Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.49.3
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
gāndinī-sutaḥ
—
Akrūra, son of Gāndinī
Matronymic. Gāndinī was Śvaphalka's wife, said in the Purāṇas to bring rain to whatever country she entered — a fitting parentage for the man who carries Kṛṣṇa's grace into Hastināpura.
-
bandhubhiḥ
—
with his relatives and friends
Akrūra is bandhu both to the Yadus and, through Vasudeva–Kuntī, to the Pāṇḍavas. His mission works precisely because he is family on both sides of the coming war.
-
suhṛt
—
of their dear ones
Sat-hṛt — 'good-hearted one,' a friend who wishes well without expecting return. In Gītā 5.29 Kṛṣṇa names Himself the suhṛt of all beings; Akrūra here mirrors that mood at a human scale.
-
avyayam
—
about their well-being
Literally 'undiminished, imperishable.' The polite formula of inquiry carries an undertone Vyāsa exploits across this canto: only Kṛṣṇa's shelter is truly avyaya; the welfare of the Pāṇḍavas in Hastināpura is anything but.
Akrura asked about their welfare (avyayam-imperishability).
According to etiquette, he met the elders, offering respects and mixing with them with affection. They asked about the health of the Yādavas (suhṛd-vārtām) with affection (saṁ—prṣṭaḥ) as well as making him comfortable as a guest according to the rules.
Calling him Gāndinī-suta suggests that he knew dharma. Thus he respected the elders by obeisances, equals by embraces and inferiors by giving blessings (yathāvat upasaṁgamya). He met all with affection. They asked about the Yadus (suhṛd-vartām) with affection and according to rules in welcoming guests.
- Whose inquiry after your welfare have you not reciprocated in years?
- Where could a two-way conversation replace a one-way report?
Akrūra greets each face in turn the way a careful gardener walks his rows — pausing at every plant to see which has been watered and which left to wilt. Beneath the politeness of news-exchange, his eye is already gathering the report he will carry back to Kṛṣṇa.
My note
Source: vedabase.io