Text 31
ity aṅgopadiśanty eke
vismṛtya prāg udāhṛtam
muni-vāsa-nivāse kiṁ
ghaṭetāriṣṭa-darśanam
iti — thus; aṅga — my dear (King Parīkṣit); upadiśanti — were proposing; eke — some; vismṛtya — forgetting; prāk — previously; udāhṛtam — what had been described; muni — of sages; vāsa — the residence; nivāse — when He is residing; kim — how; ghaṭeta — can arise; ariṣṭa — of calamities; darśanam — the appearance.
Some men proposed [that the troubles were due to Akrūra’s absence], but they had forgotten the glories of the Supreme Lord, which they themselves had so often described. Indeed, how can calamities occur in a place where the Personality of Godhead, the residence of all the sages, resides?
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī provides the following insight on this verse: In Benares Akrūra became famous for performing sacrifices on golden altars and for his abundant charity to the brāhmaṇas. When the citizens of Dvārakā heard about this, some of them gossiped that Kṛṣṇa, considering Akrūra a rival, had sent him into exile. To dispel this new and incredible stain on His reputation, Lord Kṛṣṇa created various calamities in Dvārakā, thus inducing the citizens to call for Akrūra’s return, which the Lord then ordered.