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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.40.30

నమస్తే వాసుదేవాయ సర్వభూతక్షయాయ చ । హృషీకేశ నమస్తుభ్యం ప్రపన్నం పాహి మాం ప్రభో ॥ ౩౦ ॥
namas te vāsudevāya
[namas te vaasudevaaya]
sarva-bhūta-kṣayāya ca
[sarva-bhoota-kshayaaya cha]
hṛṣīkeśa namas tubhyaṁ
[hrisheekesha namas tubhyam]
prapannaṁ pāhi māṁ prabho
[prapannam paahi maam prabho]
namaḥ — obeisances te — to You vāsudevāya — the son of Vasudeva sarva — of all bhūta — living beings kṣayāya — the residence ca — and hṛṣīka - īśa — O Lord of the mind and senses namaḥ — obeisances tubhyam — to You prapannam — who am surrendered pāhi — please protect mām — me prabho — O master .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
namas te vāsudevāya
namaḥ
obeisances
te
to You
vāsudevāya
the son of Vasudeva
sarva-bhūta-kṣayāya ca
sarva
of all
bhūta
living beings
kṣayāya
the residence
ca
and
hṛṣīkeśa namas tubhyaṁ
hṛṣīka - īśa
O Lord of the mind and senses
namaḥ
obeisances
tubhyam
to You
prapannaṁ pāhi māṁ prabho
prapannam
who am surrendered
pāhi
please protect
mām
me
prabho
O master .
  • vāsudevāya — to Vāsudeva, son of Vasudeva
    Patronymic form. Kṛṣṇa as the son of Vasudeva — the Person Akrūra is presently traveling to meet. Gauḍīyas treat Vāsudeva in this context as svayaṁ-bhagavān-vācaka, naming Kṛṣṇa Himself, not merely the vyūha.
  • sarva-bhūta-kṣayāya — in whom all beings reside (lit. abode of all beings)
    Compound: sarva (all) + bhūta (beings) + kṣaya (abode; here in the sense of dwelling-place). Bhagavān as the residence of every jīva. The prayer's cosmic theme returns one last time — the One who contains all is the One being asked for shelter.
  • hṛṣīka-īśa — Lord of the senses
    Compound: hṛṣīka (senses) + īśa (lord). The classical Gauḍīya definition of bhakti runs through this name — hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (Nārada-pañcarātra, cited by Rūpa Gosvāmī). Bhakti is the senses' return to their Lord.
  • prapannam — the surrendered one
    Past participle of pra + √pad — fully fallen-at-the-feet. The technical śaraṇāgata-vācaka. Gauḍīyas read this as the qualification Akrūra has now earned by the previous twenty-nine verses.
  • pāhi mām — protect me
    Imperative of √pā + accusative. The shortest prayer in the Bhāgavatam, repeated by Gajendra, Draupadī, Kuntī, and every other surrendered soul. Two words; the whole stuti's destination.
  • prabho — O master
    Vocative. The same vocative used in verses 9, 10, and 15 — but here it is the final word, the one with which the prayer closes. Master, not friend, not lover here: Akrūra's rasa to Kṛṣṇa is dāsya, and the final word names it.
O son of Vasudeva, obeisances to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Lord of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisances. O master, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Fortieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Prayers of Akrūra.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O son of Vasudeva, obeisances to You, within whom all living beings reside. O Lord of the mind and senses, again I offer You my obeisances. O master, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You.
Commentary

O Hrsikesa please protect me. This means "O lord, please take my mind and senses so that they do not become attached to wife and sons."

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

I offer respects to the cause of everything (vāsudevāya), the shelter of all beings during pralaya (sarva-bhūta-kṣayāya). You are the antaryāmī of all beings during maintenance as well (hṛṣīkeśa)! I offer respects continually to the Lord Caitanya-deva, who, in a humorous mood, has made me chatter in order that I can remember the devotees.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

As the presiding deity of citta, Vāsudeva, you inspire all consciousness. Thus you should inspire me to complete the praise. You should not say that you cannot protect me from the saṁṣara of household life and attachment to sense objects or from agitation of the mind. You are fully capable (prabho). As a Yadu I am more qualified for mercy than Brahmā. Like Brahmā I have praised you by glorifying the people of Vraja. Please protect me since my bhakti has decreased by offense to the gopīs. Or he addresses him in this way on remembering the separation of the Lord who is controlled by his devotees’ love and developing pain and fear. I offer respects continually to the Lord Caitanya-deva, who has made a fool dance and caused laughter for the intelligent (by my comments). Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Fortieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Prayers of Akrūra." 10.41: Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Enter Mathurā verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20-23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 Chapter Summary This chapter describes how Lord Kṛṣṇa entered the city of Mathurā, killed a washerman and bestowed benedictions upon a weaver and a garland-maker named Sudāmā. After showing His Viṣṇu form to Akrūra in the waters of the Yamunā and receiving Akrūra's prayers, Lord Kṛṣṇa withdrew that vision just as an actor winds up his performance. Akrūra emerged from the water and in great amazement approached the Lord, who asked him whether he had seen something wonderful while bathing. Akrūra replied, "Whatever wonderful things there are in the realms of water, earth or sky, all have their existence within You. Thus when one has seen You, nothing remains unseen." Akrūra then began driving the chariot again. Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Akrūra reached Mathurā late in the afternoon. After meeting up with Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherds, who had gone on ahead, Kṛṣṇa asked Akrūra to return home, promising to visit him there after He had killed Kaṁsa. Akrūra unhappily bid the Lord goodbye, went to King Kaṁsa to inform him that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had come, and went home. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma took the cowherd boys with Them to see the splendorous city. As they all entered Mathurā, the women of the city eagerly came out of their houses to see Kṛṣṇa. They had often heard about Him and had long since developed a deep attraction for Him. But now that they were actually seeing Him, they were overwhelmed with happiness, and all their distress due to His absence was eradicated. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma then came upon Kaṁsa's wicked washerman. Kṛṣṇa asked him for some of the first-class garments he was carrying, but he refused and even chastised the two Lords. At this Kṛṣṇa became very angry and beheaded the man with His fingertips. The washerman's assistants, seeing his untimely end, dropped their bundles of clothes on the spot and ran off in all directions. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma then took some of the garments They especially fancied. Next a weaver approached the two Lords and arrayed Them suitably, for which service he received from Kṛṣṇa opulence in this life and liberation in the next. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma then went to the house of the garland-maker Sudāmā. Sudāmā offered Them his full obeisances, worshiped Them by bathing Their feet and offering Them such items as arghya and sandalwood paste, and chanted prayers in Their honor. Then he adorned Them with garlands of fragrant flowers. Pleased, the Lords offered him whatever benedictions he wished, and then They moved on.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Udyama (Industriousness / Effort)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses

After the long sweep of cosmos, paths, avatāras, and confession, Akrūra ends with the two-word essence of every śaraṇāgati: pāhi mām — protect me. He addresses Him by His personal-family name (Vāsudeva, son of Vasudeva) and by His functional name (Hṛṣīkeśa, Lord of the senses). The whole prayer collapses into the cry of a single dependent heart.

Draupadī's hṛṣīkeśa

When Duḥśāsana dragged Draupadī into the Kaurava assembly and tried to disrobe her, she first held her sari with her own hands and called on her husbands. They could not help. Then she let go of her own grip and raised both arms: kṛṣṇa! govinda! hṛṣīkeśa! Sārī after sārī materialized; the disrobing failed (Mahābhārata, Sabhā-parva).

Akrūra ends his prayer with the very name Draupadī invoked. Hṛṣīkeśa is the Lord of senses — including the senses of those who would harm and those who would help. Surrender to Him is the only protection.

📝 My note

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