Akrura's Prayers

In the fortieth chapter, Akrura pays respects to Krsna and praises him by glorifying his object of worship and the process of worship.

The cause of everything is Brahma and the cause of Brahma is Narayana. That cause of all causes has the form of a person, who is without beginning or end (adyam avyayam), eternal. From him springs Brahma.

All things in existence such as earth are expansions from the cid ananda purusa. All things of this universe, such as earth, water, fire air, ether and its origin, false ego (kham adi), mahat tattva, maya (aja), and pradhana, jiva, time, karma (adi), senses and sense objects, arise from this purusa.

3.”All the causes of the universe from earth to the devatas, arise from you, but they do not know you.

They, including Brahma, their source (ete), do not know your form as paramatma. Why do they not know? Being covered by matter, they do not know.”

“The covered jivas may not know me, but the pure jivas know me.”

“No, even Brahma does not know you.”

“Why?”

“As he is covered by the gunas of matter, he cannot know your real form which is beyond the gunas.”

Though no one knows you, those who receive results from you who give all results, and all those who worship some object, actually worship you. First the followers of sankhya and yoga are described. Brahma and others (yoginah) worship the lord (isvara) as paramatma (mahapurusa), the witness of adhyatma, adhibhuta and adhi daiva.

This verse describes those following the path of karma. The karma yogis (vaitanikah) actually worship you.

“But they worship Indra and Varuna, not me.”

“Whatever forms with various weapons in their hands they worship, actually is worship of you. Thought the vedic suktas praise Indra and others as having full power of the lord, the scriptures also do not state that there are many supreme lords. (therefore those names indicate the supreme lord only.) Thus through the names of the devatas, you, the supreme lord, are actually worshipped. Sruti says, “He is first, he was prakrtih, he was visvakarma. He was the first mitra, varuna and agni. He was the first brhaspati. In this way offerings were made to Indra (supreme lord).”

This verse describes those following the path of jnana. Through samadhi (jnana yajnena), they worship you as jnana svarupa (jnana vigrahah). Jnana vigraha can also mean the particular experience (visesa graha) of jnana, or Brahman realization.

This verse depicts the vaisnavas. Other types of worshippers being without good qualities, these vaisnavas, being of good qualities, worship you according to pancaratrika rules (vidhina) uttered by yourself. For the scriptures say, “the pancaratras were all uttered by the lord himself.” Pancaratra is regarded in all the smrtis as the supreme pramana or proof. Although you are manifest as various spiritual forms , being present within and without, they actually worship only Krsna. “The one independent Krsna spread everywhere is most worshippable, though he has many forms.” Gopala tapani upanisad.

This verse describes the saivites. They also worship you , though in an inferior way, through different systems (saiva, pasupat) of different acaryas. Bhagavan sam upasate or bhagavantam upasate are two versions of the last phrase of the verse.

All these different types of worshippers actually worship you. How is this? This is because you are the supersoul within all of them and possess all their qualities.

“But when asked they will say that they are worshipping Siva, Surya etc.”

“Those who worship the devatas worship you as the supersoul in all the devatas, even though that is not the correct way of worshipping you.”

“But if that is so, then how am I being worshipped? They never meditate on me.”

“Though they meditate on the devatas , not you, the are still worshipping you.”

10.”If deva worship is worship of me, then those worshippers should attain me.”

“That cannot be said. The worship goes to you , but those worshipers do not attain you. As the gita says, ye’ py anya devata bhakta yajante sraddhayanvitah te’pi mam evam kaunteya yajanty avidhi purvakam.

Aham hi sarva janmanam bhota ca prabhur eva ca na tu mam abhijananti tattvenatas cyavanti te

Yanti devavrata devan pitrn yanti pitrvratah

I say this giving an example. Born from the mountains, from clouds, the showers pour down, and form into rivers which flow rapidly till they end in the ocean. Just as the rivers flow into the ocean, but not the mountains which generate the rivers, so the worship on different paths goes to you, but not the worshippers. This means that because you are the supersoul within them, the shelter of the devatas, the worship of them goes to you. So worship of them is worship of you.

As the clouds come from the ocean, so the Vedas come from you. The various types of worship, coming from the Vedas, is the water, and the worshiper is the mountain. Just as many rivers flow from many places to the ocean, so different types of worship of different worshipers flow from the devatas to Visnu.

If that is so, then why does not everyone worship me.?

“The jivas are all bound by the gunas. If even Brahma is bewildered by maya, then what to speak of all the humans? How can they worship you?”

In order to attain you, I offer my respects to you. You do not show your mercy to anyone except your devotees. I pay respects to you, who has detached vision.

“If that is so, how you can say that I accept worship of devatas, for one who accepts should be attached to them.”

“Though you accept their worship of devatas because you are the controller as inner paramatma, you are not at all dependent upon them or that worship. Since they do not worship you directly, how can you be attached to them? You are certainly the witness of all dwelling in their hearts but you reside there in a neutral position.”

“Well, can the devatas deliver their worshippers then?”

“The force of the gunas caused by avidya influences the devas, humans, animals and birds to take up false bodily identity. As these devatas are also subject to the gunas, how can they deliver their worshippers from the gunas. ”

13-14.And all these devatas are your limbs when you assume the vairaja form (a form of brahma for creation of the universe). Therefore worship of the devatas is worship of you. Kham in this verse refers to Siva.

It was seen from the previous verse that the worshippers of devatas are also my worshippers. The scripture also says that those who worship me certainly come to me. So how do you say that the devata worshippers do not come to me. “

“The worlds with the devatas and with many jivas move about within your vairaja form,, like small insects in the udumbara fruit, or aquatics in the water. What type of form? They move within your form composed of material elements such as mind and earth. O Lord, whose body is indestructible (avyayatma), sa ccid ananda! This is your true form. Those who worship this form are your true worshippers. The vairaja form is our material form, not your svarupa. Those who worship this form are therefore not your worshippers. Thus it is correct to say that those who worship the devatas go to the devatas, not to you.”

“What are your various svarupas?”

“People blissfully glorify those forms which exist eternally and mercifully show themselves to us in the material world, appearing for pastimes such as killing Madhu and Kaitabha and which purify those people afflicted by lamentation and illusion arising from ignorance.”

“What are those forms?”

These various forms are described in the following six verses.

“I pay my respects to the eternal form of Matsya, who moves about in the ocean of pralaya. The word “karana” in this verse indicates the eternal nature of this form, and should apply to all the forms mentioned in the following verses. After this, taking the form of Hayagriva, you killed Madhu and Kaitabha. I offer respects to the Lord in the form of a turtle (akuparaya), who held up the Mandara mountain.

After praising the lord, Akrura laments who do not worship the Lord but instead follow the path of karma under the influence of maya (bhramyate).

Those with inverted intelligence, taking the temporary fruits of action to be eternal, taking the body to be the soul, and sorrows of house and home to be happiness, continue to sport with happiness and distress in this world. Because I am covered by the mode of ignorance, I cannot realize you, the object of love for the soul (atmanah priya).

He illustrates with an example. As a foolish man gives up water covered with grass growing from it, and runs after a mirage, I give up you, covered by maya, which emanates from you , and run towards the body (paranmukha).

Lacking intelligence (krpanah dhih), I cannot stop the foolish mind pulled by the strong (pramathibhih) senses (aksaih).

Though what I have said about myself is true, I surrender to you. This surrender is hard to attain, but if I have your mercy, this is possible. When will you be merciful to me? O lotus navel one, I will concentrate on you when I get the opportunity serving devotees.”

“When will that be?”

“When the material energy ceases to act.”

“When will this happen?”

“When I get the mercy of devotees.”

In other words, getting mercy is the first step, followed by the beginning of destruction of material influence, followed by service to devotees, followed by concentration on the Lord. What was shown previously is stated here.

29;.Akrura surrenders himself to Krsna’s lotus feet in two verses.

I will be able to realize you in proportion to how much realization you give (vijnana matraya). You are the cause of all other knowledge as well (sarva pratyaya hetu) since you are the supersoul (purusa), inspiring all activities. You the controller (isa), as time, gives the result of action. As maya (pradhana) you bind up the jivas, and as brahma jnana (brahman) you liberate them. As bhagavan (ananta sakti) you give us devotion to yourself, and thus your work is complete.

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.”