Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.52.1
श्रीशुक उवाच
इत्थं सोऽनग्रहीतोऽङ्ग कृष्णेनेक्ष्वाकुनन्दन: ।
तं परिक्रम्य सन्नम्य निश्चक्राम गुहामुखात् ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
itthaṁ so ’nagrahīto ’nga
[ittham so ’nagraheeto ’nga]
kṛṣṇenekṣvāku nandanaḥ
[krishnenekshvaaku nandanah]
taṁ parikramya sannamya
[tam parikramya sannamya]
niścakrāma guhā-mukhāt
[nishchakraama guhaa-mukhaat]
Word-for-word
śrī - śukaḥ uvāca
—
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
ittham
—
in this manner
saḥ
—
he
anugrahītaḥ
—
shown mercy
aṅga
—
my dear (Parīkṣit Mahārāja)
kṛṣṇena
—
by Lord Kṛṣṇa
ikṣvāku - nandanaḥ
—
Mucukunda, the beloved descendant of Ikṣvāku
tam
—
Him
parikramya
—
circumambulating
sannamya
—
bowing down
niścakrāma
—
he went out
guhā
—
of the cave
mukhāt
—
from the mouth .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī - śukaḥ uvāca
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
itthaṁ so ’nagrahīto ’nga
ittham
in this manner
kṛṣṇenekṣvāku nandanaḥ
taṁ parikramya sannamya
saḥ
he
anugrahītaḥ
shown mercy
aṅga
my dear (Parīkṣit Mahārāja)
niścakrāma guhā-mukhāt
kṛṣṇena
by Lord Kṛṣṇa
ikṣvāku - nandanaḥ
Mucukunda, the beloved descendant of Ikṣvāku
tam
Him
parikramya
circumambulating
sannamya
bowing down
niścakrāma
he went out
guhā
of the cave
mukhāt
from the mouth .
Important Words
-
anugrahītaḥ
—
shown mercy
Past participle of anu-√grah. Gauḍīyas hold that Kṛṣṇa's anugraha is the active cause of bhakti — Mucukunda's awakening is not his austerity ripening but the Lord's grace descending. The word marks the verse as a benediction, not an achievement.
-
ikṣvāku-nandanaḥ
—
the beloved descendant of Ikṣvāku
Compound naming Mucukunda's solar dynasty — the same lineage as Rāmacandra. Sūta keeps the dynastic frame visible to remind us that even the ancient kings of dharma are crowned only by direct darśana of Kṛṣṇa.
-
parikramya
—
circumambulating
From pari-√kram. Parikrama is the bodily syllable of devotion — the limbs writing a circle around the worshiped center. Mucukunda performs it before parting, the standard Vaiṣṇava etiquette before any departure from the Lord's presence.
-
guhā-mukhāt
—
from the mouth of the cave
Compound: guhā (cave) + mukhāt (from the mouth). The cave was Kṛṣṇa's chosen stage for the Kālayavana līlā; its mouth now becomes a birth-canal — Mucukunda is reborn out of the dark womb of long sleep into a Kṛṣṇa-conscious life.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, thus graced by Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mucukunda circumambulated Him and bowed down to Him. Then Mucukunda, the beloved descendant of Ikṣvāku, exited through the mouth of the cave.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, thus graced by Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mucukunda circumambulated Him and bowed down to Him. Then Mucukunda, the beloved descendant of Ikṣvāku, exited through the mouth of the cave.
Commentary
In the fifty-second chapter, the Lord becomes invisible to His enemies, causes the mountain to be burned and hears the proposal of Bismaka's daughter.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Receiving mercy directly from Svayam Bhagavān, the descendent of Ikṣvāku offered respects on the ground many times, and by the order of the Lord, quickly left with great respect. The Lord did not go with him since Mucukunda was not qualified for that. Kṛṣṇa let him go first in order to understand that he would follow his orders immediately.
Related values & verses
Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Graced by Kṛṣṇa, Mucukunda circumambulates Him, bows, and exits through the cave's mouth. Encounter with the Lord is completed by formal gestures of reverence; the meeting is closed properly.
Reflection Questions
- How do you close encounters with Kṛṣṇa — formally or sloppily?
- Where could circumambulation and bow restore dignity to your spiritual life?
Analogy
Mucukunda's circumambulation is a single drop tracing the perimeter of an ocean — the finite king bowing around the infinite Lord whose mercy has just burned away his enemy. The cave-mouth is the threshold between the long sleep of saṁsāra and the dawn of conscious surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
My note
Source: vedabase.io