Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.39.38
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
kālindīm
—
to (the river) Kālindī (Yamunā)
Kālindī — daughter of Kalinda (the Yamunā's mythic source). The river is Kṛṣṇa's līlā-companion: His rāsa-circle was on her bank, He chastised Kāliya in her waters. She now becomes the site of Akrūra's vision.
-
agha - nāśinīm
—
destroyer of sins
Agha-nāśinī — sin-destroying. The standard Bhāgavata epithet for the Yamunā. Why mention it here? Because the Lord is about to step out of His chariot and touch her waters — the river that destroys sins is being touched by the destroyer of all sins.
-
vāyu - vegena
—
with the speed of wind
The chariot moves wind-fast. The gopīs' last sight of dust (v.36) is justified — He is gone before they finish weeping. Bhāgavata pacing: time accelerates the moment we leave Vraja's slow rasa.
-
rāma - akrūra - yutaḥ
—
accompanied by Rāma and Akrūra
The three travelers named: Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Akrūra. The verse explicitly groups the devotee Akrūra with the two Lords, foreshadowing his vision in v.41 of the same two Lords standing in the water.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments that Lord Kṛṣṇa secretly lamented His separation from the gopīs. These transcendental feelings of the Lord are part of His supreme pleasure potency.
Kṛṣṇa who is praised in all śruti and smṛti also experienced suffering just like the gopīs, since his very nature is to be soft because of the prema of his devotees. However he hid those feelings since he was grave (gambhira). This can be understood from the many messengers that he sent back. He went because he had necessary duties to perform since he was the supreme lord (bhagavān). But still, because he could not tolerate their pain, he came to the Yamunā where there was a sacred place of Ananta, on the chariot travelling as swift as the wind. That place was capable of destroy all suffering (agha-nāśinīm). He thought that it could destroy his suffering. “But his suffering could not be clearly seen.” In the company of Balarāma and Akrūra, who were eager to deliver Vasudeva and others, he also developed the sense of urgency to do what was necessary. They arrived at the Yamunā at noon. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says: gacchanto javanāśvena rathena yamunātaṭam / praptā madhyāhna-samaye rāmākrūra-janārdanāḥ // Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and Akrūra reached the bank of the Yamunā at noon, on the chariot yoked with swift horses. Because of the speed, others could not keep up with them. At that time Nanda lived on Nandīśvara Hill. Though the chariot moving with great speed would generally not arrive so late at the Yamunā, the chariot went in an irregular pace since he sent many messengers to console the gopīs.
Like the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa also experienced the greatest pain. That is indicated by the word api. He was accompanied by Akrūra and Balarāma, who were at his side, giving him instructions and holding the reins. He arrived at the Yamunā suddenly, and entered into it, because the chariot travelled at the speed of the wind. The horses were swift but Akrūra used his whip to make them go faster. They arrived there at noon. gacchanto javanāśvena rathena yamunātaṭam / praptā madhyāhna-samaye rāmākrūra-janārdanāḥ // Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa and Akrūra reached the bank of the Yamunā at noon, on the chariot yoked with swift horses. Viṣṇu Purāṇa The distance from Nanda’s house to the Yamunā was only twelve krośas. But Akrūra arrived there only at noon, going quickly. Kṛṣṇa had to console the gopīs. As well, to fool the cows and the gopīs who fell on the path, he went on a crooked path. Thus it took a long time to arrive. O king! Śukadeva comforts suffering Parīkṣit. Or he calls out because of his own pain. He arrived at the Yamunā which destroys all offenses. Because of offending the gopīs, Akrūra intended to purify himself by bathing there.
- Where do you forget that Kṛṣṇa also carries the grief of separations He arranges?
- How does His shared sorrow change your relationship to your own?
Like a swift breeze that carries a sacred object across a river, the chariot reaches Kālindī — the Yamunā — destroyer of sins. The narrative leaves the gopīs at Vraja's edge and arrives at the river where the chapter's second great event will unfold: Akrūra's darśana of Mahā-Viṣṇu.
My note
Source: vedabase.io