Akrura
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Akrura () is a
Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...
prince in
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, best known for being the uncle of the deity
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
. The son of Śvaphalka and Gandini, a daughter of the king of
Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India ** Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas ** Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a c ...
,Garg, pp. 305-306. he is instructed by
Kamsa Kamsa ( sa, कंस, Kaṃsa, translit-std=IAST) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, whi ...
to drive his nephews, Krishna and
Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...
, to a Dhanuryāga (festival of arms) at
Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
, where they were to be slain. He bears witness to the
vishvarupa Vishvarupa (, IAST: ) is an iconographical form and theophany of a Hindu deity, most commonly associated with Vishnu in contemporary Hinduism. Though there are multiple Vishvarupa theophanies, the most celebrated is in the ''Bhagavad Gita' ...
(theophany) of Krishna during this journey. Akrura becomes the owner of the
Syamantaka Syamantaka (Sanskrit: श्यामन्तक) is perhaps the most famous jewel featured in the Hindu scriptures, supposed to be blessed with magical powers. It is described to be a ruby. The jewel is described to protect its owner if they w ...
jewel after the death of its previous owner,
Satrajit Satrajit (), also rendered Satrajita, is a Yadava king in Hinduism. He is the father of the goddess Satyabhama, Krishna's third wife. He is described to be a great devotee of Surya, the sun god. He is known for his role in the legend of the Syam ...
. He is slain during the internecine Yadu massacre at Prabhasa.


Legend

According to the Harivamsha, Akrura marries Ugraseni, the daughter of
Ugrasena Ugrasena ( sa, उग्रसेन) is a character mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He is the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established by the powerful fearless Abhira tribes from the Yaduvamsha clan. His son was Kamsa, and K ...
, who gives birth to two sons, Sudeva and Upadeva. F.E. Pargiter states that Akrura weds Sutanu, the daughter of Ahuka, and with her he had two sons, Devaka and Updevaka. He is said to have reigned at Dvaraka, and Pargiter believes that the family's chiefdom stretched as far back as
Vrishni The Vrishnis (Brahmi: ''vri-shņi'') were an ancient Vedic Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari a ...
.


Charioteer of Krishna and Balarama

Akrura's cousin,
Kamsa Kamsa ( sa, कंस, Kaṃsa, translit-std=IAST) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, whi ...
, ruled as the king of the Yadus, based in his capital at
Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
. In the
Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana ( IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manusc ...
, prophesied to be killed by his nephew, Krishna, he ordered Akrura to summon Krishna and Balarama upon his chariot to Mathura. An invitation was to be issued, under the pretext of inviting them to the Dhanuryāga festival, to be held on the fourteenth day of the lunar month, where he schemed to have them murdered. Kamsa informed Akrura that following the death of his nephews, he wished to seize all the possessions of the cowherds, and rule in concert with him. As a devotee of
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
, Akrura was excited at the prospect of meeting Krishna. After his arrival to
Gokulam ''Gokulam'' is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Vikraman. The film stars Jayaram (in his major Tamil debut) and Bhanupriya, with Arjun Sarja in a supporting role. It was released on 11 June 1993. Plot Chellappa li ...
, he saw Krishna and his brother among the cattle, wondering if they would despise him for his association with Kamsa. The brothers, however, treated their uncle with hospitality, and he proceeded to tell them about the mistreatment of
Vasudeva According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...
,
Devaki Devaki ( Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: ''Devakī'') is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four b ...
, and Ugrasena under the tyranny of Kamsa, and the reason for which he had been dispatched. The brothers agreed to accompany Akrura to Mathura the following day. The milkmaids lamented the departure of Krishna from Vraja, calling Akrura cruel for taking him away from them. During their journey, Akrura bathed in the waters of the
Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...
, where he witnessed the celestial forms of Balarama as
Shesha Shesha ( Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga ( Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the ...
and Krishna as Vishnu, and eulogised them. Reaching Mathura, he informed them that they would have to walk the royal road from that point forward, and he proceeded ahead alone in his chariot.


Possession of the Syamantaka

The Harivamsha states that Akrura obtained the legendary jewel called the
Syamantaka Syamantaka (Sanskrit: श्यामन्तक) is perhaps the most famous jewel featured in the Hindu scriptures, supposed to be blessed with magical powers. It is described to be a ruby. The jewel is described to protect its owner if they w ...
after it was given to him for safekeeping by Shatadhanva. Shatadhanva had slain Satrajit, the previous owner of the jewel, and had given it to Akrura, as he had expressed a desire to obtain it in the past. Akrura promised Shatadhanva that he would not part with the jewel. Shatadhanva assured Akrura of his protection if Krishna attacked him. Even as Shatadhanva was slain by Krishna, Akrura commenced a great sacrifice called the Akrura
Yajna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Boo ...
, where he offered enough jewellery and articles of wealth generated from the jewel to last sixty-thousand years. Krishna caught wind of these events, and wished Akrura to return the Syamantaka to him at Dvaraka. Akrura offered the Syamantaka, as well as the hand in marriage of his sister, Sushila, to Krishna. Pleased, Krishna allowed Akrura to keep the jewel.


Meeting Dhritarashtra

In the
Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...
, Krishna sent Akrura to
Hastinapura Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain text ...
to meet
Dhritarashtra Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He was ...
, the king of the Kurus, to determine if the monarch was being influenced by his son,
Duryodhana Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...
. Having arrived at Hastinapura, Akrura met
Kunti Kunti ( sa, कुन्ती, ), named at birth as Pritha ( sa, पृथा, ), is one of the prominent characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is best known as the mother of the Pandavas and Karna, the main protagonists of the epi ...
, his cousin, who tearfully enquired if Krishna still remembered her, and told him that she had sought salvation in the deity. Akrura met the Kuru king, and spoke to him regarding his partiality towards the
Kauravas ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his w ...
, as well as his conduct in occupying the throne rather than install
Yudhisthira ''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his firs ...
as the rightful king. Dhritarashtra admitted that he was being partial towards his sons, though he still regarded Krishna to be
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
. Having gathered the king's thoughts, Akrura departed Hastinapura to inform Krishna of his visit.


Veneration


Akrura Ghat

Akrura Ghat is one of the bathing ghats at
Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...
, in the Mathura district. This is the place where Krishna and Balarama are believed to have revealed their forms of
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
and
Shesha Shesha ( Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga ( Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the ...
to Akrura. The text Adi
Varaha Purana The ''Varaha Purana'' ( sa, वराह पुराण, ) is a Sanskrit text from the Puranas genre of literature in Hinduism. It belongs to the Vaishnavism literature corpus praising Narayana (Vishnu), but includes chapters dedicated to prais ...
illustrates Akrura Ghat as the king of all holy places. One of the major attractions is an ancient Gopi Nath temple dedicated to Krishna and Balarama. Akrura is depicted standing in between the two. It is believed that one can eradicate all his sins by bathing here during a full moon.


References


External links


Vettam Mani's Puranic Encyclopedia - Akrura
* * *{{cite book , title=Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas, Volume 3 , first=Swami , last=Parmeshwaranand , publisher=Sarup & Sons , year=2001 , isbn=978-81-7625-226-3 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLcv-Ow6Ux4C Characters in the Bhagavata Purana Characters in the Mahabharata People related to Krishna