Bhagavata Purana

दिष्ट्या पापो हतः कंसः सानुगो वामिदं कुलम् । भवद्‍भ्यामुद्‌धृतं कृच्छ्राद् दुरन्ताच्च समेधितम्

By good fortune, wicked Kaṃsa and his followers have been slain, and this family has been rescued from great distress and restored by you both.

युवां प्रधानपुरुषौ जगद्‌धेतू जगन्मयौ । भवद्‍भ्यां न विना किञ्चित् परमस्ति न चापरम्

You two are the Supreme Persons, the causes and the substance of the universe; apart from you, there is nothing higher or lower.

आत्मसृष्टमिदं विश्वं अन्वाविश्य स्वशक्तिभिः । ईयते बहुधा ब्रह्मन् श्रुतप्रत्यक्षगोचरम्

This universe, created by yourself, you enter with your own powers and manifest in many ways, O Brahman, perceivable by hearing and direct experience.

( मिश्र ) यथा हि भूतेषु चराचरेषु मह्यादयो योनिषु भान्ति नाना । एवं भवान्केवल आत्मयोनिषु आत्मात्मतन्त्रो बहुधा विभाति

Just as in all beings, moving and non-moving, various forms appear in wombs such as mine, so you, O Lord, alone, manifest in many ways in beings born from yourself, being self-dependent.

सृजस्यथो लुम्पसि पासि विश्वं रजस्तमःसत्त्वगुणैः स्वशक्तिभिः । न बध्यसे तद्‍गुणकर्मभिर्वा ज्ञानात्मनस्ते क्व च बन्धहेतुः

You create, destroy, and protect the universe by your own powers of passion, darkness, and goodness; yet you are not bound by those qualities or actions, for you are the self of knowledge—how could there be any cause of bondage for you?

देहाद्युपाधेरनिरूपितत्वाद् भवो न साक्षान्न भिदात्मनः स्यात् । अतो न बन्धस्तव नैव मोक्षः स्यातां निकामस्त्वयि नोऽविवेकः

Because your existence is not defined by body or other limiting adjuncts, you are not directly subject to difference; therefore, for you there is neither bondage nor liberation—may there never be confusion about you for us.

त्वयोदितोऽयं जगतो हिताय यदा यदा वेदपथः पुराणः । बाध्येत पाषण्डपथैरसद्‌भिः तदा भवान् सन्सत्त्वगुणं बिभर्ति

Whenever the ancient Vedic path is obstructed by false doctrines and untruth, you, for the welfare of the world, manifest yourself, endowed with the quality of goodness.

( वसंततिलका ) स त्वं प्रभोऽद्य वसुदेवगृहेऽवतीर्णः स्वांशेन भारमपनेतुमिहासि भूमेः । अक्षौहिणीशतवधेन सुरेतरांश राज्ञाममुष्य च कुलस्य यशो वितन्वन्

Therefore, O Lord, today you have descended into the house of Vasudeva, with your own portion, to remove the burden of the earth, destroying hundreds of armies of hostile kings, and spreading the fame of this dynasty.

अद्येश नो वसतयः खलु भूरिभागा यः सर्वदेवपितृभूतनृदेवमूर्तिः । यत्पादशौचसलिलं त्रिजगय् पुनाति स त्वं जगद्‍गुरुरधोक्षज याः प्रविष्टः

Today, O Lord, our dwellings are truly blessed, for you, who are the form of all gods, ancestors, beings, and men, whose foot-washing water purifies the three worlds, O teacher of the universe, Adhokṣaja, have entered them.

कः पण्डितस्त्वदपरं शरणं समीयाद् भक्तप्रियादृतगिरः सुहृदः कृतज्ञात् । सर्वान् ददाति सुहृदो भजतोऽभिकामान् आत्मानमप्युपचयापचयौ न यस्य

What wise man would seek shelter anywhere else but you, who are dear to your devotees, whose words are true, who are a friend to all and grateful, who grants all desires to those who worship you, and for whom gain and loss of self mean nothing?

दिष्ट्या जनार्दन भवानिह नः प्रतीतो योगेश्वरैरपि दुरापगतिः सुरेशैः । छिन्ध्याशु नः सुतकलत्रधनाप्तगेह देहादिमोहरशनां भवदीयमायाम्

By good fortune, O Janārdana, you have appeared before us here, though even the lords of yoga and the gods find you hard to reach; quickly cut for us the bonds of delusion—attachment to children, wife, wealth, relatives, home, body, and so on—which are your own māyā.

( अनुष्टुप् ) इत्यर्चितः संस्तुतश्च भक्तेन भगवान्हरिः । अक्रूरं सस्मितं प्राह गीर्भिः सम्मोहयन्निव

Thus worshipped and praised by the devotee, the Blessed Lord Hari spoke to Akrura with a smile, as if enchanting him with his words.

श्रीभगवानुवाच । त्वं नो गुरुः पितृव्यश्च श्लाघ्यो बन्धुश्च नित्यदा । वयं तु रक्ष्याः पोष्याश्च अनुकम्प्याः प्रजा हि वः

The Blessed Lord said: You are our teacher, paternal uncle, ever-honored kinsman; and we are to be protected, nourished, and shown compassion by you, for we are your dependents.

भवद्विधा महाभागा निषेव्या अर्हसत्तमाः । श्रेयस्कामैर्नृभिर्नित्यं देवाः स्वार्था न साधवः

Exalted souls like you, best among the worthy, should always be served by those who seek their own good; gods act for their own sake, but the virtuous do not.

न ह्यम्मयानि तीर्थानि न देवा मृच्छिलामयाः । ते पुनन्त्युरुकालेन दर्शनादेव साधवः

Holy places are not truly sanctified by water, nor are gods merely images of clay and stone; it is the sight of the virtuous that purifies, even in a moment.

स भवान्सुहृदां वै नः श्रेयान् श्रेयश्चिकीर्षया । जिज्ञासार्थं पाण्डवानां गच्छस्व त्वं गजाह्वयम्

You, being our well-wisher, are most capable of seeking our welfare; therefore, for the sake of learning about the Pāṇḍavas, go now to Hastināpura.

पितर्युपरते बालाः सह मात्रा सुदुःखिताः । आनीताः स्वपुरं राज्ञा वसन्त इति शुश्रुम

We have heard that, after their father's death, the children, together with their mother, were brought to their own city by the king and now reside there, deeply distressed.

तेषु राजाम्बिकापुत्रो भ्रातृपुत्रेषु दीनधीः । समो न वर्तते नूनं दुष्पुत्रवशगोऽन्धदृक्

Among them, the king, son of Ambikā, is not impartial toward his brother's sons; surely, under the sway of his wicked son, his vision is clouded.

गच्छ जानीहि तद्‌वृत्तं अधुना साध्वसाधु वा । विज्ञाय तद् विधास्यामो यथा शं सुहृदां भवेत्

Go and learn their present condition, whether good or bad; having understood, we will act so that the welfare of our friends may be secured.

इत्यक्रूरं समादिश्य भगवान् हरिरीश्वरः । सङ्‌कर्षणोद्धवाभ्यां वै ततः स्वभवनं ययौ

Thus instructing Akrura, the Lord Hari, the Supreme Controller, departed to his own residence together with Sankarṣaṇa and Uddhava.

इति श्रीमद्‍भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां दशमस्कन्धे पूर्वार्धे अष्टचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः

Thus ends the forty-eighth chapter of the first half of the Tenth Book of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas.

अक्रूरस्य हस्तिनापुरे गमनं; कुन्त्याः करुणोद्‌गारः; अक्रूरधृतराष्ट संवादः; अक्रूरस्य पुनर्यदुपूर्यामागमनंच - श्रीशुक उवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) स गत्वा हास्तिनपुरं पौरवेन्द्रयशोऽङ्‌कितम् । ददर्श तत्राम्बिकेयं सभीष्मं विदुरं पृथाम्

Śuka said: Having gone to Hastināpura, famed among the kings of the Paurava line, Akrura saw there the son of Ambikā, along with Bhīṣma, Vidura, and Pṛthā.

सहपुत्रं च बाह्लीकं भारद्वाजं सगौतमम् । कर्णं सुयोधनं द्रौणिं पाण्डवान्सुहृदोऽपरान्

He also saw Bāhlīka with his son, Bhāradvāja with Gautama, Karṇa, Suyodhana, Aśvatthāmā, the Pāṇḍavas, and other friends.

यथावद् उपसङ्‌गम्य बन्धुभिर्गान्दिनीसुतः । सम्पृष्टस्तैः सुहृद्वार्तां स्वयं चापृच्छदव्ययम्

The son of Gāndinī approached each relative as appropriate, was asked by them about the well-being of friends, and in turn inquired about their welfare.

उवास कतिचिन्मासान् राज्ञो वृत्तविवित्सया । दुष्प्रजस्याल्पसारस्य खलच्छन्दानुवर्तिनः

He stayed there for a few months, wishing to learn the conduct of the king, who was ill-advised, lacking substance, and following the wishes of the wicked.

तेज ओजो बलं वीर्यं प्रश्रयादींश्च सद्‍गुणान् । प्रजानुरागं पार्थेषु न सहद्‌भिश्चिकीर्षितम्

He observed that the king did not wish to see the brilliance, strength, valor, humility, and other virtues, nor the people's affection for the sons of Pṛthā.

कृतं च धार्तराष्ट्रैर्यद् गरदानाद्यपेशलम् । आचख्यौ सर्वमेवास्मै पृथा विदुर एव च

All the wrongs done by the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, including the poisoning and other misdeeds, were related to him in full by Pṛthā and also by Vidura.

पृथा तु भ्रातरं प्राप्तं अक्रूरमुपसृत्य तम् । उवाच जन्मनिलयं स्मरन्त्यश्रुकलेक्षणा

Pṛthā, seeing her brother Akrura arrived, approached him, her eyes filled with tears as she remembered her birthplace, and spoke to him.

अपि स्मरन्ति नः सौम्य पितरौ भ्रातरश्च मे । भगिन्यौ भ्रातृपुत्राश्च जामयः सख्य एव च

O gentle one, do my parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, sisters-in-law, and friends still remember us?