FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.39.56-57

विलोक्य सुभृशं प्रीतो भक्त्या परमया युत: । हृष्यत्तनूरुहो भावपरिक्लिन्नात्मलोचन: ॥ ५६ ॥ गिरा गद्गदयास्तौषीत् सत्त्वमालम्ब्य सात्वत: । प्रणम्य मूर्ध्नावहित: कृताञ्जलिपुट: शनै: ॥ ५७ ॥
vilokya su-bhṛśaṁ prīto
[vilokya su-bhrisham preeto]
bhaktyā paramayā yutaḥ
[bhaktyaa paramayaa yutah]
hṛṣyat-tanūruho bhāva-
[hrishyat-tanooruho bhaava-]
pariklinnātma-locanaḥ
[pariklinnaatma-lochanah]
girā gadgadayāstauṣīt
[giraa gadgadayaastausheet]
sattvam ālambya sātvataḥ
[sattvam aalambya saatvatah]
praṇamya mūrdhnāvahitaḥ
[pranamya moordhnaavahitah]
kṛtāñjali-puṭaḥ śanaiḥ
[kritaanjali-putah shanaih]
vilokya — (Akrūra) seeing su - bhṛśam — greatly prītaḥ — pleased bhaktyā — with devotion paramayā — supreme yutaḥ — enthused hṛṣyat — standing on end tanū - ruhaḥ — the hairs of his body bhāva — out of loving ecstasy pariklinna — wet ātma — his body locanaḥ — and eyes girā — with words gadgadayā — choking astauṣīt — He offered homage sattvam — soberness ālambya — taking hold of sātvataḥ — the great devotee praṇamya — bowing down mūrdhnā — with his head avahitaḥ — attentively kṛta - añjali - puṭaḥ — joining his palms in supplication śanaiḥ — slowly .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vilokya su-bhṛśaṁ prīto
vilokya
(Akrūra) seeing
su - bhṛśam
greatly
prītaḥ
pleased
bhaktyā paramayā yutaḥ
bhaktyā
with devotion
paramayā
supreme
yutaḥ
enthused
hṛṣyat-tanūruho bhāva-
hṛṣyat
standing on end
tanū - ruhaḥ
the hairs of his body
bhāva
out of loving ecstasy
pariklinnātma-locanaḥ
pariklinna
wet
ātma
his body
locanaḥ
and eyes
girā gadgadayāstauṣīt
girā
with words
gadgadayā
choking
astauṣīt
He offered homage
sattvam ālambya sātvataḥ
sattvam
soberness
ālambya
taking hold of
sātvataḥ
the great devotee
praṇamya mūrdhnāvahitaḥ
praṇamya
bowing down
mūrdhnā
with his head
avahitaḥ
attentively
kṛtāñjali-puṭaḥ śanaiḥ
kṛta - añjali - puṭaḥ
joining his palms in supplication
śanaiḥ
slowly .
  • hṛṣyat - tanū - ruhaḥ — whose bodily hairs were standing on end
    Romāñca — one of the eight sāttvika-bhāvas of Rūpa Gosvāmī's rasa-śāstra. The body's involuntary signature of intense bhāva. Akrūra's hairs erect = bhakti has reached the bodily register, beyond mental conviction.
  • bhāva - pariklinna - ātma - locanaḥ — whose eyes were drenched by bhāva (devotional emotion)
    Pari-klinna = thoroughly wet. The tears are not sentimental but bhāva-tears — the technical Gauḍīya category. Eyes overflowing with prema is the third sāttvika-vikāra; Caitanya Mahāprabhu would later weep for hours in this state.
  • girā gadgadayā — with faltering / choked voice
    Gadgada — the broken, stammering voice of one overcome by emotion. Another of the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas. The voice that begins the next chapter's prayer (SB 10.40, Akrūra's stuti) is from the start a gadgada-voice — bhakti speaking through a body it has shattered.
  • sātvataḥ — (Akrūra) the Sātvata
    Sātvata = of the Sāttvata clan, the dynasty especially devoted to Viṣṇu. Gauḍīyas often gloss Sātvata as 'pure devotee.' Akrūra has now fully justified his lineage-name — he has had the vision Sātvatas are born for.
  • kṛta - añjali - puṭaḥ — with palms joined and cupped
    Añjali-puṭa — the joined-palms-cupped gesture of supplication. The ritually-prescribed posture for offering stuti. Akrūra assumes the posture, signaling that prayers (the content of SB 10.40) are about to commence.
As the great devotee Akrūra beheld all this, he became extremely pleased and felt enthused with transcendental devotion. His intense ecstasy caused His bodily hairs to stand on end and tears to flow from his eyes, drenching his entire body. Somehow managing to steady himself, Akrūra bowed his head to the ground. Then he joined his palms in supplication and, in a voice choked with emotion, very slowly and attentively began to pray.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Thirty-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Akrūra’s Vision.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
As the great devotee Akrūra beheld all this, he became extremely pleased and felt enthused with transcendental devotion. His intense ecstasy caused His bodily hairs to stand on end and tears to flow from his eyes, drenching his entire body. Somehow managing to steady himself, Akrūra bowed his head to the ground. Then he joined his palms in supplication and, in a voice choked with emotion, very slowly and attentively began to pray.
Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Seeing this, Akrūra thought, our Kṛṣṇa is this form, the Supreme Lord. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says bala krṣṇau tadākrūraḥ praty abhijñāya vismitaḥ: understanding the identity of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, Akrūra was astonished. At this time he thought this much. His later thoughts will be described in SB 10.41.4-5. Controlling himself (sattvam ālambya) he offered respects. He began speaking slowly (śanaiḥ) since his voice was choked.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

He was extremely (subhṛśam) pleased since the devotees become joyful when the Lord shows his powers. Or in showing powers to him, the Lord revealed his power to protect the Yadus. He was filled with great respect or intense love (bhaktyā). The symptoms of that bhakti are described. His hairs stood on end and his eyes and mind became completely damp with prema (bhāva-pariklinnātma-locanaḥ). Though by having the highest bhakti, bhāva will manifest on its own, The description indicates the extreme and continuous nature of the moisture of prema. The word pari (completely) also indicates this. Controlling himself he offered respects. If he did not control himself, he could not offer respects or prayers. He concentrated his mind (avahitaḥ). He began speaking slowly (śanaiḥ) since that was the nature of control or because his voice was choked with tears. However, he controlled himself and praised the Lord, since he was a devotee or Yadu (sātvataḥ). This indicates he was the best of devotees. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Thirty-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,entitled "Akrūra's Vision." 10.40: The Prayers of Akrūra verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-14, 15, 16, 17-18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 Chapter Summary This chapter relates Akrūra's prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Akrūra prayed, "Brahmā, who created this visible world, emanated from the lotus navel of the Supreme Lord. The five elements of physical nature, the five corresponding objects of perception, the ten senses, the ego, the total nature, the primeval creator and the demigods all originate from His bodily limbs. He cannot be known by sensory knowledge, and thus even Brahmā and the other demigods are ignorant of His real identity. "Different classes of people worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in different ways. Fruitive workers worship Him by performing Vedic sacrifices, philosophers by renouncing material work and pursuing spiritual knowledge, yogīs by meditating, Śaivites by worshiping Lord Śiva, Vaiṣṇavas by following the injunctions of such scriptures as the Pañcarātra, and other saintly persons by worshiping Him as the original form of the self, of the material substance and of the controlling demigods. Just as rivers flow from various directions into the ocean, the worship of those who dedicate themselves to these various entities finds its ultimate purpose within the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. "The form of the total universe, the Virāṭ-rūpa, is imagined to be the form of Lord Viṣṇu. Like aquatics moving about in water or like tiny insects burrowing in an udumbara fruit, all living beings move about within the Lord. These living beings, bewildered by His Māyā, wander along the path of material work, falsely identifying with body, home and so forth. Under the sway of illusion, a foolish person may overlook a reservoir of water covered by grass and leaves and instead run after a mirage. Similarly, living beings caught in the grip of ignorance abandon Lord Viṣṇu and become attached to their bodies, homes and so on. Such faithful servants of their senses cannot take shelter of the Supreme Lord's lotus feet. Only if, by His mercy, they get the association of saintly devotees will their material entanglement end. Only then can they develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness by serving the Lord's pure devotees."

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Beholding all this, Akrūra is pleased, enthused, hairs on end, tears flowing, body drenched; he bows his head to the ground and prays with joined palms in a voice choked with emotion. The right response to vision is not analysis but full-body submission and broken speech.
Reflection Questions
  • When did your spiritual experience last drench your body and choke your speech?
  • Where do you analyze experiences that deserve to simply bring you to the ground?

Like one who, having seen what only the highest yogis dream of, breaks down — hairs erect, body drenched in tears, voice choked. Akrūra steadies himself somehow, bows his head, folds his palms, and begins, very slowly, to offer praise. The chapter ends in the trembling threshold of stuti.

The eight sāttvika bhāvas (Rūpa Gosvāmī)

Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu lists eight bodily signs of intense devotional emotion (aṣṭa-sāttvika-vikāras): being stunned (stambha), sweating, horripilation (romāñca, hṛṣyat tanū-ruhaḥ here), faltering voice (gadgadayā girā here), trembling, change of color, tears (bhāva-pariklinna-ātma-locanaḥ here), and devastation.

This verse explicitly names three of the eight in Akrūra: hair standing on end, voice choked, eyes drenched in bhāva-tears. The Bhāgavata is here demonstrating in narrative what Rūpa Gosvāmī would later systematize — the sāttvika-bhāvas are not theory but happen to actual people seeing Bhagavān, like Akrūra in this Yamunā pool.

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