kaḥ paṇḍitas tvad aparaḿ śaraṇaḿ samīyād
bhakta-priyād ṛta-giraḥ suhṛdaḥ kṛta-jñāt
sarvān dadāti suhṛdo bhajato 'bhikāmān
ātmānam apy upacayāpacayau na yasya
kah -- what; panditah -- scholar; tvat -- other than You; aparam -- to another; saranam -- for shelter; samiyat -- would go; bhakta -- to Your devotees; priyat -- affectionate; rita -- always true; girah -- whose words; suhridah -- the well-wisher; krita-jnat -- grateful; sarvan -- all; dadati -- You give; suhridah -- to Your well-wishing devotees; bhajatah -- who are engaged in worshiping You; abhikaman -- desires; atmanam -- Yourself; api -- even; upacaya -- increase; apacayau -- or diminution; na -- never; yasya -- whose.
What learned person would approach anyone but You for shelter, when You are the affectionate, grateful and truthful well-wisher of Your devotees? To those who worship You in sincere friendship You reward everything whey desire, even Your own self, yet You never increase or diminish.
This verse describes both the Lord and His devotees as suhridah "well-wishers." The Lord is the well-wisher of His devotee, and the devotee lovingly desires all happiness for the Lord. Even in this world, an excess of love may sometimes produce unnecessary solicitude. For example, we often observe that a mother's loving concern for her adult child is not always justified by an actual danger to the child. A grown child may be wealthy, competent and healthy, and yet the mother's loving concern continues. Similarly, a pure devotee always feels loving concern for Lord Krishna, as exemplified by mother Yasoda, who could only think of Krishna as her beautiful son.
Lord Krishna had promised Akrura that after killing Kamsa He would visit his home, and now the Lord kept His promise. Akrura recognizes this and glorifies the Lord as rita-girah, "one who is true to His word." The Lord is krita-jna, grateful for whatever little worship a devotee offers, and even if the devotee forgets, the Lord does not.
