SB 10.49.7 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.49.7

पृथा तु भ्रातरं प्राप्तमक्रूरमुपसृत्य तम् । उवाच जन्मनिलयं स्मरन्त्यश्रुकलेक्षणा ॥ ७ ॥

pṛthā tu bhrātaraṁ prāptam

[prithaa tu bhraataram praaptam]

akrūram upasṛtya tam

[akrooram upasritya tam]

uvāca janma-nilayaṁ

[uvaacha janma-nilayam]

smaranty aśru-kalekṣaṇā

[smaranty ashru-kalekshanaa]

Word-for-word

pṛthā — Kuntī tu — and bhrātaram — her brother (more exactly, the grandson of Vṛṣṇi, her own and Vasudeva’s tenth-generation ancestor) prāptam — obtained akrūram — Akrūra upasṛtya — approaching tam — him uvāca — she said janma — of her birth nilayam — the home (Mathurā) smarantī — remembering aśru — of tears kalā — with traces īkṣaṇā — whose eyes .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

pṛthā tu bhrātaraṁ prāptam

pṛthā

Kuntī

and

bhrātaram

her brother (more exactly, the grandson of Vṛṣṇi, her own and Vasudeva’s tenth-generation ancestor)

prāptam

obtained

akrūram upasṛtya tam

akrūram

Akrūra

upasṛtya

approaching

tam

him

uvāca janma-nilayaṁ

uvāca

she said

janma

of her birth

nilayam

the home (Mathurā)

smaranty aśru-kalekṣaṇā

smarantī

remembering

aśru

of tears

kalā

with traces

īkṣaṇā

whose eyes .

Important Words

bhrātaram — her brother
Strictly speaking Akrūra is her cousin through the Vṛṣṇi line, but kinship-vocabulary in the Bhāgavatam expands warmly. Kuntī claims him as bhrātṛ because he is the only Yadu hand within reach.
janma-nilayam — the home of her birth
Mathurā — where she lived as Pṛthā before being adopted by Kuntibhoja and married to Pāṇḍu. Her exile from her natal home prefigures the deeper exile every jīva feels from Vraja.
smarantī — remembering
Present participle of √smṛ. Smaraṇa is one of the nine limbs of bhakti (SB 7.5.23); even Kuntī's homesick smaraṇa becomes, in the next verses, smaraṇa of Kṛṣṇa Himself.
aśru-kalā-īkṣaṇā — whose eyes are flecked with traces of tears
Aśru (tear) + kalā (trace, droplet) + īkṣaṇā (eyed). The compound paints a Gauḍīya icon: the bhakta whose eyes have not lost their composure but cannot hide that they have been bathed.

Kuntīdevī, taking advantage of her brother Akrūra’s visit, approached him confidentially. While remembering her birthplace, she spoke with tears in her eyes.

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Kuntīdevī, taking advantage of her brother Akrūra's visit, approached him confidentially. While remembering her birthplace, she spoke with tears in her eyes.

Commentary

This verse and those following now describe events previous to Kunti’s description to Akrura in verses 5 and 6.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

Akrūra considered the words of Kuntī important because of her great devotion to Kṛṣṇa. The word tu indicates she spoke other information. She approached him when he came to her house because he was famous as the Lord’s devotee. Her eyes flowed constantly with tears (aśru-kalekṣaṇā).

Related values & verses

Related values

Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Prema (Divine Love)Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)

Concepts

Jiva

Personal Guidance

Kuntī, taking advantage of her brother's visit, approaches Akrūra confidentially, remembering her birthplace with tears. Some conversations require explicit confidentiality and the right relative; family contact unlocks what status cannot.

Reflection Questions

What conversation are you holding off until the right family member visits?
Where could confidentiality permit the words your usual setting forbids?

Analogy

Kuntī draws Akrūra aside the way a captive bird, finding a window cracked open, presses close to the bars: this is her one chance to send a message home. The brother she addresses is also Kṛṣṇa's emissary, and her tears already know it.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io