• This story is of Sri Krishna being taken to Mathura to meet Kansa. To relieve Akhroor (minister of Kansa) of his anxiety, Shri Krishna decided to appear in front of Akroor in his Virat (majestic) form, described in the Dasam Granth.

The Dasam Granth, a major work of Sikh literature, is attributed to Shri Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj, the tenth and last spiritual leader of the Sikhs. It is kept in many prominent gurudwaras of India, including those of Patna and Nanded.

It is stated in the Dasam Granth that when Shri Krishna killed Vatsasura, Naradji went to Mathura and said to Kansa, “The girl who was given to you by Vasudeva was not his daughter. In fact, she was Nanda’s daughter. Krishna is Vasudeva’s real son but lives in Nanda’s house. He has killed your warriors including Aghasura and Bakasura.” On hearing this, Kansa became enraged and decided that Krishna should be killed by hook or by crook. Cunning Kansa asked his minister Akroor to go to Vrindavan and invite Krishna for a yajna (ritual of sacrifice) and bring him to Mathura.

Meanwhile, Naradji narrated what had happened to Shri Krishna in Vrindavan. He then said, “Oh Lord! You have killed so many sinners. Please go to Mathura and kill Kansa.” With these words, Naradji left. Later, Akroor arrived at Nanda’s house and as per Kansa’s instructions, he spoke to Shri Krishna very sweetly and invited him for the yajna at Mathura. Shri Krishna informed Nanda about Kansa’s invitation. He accepted the invitation, and his elder brother Balram and a few gwalas (cow-keepers) decided to go along with him.

When Yashoda, Shri Krishna’s foster mother, heard that he had left for Mathura, she began to wail and fainted. The Gopis (female cowherds) reacted in a similar manner. A few of them swooned, while others sang songs expressing their pain of separation from him (Viyog). Many ran here and there calling out Shri Krishna’s name. A few staunchly loyal Gopis even threatened to poison themselves. Radhaji, the great devotee of Shri Krishna, felt deeply sad on hearing the news of Shri Krishna’s departure. She lost all interest in food, jewellery and other materialistic pleasures and wept a lot. The condition of all the residents of Vrindavan was like that of a fish that had been separated from water. Balram and the Gwalas accompanied Shri Krishna on a chariot. Even Akroor felt touched when he saw how much affection the people of Vrindavan had for Shri Krishna.

First published in Journal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan.

When they reached the bank of the river Yamuna, Akroor thought, “I am doing a great sin. People of Vrindavan love Shri Krishna so much. I am taking Shri Krishna to Mathura where he will be killed by Kansa. Then what will happen to those who love Him so much? I will become the reason for their grief and sin.” With this thought, the deeply worried Akroor went into the waters of the Yamuna to take a bath. Shri Krishna knew what was going on in Akroor’s mind. To relieve him of his anxiety, Shri Krishna decided to appear in front of Akroor in his Virat (majestic) form, described in the Dasam Granth in the following manner:

“Mund Hajaar Bhuja Sahase Das Ses Ke Aasan Pai Su Biraajai. Peet Lasai Pat Chakra Karai Jih Ke Kar Bheetar Nandag Chhaajai.

Beech Tabai Jamuna Pragatyo Fun Saadhahi Ke Harbe Dar Kaajai. Jaa Ko Karayo Sabh Hi Jag Hai Jih Dekhat Hi Ghan Saavan Laajai.”

(“When Akroor dived into Yamuna, he saw Shri Krishna with a thousand heads and ten thousand hands, seated on Sheshnaag. His yellow-coloured clothes were shining and he had a Sudarshan Chakra in his hand. He relieved Sadhus of their fears and in front of him, even the black clouds got ashamed.”

All this was Shri Krishna’s Leela (divine play). He just wanted to relieve Akroor of his agony. He showed to Akroor that no one was capable of killing Him. Going with Akroor was just an excuse to go to Mathura and kill Kansa. On seeing Shri Krishna in his divine form, Akroor felt very happy. He was freed from the feeling of guilt that he was committing a sin. He realised that the entire universe belonged to Shri Krishna. After bathing, Akroor gladly left for Mathura along with Shri Krishna in his chariot.

In this way, various incidents of Shri Krishna’s life have been beautifully described in poetry form in 11,092 Chhandas (stanzas) in the Dasam Granth.

This article was first published in the Bhavan’s Journal, 30 November 2021 issue. This article is courtesy and copyright Bhavan’s Journal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai-400007. eSamskriti has obtained permission from Bhavan’s Journal to share. Do subscribe to the Bhavan’s Journal – it is very good.