The following is an excerpt from Kṛṣṇa – The Lord of Sweetness, Chapter 3, First Edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: You should come with me to Goloka Vṛndāvana.
Devotees: Gaura-premānande! Hari Haribol!
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Yesterday, we heard that Kṛṣṇa took birth in Gokula and that the Kṛṣṇa who appeared in Mathurā mixed with that Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara Kṛṣṇa upon reaching Gokula from Mathurā. We heard how [baby] Yogamāyā was taken by Vasudeva and placed in the hands of Kaṁsa. When she was in the hands of Vasudeva Mahārāja, she was Yogamāyā (the spiritual pastime potency). But when Kaṁsa took her in his hands, she at once disappeared, and in her place came her manifestation, Mahāmāyā – her shadow. Yogamāyā always helps souls serve Kṛṣṇa, but Mahāmāyā punishes living entities and throws them far away from Him. Kaṁsa did not know that this switch had happened.
Kaṁsa took this baby in his hands and threw her onto a stone. At once, she flew into the sky and became Durgā-devī, or Mahāmāyā, the shadow of Yogamāyā. He saw she was eight-armed, bore many weapons, and sat on a lion. He offered his obeisance to her, and she put her feet on his head. Merely by the touch of her toe, he fell and began to roll on the Earth. He then began to pray.
Mahāmāyā-devī told him, “You cannot kill me or my Prabhu. The eighth child of Devakī has already appeared in another place.”
What was happening in Gokula at that time? In the morning following Kṛṣṇa’s birth, Nanda Mahārāja held a big festival. The umbilical cord connecting Yaśodā and her baby boy was cut. All the ladies saw this. They saw that Kṛṣṇa, a very beautiful baby, had come from the womb of Yaśodā, so no one in Vraja could ever believe that Kṛṣṇa took birth in Mathurā. They witnessed His birth in Gokula with their own eyes. But the residents of Mathurā never witnessed His birth; none of them ever saw that.
[Playfully] The residents of Mathurā may be liars [regarding Kṛṣṇa’s birthplace], but not the residents of Vraja, the Vrajavāsīs. We should believe the Vrajavāsīs, not the Mathurāvāsīs. If Kṛṣṇa says He has taken birth in Mathurā, then He is also a liar. We cannot believe Mathureśa Kṛṣṇa. We should only believe Yaśodā and the gopīs, Nanda Bābā, and those who reside in Vraja. Kṛṣṇa is undoubtedly the son of Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, however, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has stated, “Kṛṣṇa is the son of Vasudeva. He took birth in Mathurā.” Is it false? It is not false. Why not? Because Śukadeva Gosvāmī wanted to please Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Who was Parīkṣit Mahārāja? How was he connected with that Kṛṣṇa who appeared in Mathurā?
Arjuna was married to Subhadrā, the sister of Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa and the daughter of Vasudeva and Devakī. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, would have been happy to know that Kṛṣṇa was in his dynasty. To please Parīkṣit Mahārāja, Śukadeva spoke like this, but if Śukadeva had been talking to Yaśodā, Nanda Bābā, or any Vrajavāsī, then what would he have said? He would have said that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā.
Though Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke like this to please Parīkṣit Mahārāja, by chance, two things automatically came from his mouth. First, he expressed how happy Nanda Bābā felt when a son was born from the womb of Yaśodā:
śrī-śuka uvāca
nandas tv ātmaja utpanne
jātāhlādo mahā-manāḥ
āhūya viprān veda-jñān
snātaḥ śucir alaṅkṛtaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.5.1)
[Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Nanda Mahārāja was naturally very magnanimous, and when Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as his son, he was overwhelmed by jubilation. Therefore, after bathing and purifying himself and dressing himself properly, he invited brāhmaṇas who knew how to recite Vedic mantras.]
Secondly, he used the word paśupaṅgajāya when narrating Brahmā’s prayers to Kṛṣṇa.
śrī-brahmovāca
naumīḍya te ’bhra-vapuṣe taḍid-ambarāya
guñjāvataṁsa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhāya
vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-viṣāṇa-veṇu-
lakṣma-śriye mṛdu-pade paśupāṅgajāya
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.1)
[Lord Brahmā said: My dear Lord, You are the only worshipable Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore, I offer my humble obeisances and prayers just to please You. O son of the king of the cowherds, Your transcendental body is dark blue like a new cloud, Your garment is brilliant like lightning, and the beauty of Your face is enhanced by Your guñjā earrings and the peacock feather on Your head. Wearing garlands of various forest flowers and leaves and equipped with a herding stick, a buffalo horn and a flute, You stand beautifully with a morsel of food in Your hand.]
Brahmā is our guru. He cannot speak falsely. He is saying paśupāṅgajāya. “O Kṛṣṇa, You have come from the womb of Yaśodā.” Paśu means gopa [or gopī]. Here, Nanda Bābā is the gopa, and Yaśodā is the gopī. [Aṅga-jāya means ‘to his son, Kṛṣṇa.’]
jayati jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo
yadu-vara-pariṣat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam
sthira-cara-vṛjina-ghnaḥ su-smita-śrī-mukhena
vraja-pura-vanitānāṁ vardhayan kāma-devam
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.90.48)
[Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is He who is known as jana-nivāsa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakīnandana or Yaśodā-nandana, the son of Devakī and Yaśodā. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. May He be all glorious and happy!]
Jayati jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo. This verse is the essence of the entire Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It states devakī-janma-vādo. Some persons may say, “Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī,” but this is only vāda (theory). Vāda means it is not true.
“Kṛṣṇa is the son of Yaśodā-devī.” This is true. Ignorant persons who do not know transcendental truths will speak differently. The truth has been written in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam many times.
When the gopīs are in an angry mood, they say to Kṛṣṇa, “You are not the son of Yaśodā because You are mischievous. You must be the son of Devakī and Vasudeva.”
(Speaking to the audience) Are you Vrajavāsīs or Mathurāvāsīs? Those who are Mathurāvāsīs or who want to be Mathurāvāsīs should raise their hands. (No hands are raised.) Now, those who wish to be Vrajavāsīs should raise their hands. (All raise their hands.) You should all know that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā.
Now you should again come with me to Gokula Mahāvana.
There, Kṛṣṇa was only two or three days old. He was so beautiful, so very attractive. Even His weeping was charming. Though He was naked, He was more beautiful than when He was decorated. His everything – crying, weeping, laughing, and smiling – was charming. All Vrajavāsīs were charmed.
In the meantime, Kaṁsa again heard an aerial voice: “Your enemy has appeared in another place.” He became furious. He thought, “They conspired against me and have somehow sent this boy to another place.” He declared to his associates, “O my dear friends…” Who were these friends? Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Pūtanā, Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika – all. “You should try to discover where this boy is, and you should kill Him by any means.”
Meanwhile, Pūtanā arrived. She reminded him that he was her brother. Previously, when Kaṁsa was trying to conquer the whole world, Pūtanā was his enemy, and they fought each other. Kaṁsa could not defeat her, and so he attempted to make peace. “You are my sister,” he said, and Pūtanā told him, “You are my brother. We should help each other.”
Now, Pūtanā wanted to support Kaṁsa. She promised, “I will kill that boy wherever He is in this world. I will find Him because I know many tricks and much magic. I will very quickly search out that boy and kill him.”
Pūtanā had no son. She was ugly and impure because she was always taking the blood and flesh of newborn baby boys. She changed her ugly features to appear as a beautiful young mother, and after putting poison in her breasts, she immediately went here and there in the villages, looking for newborn baby boys, those whose age was between birth and ten days. Using magic, she took those newborn babies and consumed their blood, flesh, and everything. Finally, when all the latest baby boys were murdered, she came to Gokula.
Now, you may ask, “There are so many great personalities who practice spiritual life, but they cannot become free from the deluding material potency and cannot reach Gokula in Goloka. How, then, could Pūtanā come to Gokula?” Even perfected personalities such as Sanaka, Sanandana, and Sanātana, who are no longer under the control of the deluding material potency, cannot go to Gokula. But if a person performs internal worship and service of the Lord (bhajana) under the guidance of the residents of Vṛndāvana – the friends, father, mother, or gopī beloveds of Kṛṣṇa, especially a gopī – he can go to Gokula, otherwise not.
How did this demoness Pūtanā enter Gokula? Yogamāyā attracted her; otherwise, she could not have gone there. Only exalted, liberated personalities who have developed great love and affection for Kṛṣṇa in their previous births can gain entrance. Demons cannot go, but Yogamāyā attracted Pūtanā. Why? She did so for the love and affection [of the Vrajavāsīs for Kṛṣṇa] to be renewed. If there is no current in one’s love and affection, if it remains the same, then it stagnates and becomes like snow. That love becomes frozen and somewhat sickly and feeble. It cannot please Kṛṣṇa or make Him happy.
Yogamāyā attracted Pūtanā to renew the love and affection of Yaśodā and all the residents of Vraja. They saw that a boy – Kṛṣṇa – came from the womb of Yaśodā. After just two days, Kṛṣṇa was crying, and Yaśodā had gone somewhat far away from Him. She had thought about doing something and was late attending to her son. Her transcendental love had become somewhat weak, and for this reason, Yogamāyā attracted Pūtanā.
But there was also another reason Pūtanā came.
When Vāmanadeva (an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa) went to the home of Bali Mahārāja, He came in a very small form. Although He was short in stature, He was very beautiful. When Vāmanadeva went there, He begged for three steps of land from Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja’s daughter, Ratnamālā, saw Him and thought, “This boy is very beautiful. I have no child. I want Him to be my child.”
Vāmanadeva knew of her desire and said, “Yes, I will become your son.” But later, Ratnamālā saw that Vāmanadeva had become so tall. He took [with His first two steps] all of Bali’s kingdom – as well as all the heavenly planets, the abode of Lord Matsya, the abode of Lord Brahmā, and other places – and with His third step, He took the body of Bali Mahārāja. Finally, He bound him. Bali fell to the ground and began to cry. Seeing this, Ratnamālā said, “This Vāmanadeva is very dangerous. If He were to become my son, I would give Him poison.”
Kṛṣṇa (the source of Vāmanadeva and all other Viṣṇu expansions) satisfied the desire of Ratnamālā in her later birth as Pūtanā. She came to Vraja disguised as a mother, but because she had no son, her breasts did not give milk. If there is no baby, there is no breast milk. Ladies who have no children naturally have no breast milk. If a lady has a child, milk is produced from her breasts while the child is young. When the child grows up, the mother’s milk dries up. There was no milk in Pūtanā’s breasts, but she used magic to put a potent poison in them.
If a person touches poison, he will die, but Pūtanā put poison in her breasts and placed Kṛṣṇa on her lap. After some time, she realized that Kṛṣṇa had closed His eyes and was not drinking. If Kṛṣṇa did not take her ‘milk,’ how would He die? She pumped the poison into Kṛṣṇa’s mouth and held the back of His head to crush it, but she could not. Kṛṣṇa sucked out the poison, along with her life and soul. He is so powerful that He can turn poison into nectar. He sucked the poison from the breast of Pūtanā, and He also sucked out her life airs. She began to call out, “Leave me! Leave me! Leave me!”
Even though Pūtanā had the power of ten thousand elephants, she could not break Kṛṣṇa’s grasp. She tried her best to push Him away, but baby Kṛṣṇa continued sucking the breast of Pūtanā, holding onto her breast with His two small hands. She could not get rid of Him. She cried, “I have used all of my power and cannot get rid of this Kṛṣṇa. Maybe my brother Kaṁsa can help me.”
Pūtanā held Kṛṣṇa to her chest and flew into the sky. She was not thinking of Kṛṣṇa but of Kaṁsa. Kṛṣṇa was thinking, “I will not give you up. You have come to Me as a mother. Why should I give you up?” [Unable to free herself from Kṛṣṇa’s grasp,] Pūtanā fell from the sky onto the garden of Kaṁsa, which became thoroughly smashed; everything in Kaṁsa’s garden was destroyed. Pūtanā’s body became twelve miles long. The name of the village where her hands fell became known as Hāthrās. Hātha means ‘hand.’ Each place the different parts of Pūtanā’s body landed became towns named after her. Where her head fell became known as Musāna. Musāna means ‘head.’ Meanwhile, Kaṁsa had not heard the news that Pūtanā had been killed. He was waiting for her to return to Mathurā.
At that time, Nanda Mahārāja was absent, having gone to Mathurā. He was so happy because a child had come into his house in his older years. What age was Nanda Bābā when Kṛṣṇa took birth? He was not yet old, but he was middle-aged. A mixture of white and black hair was on his head. There was almost no chance he would have a child, but luckily, this boy had come.
Previously, Nanda Mahārāja had no interest in worldly affairs. He was like one in the renounced order. But when Kṛṣṇa came, he thought, “How can I nourish Him?” Attachment came for Kṛṣṇa. Without such attachment, our bhajana (internal service and worship) is nothing. In our bhajana, there should be the feeling “Kṛṣṇa is mine, and I am Kṛṣṇa’s.” Either of these should come. If a spiritual practitioner has no attachment to Kṛṣṇa, no relationship with Him, then his bhajana is inadequate; something is lacking. Nanda Bābā had some attachment to Kṛṣṇa, and he wanted to nourish Him. But he wondered, “If I do not pay taxes to Kaṁsa, what will happen?” Previously, Kaṁsa was subordinate to Ugrasena Mahārāja, who was now in jail, but Kaṁsa was king. Nanda Bābā went to Mathurā to pay taxes and offer Kaṁsa respects.
If Kaṁsa proved to be helpful [and favourable to Nanda Mahārāja], then Nanda Mahārāja’s child would be safe. Otherwise, Nanda Mahārāja reasoned that if Kaṁsa were unhappy with him, then Kaṁsa could put him and Yaśodā in prison, as he had done to Vasudeva and Devakī. Kṛṣṇa could then be taken and destroyed. Thinking in this way, Nanda Mahārāja went to Mathurā to pay some tax to Kaṁsa.
When he arrived in Mathurā, Nanda Bābā first met with Vasudeva Mahārāja. Upon seeing Nanda Bābā, Vasudeva Mahārāja said, “You have come! You should leave immediately; otherwise, some harm may come to you. Anything can happen. You should not stay here.”
Hearing this, Nanda Bābā considered, “Vasudeva, my younger brother, is more intelligent than I am because I am a gopa. I must follow him.” He told Vasudeva, “At your age, you are so lucky to have a son.”
Vasudeva was clever. He was thinking, “I have left Kṛṣṇa in Gokula, but Nanda Bābā does not know this.” He asked, “How is my son?”
Nanda Bābā replied, “Your son, Rāma, is well. I consider him to be like my own son.”
“And what about your son?”
“He is also quite well.”
“You should protect, save, nourish, and support these two children,” Vasudeva said. He considered that his two sons, Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva, were there in Vraja, and Nanda Bābā considered that Kṛṣṇa was his son and that Baladeva was the son of Vasudeva.
Nanda Bābā thus began his return to Gokula. On the way, he perceived a very beautiful fragrance. “From where is this fragrance coming?” he wondered.
Then he saw a long rākṣasī (demoness) lying on the ground. The villagers and gopas told him, “In your absence, a rākṣasī came and wanted to kill your son, Kṛṣṇa, but luckily, He was saved. Nārāyaṇa saved Him because you have served Nārāyaṇa so much. Anyhow, she was killed, and now we are cutting up her body and throwing it into the fire.”
“Why has her body become so fragrant?” Nanda Bābā asked.
“We don’t know,” they replied.
The body of Pūtanā had become fragrant because Kṛṣṇa had taken all defects and foul things from it. Thus, she became fragrant inside and out. Kṛṣṇa gave her a motherly position in Goloka Vṛndāvana, not directly as His mother, but like a mother. Sometimes, she has the great fortune of sharing her breast milk with Kṛṣṇa in Goloka, not Gokula.*
There is a difference between Gokula and Goloka. Sometimes. [In my explanation,] I may separate them, but they are inconceivably one and different. Gokula is the life and soul of Goloka.
In this way, Kṛṣṇa was performing very sweet pastimes there.
[Once, Kṛṣṇa was sleeping in a cradle under a cart while Mother Yaśodā busied herself with His birthday ceremony. Just then, an invisible demon who Kaṁsa sent entered that cart and began to press it down to crush and kill Kṛṣṇa. (Excerpt from Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja’s Śrī Vraja-maṇḍala Parikramā)]
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: The wheel of the cart fell on the earth, but what did Kṛṣṇa do before it could crash down on Him?
Puṇḍarīka dāsa: Kṛṣṇa was not bothered at all. He played like a small child, sometimes throwing His feet in the air, sometimes His hands…
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Sometimes like this with His feet, His toe here (imitates baby Kṛṣṇa’s movements) just like a small boy, sometimes weeping, laughing.
Puṇḍarīka dāsa: As one of His legs came up, His toe touched the cart and blew it into pieces, causing a loud noise. Everybody was astonished to hear that noise. They all came running and saw that this cart had been broken. All were scared. The boys playing nearby were saying, “Kṛṣṇa kicked this. Kṛṣṇa broke it.” But others were unable to believe it.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: All the pots full of curd, milk, and everything were overturned, and there was a big sound. Yaśodā had been engaged in churning butter. Some women heard the noise, saw the smashed cart, and quickly informed Yaśodā. All the Vrajavāsīs – Nanda Bābā and all – came in fear. They were looking at the cart and wondering how it could have been possible when they saw a demon there and that he had been killed. They began to search for the cause. Nanda Bābā was looking here and there. The small boys said [in broken language], “Bā-, Bā-, Bā-, Bā-, Bābā-, Ki-, Ki-, Ki-, Kṛṣṇa has ki-, ki-, ki-, kicked this cart, and this demon was killed.”
But neither Nanda Bābā, Yaśodā, nor anyone else could believe it. The brāhmaṇas were called to that place and saw what had happened. They had already been invited to take part in the festival. Yaśodā explained to them, “A demon came. Will you do something to protect my boy?”
The brāhmaṇas told her, “Bring a very black cow.” A black cow was brought, and its cow dung and urine were mixed and made into a liquid paste. They chanted a mantra to offer protective prayers for Kṛṣṇa. What mantra? Lalāṭe keśavaṁ rakṣet. They said the mantras that devotees recite when putting on tilaka, then rakṣet (‘should protect’) was added to each name of Viṣṇu. In lalāṭe (the forehead), Keśava should sit; here (touching the stomach), Nārāyaṇa should sit; here (touching the heart), Mādhava; Here (touching the throat)…
Devotees: Govinda.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the right side of belly)…
Devotees: Viṣṇu.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the right arm)…
Devotees: Madhusūdana.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the right shoulder)…
Devotees: Trivikrama.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the left side of the belly)…
Devotees: Vāmana.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the left arm)…
Devotees: Śrīdhara.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the left shoulder)…
Devotees: Hṛṣīkeśa.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the upper back)…
Devotees: Padmanābha.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the lower back)…
Devotees: Dāmodara.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Here (touching the top of head)…
Devotees: Vāsudeva.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Thousands of brāhmaṇas began to recite Vedic mantras. They made a bath for Kṛṣṇa with cow urine and cow dung. They used the tail of the black cow and began circling it around His head while chanting mantras – nārāyaṇa rakṣet, viṣṇu rakṣet, śrīdhara rakṣet. Kṛṣṇa then began to smile. Everyone was so happy that the ghost had gone.
After that, hundreds of thousands of white cows were given to the brāhmaṇas, and the brāhmaṇas became so very happy. A great amount of gold was also distributed to them.
By such pastimes, Kṛṣṇa renewed His devotees’ charge of love and affection for Him.
Kṛṣṇa is now ninety days old. Sometimes Yaśodā would lovingly hold Him, but other times, she wanted Him to sleep and would sing a lullaby: “You should sleep, You should sleep, my dear, You should sleep.”
(To one of the ladies present) Do you know a lullaby? Yaśodā would sing her boy to sleep just as any mother would. When He was asleep, she would churn butter for Him. Sometimes, doing this would lead her to be some distance from Him. At other times, she considered it appropriate for Him to play; hence, she would provide toys for Kṛṣṇa. But then he would drop his toys and cry, “Mother! Mother!”
One day, when He was about ninety days old, what happened? (Pointing to Prema-prayojana dāsa) You should speak about Tṛṇāvarta.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: When Kṛṣṇa was ninety days old, it happened that one day, He was looking skyward.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Kaṁsa had said to the demons, “Until now, none of you have crushed and killed that baby.” He was rebuking and chastising them. Then, a demon named Tṛṇāvarta came to him and said, “O my dear friend Kaṁsa, I promise that today I will smash that boy and kill Him. I will not return without killing Kṛṣṇa.”
Kaṁsa embraced him and said, “You should go to Vraja and come back soon.” Tṛṇāvarta went there because Yogamāyā attracted him to Vraja.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Ordinarily, no demon or materialistic person can enter Vṛndāvana, but as Gurudeva explained, Yogamāyā attracted Tṛṇāvarta. Why? Kṛṣṇa was looking at the sky and saw some birds flying there. Kṛṣṇa was inspired to also fly in the sky like that. To fulfil Kṛṣṇa’s desire, Yogamāyā attracted Tṛṇāvarta, who came to Vṛndāvana and assumed the form of a whirlwind.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Not Vṛndāvana, Gokula.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: When he arrived, the sky became black because so much dust had been raised in the air. No one could see anything anywhere because of this dust storm.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: How did it manifest?
Prema-prayojana dāsa: By the mystic power of Tṛṇāvarta.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Yes. He became like wind, taking everything and uprooting trees like a cyclone. He came in the shape of a cyclone. All the trees were uprooted and scattered here and there.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Gokula was being devastated by the power of this mystic yogī, Tṛṇāvarta.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: What did he want?
Prema-prayojana dāsa: He wanted to catch Kṛṣṇa, take Him up into the sky, and kill Him.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: But He was on the lap of Yaśodā.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: But Kṛṣṇa was on the lap of Mother Yaśodā. By the influence of Yogamāyā, He became extremely heavy.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Kṛṣṇa thought, “If I do not separate Myself from Mother, then this demon will also kill her. I should somehow separate Myself from her.” He called Yogamāyā, and Yogamāyā came. Kṛṣṇa at once became heavier, heavier than iron. Yaśodā placed Kṛṣṇa to the side, and thus, He became separated from her. Tṛṇāvarta came at once, lifted Kṛṣṇa, and took Him away from Mother Yaśodā.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Tṛṇāvarta took Kṛṣṇa up into the sky, and Mother Yaśodā was crying and trying to see Him. “O my son! Where are You?” But not seeing anything, she fell to the ground, weeping.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: All the gopīs were in their houses, and they were in the same condition [as Yaśodā]. Therefore, they could not help Yaśodā, who was weeping.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Tṛṇāvarta carried Kṛṣṇa up into the sky, and in this way, Kṛṣṇa had His desire to fly fulfilled. After He had flown for some time, He became satisfied with His flying experience, and He began to hold tightly to Tṛṇāvarta’s neck. If you pick up a child, they will naturally hold on to you. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, like an ordinary baby, began to hold onto the neck of Tṛṇāvarta, but His grip became so intense, and He became so heavy that even though Tṛṇāvarta was quite powerful, he could not withstand the grip of Kṛṣṇa. Eventually, Tṛṇāvarta’s two eyes popped out like rasagullās (a large, round Indian sweet), and he came crashing down to the earth. Kṛṣṇa was quite surprised. He thought, “I just wanted to play with you and fly here and there in the sky. I was only embracing you, but somehow, your eyes have popped out like rasagullās. I don’t know why. What can I do? It was not my fault.”
Then the storm abated, and all was peaceful again.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Tṛṇāvarta fell from the sky onto a stone. He was crushed, but Kṛṣṇa was not injured at all. Is there any teaching in this? All of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes have very deep teachings.
Prema-prayojana dāsa: Tṛṇāvarta is a demon. He represents an anartha (a tendency that obstructs one’s progress in spiritual life) in the heart of all conditioned souls: the tendency for speculation and gaining material knowledge. By this, the living entity thinks, “I am so elevated.” His attachment to material knowledge and speculation makes him blind.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Vedic knowledge about the impersonal, featureless aspect of the Absolute Truth is not favourable for bhakti. Some want to prove the following by scriptural argument: “Kṛṣṇa has no shape, no attributes, and He is not powerful. We are also like this – bodiless. We are also Supreme Spirit and without shape. Now we are called a jīva, a living entity, but when we leave this body, we will again be Supreme Spirit.”
They want to prove this by logic and citing the Vedas. These arguments and logic are like the wind. They want to cover the personality of Kṛṣṇa and the personality of the living entity, but they cannot. The demon Tṛṇāvarta wanted to cover Kṛṣṇa, thinking, “Kṛṣṇa has no shape, no attributes, no qualities.” He wanted to do as Śaṅkarācārya and the Māyāvādīs have done.** But Kṛṣṇa killed that demon very easily.
You should know that Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are of two kinds: (1) full of majesty and opulence (aiśvarya-mayī) and (2) full of sweetness, (mādhurya-mayī). Vaikuṇṭha means the spiritual sky, where there is so much opulence. In Goloka (the topmost planet in Vaikuṇṭha), there is also great opulence, but Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness and His sweet pastimes cover that opulence.
He is the creator of all the creations. He supports and nourishes them and has six qualities: wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. Among these qualities, one is the source of all the other qualities, and that is beauty (śrī). Wealth, strength, and fame are parts of Him, while knowledge and renunciation are parts of parts, not qualities.*** Anyhow, we should know that there are six categories of opulence in Kṛṣṇa, but in Vraja, all of them are covered by a charming sweetness.**** All opulences are in Kṛṣṇa, wherever He is, whether in Vrajabhūmi or anywhere else. But Kṛṣṇa’s sweet pastimes are so powerful that they cover those opulences. There, Kṛṣṇa is like a baby boy, a servant, serving Nanda Bābā, taking his shoes here and there, and carrying out the orders of all the residents of Vraja.
His killing of Tṛṇāvarta in the sky shows a lot of opulence and majesty. But Kṛṣṇa never became four-armed or big as Vāmana did. He never used a weapon, like His disc or anything else. When He was just a little boy, naked, of only ninety days, He embraced Tṛṇāvarta like a baby monkey catching hold of its mother. Kṛṣṇa was thinking, “If you are dying, what can I do? I embraced and played with you, but your eyes became like rasagullās, and now you are dying. What can I do?”
Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā saw Him smash that demon, Tṛṇāvarta, but they thought, “Kṛṣṇa cannot do this. It’s impossible!”
Who did they think did it? Nārāyaṇa. They thought Kṛṣṇa could only have done this because Gargācārya announced in His name-giving ceremony, “He is powerful like Nārāyaṇa.”
Nanda and Yaśodā concluded, “Nārāyaṇa is so merciful to this boy. He has given Him some power, which is why He killed Tṛṇāvarta. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa could not have done so.”
Nanda and Mother Yaśodā again invited many brāhmaṇas to come to their home. A black cow was again brought, a paste of cow dung and urine was again made, and they again recited mantras – keśava rakṣet, nārāyaṇa rakṣet – while waving the black tail of the cow. Again, hundreds of thousands of cows were donated (in charity).
As Kṛṣṇa grew older, He sometimes wept and played here and there. Now, He could move his body by crawling. Sometimes, He would play with Baladeva.
Previously, Gargācārya had come from Mathurā, having been sent by Vasudeva, who requested him, “Go and give names to my two sons, but do not say that Kṛṣṇa is my son; otherwise, Kaṁsa will come to know and will try to kill Him.” He requested Gargācārya to perform this ceremony in a secluded place. When Gargācārya arrived in Vṛndāvana, what happened? (To Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī) Can you tell [us] this pastime?
Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī: When Vasudeva Mahārāja sent Gargācārya to Vraja, Nanda Mahārāja asked Yaśodā Mā and Rohiṇī Mā to take their babies to the cowshed, because Nanda Bābā did not want to hold a big festival.
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: No, Gargācārya advised him not to do so. Nanda Bābā wanted to give many cows and hold a big festival.
Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī: Gargācārya stopped him from doing anything and advised him, “If you hold a festival, then Kaṁsa may question, ‘Why is Nanda holding a festival with Gargācārya, the priest of Vasudeva Mahārāja?’ Kaṁsa might harm your babies, so do not hold a big festival. Don’t do anything openly.” Nanda Mahārāja went to the cowshed with Yaśodā Mā, Rohiṇī Mā, and Gargācārya for the name-giving ceremony. Nobody else was there, only these four persons.
Gargācārya said, “Balarāma, the son of Rohiṇī, is very strong (bala), and He is very beautiful and attractive (rāma). His names will therefore be ‘Baladeva’ and ‘Balarāma.’ Baladeva means ‘He who is the predominating deity of all kinds of power and strength,’ and Rāma means ‘He who is beautiful and attractive.’ ”
Gargācārya kept the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’ for the younger son. Kṛṣṇa means ‘He who can attract everyone.’ Kṛṣṇa is incredibly beautiful, and He has many qualities. Everyone is easily attracted to Him. He can attract the whole world. For this reason, Gargācārya kept His name ‘Kṛṣṇa.’
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: He also told that in each…
Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī: And he said, “He has come in every yuga, and His name is different in different yugas. Now, His name will be Kṛṣṇa.”
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Had he appeared in Kali-yuga before?
Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī: “He appeared in Satya-yuga in a white complexion, in Tretā-yuga in a red complexion, and in Kali-yuga in a golden complexion.
“Now [in Dvāpara-yuga] He is blackish, and His name is Kṛṣṇa [which also means ‘black’]. He takes birth in every yuga, and now He is Kṛṣṇa.” Thus, he kept His name ‘Kṛṣṇa.’
Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: But Gargācārya narrated this in such a style that no one could understand [that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead]. Nanda Bābā also was covered by Yogamāyā’s influence and could not understand the deep meaning behind Gargācārya’s words. He thought, “My son is so beautiful, and sometimes Nārāyaṇa mercifully enters Him. At that time, a miracle happens.”
We will explain more of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes tomorrow. There are many hidden meanings within them. We should try to remember these pastimes and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and then māyā will go far from you, and you will be liberated. The mercy of Kṛṣṇa will be realized, and our lives will be successful.
* Goloka refers to Kṛṣṇa’s abode in the spiritual sky. Gokula often refers to the place of Kṛṣṇa’s early childhood pastimes in Goloka, but in this instance, it refers to His abode as it appears in the material universe.
** Śaṅkarācārya actively propagated the idea that the Supreme Lord is impersonal and devoid of attributes. Those who follow this same line of thought are known as Māyāvādīs. They believe the Lord’s form is a product of the deluding material potency.
*** Knowledge and renunciation are only attributes of a quality; they are not original qualities in their own right (Jaiva-dharma, Chapter 13).
**** Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda and Yaśodā, is the source of all His expansions, such as Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, four-armed Lord Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha, and all His other Vaikuṇṭha expansions, in which He enjoys pastimes of great opulence and majesty. The beauty that is one of His six opulences and which is covered by sweetness refers to the beauty of those expansions, not to Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda and Yaśodā.
Source: Purebhakti.com
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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)