Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.51.42
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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anugraha-artham
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for the sake of mercy
Compound: anugraha (favor, grace) + artham (for the sake of). Bhagavān's stated motive is anugraha — not cosmic management, not karmic balance, but personal favor. Gauḍīyas read this as the definition of grace: Bhagavān moves for the devotee's sake.
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prārthitaḥ
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prayed to
Past participle of pra-√arth — to ask, pray. Mucukunda's prayers are explicitly acknowledged. The Vaiṣṇava confidence: every sincere prayer is heard, recorded, and answered at the right moment.
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pracuram
—
abundantly
Adverb — copiously. Mucukunda prayed not once but extensively. Gauḍīyas teach that the persistence of prayer is itself part of the prayer; the Lord responds to those who do not stop.
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bhakta-vatsalaḥ
—
affectionate to devotees
Compound: bhakta + vatsalaḥ (calf-loving, tender). The Bhāgavata's signature epithet for Bhagavān. Vatsala-vocabulary recalls Yaśodā's tenderness for child-Kṛṣṇa — here turned inside out: Kṛṣṇa is vatsala toward His bhaktas.
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guhām
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the cave
The cave is now reclassified — not a place of sleep but a place of anugraha. Same physical location, transformed by the visitor. Gauḍīyas read this as bhakti's geography: any place Bhagavān enters becomes Vaikuṇṭha for the devotee there.
It is apparent from this verse that Mucukunda was a devotee of the Supreme Lord. He had prayed for the Lord’s association, and now Śrī Kṛṣṇa granted his fervent request.
I have not come here to kill Kālayavana. That could have been done by other means. I came to give mercy to you. That is expressed in this verse. Though endowed with greatness, I have come here out of compliance. Viśva says that upa can mean compliance. You requested to see me with pure devotion (pra—arthitaḥ) many times (pracuram), because I am affectionate to devotees. Just by showing myself, unlimited desires of devotees are fulfilled and everything is fulfilled by satisfying devotees. Or I came to the cave because I am affectionate to the devotees.
- What old prayer of yours might be quietly approaching its visit?
- How do you keep praying when answers are taking generations?
A king visiting a long-time petitioner whose past prayers have been on file. Kṛṣṇa names His motive: bhakta-vatsalatā — affection for His devotees. The visit is not strategic; it is the heart's debt being paid.
The same motive — bhakta-vatsalya — moves Bhagavān to come for Gajendra (SB 8.3), for Prahlāda (SB 7.8), for Dhruva (SB 4.9), for Ambarīṣa (SB 9.4). The Bhāgavata's structural claim is that none of these visits is coincidental; each was earned by a devotee's prior prayer, and each is honored at the appointed moment.
Mucukunda's case is paradigm: he prayed in past ages (prārthitaḥ pracuram pūrvam tvayā); Kṛṣṇa names that prayer here, in the cave. The bhakti record is exact, and the Lord's coming is its mathematics.
My note
Source: vedabase.io