If one’s engagement with God is steady, there is no other preoccupation for him apart from God. There are no further desires in such a person. He is the most fortunate person who has no misgivings whatsoever on any count. Narayana Bhattatiri heaps praises on those who dwell in thoughts of God by chanting His name, speaking about His infinite glory and always meditating on Him. Akrura is one such devotee of Krishna who cherished his devotion in a very personal manner though in the service of Kamsa, said Sri C. L. Ramakrishnan in a lecture. He discharged his duties to Kamsa impeccably, but remained with Krishna in his thoughts at all times.
He was overjoyed when Kamsa chose to send him to escort
Krishna to his court. Though living nearby, the chance to see Krishna in person had not fructified so far and this was likely to happen soon. The ecstatic joy of a devotee who looks forward to meeting Krishna face to face is described in the Bhagavata Purana. The chain of thoughts that run through his mind throughout the journey manifest his intense devotion for the Lord. The expectations of seeing Krishna would surge within him, even as fears would arise regarding hurdles to this meeting. He wondered in which part of Brindavan the Lord would be when he reached.
When Akrura entered Brindavan, he was overwhelmed to see the places where Krishna had walked around. He got down from the chariot and fell prostrate on the ground to feel the sanctified dust of the feet of the Lord on his body. When he passed through the houses of the Gopis, he felt one with the spiritual exaltation that pervaded the entire Brindavan. Preceptors claim that worshipping the sacred dust of the devout is the only way to gain the knowledge which leads to salvation. The company of the devout inspires Bhakti and clears the ignorance that fails to
recognise the benefits of being born a human being. Nothing else — scholarship, penance, charity, birth or status — is of any avail in this regard. Krishna tells Arjuna that it is
through many births that one is able to reach Him.
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