Akrura's Krishna Book Story (+ VIDEO)

Krishna Book ch 1-39

The Lord, accompanied by Akrura and Balarama, traveled in the chariot with great speed toward the bank of the Yamuna. Simply by taking a bath in the Yamuna, anyone can diminish the reactions of his sinful activities. Krsna and Balarama took Their baths in the river and washed Their faces. After drinking the transparent, crystal-clear water of the Yamuna, They took Their seats again on the chariot. 

The chariot was standing underneath the shade of big trees, and the two brothers sat down there. Akrura then took Their permission to also take a bath in the Yamuna. According to Vedic ritual, after taking a bath in a river, one should stand at least half submerged and murmur the Gayatri mantra. 

While he was standing in the river, Akrura suddenly saw Balarama and Krsna within the water. He was surprised to see Them there because he was confident that They were sitting on the chariot. Confused, he immediately came out of the water and went to see where the boys were, and he was very much surprised to see that They were sitting on the chariot as before. 

When he saw Them on the chariot, he began to wonder whether he had mistakenly seen Them in the water. He therefore went back to the river. This time he saw not only Balarama and Krsna there but many of the demigods and all the Siddhas, Caranas and Gandharvas. They were all bowing down before the Lord. He also saw Lord Sesa Naga, with thousands of hoods. Lord Sesa Naga was covered with bluish garments, and His necks were all white. The white necks of Sesa Naga appeared exactly like snowcapped mountains. On the coiled lap of Sesa Naga, Krsna was sitting very soberly, with four hands. His eyes were like the reddish petals of the lotus flower.

In other words, after returning to the Yamuna, Akrura saw Balarama turned into Sesa Naga and Krsna turned into Maha-Visnu. He saw the four-handed Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiling very beautifully. The Lord was very pleasing to all and was looking toward everyone with a merciful glance. He appeared beautiful with His raised nose, broad forehead, attractive ears and reddish lips. His arms, reaching to the knees, were very strongly built. His shoulders were high, His chest was very broad, and His neck was shaped like a conchshell. His navel was very deep, and His abdomen was marked with three lines. His hips were broad and big, resembling those of a woman, and His thighs resembled the trunks of elephants. 

The other parts of His legs, the joints and lower extremities, were all very beautiful, the nails of His feet were dazzling, and His toes were as beautiful as the petals of the lotus flower. His helmet was decorated with very valuable jewels. There was a nice belt around His waist, and He wore a sacred thread across His broad chest. Bangles were on His hands, and armlets on the upper portion of His arms. He wore bells on His ankles. He possessed dazzling beauty, and His palms were like lotus flowers. 

He was further beautified by the different emblems of the visnu-murti—the conchshell, club, disc and lotus flower—which He held in His four hands. His chest was marked with the particular signs of Visnu, and He wore fresh flower garlands. All in all, He was very beautiful to look at. Akrura also saw His Lordship surrounded by intimate associates like the four Kumaras—Sanaka, Sanatana, Sananda and Sanat-kumara—and other associates like Sunanda and Nanda, as well as demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva. The nine great learned sages were there, and also devotees like Prahlada and Narada and the eight Vasus. 

All were engaged in offering prayers to the Lord with clean hearts and pure words. After seeing the transcendental Personality of Godhead, Akrura immediately became overwhelmed with joy and great devotion, and all over his body there was transcendental shivering. Although for the moment he was bewildered, he retained his clear consciousness and bowed down his head before the Lord. With folded hands and faltering voice, he began to offer prayers to the Lord.