Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
इति सञ्चिन्तयन्कृष्णं श्वफल्कतनयोऽध्वनि ।
रथेन गोकुलं प्राप्त: सूर्यश्चास्तगिरिं नृप ॥ २४ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
iti saṣcintayan kṛṣṇaṁ
śvaphalka-tanayo ’dhvani
rathena gokulaṁ prāptaḥ
sūryaś cāsta-giriṁ nṛpa
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
iti
—
thus
;
saṣcintayan
—
thinking deeply
;
kṛṣṇam
—
about Lord Kṛṣṇa
;
śvaphalka
—
tanayaḥ — Akrūra, the son of Śvaphalka
;
adhvani
—
on the road
;
rathena
—
by his chariot
;
gokulam
—
the village of Gokula
;
prāptaḥ
—
reached
;
sūryaḥ
—
the sun
;
ca
—
and
;
asta
—
girim — the mountain behind which the sun sets
;
nṛpa
—
O King (Parīkṣit) .
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, while the son of Śvaphalka, traveling on the road, thus meditated deeply on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he reached Gokula as the sun was beginning to set.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: My dear King, while the son of Śvaphalka, traveling on the road, thus meditated deeply on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he reached Gokula as the sun was beginning to set.
KB 10.38.24
In this way, Akrūra, the son of Śvaphalka, meditated on Śrī Kṛṣṇa on his journey from Mathurā. He reached Vṛndāvana by the end of the day. Akrūra passed the whole journey without knowing how long it took. When he reached Vṛndāvana, the sun was setting.
Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī comments that although Akrūra did not even notice the road, being deeply absorbed in meditation on Lord Kṛṣṇa, he still reached Gokula on his chariot.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Though Gokula was not far, Akrūra was delayed on the way. Riding on the chariot he arrived near the Lord when the sun was setting. There is a suggestion that the glory of Gokula, just like the sun, was covered by Sunset Mountain
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Since Akrūra was the son of a sage (śvaphalka tanayaḥ), it was suitable that he thought in this way. Or his name is not mentioned because he was doing this job of taking Kṛṣṇa away. He rode in the chariot, or he went with the chariot, which was for Kṛṣṇa to ride. It would not be proper from him to enter Vraja riding the chariot. The sun was setting. Athāstaṁ gacchati tadā manda-raśmau divākare: the sun was setting and had gentle rays. Hari-vaṁśa Kiṁcit sūrye vijājati: the sun was slightly shining. Viṣṇu Purāṇa
Though going from Mathurā to the northwest for thirteen krośas one comes to the edge of Vraja, to Nanda’s house and Nandīśvara by noon, he arrived in the evening since that was auspicious.
Or he went slowly because he was absorbed in thinking, and did not hurry the horses. O king! Śukadeva comforts the lamenting king. Or he himself exclaims in sorrow.