gaze of a Person who sees and weighs each soul individually.
antaḥ — inside
Within — the heart. Paired with bahis (outside). Bhāgavata's paramātmā-doctrine: Bhagavān resides in the cave of every heart as sākṣī (witness) and anumantā (sanctioner). Akrūra rests on this paramātmā-fact for safety from suspicion.
kṣetra — the field (of the material body)
From BG 13: the body as the field. Compound with -jñaḥ — kṣetra-jña, the knower of the field. Gauḍīyas read kṣetrajña as paramātmā (the higher knower); the jīvātmā is the lesser knower of the same field.
jñaḥ — the knower
Suffix forming agent of knowing. In compound kṣetra-jñaḥ, the Lord is the universal kṣetra-jñaḥ — the one who knows all bodies. Gauḍīyas distinguish carefully: the jīva is jña of its own body; the Lord is jña of all.
amalena — with perfect, stainless
a- (not) + mala (stain). Stainless vision — uncontaminated by partiality, illusion, or ignorance. Gauḍīyas associate amalatva with bhagavat-dṛṣṭi, against the kaluṣita (clouded) vision of conditioned beings.

The infallible Lord will not consider me an enemy, even though Kaṁsa has sent me here as his messenger. After all, the omniscient Lord is the actual knower of the field of this material body, and with His perfect vision He witnesses, both externally and internally, all the endeavors of the conditioned soul’s heart.

Purport

Being omniscient, Lord Kṛṣṇa knew that Akrūra was only externally a friend of Kaṁsa. Internally he was an eternal devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

The infallible Lord will not consider me an enemy,, even though Kaṁsa has sent me here as his messenger. After all, the omniscient Lord is the actual knower of the field of this material body, and with His perfect vision He witnesses, both externally and internally, all the endeavors of the conditioned soul's heart.

Commentary

Though all this is so, he still feared that it would be impossible to get mercy from Krsna. Therefore he removes that fear with this verse. "Though I am Kamsa’s messenger, sent by him, Krsna will understand that I am not his enemy, because he is the seer of everything, existing inside and outside of the heart. He witnesses not only my activities, but the activities of all the universe."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Akrūra speaks in pain, expressing cintā (worry) and mati (scriptural contemplation). The Lord has unfailing knowledge and powers. He sees the universe. Thus he will not consider me his enemy.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Kṛṣṇa has unfailing knowledge and powers (acyutaḥ). Thus he knows everything (viśva-dṛk). Or Akrūra worries that he has no qualification to receive such mercy, since he serves Kaṁsa. To remove that worry he speaks this verse. As the witness, he knows all my actions (etad-īhitam). Or he sees that all my actions arise from Kaṁsa, knower of his kingdom (kṣetra-jñe).

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)

Related lectures

Jivananda Pr SB 10-38-18-22 - 2013-05-13 Dallas
His Grace Jivananda Prabhu· 2013-05-13· English
11 - RGS SB 10-38-18-23%20 - Akrura Manoratha Part-11 - Vrindavan
His Holiness Radha Govinda Swami· English

Personal Guidance

Even though Kaṁsa sent him, Akrūra trusts the omniscient Lord — knower of every field — will not treat him as enemy; He sees external mission and internal devotion alike. Kṛṣṇa reads our inner condition, not our outer assignment.

Reflection Questions

Where do you fear being judged by the role someone has put you in?
What in your inner motive would you want Kṛṣṇa to see honestly today?

Analogy

A father knows whether the messenger his neighbor sends bears the neighbor's grudge or only his words — the messenger's heart is visible to him, not the courier's badge. Kaṁsa's letter cannot make Akrūra Kaṁsa's man; Kṛṣṇa reads the heart, not the office.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io