The following is an excerpt from Kṛṣṇa – The Lord of Sweetness, Chapter 5, First Edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

Mother Yaśodā’s mood was grave. “If I don’t chastise Him,” she thought, “He will become quite a troublemaker.” With this in mind, she bound Him. Although Śrī Kṛṣṇa cried, she did not let Him go. “I will keep Him tied up for a while,” she thought, “and when I have finished churning the yoghurt, I will untie Him and feed Him butter and breast milk to calm Him down.”

Mother Yaśodā considered, “Kṛṣṇa is a cunning and mischievous thief, and His accomplice is this grinding mortar. Both deserve to be punished. I will tie them together so that Kṛṣṇa cannot untie Himself from the mortar.”

Thinking thus, she bound Him.

tad dāma badhyamānasya
svārbhakasya kṛtāgasaḥ
dvy-aṅgulonam abhūt tena
sandadhe ’nyac ca gopikā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.9.15)

[When mother Yaśodā was trying to bind the offending child, she saw that the binding rope was short by a distance the width of two fingers. Thus she brought another rope to join to it.]

When Mother Yaśodā tried to bind her mischievous child, the rope was two fingers too short, so she tied it to another rope.

She had removed the silk ribbon from her braid to bind Kṛṣṇa with it. Other than the gold chain around His waist, Kṛṣṇa was quite naked. Although His tiny waist measured no more than twelve fingers, the ribbon could not be made to bind Him; it was two fingers too short. Mother Yaśodā asked her friend for another rope, which was also too short. She gathered and added more rope repeatedly, but it was always too short – and only two fingers too short – not more, not less.

There is an esoteric meaning in this. One finger represents the sādhaka’s endeavours, and the other finger represents the Lord’s mercy. Śrī Bhagavān becomes controlled by His devotee only when both elements are present. (Excerpt from Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja’s commentary on Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam)

Now come with me to Gokula, where Mother Yaśodā has finally caught Kṛṣṇa and tied Him to the grinding mortar.

Yaśodā returned to churning the butter again, but her mind was absent. She was a little upset, always thinking about her son. “Why did I do that? I should not have done so. But actually, I was right to bind Him; otherwise, He will become naughtier.”

“Then again,” she thought, “I was not just. He is soft and sweet, but I have given Him great pain. Actually, I have not given pain to Him; I have given pain to my heart. What can I do? Now Kṛṣṇa is so angry that if I untie the rope, He will go somewhere else, and I cannot control that. Let Him remain tied there for some time.” She kept a close watch on Him.

After some time, all the boys joked with Kṛṣṇa. All were clapping and laughing, and Kṛṣṇa laughed with them. His tears, mixed with black kājala, dried on His face, making a diagonal line down the front of His body. Now, He was somewhat happy and had forgotten what His mother had done. The boys said, “Let’s untie the ropes, and then Kṛṣṇa can be free.”

Kṛṣṇa was enthusiastic. “Yes, you can untie Me. Because My hands cannot reach the ropes, I cannot untie the knot. You should try.” The boys tried individually, but the knot was so tight that no one could untie it.

One boy would tell another, “You cannot untie it. I will try.” Especially Madhumaṅgala. He waved them all away, saying, “You are bogus. You have no idea at all. I will untie it.” He quickly went over to Kṛṣṇa and pushed all the others out of the way. He tried, but he also could not untie the knot. The boys laughed.

They thought, “If Baladeva were here, He could untie Kṛṣṇa in a moment, and this incident would not have gone on for so long.”

In the meantime, Baladeva Prabhu was coming from the house of Upananda with His mother. When He entered the courtyard, He saw Kṛṣṇa fully tied to the grinding mortar and many boys playing with Him. Baladeva became furious. He thought, “Who has done this? I will punish him.” He was so upset that His eyes reddened, and His hands shook.

Subala said in His ear, “Brother, don’t be upset. Mother Yaśodā has done this.”

“Mother Yaśodā?” All of His anger went away at once. “If Mother has done this, then I cannot do anything. There must be some reason behind it.” Then, He also played with Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa is omniscient. He remembered a pastime that took place in the last yuga, in which His dear devotee Nārada had cursed Nalakūvera and Maṇigrīva, the sons of Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods. Kuvera was a friend of Śaṅkara, and because Śaṅkara is very near and dear to Kṛṣṇa, there was a relationship between Śaṅkara and Kuvera. Nārada also was a friend of Kuvera.

Once, Nārada was on his way to meet Śaṅkara and Kuvera. Their houses were near each other. On the way, he saw that the two sons of Kuvera were quite naked and playing with many apsarās in a very beautiful pond. Do you know what apsarās are? They are the wives of the demigods. They are very beautiful young teenage girls.  All were naked, and they were playing hide-and-seek and various other games. Having become intoxicated from taking so much wine, the two brothers lost all shame. When Nārada approached, the demigoddesses – the apsarās – immediately became shameful and came out of the pond. In shame, they took their clothes and offered obeisances to Nārada Ṛṣi.

But these two boys were so shameless and intoxicated on wine that they abused Nārada and the girls. “This mad person knows nothing. Why did he come here? And you are so bogus that upon seeing him, your taste [for enjoyment] has gone away, and you have come out of the pond. Come back quickly, come quickly.”

In the eyes of Nārada, the boys resembled dry trees because of their absence of shame, knowledge, intelligence, and respect for a saintly and superior person. He thought, “They are very near and dear to Kuvera and Śaṅkara, so I should give them a good lesson.”

A person who does not know pain can easily cause pain to others. We think we can cut fish, goats, sheep, cows, and so on, only to consume their flesh, their meat. But if we were to receive a big injection, we would hold up our hands and say, “Do not do this.” And what would we do if someone were to cut our finger or half of our neck? Upon experiencing pain, one can realize the pain one has given to others. Bogus persons do not empathize with those they have given pain to.

What is the meaning of meat? I have explained it many times: M-E and E-A-T. Whoever I eat will return to eat me. Every action has a reaction. If you abuse anyone, you will be abused. If you give a slap, you will get a slap. Those whose flesh you are taking will get a human body, and they will eat you, and so you should not do these things.

Nalakūvera and Maṇigrīva were born into aristocratic families and were highly cultured, educated, beautiful, and wealthy. People who have great opulence rarely believe in God. They don’t desire to do bhajana of Kṛṣṇa and are always influenced by the false ego. They think, “I am so beautiful, I am so learned. I come from an aristocratic family. I am a brāhmaṇa; I am so wealthy.” Therefore, they can never do bhajana of Kṛṣṇa — never.

Nārada desired to give them a [spiritual] injection and told them, “Because you are acting just like a tree, you should at once turn into one. I, who am like your mother and father, your superior, have come here, but you do not care, and you continue doing nonsense. You should at once become trees.”

He was so powerful; his words were so powerful that slowly, Nalakūvera and Maṇigrīva turned into trees. They quickly realized the situation and fell down at the feet of Nārada Ṛṣi. “O Nārada Ṛṣi! We never knew that you were so powerful. We were immersed in our false ego. Now we realize Kṛṣṇa has mercifully given us this human body to do bhajana so that we can realize who we are and who Kṛṣṇa, God, is. We have misused all our time, always drinking and making merry. Please be merciful to us. Now we are going to become trees? [We are shocked to hear this.] All of our senses have become inert.”

Nārada said, “What I have said will surely come to pass. No one can make it not happen. But seeing that you now have some realization, and since you are my friend’s sons, I am minimizing my curse. You will surely become trees, but you will be trees in Vṛndāvana. After some time, Kṛṣṇa will appear there, and in His boyhood, He will play there and touch you. At that time, you will be liberated – not only liberated; you will also obtain bhakti.” Slowly, they became pacified, and Nārada left.

Kṛṣṇa remembered, “My dear Nārada has spoken this. I should fulfil My devotee’s desire.” Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that He can accomplish many tasks with one task.

Kṛṣṇa told His friends, “Push this grinding mortar while I pull it. Help Me get out of the house. We should play outside.” The boys began to push and pull. They came to the main gate at the end of the house. Outside the gate were two gigantic trees with long shadows and large branches. Thousands of birds took shelter in them. The two trees stood so close together that they seemed to come from one root, with a small space between them. Kṛṣṇa entered the narrow lane that ran between the two trees. As He moved through the trees, He dragged the grinding mortar, which the boys were pushing from behind. It turned on its side and became stuck between the two trees, which touched the mortar, but they did not touch Kṛṣṇa.

A current may come from one place to multiple other places. If I touch the last point of a current, the same current from the beginning point will come to me. Similarly, the rope that tied Kṛṣṇa’s waist touched the mortar, and His power came through the rope to the mortar and from the mortar to the two trees. The trees fell down at once, making a tremendous sound. All of Vraja trembled. The Vrajavāsīs ran from all over toward the great sound of the falling trees. Nanda Bābā was on his way to bathe in Brahmāṇḍa-ghāṭa, but he quickly ran toward the source of that sound.

Yaśodā Mā was restless. Her mind was not on what she was doing. She also heard the sound and became fearful. “From where is this sound coming? Is it coming from anywhere near Kṛṣṇa?” Her heart was beating rapidly, and immediately, she ran to Kṛṣṇa in fear. All the Vrajavāsīs came at once. The boys who had been happy and laughing as they played with Kṛṣṇa and pulled the grinding mortar became very fearful. They were so fortunate. Because the trees did not fall straight, they did not fall down on them. They fell to the left and right of Him, and so no one was harmed. Still, all were covering their ears and were fearful.

From a distance, Yaśodā saw that Kṛṣṇa was in the middle of the two trees and that the trees had been uprooted. She wondered, “If the trees had fallen on Kṛṣṇa, what would have happened?” She could not bear to think this. Completely stunned, she became like a tree, like dry wood, with no sense. No tears fell from her eyes, and she did not even breathe. She was stunned.

Nanda Bābā thought, “Kṛṣṇa is standing amidst the trees, and the trees have been uprooted. What has happened?” He quickly ran toward Kṛṣṇa and saw that He was bound to the grinding mortar. He also became dumbstruck.

In the meantime, the boys assembled. “Bābā! Bābā! Bābā! Kṛṣṇa touched the two trees, and they were uprooted. Two very beautiful people came out. They were like gods, like the sun – some rays were coming from their bodies. They circumambulated Kṛṣṇa and prayed to Him. Kṛṣṇa said something to them, after which they offered their obeisances by falling flat on the ground and then went up into the sky.”

Nanda Bābā thought, “These boys don’t know anything. How could Kṛṣṇa uproot two gigantic trees? I think a demon instructed by Kaṁsa came and wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa.”

Before all this, Kṛṣṇa had been playing with the boys, pulling and pushing. He had been so happy and was laughing, but when He saw His father coming, He wept loudly. Kṛṣṇa was taking long breaths, and many tears fell from His eyes.

When Nanda Bābā pacified Him, Kṛṣṇa wept even more. With his cādara, Nanda Bābā removed Kṛṣṇa’s tears.  He asked, “My dear son, who has bound You?” Kṛṣṇa said nothing. He repeated, “Who has bound You? Tell me! I will punish those who have bound You.” He asked again and again as he untied the rope’s knots.

Kṛṣṇa spoke into His father’s ear, “Mother has bound Me.”

“Your mother? I never knew she was so cruel-hearted! Did she bind You? I will punish her.” Nanda Bābā raised his hand, but Kṛṣṇa caught it. Nanda Bābā gave Kṛṣṇa a laḍḍū. Kṛṣṇa took it but did not eat it. Now He was pacified a little, and His tears had almost stopped, but not fully. He was breathing quickly and deeply, as a child does when he stops crying. Nanda Bābā caressed Kṛṣṇa’s head and body. He became grave and looked at Mother Yaśodā with anger.

Mother Yaśodā was not externally conscious. The sakhīs, unhappy and worried, were taking care of her and reading her heart. They wanted Kṛṣṇa to come and sit on Yaśodā’s lap. Meanwhile, Nanda Bābā took Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva on his shoulders – Baladeva on his right shoulder and Kṛṣṇa on his left – and went to Brahmāṇḍa-ghāṭa on the river Yamunā. He bathed his two sons, and after that, he also took a bath. Again, putting Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva on his shoulders, he returned home. It was past two o’clock in the afternoon. There was no cooking in Yaśodā’s house that day. Who was there to do the cooking?

Rohiṇī saw Nanda Bābā coming with the two boys, and she quickly made a little daliyā, sweet porridge, which is cooked in water, milk, or buttermilk. When Nanda Bābā came, she gave it to him. First, he gave it to Baladeva and then to Kṛṣṇa alternately. When They were satisfied, he took some – very little. He was so grave. He then went outdoors to the drying room. In India, everyone’s house, especially the houses of those who are middle-class and those who are very rich, has two parts. The inner part of the house is only for the ladies, and the kitchen is there. The outer part is like a court or meeting hall, where many men gather. Nanda Bābā went to that part.

The evening soon came. It was about seven o’clock, and it was time to have something to eat. Nanda Bābā went to the cowshed, walked up to a very good cow, and began milking it directly into the mouths of Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva. He gave Them some sugar candy, which They ate till Their stomach was full. He then returned to his house. Now it was night.

All the friends of Yaśodā were worried, especially Rohiṇī and Upananda’s wife. Many old ladies came with Baladeva to the house of Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā. Kṛṣṇa was with Nanda Bābā. The ladies told Baladeva, “Go and forcibly drag Kṛṣṇa here, and we will take Him to the lap of Mother Yaśodā.”

Baladeva went to Kṛṣṇa to pull Him there, but Kṛṣṇa had become so strong that He pushed Baladeva away again and again until Baladeva fell down. Mother Rohiṇī asked Kṛṣṇa, “Will You not go to Your mother?”

“No.”

“Where will You pass Your night? With whom will You sleep?”

“With Father.”

“Not with Mother?”

“No.”

“What will You eat?”

“I will take milk from the cows’ udders – Bābā will do it – and sugar candy.”

“And with whom will You play?”

“I will play with My brother, Bala Dāū, and Nanda Bābā.”

“You will never go to Mother?”

“No, I will never go.”

Mother Rohiṇī said, “And if Your Mother…?” (Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja snaps his fingers above his head) What does this mean? It means, “What if she passes away?”

Seeing this, Kṛṣṇa became very worried and wept, “O Mother, Mother!” and held out His arms to her.

Mother Rohiṇī quickly took Kṛṣṇa to Mother Yaśodā and placed Him on Yaśodā’s lap. Until now, Mother Yaśodā had been like a statue, senseless. But when Mother Rohiṇī placed Kṛṣṇa on her lap, her heart melted, and she cried, “My dear son, my dear son.” She wept so loudly that Mother Rohiṇī and all others wept.

Kṛṣṇa cried, “Mother, Mother, Mother!” Yaśodā was weeping, Rohiṇī was weeping, and all those present were weeping.

After some time, when Yaśodā was somewhat pacified, she gave her breast milk to Kṛṣṇa, and in the meantime, some foodstuffs were prepared.

Nanda Bābā was called to take prasādam. Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva sat on his right and left side. Nanda Bābā said, “Kṛṣṇa, You should go and call Your mother. If she does not come, I will not take anything to eat.”

Yaśodā was ashamed, so she did not come. Kṛṣṇa went over to her, caught hold of her veil, and dragged her to Nanda Bābā. Nanda Bābā ate something and also gave something to Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. He left some remnants, which were taken away and distributed throughout the house. Kṛṣṇa now sat on the lap of Yaśodā, and that night, He slept soundly beside her.

Kṛṣṇa, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, plays many sweet pastimes to renew the love and affection of those doing so much to serve Him.

Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are not mortal. There is a great difference between the mortal and transcendental worlds. Someone may have just a little honour and a little faith in transcendental words in the form of hari-kathā or Kṛṣṇa’s name. Although that person is covered with many tendencies that obstruct his progress in spiritual life (anarthas) and ignorance, these transcendental words will come through his ears and enter his heart. These words are not words. Kṛṣṇa Himself, in the form of transcendental words, enters the heart of any person with a fraction of faith. He then cleans the whole heart of that person and gradually makes it pure. That person’s faith then becomes thick, and bhakti enters his heart. Gradually, he becomes a devotee. All bad habits and anarthas go away, and he quickly develops his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Fixed faith (niṣṭhā), transcendental relish (ruci ), and attachment to Kṛṣṇa (āsakti ) follow.

First, a person takes initiation from the guru, and then firm faith, transcendental relish, and a strong attachment to Kṛṣṇa develop. After this, a person realizes his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa (bhāva-bhakti) and then attains pure loving devotion (prema-bhakti). He gives up his body, mind, and everything, becomes a pure soul, an eternal resident of Vraja, and goes to Vṛndāvana, where he remains happy forever. But those who do not hear hari-kathā, even though they have a good chance to do so, are killers of their own souls.

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.1.4)

[Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the paramparā system, that is, it is conveyed from the spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?]

Only a self-killer will not hear. To kill any animal or himself is not actually killing. Those who are not hearing hari-kathā lose their [human] life for hundreds of thousands of births. We must hear and chant Kṛṣṇa’s name in this life. It is so powerful. Very quickly, it will make you pure, and pure bhakti will come. Don’t neglect that. Starting today, try to do bhajana. We may die tomorrow; no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Immediately, from this very evening, we should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and try to give up bad habits.

Suppose there is a very good rasagullā (Indian curd sweet, permeated with sugary syrup). Do you know what a rasagullā is?

Devotees: Yes.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Of all Indian sweets, it is the best; it is very good and very sweet. But suppose a person puts poison in it, and you, feeling very hungry, go to take it. If your mother knows this, she will say, “Don’t take this; it has been poisoned. If you take it, you will die.” Will you take it? Never. We are like mothers or doctors. Try to have faith in us. We cannot cheat you. You can have faith in me and in Vaiṣṇavas. They are more merciful than mothers and doctors. Have very strong faith in saintly persons and quickly try to give up all these bad things. There is no harm if you are in a worldly life or a married life. You should do whatever work is required, but don’t kill fish and animals and don’t take eggs, meat, wine, or things like that.

This [having faith in saintly persons] is the essence of all hari-kathā. Why has this story of Kṛṣṇa being bound been told in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? This is not just a story or mythology but a real pastime.  If a person hears the words of this story, these words will enter his heart. He will see that his heart has been changed, and he has become blissful and happy. Therefore, try to hear hari-kathā. When an advanced devotee hears hari-kathā, he tries to follow it. He thinks, “I want to be a mother of Kṛṣṇa, to serve Kṛṣṇa like Yaśodā,” or “I want to be like Sudāma or Śrīdāma, who are always  playing with Kṛṣṇa,” or “I want to be like the gopīs; I want to serve Kṛṣṇa as the gopīs do.”

Many cowherd boys are serving Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yaśodā is serving Him, many mothers and fathers are serving Him, and many gopīs are serving Him. Among them, who is serving the best, and with whom is Kṛṣṇa most pleased? Can you say?

Devotee: The gopīs.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Why? Why the gopīs? Why not the cowherd boys? Why not Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā? Kṛṣṇa’s father is also serving Him. Why not any of them? Because they cannot give everything – all their love and affection – to Kṛṣṇa. But the gopīs can give everything – their shame, whole body, and senses. His father and mother cannot give that.

If a man has two sons, he will give half his love to one and a half to the other. But the gopīs give all their love and affection wholesale to Kṛṣṇa, and so they are superior to all others who love Him. Upon hearing about all these pastimes, some people will develop a greed to follow the gopīs. That is why Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has appeared, as well as Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, especially, and the books of Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

You should try to read these books under the guidance of a bona fide Vaiṣṇava. You cannot explain or taste Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam without the assistance of a qualified devotee. You may be able to read it on your own, but you may have no taste for it. But if you hear it from a saintly person, many realizations come.

Suppose you lack something and want some wealth, and then you go to a very wealthy person and ask for his riches. Can he give you more than he has? And though he has something to give and you are begging, he still may not give you anything. Four brahmacārīs took initiation yesterday. Like beggars, they went to different persons to collect alms.* At the end of the day, they gave me what they had collected, but I saw that in their cloth (where their donations had been placed), they had only one ringgit, two ringgits, or a half ringgit (Malaysian currency). Why were they given so little? If you are begging someone who has no relation with you, he may only give you two ringgits.

All in this world lack something. If anyone wants more from you than you have, you cannot give it. If I want millions of dollars from any of you, can you give it to me? Even by selling your property, you cannot give it. But if you want something from Kṛṣṇa, and if you pray to Kṛṣṇa for anything or everything, He can give it. He has everything, and therefore, He can give anything. He is so humble and generous that He will give you anything you want.

Others [incarnations of Godhead] cannot give everything – not even Nārāyaṇa. Can He give everything? If you want Him to give you mādhurya-rasa (a relationship with Him as His beloved), can He give it? It is not possible. You may ask Him, “I want You to make me the maidservant of Rādhikā,” but He cannot give you that. Dvārakādhiśa Kṛṣṇa – that Kṛṣṇa who reigns as the king of Dvārakā  – also cannot give it. But Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa – that Kṛṣṇa who is the son of the king of Vraja, Nanda Mahārāja – can give you anything you want; He can give you even more than what you want. Therefore, you should pray namāmi nanda-nandanam, namāmi nanda-nandanam.**

Kṛṣṇa will give everything, even if you do not pray for anything. And if you pray to Śrīmatī Rādhikā, She will give even more than Kṛṣṇa can. Her treasury is greater than Kṛṣṇa’s. If Kṛṣṇa gives something, it is actually from the treasury of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Therefore, if you pray to Rādhikā, Kṛṣṇa will give you anything more than you expect. You must pray to Her, but for what? “I want to become Your maidservant. Sprinkle Your mercy upon me and give me the type of love for Kṛṣṇa that the Vrajavāsīs have, and not anything else.”

Unlucky people will ask Kṛṣṇa, “I want salvation,” “I want liberation,” or “I want wealth.” He will give these things quickly and easily. Instead of praying for these things, hear hari-kathā with a resolute will, resolute honour, and faith.

Once in Mathurā, there was a lady from a low caste who used to sell very sweet fruit. She would go to the countryside villages with many small children and walk through the narrow lanes, calling out, “Mangoes! Oranges! Bananas! Guavas!” She had very beautiful, ripened reddish and yellowish fruits. All the boys would come when they heard the call of that fruit seller lady.

Sweet boys gathered around her and looked at her fruit with greedy eyes. They would say, “Mother, I want to take that fruit.”

This lady fruit seller had previously heard the name Nanda-nandana (Kṛṣṇa). She had heard that Yaśodā had recently given birth to a very beautiful boy named Kṛṣṇa and that He was so attractive, so beautiful, that a person who goes to Gokula [and sees Him] cannot return with his mind. If he returns, it is without his mind and heart. The fruit seller wanted to see that boy, Kṛṣṇa, and so one day, she filled her basket with fruit and crossed the river Yamunā in a makeshift boat. Temporary boats were made from the branches of trees, including banana trees. Though it was somewhat troublesome for her, she crossed the river and went to Gokula. It was easy to cross the Yamunā and travel from Mathurā to Gokula; it was only seven miles. We also used to go quite easily. [After crossing,] We used to go to Gokula on foot, but now we do not because many taxis, cars, and other things have been invented.

When the fruit seller arrived in Gokula, she said, “Bananas! Mangoes! Oranges! Guavas!” But because she was thinking of Kṛṣṇa, she called, “Govinda, Dāmodara, Mādhaveti!” Her hands were not on her basket in the same way Indian ladies carry many pots full of water — one, two, three, four — on their heads without holding them and in their arms. And without holding the pots on their heads, they can move quickly. Vraja-gopīs are expert at this.

She was wholly absorbed. She had given her heart fully, and from her heart, she was crying, “Kṛṣṇa! Dāmodara!For the whole day, she wandered around Nanda-bhavana, but Kṛṣṇa could not meet with her. She returned home but continued to go to Nanda-bhavana for three days. [However, she did not get to see Him.] On the last day, she promised, “If Kṛṣṇa does not give me His darśana today, I will not return. I will give up my life.” Because she had made this promise and was absorbed in chanting, “Govinda, Dāmodara, Mādhaveti!” Kṛṣṇa could not check Himself.

Kṛṣṇa was on the lap of Yaśodā, but hearing the fruit seller’s chanting, He at once came outside. On the way, He saw a heap of wheat grains, and taking some in His little cupped hands, He ran out to the courtyard, calling, “I want fruits! Give Me fruits!”

This fruit seller was from a low caste, so she did not enter the house or courtyard of Mother Yaśodā; she remained outside. Kṛṣṇa had taken the grains [for bartering], but most slipped between His fingers. Only some grains – two, three, four – remained. Kṛṣṇa thought that His palms were full. The fruit seller then observed Kṛṣṇa. She became wholly absorbed in looking at Him. Within a moment, she gave her heart to Him. Kṛṣṇa called out, “Give Me fruits, give Me fruits.”

The fruit seller looked upon the face of Kṛṣṇa and said, “O boy, only if you call me ‘Mother’ and sit on my lap will I give You fruits because now there are no grains left in Your hands.” Kṛṣṇa looked into His hands to see that all the grains were gone.

He looked here and there to see if anyone was watching. He thought, “What will happen if my mother or anyone in Vraja sees Me sitting on the lap of this lady?” After seeing no one else there at that moment, He at once jumped up, sat on her lap, and said, “Mother!” Then He immediately jumped off. Now you should give Me fruits.”

That fruit seller was so very pleased. She gave Him some fruits, but even two mangoes and a banana were too much for Him to hold. She wanted to put all her fruits in His hands, but His hands were too small. As He took the fruits from her, He held them to His chest and stomach so that He could carry more. He wanted to take even more fruits, so she gave Him more. Then, dancing like boys do when they are happy, He went to His mother and put all the fruits in her veil. Yaśodā distributed them and became extremely happy. The fruits were endless, and she gave some to all the gopīs. Though everyone present was given fruits, the supply never ran out – it only increased.

What became of that fruit seller? When Kṛṣṇa had come over to her, He captured her heart and mind, so she was without both. She sat outside of the gate for a long time. When people walked by, they asked, “Why are you just sitting here?” But she would not, could not, reply.

Eventually, she took her basket on her head and started for home. When she came to the banks of the Yamunā River, her basket felt heavy. “Why is it so heavy?” she wondered. She put the basket down and saw that it was full of jewels. Just one of those jewels was so costly that the whole treasury of Kaṁsa could not equal it. And there were many such jewels. She thought, “What is the use of these jewels?” She threw all of them into the Yamunā, and with her hands above her head, she began to sing like a madwoman, “Govinda, Dāmodara, Mādhaveti!”

She had no veil; it had come off. She fell to the ground, having no outer sense. The only thing she could sense was that Kṛṣṇa was there. Tears flowed from her eyes, and her heart melted. No one knew where she went after this; she never returned home. Who can say where she went?

Kṛṣṇa thought, “She would like to be like My mother,” so He quickly took her [soul] to Goloka. Her body lay on the banks of the Yamunā. Someone came and made a fire [to cremate it]. But she went to Goloka Vṛndāvana, where she became a beautiful mother. If anyone wants to achieve the type of love the fruit seller possessed for Kṛṣṇa, they will have to follow her.

Guru gives this. You cannot repay him with worldly wealth, reputation, or anything else. You have nothing with which to repay the guru. You should think about and understand his glories. He wants to give you the same wealth that Kṛṣṇa gave that fruit seller. Try to be like her; don’t waste your time. Don’t waste your human birth. You should immediately try to be like her, always singing, “Govinda, Dāmodara, Mādhaveti!”

But you should not sing this like a song. Instead, pray to Kṛṣṇa full of heart, and then Kṛṣṇa will hear; otherwise, you are only singing a song, making music. Kṛṣṇa does not hear your music. He knows all music. So much music can come from His toenail alone. His inferior devotees [those who are devoted to Him but not imbued with selfless love for Him] can sing so much for Him.

Try to pray full of heart, and Kṛṣṇa will hear. Be absorbed in whatever kīrtana you sing. Kṛṣṇa will not be satisfied if you make music; He will not hear. But if you are chanting and remembering like the fruit seller, then Kṛṣṇa will definitely hear. He will come at once and give you His wealth.

* At the time of taking initiation, it is a traditional practice to offer to one’s guru alms acquired by begging.

** This is a song of eight verses that offer obeisances to that Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Nanda and Yaśodā.

Source: Purebhakti.com

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org and/or Bhaktiart.net
Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)

error: Content is protected !!