SB 10.41.18 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.41.18

श्रीशुक उवाच एवमुक्तो भगवता सोऽक्रूरो विमना इव । पुरीं प्रविष्ट: कंसाय कर्मावेद्य गृहं ययौ ॥ १८ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

[shree-shuka uvaacha]

evam ukto bhagavatā

[evam ukto bhagavataa]

so ’krūro vimanā iva

[so ’krooro vimanaa iva]

purīṁ praviṣṭaḥ kaṁsāya

[pureem pravishtah kamsaaya]

karmāvedya gṛhaṁ yayau

[karmaavedya griham yayau]

Word-for-word

śrī - śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said evam — thus uktaḥ — addressed bhagavatā — by the Lord saḥ — he akrūraḥ — Akrūra vimanāḥ — disheartened iva — somewhat purīm — the city praviṣṭaḥ — entering kaṁsāya — to Kaṁsa karma — about his activities āvedya — informing gṛham — to his home yayau — went .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

śrī-śuka uvāca

śrī - śukaḥ uvāca

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said

evam ukto bhagavatā

evam

thus

uktaḥ

addressed

bhagavatā

by the Lord

so ’krūro vimanā iva

purīṁ praviṣṭaḥ kaṁsāya

saḥ

akrūraḥ

Akrūra

vimanāḥ

disheartened

iva

somewhat

purīm

the city

praviṣṭaḥ

entering

karmāvedya gṛhaṁ yayau

kaṁsāya

to Kaṁsa

karma

about his activities

āvedya

informing

gṛham

to his home

yayau

went .

Important Words

vimanāḥ — disheartened
vi + manas — mind-emptied, dejected. The exact word the Bhāgavatam later uses for the gopīs after Kṛṣṇa leaves Vraja (10.39). Akrūra is the first to taste vipralambha at Mathurā's threshold; the gopīs will inherit the same word.
karma — his activities
Accusative of karman. Akrūra reports his 'work' to Kaṁsa — but his real karma was darśana of Kṛṣṇa in the Yamunā. The verse runs on this irony: official duty discharged, secret reward already received.
kaṁsāya — to Kaṁsa
Dative of Kaṁsa, the asuric king of Mathurā. In the Bhāgavatam's economy of names, Kaṁsa is the prototypical kṛṣṇa-dveṣī — the one who hates Bhagavān. His name's appearance in this verse marks the chapter's pivot toward the next.
gṛham — to his home
Accusative of gṛha. Akrūra goes home alone. Gauḍīyas read the ache: he had invited Kṛṣṇa home (verses 11-12); now he goes home without Him. Vipralambha-bhakti's first measurement in this chapter.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed by the Lord, Akrūra entered the city with a heavy heart. He informed King Kaṁsa of the success of his mission and then went home.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus addressed by the Lord, Akrūra entered the city with a heavy heart. He informed King Kaṁsa of the success of his mission and then went home.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Most eager, and joyful that he had brought Kṛṣṇa, he was now morose. Iva is an ornament (it does not mean “as if” in the context). Or, since Kṛṣṇa promised to come later, and had promised to kill Kaṁsa, he was not really morose. He thought, “Tomorrow Kṛṣṇa will kill Kaṁsa and come to my house.” Thus he went home to clean his house for Kṛṣṇa’s coming. Out of attachment for Kṛṣṇa, he did nothing else until Kṛṣṇa arrived. It is not described anywhere later that he did anything else.

Related values & verses

Related values

Svadhyaya (Self-study & Scripture Study)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Nishkama Karma (Selfless Action)

Concepts

JivaKarma

Personal Guidance

Akrūra enters the city with a heavy heart, informs Kaṁsa of the mission's success, and goes home. Devotional service sometimes involves reporting back to enemies; even painful errands are completed honestly.

Reflection Questions

What painful reporting-back is yours to complete in service to truth?
Where does a 'heavy heart' need to coexist with finishing the task?

Analogy

Akrūra walks into Kaṁsa's court the way a witness walks into a courtroom whose verdict has already been pronounced. He delivers the report, then goes home alone — the chariot has emptied of its real cargo.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io