Changing The Anxiety

“Everyone in the material life, in all species and varieties of life, is full of anxieties, either by breaking or without breaking the laws of nature. Liberation, or mukti, means getting relief from these constant anxieties. This is possible only when the anxiety is changed to the devotional service of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.12.28 Purport)

This may be difficult to realize because of the constant pressures you face, but actually no matter where you turn in life you will suffer anxiety. The tendency of course is to think the opposite way. “Let me just fix this one problem and I will be alright. If I could only take care of this single nagging issue, finding a way to solve it, then I can live peacefully, with no worries in life.” The anxieties will continue primarily due to the temporary nature of the objects around us. If that anxiety is changed, however, towards a controller who is absolute in His authority, then even the suffering can turn into pleasure.

Let’s say that you’re working at a company, having been there for over ten years. You probably didn’t consciously decide that you would stay there that long, as on day one your aim was to just find any work. You needed a job, and this business was kind enough to hire you, so you stayed at the company and learned so many things. The ten year mark is only noticed because the future of the company is now in jeopardy. Any business that sells a good or product for a profit will have an uncertain future, as competitors will enter the market and look to capitalize on the same wave that you initially did.

The misfortune of the downfall of the company will trickle down to the lower employees. Though you may not be the lowest person on the organizational chart, eventually the financial austerity measures are going to have their effect on you. The worry then turns to overall job security. “Will my job still be around in a month? Will I be able to put food on the table? I haven’t looked for a job in so long, will I even know how to do it? Why would I want to start at a new company when I’m already comfortably situated here?”

The control over these anxieties rests in the hands of the company’s owner, who is responsible for steering the ship. He makes the vital decisions that will affect profit margin, either for better or worse. The problem with this reliance, though, is that the owner is not all-powerful. We may think that a particular quarterback in American football is unbeatable and the greatest of all time, but he also can lose games, and big ones at that. He may have won multiple Super Bowls in the past, but he can also lose the most important game of the season.

Should we put full reliance on our boss, there is no guarantee of a successful outcome. This is not a criticism of him per se, as he could be trying his best to save the company. Follow the same reliance in practically any area of life and you reach the same limiting wall. Just imagine if someone relied on you like that. Are you perfect? Do you not make mistakes? Do you not worry about the future? If these faults exist in you, why should they be absent in someone else?

In addition to the fallibility of man, there is the issue of non-permanence. There is fear over losing a job because no job lasts forever. There is anxiety over not being able to earn enough money to pay bills because that destitution is a real possibility. As soon as there is birth, death is guaranteed. As soon as something is created, there is a point in time when it will get destroyed. Therefore the sober person does not lament in the unavoidable discharge of their duty. Every person must work to support themselves, so why not work with detachment?

“For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.27)

Of course the principle of ignoring anxiety is difficult to live by, for we’re not accustomed to looking at the world from the macro perspective. We see nuance and variety because of our immediate vision. We’re not observing the earth as a whole from outer space, so it’s difficult to abstract everything while you’re actually in the middle of so many things.

No reason to worry, though, as only the nature of the anxiety needs to be changed. Regardless of where you are, you will have things to worry about. Should you win the lottery and never have to work again, there is still the anxiety of what to do with yourself every day. As soon as a decision is made in one direction, should anything get in your way, you will feel anxiety. I may plan to visit my family members over the weekend, but if my car breaks down during the ride, I will feel anxiety. If something gets in the way of plans, which is certainly possible, uneasy feelings will creep up.

If the worry is shifted towards the area of devotional service, the entity in charge of delivering the results makes sure that there is no failure. Devotional service is bhakti-yoga, or the religion of love. Dedicate your life to God, chanting His glories and never forgetting Him. For dedicated remembrance it helps to know what the object in question looks like. To offer wonderful praise it is helpful to know some of the activities and features of the worshiped entity.

This is where the vast Vedic literature comes to the rescue. The Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown-jewel of Vedic literature, specifically contains details on the Supreme Lord’s forms, names, attributes and pastimes. In His original feature Bhagavan is all-attractive; thus He is addressed as Krishna. Since He appeared on earth and delighted so many people, the Bhagavatam devotes an entire canto to Krishna’s lila, or divine sports. As His name is non-different from Him, the Bhagavatam lists so many names for the Lord, which can be called out in a mood of love.

The direction of the spiritual master, or guru, is necessary for practicing devotional service properly. We need discipline when we don’t have any. We need education when we are not knowledgeable about something. Surely there are some things we can pick up on our own through practice, and perhaps the same route can initially be taken in bhakti, but regardless there must be a reference point. If we’re picking up computer programming on our own, we must consult a guidebook which describes the subject. That book must be written by a programmer, a person in the field.

The acharyas have also left written instruction to be implemented by sincere spiritualists. The instruction of the spiritual master is more important than his personal association, as what we hear from someone may get forgotten very quickly. If the same points are written down and can be referenced at any time, they can stay with us.

The central component of bhakti-yoga is the chanting of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. Recite this daily on a set of japa beads for sixteen rounds. That takes quite a bit of time at first, but then that is the point. Your consciousness will be determined by what you think about the most. If the most time is spent in bhakti, then naturally your consciousness will be focused on Krishna.

There are also a few restrictions accompanying the chanting routine. Steer clear of meat eating, gambling, intoxication and illicit sex. Serve the Vaishnavas, the devotees of Krishna, and try to chant with others as much as possible. To abide by these principles requires dedication, and to stay dedicated there must be some pressure applied both internally and externally. With pressure there is bound to be some anxiety. “What if I can’t chant sixteen rounds? How am I going to avoid eating meat when there is meat all around me? These principles are so difficult; I don’t know how I’m going to follow them properly.”

Ah, but this kind of anxiety is good. Mother Yashoda had fears when she was tending to Krishna directly in Vrindavana. She worried about whether her son would enjoy the food she made. The clever child was known for raiding the butter supplies of the neighbors and then running away with the contraband. He would feed the butter to monkeys, animals known for stealing people’s food. If you visit Vrindavana today, watch out for the monkeys when walking the streets. They will grab whatever is in your hands, thinking that it is food. They are especially fond of snatching eyeglasses.

Yashoda’s anxiety resulted in even stronger feelings of attachment for Krishna. The Lord, unlike the business proprietor or the customer, is all-powerful. The anxiety of Krishna’s dependents relates to their ability to serve Him. Since that is the sweetest worry in the world, Krishna ensures that there is never any failure. Whether you belong to the highest caste or the lowest section of society, if you’re sincere in your wish to please Krishna, the Lord will guarantee success for you.

Success doesn’t mean an end to the anxiety. There will always be worry no matter where we turn, but the nature of the anxiety can be purified. Shri Hanuman was anxious in his travels through Lanka while looking for Rama’s wife Sita. Rama is the same Krishna but appearing on earth in a slightly different visible manifestation. Hanuman was worried that he would fail his beloved Rama, but this worry helped him further strengthen his resolve. It also gave him more opportunities to think of Sita and Rama, his life and soul.

Thus the anxiety in bhakti turns out to be a good thing. The path of devotional service is not the path of least resistance, but it is the sweetest path nonetheless. The Supreme Proprietor is the wealthiest person in the world, so whatever the devotee needs for their devotional practices will be provided to them. The key ingredient of a positively situated consciousness, one that maintains the vision of the sweetheart who roamed Yashoda’s courtyard, will always be there for the pure devotee, both in this life and the next.

In Closing:

Company’s profits dwindling in a hurry,

So about your future work you now worry.

 

Control over anxiety in boss you invest,

You do your job, he’ll take care of the rest.

 

But he is flawed, he can certainly fail too,

He must worry also, if worry you do.

 

Anxiety always there, in new direction turn,

Follow devotion’s path, from acharyas bhakti learn.

 

Yashoda always worried but for her it was good,

Her love Supreme Lord Krishna understood.

Cursed To Wait For Krishna

“While mother Yashoda was very busy with household affairs, the Supreme Lord, Krishna, observed twin trees known as yamala-arjuna, which in a former millennium had been the demigod sons of Kuvera.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.22)

The mother’s work was finally done, at the behest of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who remain tied to a mortar in the courtyard as punishment for having broken a pot of butter. The same Bhagavan cannot be so easily captured by even the most exalted figures of the world, but due to the spontaneous affection of the dear mother, Krishna agreed to her desires, allowing her to perform her motherly duties. As the saying goes, “Everything happens for a reason”, Krishna staying in that courtyard as punishment fulfilled so many purposes simultaneously. The two sons of Kuvera were awaiting atonement, and after many years of punishment, their time for deliverance was set to arrive.

Though one may be born into a pious family, if they should fall victim to false pride and ego, their fortunate surroundings still cannot safeguard them from unhappiness and distress. If you are born into a wealthy family, not having to worry about procuring material possessions obviously should be a good thing, but say that you get spoiled by what your parents give you. Instead of learning that hard work is required to earn money and that because of this the fruits of labor should not be spent frivolously, you think that you can get whatever you want, whenever you want it.

On one birthday you demand from your parents an expensive luxury car. Though you’re not old enough to work to earn enough money for the car, because you have grown up in wealth, you don’t find the request to be odd. If the parents are kind enough to give you the gift, though, the blessing can turn out to be a curse fairly quickly. The luxury car can reach high speeds in a short amount of time. Since the handling is so smooth, you don’t feel like you’re travelling that fast. Therefore, you are more prone to getting into an accident, causing injury to yourself. The potential for the same misfortune is absent in those who don’t grow up in wealth, who don’t have parents that could supply them with expensive gifts.

Nalakuvara and Manigriva grew up as sons of the treasurer of the demigods, Kuvera. Though we don’t see an intelligent force behind the operation of nature, there are elevated living beings in charge of it. This information is provided to us by the Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India. It is easy to discount this information as being mythology. “Perhaps primitive people didn’t know any better, so they came up with these stories to explain how nature worked.” The same tact can be taken with any information received, so we have to determine authority through other means. If someone presents us information and that knowledge ends up benefitting us, we can extend more faith to the same authority source in the future.

The Vedas, with their most celebrated work being the Bhagavad-gita, provide so much valuable information that cannot be found from any other source. While one tradition may say that God gave up His one and only son, the Vedas reveal that God can never be limited in this way. He is the source of everything, so the infinite number of creatures we see all come from Him. If they are not sons of God, then God has no relation to them. If there is no relation to God, then the very definition of God is not valid. The Supreme Being is the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of all energy, including pleasure. If a particular living entity does not come from Him, i.e. they are not His son or daughter, then what business does God have in their life?

Along with the in-depth study of the differences between matter and spirit and God’s actual position as the Lord of all creatures, the Vedas provide information about elevated living entities and how long they can live. The “heaven” we commonly speak of is just another area of space where the living conditions are better than they are now. Because of the enhanced conditions, the residents can live longer. Since they can live longer they are given greater responsibilities, which include managing the material nature.

Kuvera is in charge of wealth, and his sons Nalakuvara and Manigriva took advantage of their relation to the treasurer of the demigods by living comfortably. One time they were intoxicated and sporting naked with women in a lake. The famous rishi Narada saw them, and since they were too intoxicated to follow the proper etiquette, they were cursed by him for the behavior. Since they liked to remain naked, Narada granted them the forms of trees in their next life. A tree can live for a very long time without requiring much. In this way we see that living long within a particular form of body is not a sign of evolution. Just because someone can survive in a prison-like environment doesn’t mean that they have a superior quality of life.

The curse was two-sided, though. The brothers also received a blessing through the contact with Narada. The two sons would gain release from their curse through meeting the Supreme Lord Himself. Krishna wouldn’t arrive on the scene just to liberate them, but He would include their deliverance as part of His pastimes in the holy land of Vrindavana. Thus the two sons would see Krishna in His most adorable form of a small child who kindly acted under the control of His dear mother.

A good son delights the parents. The naughty child may sometimes provide a nuisance to the caretakers, but then again they also provide reasons for the application of guardianship. If you have a young child that can feed itself, determine when to go to sleep, when to wake up, and when to study, what work will you as a parent have to do? How will you offer your love? If you should have the “perfect” child, you will still try to give them some instruction, for what then would be the purpose of being a parent?

In Krishna’s case, He was sweet and adorable, and yet naughty too. Thus mother Yashoda swam in an ocean of transcendental nectar whenever she was in her son’s company. The boy loved His mother as well, so the reciprocal feelings made for a a pleasant atmosphere. The curious Krishna did not cry after His mother tied Him to a mortar and returned to the kitchen. Rather, He looked over and saw two arjuna trees nearby. Krishna knew who the trees were, and He knew that the mortar could help Him accomplish His task.

“Although He was able to pass through the passage, the large wooden mortar stuck horizontally between the trees. Taking advantage of this, Lord Krishna began to pull the rope which was tied to the mortar. As soon as He pulled, with great strength, the two trees, with all branches and limbs, fell down immediately with a great sound. Out of the broken, fallen trees came two great personalities, shining like blazing fire.”  (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 10)

By placing the mortar in between the trees and using it as a sort of lever, Krishna was able to knock down the trees. Normally this is a dangerous situation for a child to be in, but for Krishna there had been past incidents involving much greater danger. The female witch Putana tried to give Him poison through her breast and the demon Trinavarta took Him in a whirlwind all the way up into the air. Yet Krishna was still living and these demons were long since dead. The miraculous feats of the jewel of Vrindavana only increased everyone’s attachment to Him. That affection for God is every person’s birthright, but only in the proper conditions can it be aroused and remain active perpetually. When it is at the strongest levels at the time of death, the living being no longer has to suffer through the cycle of reincarnation.

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 8.5)

When the trees fell down, the forms of Nalakuvara and Manigriva came out, and they offered prayers to the Lord and then returned to their previous position by Krishna’s benediction. Only Krishna and some neighboring children saw them, and when the elders arrived on the scene, they were amazed at how the young boy could knock down two large trees such as those. The punishment period was over, and now Krishna could return to roaming freely through Vrindavana, playing with His friends and getting into trouble.

The curse applied by Narada Muni made the two sons live in sorrow as lonely and helpless trees for a long period of time. But just one moment’s contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead makes a seemingly endless amount of suffering and penance worth it. Kuvera’s sons were in a similar circumstance to Ahalya, Gautama Muni’s wife. She was also cursed to remain idle for many years until she was graced by the Supreme Lord, the same Krishna, in the form of Rama, the son of King Dasharatha.

Though we are condemned by the fact that we must suffer through birth and death, a moment’s contact with a devotee who can lead us to the spiritual land of Goloka Vrindavana can make all the suffering worth it. Many lifetimes have been spent in previous bodies searching for sense gratification that doesn’t bring any lasting happiness, so if we can make this stint within a material body worth it, all the past transgressions will be a distant memory. Hold on to the holy name, chant it regularly, and remember the sweetheart of Vrindavana, who delighted everyone with His pastimes.

In Closing:

Nalakuvara and Manigriva, of Kuvera were sons,

Ran into trouble when having intoxicated fun.

 

With prestige of higher parentage sons were drunk,

From Narada’s curse to forms of trees they sunk.

 

In that large and immovable state,

For sight of Krishna they had to wait.

 

In Yashoda’s courtyard, trees’ history boy could tell,

Moving mortar in between, trees to ground fell.

 

Sage’s curse to be a blessing it turned out,

As trees’ meeting with Supreme Lord came about.

The Proverbial White Flag

“When mother Yashoda and the other ladies finally saw that Krishna, although decorated with many bangles and other jeweled ornaments, could not be bound with all the ropes available in the house, they decided that Krishna was so fortunate that He could not be bound by any material condition. Thus they gave up the idea of binding Him. But in competition between Krishna and His devotee, Krishna sometimes agrees to be defeated.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.18 Purport)

“Alright, I’ve had my fun. My dear mother is trying so hard, but everyone should know that I cannot be bound by any material condition. But my affection for her is so strong that I will allow her to carry out her motherly duties. Her sincerity is spotless; not a hint of sin in her. What a shame it would be if she could not succeed in this act?” Thus Lord Krishna, the origin of the creation, the person who is without a material form and full of spiritual attributes, allowed His beloved mother to complete her task, only after she had given up in frustration. The ishvara that is the living being can choose to act, but the results to action are never in their hands, even if they may think otherwise.

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.47)

How does this work exactly? If I decide to get up in the morning, am I not responsible for the outcome of standing up? Is it not my effort that is responsible for the change in condition? Obviously one would think that the living being is the controller in these situations, but we know that the controller does not have absolute authority. For instance, what if we have some injury to our hands or legs? Will our decision to get up bear fruit? What if there is a heavy weight on top of us or other shackles placed on the body that prevent us from moving?

The opposing argument is that the impediments are extenuating circumstances and not the norm, but for an authority to be absolute it must be able to do whatever it wants at any time. No excuses. As soon as there is an excuse, the authority is diminished. If you take the same principle and apply it to every single behavior of every single living being, you’ll see that no one person is the absolute controller. They have some say so in what the body does, but the end result is not in their hands. The material nature controls every living being, causing them to take shelter of the heat in the winter months and desperately look for cool conditions in the summer.

The material elements are controlled by elevated living beings put in charge of them; sort of like how the stop lights that guide traffic are operated by the administrators of the highways and streets. Though the lights may operate off of a computer program, someone must initially write the routines and then monitor the execution of those programs. In the case of nature, elevated beings known as devas, or demigods, each have a responsibility with respect to a specific section of the gross collection of material elements.

“O Arjuna, I control heat, the rain and the drought. I am immortality, and I am also death personified. Both being and nonbeing are in Me.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 9.19)

In the Bhagavad-gita, it is revealed that God, whose original form is the personality known as Krishna, controls the heat and the rain. His influence is not always direct, but nevertheless He is the origin. The owner of the company may direct a subordinate to make a statement to the workers. The messenger reveals the statement, but the owner is the controller. He is the origin of the message distributed to others. In a similar manner, Krishna’s deputies act on His behalf to maintain the system of fairness known as karma.

There is little control over outcomes at the individual level; a fact very difficult to realize and remember. If one studies the Vedas from a bona fide spiritual master, especially one who takes the Bhagavad-gita as their life and soul, they will be daily reminded that the living being is not the doer, that they are seated as on a machine that is controlled by higher forces.

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.”  (Lord Krishna, Bg. 18.61)

At the same time, it is said that anyone who thinks of Krishna at the time of death no longer has to suffer through birth and death. If we’re just seated on a machine, how can any single action we take bring a specific result? The results do follow action, but the responsibility for those results is not in the worker’s hands. For instance, dropping an object from the hand will cause it to fall, but the higher authorities instituted this law. Therefore they are responsible for distributing the result, not the person who dropped the object.

In the case of thinking of Krishna at the time of death, the result of the pardon from the cycle of birth and death is granted by the Lord, the object of service. The purpose to action thus becomes quite evident. You have obligations to fulfill, but do them for the satisfaction of the origin of action and reaction. Follow behavior that will please Him, and He will reciprocate by making sure that the results of your actions are what they should be.

How do we find out what Krishna would like us to do? One person is praying for a field goal kicker to miss a game winning kick in a football game, while another person is praying for the same kicker to make it. How do we know which side God favors? Fruitive activity is not within the realm of bhakti, or divine love. The Supreme Lord Krishna has many times stated that He particularly favors those who wish to connect with Him. Not that He’s mean or unfavorable to others, He just knows that His personal intervention will be meaningless to someone who is suffering from the fever of material existence, which is fed by the desire to imitate God and surpass His abilities.

More than just saying what pleases Him, Krishna sometimes descends to earth to show what gives Him happiness. Such was the case during a famous incident in Yashoda’s courtyard. Krishna will not descend to earth and announce His divinity to everyone. This would serve no purpose, and it would break the laws of the material nature for no reason. Material nature exists to facilitate the desire to imitate God. If the Lord came down and told everyone that they’re stupid for doing this, who would actually listen? It’d be like going into a playground sandbox and telling all the young kids that they’re wasting their time making pretend sand castles. What will the children know about meeting mortgage payments, building skyscrapers, or getting an education to earn a high salary?

“In the course of traversing the universal creation of Brahma, some fortunate soul may receive the seed of bhakti-lata, the creeper of devotional service. This is all by the grace of guru and Krishna.”  (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 19.151)

This doesn’t mean that the world is bereft of people desirous for divine association. Those select few individuals who are sincere in their interest in connecting with God are granted the good fortune of meeting a bona fide spiritual master, an arrangement made by Krishna Himself. The guru then leads the disciple towards Krishna, completing the circle. In more special circumstances, Krishna Himself descends, but not everyone is granted entry into this magical kingdom of pastimes. At the same time, however, they don’t need to. Even if you weren’t roaming the earth in a human form during the time of Krishna’s descents, you can still connect with those pastimes by hearing about them.

In a lot of ways, this sort of connection is superior to the personal association. If I miss a big music concert because I couldn’t get tickets, I won’t be able to experience the live show, the interaction between the band and the fans. But if I can get a recording of that concert, I will be able to listen to the same show over and over again, relishing the interaction with the music longer than by being at an event and just feeling a one-time thrill.

With the Shrimad Bhagavatam, those who weren’t in Yashoda’s courtyard can delight in what happened there one day. Shri Krishna as a young child had broken a pot of butter out of anger. The dear mother had churned yogurt into butter through difficult effort, but she needed to quickly step away to deal with a pot of boiling milk in the kitchen. Krishna did not like this diversion, so He broke the pot of butter in anger and ran away, taking some of the goods with Him.

The mother finally caught Him and decided to tie Him to a rope as punishment. For the adults this wasn’t that severe a punishment, for it would keep the darling Shyamasundara within their sights. This wasn’t a punishment for Krishna either, as there was no physical harm done through the ropes. There was one slight problem, though. Yashoda couldn’t find a rope long enough to bind Krishna. The first rope ended up two finger widths short. No problem, right? Just tie another rope to the culprit? Ah, but even that ended up being two finger widths short. Rope after rope was added, with the result unchanged.

Finally, Yashoda relented. She had worked so hard that the flowers nicely placed in her hair were falling off, and she was perspiring. The effort was so sincere that Krishna finally decided to let her bind Him, ending the display of transcendental magic. No material condition can bind the person who is above the influence of matter, but through divine love, any outcome is made possible by Krishna’s direct influence. In a helpless condition, through finally surrendering, Krishna came to the rescue and gave the devotee Yashoda the delight she deserved. Therefore anyone who regularly tries to connect with Krishna, such as through chanting His holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, will not have to worry about the outcome to their actions, for the beneficial end will be delivered by the object of that attention.

In Closing:

As ishvara over body you have control,

Fate of outcomes in your hands hold.

 

Through illusion this is the mistaken thought,

But from material nature lessons always taught.

 

Krishna is the hand that controls all,

Determines when fire and where rainfall.

 

Yashoda and friends finally white flag waived,

Krishna couldn’t be bound, though naughty He behaved.

 

Rope long enough only when Krishna agreed,

Gives outcomes to devotees when He’s pleased.

Qualities That Don’t Limit

“Lord Shri Krishna is sometimes described as a thief. He is very famous amongst His pure devotees as the Makhana-chora. He used to steal butter from the houses of neighbors at Vrindavana in His early age. Since then He is famous as a thief. But in spite of His being famous as a thief, He is worshiped as a thief, whereas in the mundane world a thief is punished and is never praised. Since He is the Absolute Personality of Godhead, everything is applicable to Him, and still in spite of all contradictions He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.10.19 Purport)

If someone were to celebrate God as being the kindest person in the world, the recognition is nice, but at the same time there is a limitation. With every attribute there is a complement, or an opposite. It is also said that God is the Supreme Absolute Truth. This means that one quality doesn’t seem sufficient, for by saying that someone possesses one feature, automatically its opposite feature is missing. While this law applies to worldly objects and people, it has no bearing on the one person who is above duality, whose nirguna feature reveals that none of His attributes are limiting.

How does this work exactly? How do we know that the Supreme Person is not limited in His features? In the Vedic tradition, the original divine being is known as Krishna. He is all-attractive and blackish in complexion, so the name suits Him well. The name is assigned by others based on features which already exist. We also know from shastra, or scripture, that Lord Krishna holds a flute in His hands, wears a flower garland around His neck, has a peacock feather in His hair, and sports a smile that defeats the pride of thousands of cupids.

These features are certainly attractive, but what about the opposite quality of unattractiveness? If everything comes from God and the Lord possesses every feature simultaneously, how is He not also unattractive? If He is only attractive, does not that limited feature set represent a defect? If the Lord has a defect, how can He be absolute? How can He be God? Actually, the unattractive feature is also present in Krishna. The entire world is His expansion, so every concept we know of comes from Him. Unattractiveness is not present in His original form, however, for there is nothing negative that comes from Krishna’s personal association.

As an example, take the time that mother Yashoda checked young Krishna’s mouth to see if He had eaten dirt. The other children had accused the young boy of the nasty deed, but the Lord called them liars. Normally, if you’re checking someone’s mouth there is nothing attractive to find inside. The mouth that has just eaten something, especially dirt, will not be pleasant to look into, but the good mother doesn’t care. She is only interested in loving her child, so there is nothing that can disgust her when offering her motherly affection.

“When the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna was so ordered by His mother, He immediately opened His mouth just like an ordinary boy. Then mother Yashoda saw within that mouth the complete opulence of creation. She saw the entire outer space in all directions, mountains, islands, oceans, seas, planets, air, fire, moon and stars.”  (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 8)

That which is normally unattractive ended up being a mesmerizing vision. The inside of Krishna’s mouth showed the universe, with its many planets and stars. The mother thought she was hallucinating, that the vision couldn’t possibly be real. Here we see a small example of what nirguna, or the absence of material qualities, means. A guna is a material quality assumed by the living entities travelling through the cycle of reincarnation. A guna can also mean an attribute, an identifiable feature. What we typically refer to as unattractive does not have the same nature in the Supreme Lord. The feature may still be there, but the effect is different. The inside of the mouth that is normally unattractive is a spiritualized guna, or attribute, with Krishna.

Another example is stealing. Normally, theft is against the rules of propriety. Everything originally belongs to God, but during travels through temporary bodies, the living beings get to borrow the various material elements for their personal use. Taking that which belongs to someone else is inherently wrong and it carries negative consequences in the future. If you steal from someone today, karma dictates that someone will steal from you at a later time.

With Krishna, stealing carries no negative consequences. For starters, the Lord is above dharma, or religiosity. The purpose of a system of maintenance that meets the qualities of the soul is to connect the individual with the ultimate reservoir of pleasure. Krishna doesn’t need to follow rules and regulations to meet Himself; therefore He is not bound by any laws of conduct. When He was a child in Vrindavana, He would steal butter from the neighbors. The mothers would hide their stock of churned butter in a safe spot, but Krishna and His friends would hatch elaborate plots to steal the supplies and enjoy the butter to their stomachs’ satisfaction.

When a thief steals they are punished, but when Krishna steals He is celebrated. To this day devotees delight in hearing the pastimes of the butter thief of Vrindavana. Ordinarily the act of theft represents a defect in personal qualities, ignorance with respect to property rights. Since God is nirguna, the same quality turns out to be beneficial to all parties involved.

Krishna’s childhood form also gives us an example of an apparent contradiction. Children and adults are at opposite ends of the spectrum because of the difference in maturity levels. A child doesn’t know any better and due to their poor fund of knowledge they require adult supervision. The adult is responsible for the care and providing for the family’s well-being. Yet with Krishna the form of a child bears no limitation. He can steal, eat dirt, tease the young girls of the town, and have wrestling matches with His friends and the activities are heralded and meditated upon by yogis. These childish antics normally don’t mean anything, as they are considered childish for a reason.

If Krishna possesses all mutually contradictory attributes, how are we to properly address Him? We can say that He is attractive, but He is unattractive at the same time. We can say that His form is beautiful, but He has a formless aspect as well. We can say that He is extremely kind, but He can show wrath as well. With the demon Hiranyakashipu, Krishna in the form of a half-man/half-lion bifurcated a miscreant using His nails. This is certainly a gruesome way to kill someone, and yet with Krishna the act is celebrated. In pictures depicting the incident, it is seen that Prahlada Maharaja is offering a flower garland to Narasimhadeva as the killing is taking place. Prahlada was Hiranyakashipu’s five year old son, so how could he not protest what was going on? Ah, but Prahlada had been harassed by his father to the point that so many attempts were made on his life. Prahlada’s real affection was for God, so seeing Him in a ferocious form was still a cause for worship.

The question is how to describe the indescribable. The answer is that you can’t. Rather, the Supreme Absolute Truth is neti neti, or not this and not that. However, this doesn’t mean that the attempt can’t be made. We can never make the perfect painting or write the perfect song, but the process is pleasurable nonetheless. There is some enjoyment derived through the attempt and also in the interaction with the end product. With Krishna consciousness, or bhakti-yoga, the process purifies the participant along the way. The devotee who at least attempts to glorify Krishna finds so much pleasure that they’ll spend the rest of their life doing the same. At the time of death, they’ll pray to be able to continue that glorification in life after life. As the original source of everything, Krishna ensures that whoever wants to glorify Him is never bereft of attributes and pastimes to focus on. The Lord’s all-pervading nature, His qualities that don’t have limitations, provide endless delight to the sincere souls.

In bhakti, the sincere worshiper inherits the same ability to transcend duality that exists in the heavenly father. For instance, normally the loss of fortune is considered harmful. Fortune is beneficial because it allows for life’s necessities to be met without a problem. A person who becomes destitute thus has a tough time dealing with life, with their mind constantly burdened with fears pertaining to the future. Destitution in bhakti, however, can be good because it allows for thoughts to more clearly focus on Krishna. With too much opulence, a person can get distracted by all the attachments to objects. In the more renounced spirit, not only is life easier to maintain, but so is the dedication to regularly chanting the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, which is the most effective cure for misery in the modern age.

No amount of indulgence in divine love is too much and no amount of contemplation upon the wonderful features of the butter thief of Vrindavana can satisfy the appetite for transcendental nectar. Insatiability is usually a negative feature, but when applied to Krishna, it serves as a catalyst for repeated engagements that automatically keep one renounced from harmful acts and focused on the path that leads to the imperishable spiritual sky.

In Closing:

Butter from the neighbors Krishna does steal,

Hearing of this the mind it does heal.

 

How is this, is not theft something bad?

Does not taking property make others mad?

 

Rules don’t apply to Shri Krishna’s case,

Full of transcendental charm is His smiling face.

 

Supreme Lord possesses features contradictory,

Understood through hearing Vedic history.

 

In bhakti all conditions end up being good,

Because in path Krishna gradually understood.

Fun In Frustration

“To bind Him should have required only a rope not more than two feet long. All the ropes in the house combined together might have been hundreds of feet long, but still He was impossible to bind, for all the ropes together were still too short. Naturally mother Yashoda and her gopi friends thought, ‘How is this possible?’ Seeing this funny affair, all of them were smiling.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.17 Purport)

What is it like to be liberated? Enlightenment is the pinnacle of thought because of the influence it has on behavior. An enlightened individual isn’t sad over the loss of a job, the sudden downturn in the economy, or the onset of the winter season. By the same token, the truly wise don’t offer too much elation when something good happens, when something they know is only temporary should arrive and bring others so much excitement that they can’t explain it. For the spirit soul transcending the influence of the senses, there is one more step to go, one more hill to climb. In that highest state of liberation, wherein one happily falls victim to the influence of sharanagati, there is all sorts of activity with variety, but instead of bringing about a temporarily painful or pleasurable state, or even a neutral indifference, there is pure elation.

How does this work exactly? How can we say that one kind of elation is different from another? We actually see examples of this all the time. The elation and misery involved in the progression towards a culminating state are different from those temporary ups and downs that have no bearing on anything. For instance, if I’m frustrated from studying for an exam that I must pass in order to complete a certain course, that pain will prove to be beneficial if it forces me to study harder and do everything in my power to pass. On the other hand, if I’m frustrated over being unable to find a specific shirt to wear or the wallet I need for purchasing liquor, the frustration has no bearing on an ultimate progression.

It is for this reason that the Vedas, the oldest system of spirituality in existence, put behavior into three different categories. In goodness, the highest mode, all work is done under the umbrella of knowledge gathering, wherein the individual gradually learns how to see the difference between matter and spirit and their position transcendental to the ever-changing external nature. In passion, one works very hard to get a temporary reward that does not bring lasting happiness. Along the way there could be ups and downs and in the end the fruit is not guaranteed to manifest on time. Throughout the process the living being remains tied to the idea that they are their body, which is an indication of illusion.

Picture identifying yourself as a child throughout your life. As a fully grown adult you get up in the morning to watch Sesame Street or some other children’s program. In the afternoon you go out to play on the fields and at night you wait for your parents to set dinner out on the table. The next day you repeat the cycle again, not taking advantage of your adult form. Obviously the incorrect identification as a child is the cause of your misfortune.

In the larger picture, the living being’s ignorance of his true position as pure spirit leads to pain and misery not only in this life, but in future ones as well. The next life is sort of like a new day, as the passage of time has no bearing on the properties of spirit. Through the passage of time the flower may wilt away and die, but the spark of life within it, the spirit soul, is always the source of identification. When the external form decays and eventually dies, the spirit soul gets placed into a new body to begin the cycle again.

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.22)

In the lowest mode of activity, there is not even a temporary fruit received. Rather, the behavior is considered stupid; it does not fulfill any tangible purpose. The individual remains in ignorance in the current life and in the next one as well. Think of driving drunk, going on a killing spree, or sleeping throughout the day. These behaviors don’t further any purpose, though in illusion the bewildered soul may think that they do.

The height of practicing the mode of goodness is the realization of Brahman, which is the impersonal spiritual force. Think of every life form that you see and what makes up its identity. Then take all those individuals and group them into a collection. That whole energy is known as Brahman, and it is very difficult to see, sort of like looking at a large number in its numeral representation without any commas. If you add some commas and take some time to study the same number, you can perhaps make out its value. The brahma-bhutah soul understands the essence of spirit and thus remains aloof to the temporary changes.

Yet this stage of liberation is not the end. The spirit soul has inherent properties, the foremost of which is its desire for ananda, or bliss. Brahman too has a source. Not surprisingly, the fountainhead of Brahman is also the reservoir of pleasure. The liberated soul cherishes this person’s association more than anyone else’s. From the knowledge of Brahman comes equanimity in demeanor, not being taken off of the righteous path regardless of what happens in external surroundings. However, in the highest state when connected with the source of Brahman, there is still activity. From activity come temporary results, so that should bring the individual back into the trap of acceptance and rejection, no? Ah, but the nature of the rewards is different. Both frustration and victory have the same effect for the spirit soul connected with the reservoir of pleasure.

An example is always helpful in this situation. To see how even frustration is pleasurable to the liberated soul, we can go back to a famous incident that occurred in the courtyard of a cowherd woman named Yashoda. This event took place some five thousand years ago in the farm community of Vrindavana, so the people were generally more pious than they are today. As further time elapses from the beginning of creation, dharma, or virtue, represented as a table or stool loses its legs. In the beginning it stands on all four legs, but with the passage of time dharma dwindles to the point that it only stands on one leg, as is the case today.

On this day Yashoda was involved in punishing her young son. In defiance, in anger over her having gotten up to tend to boiling milk in the kitchen, the son purposefully broke a pot of butter and then took some of the goods to a neighboring room. He ate some of the butter that was so difficult to churn and then also shared some with the monkeys. When Yashoda found out what happened, she chased her son with a whipping stick, finally catching Him.

The boy cried crocodile tears of remorse, and to make sure that He didn’t run away, the mother decided to tie Him to a mortar. This should have been a pretty simple chore. The boy was rather small and the mother was a mature adult. Yet after the first attempt, the rope came up two finger widths short. Okay, so this means that the rope was just too short. Not a big deal; you just get another rope to compensate for the short length. Adding another rope, Yashoda began tying again. Uh oh. The same problem. The rope was just short by the same length. She kept trying rope after rope and each time the problem was the same.

Now, normally this frustration would not be pleasurable. The child needed to be punished and something strange was occurring to stop it from happening. Yet mother Yashoda was smiling after each failure, as were the neighboring cowherd women watching the apparent magic. They didn’t step up to show the mother how to correct the situation, for they were enjoying this display from her young son. You see He had this effect on people and situations. The many nefarious characters that had come to Vrindavana to kill the boy could not escape with their lives intact. Though they were much more powerful than Yashoda’s son, they could not kill Him as they were ordered to do.

On this wonderful day the sweet child could not be tied up, no matter how hard Yashoda tried. Since the boy that was caught was the reservoir of pleasure, the source of Brahman, the connection with Him in love was on the highest platform of activity, even above the mode of goodness. This automatically made Yashoda and her friends liberated souls, the most enlightened. Though they weren’t outwardly acknowledged as such, since they got to interact with the young boy in this way, they felt the bliss that can only come through God’s association.

In this liberated state, even the frustration of being unable to tie Him up brought Yashoda and others so much pleasure. That same happiness is available to every person should they harbor the same level of affection for the young boy, who has an eternally existing form that is full of bliss and knowledge. His sach-chid-ananda-vigraha can be worshiped with the mind through thoughts, with the body through offerings to the deity, and with words through the regular recitation of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

So what would happen? Would Yashoda’s son named Krishna get away? The Lord can never be caught by yoga, austerity, sacrifice, or knowledge alone. Only through love will He agree to be caught, to stay within the vision of the people who truly relish it. Therefore He allowed Yashoda to finally tie Him up, to perform her motherly duties with dedication. Whether He was playing with His friends, breaking pots of butter, sneaking into the neighbors’ homes to steal their food, or frustrating His mother by making the rope always too short, Krishna was a delight to everyone. With connection to Him through the discipline of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, even frustration turns into fun.

In Closing:

Yashoda’s naughty son is on the run,

Chasing after Him for mother good fun.

 

Breaking pot of butter He did something bad,

But deep down the affectionate mother was glad.

 

Chase reached culmination when Krishna was caught,

For tying Him up to mortar Yashoda brought.

 

Despite best efforts, rope was short on its reach,

Through this magic God divine lessons did teach.

 

Only through divine love this delight can you find,

Worship Him with body, speech and mind.

Finishing The Race

“This new rope also was short by a measurement of two fingers, and when another rope was joined to it, it was still two fingers too short. As many ropes as she joined, all of them failed; their shortness could not be overcome.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.16)

Because of how we currently view the nature of action, it is assumed that the path towards success in spiritual life involves piling various achievements on top of one another. “Start small and then build your way towards the final goal. Cram enough activity to accumulate numerous spiritual merits and you’ll eventually reach the topmost realm of the spiritual sky, where birth and death no longer take place.” Such a miserable cycle is not desired by one who is aware of it. The ignorant, though taking their paltry enjoyment to be blissful, are automatically harmed by being unaware of the ultimate goal and the supreme happiness it brings. Yet despite the best effort, no quantitative accumulation of merits can bring the Supreme Lord into one’s company, or more importantly, under one’s control. Rather, when sincerity is there, when the motivation is completely pure, the controller of this and every other land agrees to allow the surrendered soul to think that He is under their sway. Thus the emotional reservoirs can spill over from both sides and flood the situation with transcendental sweetness.

What do we mean by building upon activities to reach a final goal? You can take running a marathon as an example to see the principles. The marathon runner has a goal to fulfill. They want to complete the race of 26.2 miles while keeping at least a running pace throughout. The serious runner will keep an eye on time, but for most of the participants just saying that you finished a marathon is good enough. After all, the person not accustomed to running will have a difficult time completing a single mile. Even the runners in the race don’t practice the entire 26.2 miles. They likely train to do half that distance on a semi-regular basis, knowing that on the day of the race the adrenaline will help push them across the finish line.

To run in a marathon requires training and a commitment to both physical and mental well-being. The runner needs to be in shape, ready to run long distances. They have to know how to prepare their bodies for a long-distance race. This means understanding how much to eat and when prior to the race. Also, they must know how to pace themselves and not exhaust their reservoir of energy before reaching the finish line.

Each one of these regulations can be considered a building block. Then, on the day of the race, the runner further builds smaller blocks by dissecting the race. “Finish one mile at a time and don’t think about the entire length. If you follow this procedure, eventually you can reach the finish line.” The same pattern applies to basically every fruitive venture. In school, complete each year starting from the first grade and eventually make your way to graduation after twelve years.

This is how goals are achieved. The larger the goal, the larger the number of smaller building blocks required for completion. In the big picture, the spirit soul, which is the essence of identity, has an ultimate purpose to fulfill. Only in the human form is there the ability to uncover that purpose. Therefore the Vedas consider the human birth to be the most auspicious. The intelligence of the human being is not best used to create a devastating bomb that can destroy the world or build an aircraft capable of flying into outer space. Inventing a gadget to receive and place telephone calls to people around the world also isn’t the best use of the brainpower of the human being.

The reason the human being has a higher purpose to fulfill is that the enjoyment derived from mechanical advancement is more or less the same as what is available to the animals. A human being may drive in their fancy sports car to an expensive restaurant that serves the finest steaks, but the animals lacking intelligence have the same ability to eat. Tigers eat the flesh of other animals without spending a dime. The human being has intelligence to go beyond the basic needs of eating, sleeping, mating and defending.

Religion ideally fulfills this purpose. Not the religion just inherited as a formality from the parents or a faith accepted one day and then rejected the next, a bona fide discipline of spirituality is presented and understood as a science, where specific laws that can’t be violated are taught. The laws are already in effect, but cognizance of them allows the worker to operate within their guidelines, avoiding the painful reactions that come from going against the stringent influence of nature.

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.”  (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

A young child may not know how gravity works, but if you let go of something from your hand, it will fall to the ground. If you are on a perch somewhere, if you jump off, you will drop to the ground. Therefore knowledge of gravity can be very helpful, for it will enable you to avoid dangerous behavior. In a similar manner, knowledge of the transmigration of the soul, how it travels through different body types from life to life, enables the human being to take the necessary steps to avoid that cycle, to put a permanent end to it. The samsara-chakra, or spinning wheel of material existence, is like an amusement park ride that one doesn’t have to patronize. Rather, as soon as the desire to reject that ride is broadcast, the spirit soul gets a better destination.

The real purpose of religion is to break free of the cycle of birth and death and find a more ideal destination. The natural instinct would be to follow the same pattern of using building blocks to reach the final goal. “Whatever steps are required, I will do and then hopefully reach the final point.” But things aren’t quite so simple. You can’t just put in a certain amount of time and then be guaranteed of success. Granted, the building blocks are there, but the purpose is to shift consciousness, to purify it. That stark change can take place within an instant, or it can be so elusive that many lifetimes spent in spiritual practice won’t turn the mind.

If the pathways to success are so varied, why even put forth the effort? Under the bona fide principles presented by an instructor who knows the ins and outs of the students, the progress can happen very quickly. More specifically, if there is sincerity in purpose, the object of that service will ensure success. An example of this was seen with mother Yashoda, who one day tried to tie her son to a mortar as punishment for His bad behavior. What Yashoda didn’t know was that her son was the Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, appearing on earth in the spiritual guise of a tiny, adorable child. The jewel of Vrindavana enchanted everyone in the town, and He especially evoked the parental loving affection of Yashoda and Nanda Maharaja.

On one occasion, the naughty Krishna broke a pot of yogurt that was in the process of being churned into butter. He did so in protest to His mother having gotten up for a second to tend to affairs in the kitchen. Knowing that He did something bad, Krishna ran from the scene, taking His butter with Him, but leaving a trail on the floor to give away His location. The good mother chased after her son playfully with a whipping stick in her hand. Finally catching hold of Him, seeing that He had tears in His eyes, she decided she would tie Him to a mortar. This would serve two purposes. It would act as a mild punishment and it would ensure that He wouldn’t run off to a neighboring home out of fear.

There was one slight problem. The rope that mother Yashoda used to tie Krishna came up two finger widths short. No problem, right? Just add an adjoining rope to increase the length? Yet with every rope she added, the end result was always the same. Just a bit short. Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be bound unless He agrees to it. He cannot be captured by the mind no matter how much meditation has taken place, how many pious credits have been accumulated, or how long the person has studied Vedanta, which is the ultimate system of knowledge.

Krishna did eventually get tied to the mortar. This is because the mother’s efforts were sincere. She was not interested in yoga, though through thinking of her son in a mood of love she had achieved an end sought by every yogi. She did not want to study Vedanta, though through her behavior she showed that she knew who the Absolute Truth was and how to establish a relationship with Him. She did not want to purposefully give up the fruits of her labor for a higher cause, though she worked day and night to please the Supreme Lord, who had appeared in Vrindavana as her son.

Shri Krishna makes the sincere efforts of the devotee fruitful. The laws of material science don’t apply to Him. Putting two ropes together always increases the length of the new rope, but in Krishna’s case, the new rope can be the same length as the previous one. The contradictions to the laws of time and space exist only with the Supreme Lord and His spiritual realm, which is the destination for the pious souls who are committed to bhakti and granted success by the beneficiary of their activity, that sweetheart butter-thief who innocently played with mother Yashoda.

In Closing:

One upon another do you build,

At end have accumulation’s hill.

 

Success in life this pattern follows,

Methodically reach desired end allows.

 

Do your training and take right pace,

So that you’ll complete marathon race.

 

In bhakti the pattern is not the same,

Devotional spirit only way for Krishna to gain.

 

Yashoda tried to tie naughty son to mortar,

But never worked until Krishna gave the order.

Win Win Win

“’Unless I agree,’ Krishna desired to show, ‘you cannot bind Me.’ Thus although mother Yashoda, in her attempt to bind Krishna, added one rope after another, ultimately she was a failure. When Krishna agreed, however, she was successful.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.15 Purport)

What to do now that your young child has been caught red-handed? Butter smeared over His hands and feet, having just tried to flee like a criminal attempting to outrun the police on the highway, Krishna was in a vulnerable position.  The dear mother was left with a few options. Should she just let the incident slide, pretend as if nothing happened? Or should she punish Him for doing something that was wrong? Thankfully for countless future generations she chose an option that would bring delight to all the parties involved.

How can everyone win? Isn’t that contradictory? In an episode from the American television sitcom The Office, there is a situation where the human resources manager has to resolve a dispute, mediate between people who have a disagreement with one another. One solution is to just let both sides vent until they forget about what the problem was. The manager, seeing the indecision, decides to step in and read the guidebook on how to handle situations like these. He decides on an option called win/win/win.

Obviously such an outcome is considered next to impossible, for how can all the parties be satisfied? In Krishna’s case the favorable outcome would be to get let off the hook. Mother Yashoda’s preference would be for her son to feel bad and never break another pot of butter again. For the third party, the reader of the story, the best option is for the mother’s love for her son to increase and vice versa.

This is precisely what would occur. The good mother threatened punishment with a whipping stick, but there was never any intent to use it. Why should such a young child be struck just for taking some butter from a pot that He broke? Rather than strike her boy, the dear mother decided to tie Him to a mortar. This way He would think He was being punished, but in reality He would just remain in the mother’s vision. He had no reason to run off either. Why should He be scared when the mother was so happy just to have Him in her life?

So the solution was simple enough, but Yashoda’s son was no ordinary human being. To add to the fun, He made sure that the rope used by the mother was always just too short. Every time she added another rope the final rope came up short by the width of two fingers. The mother couldn’t understand the mystery, but because of her sincerity of purpose, eventually young Krishna relented. He allowed her to bind Him in ropes of affection.

With this option the mother felt like she was doing her job. She did not shirk her responsibility out of attachment to her boy. That would have been a rather selfish thing to do. If a parent doesn’t provide tough love from time to time, how will the child ever learn that their errant behavior is wrong? We know not to touch fire because of the intense pain that results from contact. If that pain were not there, our hand would burn rather quickly in the fire. In this way the pain exists for our benefit.

Mother Yashoda was used to dealing with trouble from her son. He was known for going into the neighbors’ homes and stealing their stocks of butter. He had also been involved in several strange situations with ghoulish creatures. There was the witch named Putana who tried to kill Him while He was still an infant. Dressed as a beautiful woman, the witch smeared poison on her breasts and then tried to nurse the young child. She got her wish, as Krishna placed His lips on the poison, but in the process sucked the very life out of her. In the end, all that was left was this gigantic hideous corpse fallen on the ground, with young Krishna crawling on top of her. Then there was a wicked character in the shape of a whirlwind who had taken young Krishna high into the sky. Again, the plot was thwarted, but Yashoda knew that her son was always finding His way into such dangerous situations.

This particular pastime with the broken pot started with Yashoda’s desire to churn tasty butter for her son. She thought that maybe the reason He was stealing butter from others was that what He was being fed at home wasn’t to His satisfaction. Therefore she went to churn yogurt into butter from the products of her husband’s best cows, which were fed the sweetest grass.

To her dismay, Krishna angrily broke that pot that she worked so hard to fill. Krishna’s past transgressions were forgiven because the other cowherd mothers did not want Krishna to be punished. Though they protested to Yashoda, they were so charmed by her son that they did not want Him to stop His activities. This time, however, Yashoda was directly affected, and she had to keep her son sitting still and make Him aware that He couldn’t foil her hard work that was intended for His benefit to begin with.

Being tied to the rope was pleasurable for Krishna because He got to see His mother’s sincere effort. He had broken the pot for want of affection, and now He was getting it. The pure-hearted listeners of this real-life incident documented in the Shrimad Bhagavatam end up winners by getting to see the sweet pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The entire Vedic literature is directed towards this purpose. The human mind likes to be entertained by external events. If this weren’t the case then the news would never be put on television. Nobody would ever go on the internet to see what is going on in the world. The Vedas take the natural penchant within human beings for hearing stories and purify it by providing countless stories relating to the real-life pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A simple incident like breaking a pot of butter may not be noteworthy in a movie or book, but when it relates to Lord Krishna, it can be remembered over and over again, for years to come.

Proof of the claim is that Krishna’s activities are still talked about today. If He were just a folk hero or mythological creation this wouldn’t be possible. If a tangible benefit, that of supreme happiness and comfort, wasn’t received from tapping into the voluminous Vedic literature, Krishna’s popularity would have died down a long time ago. Because of His absolute nature, hearing about the Lord’s activities has an effectiveness that stands the test of time.

Hearing is as good as seeing when it comes to Krishna. Hearing is more effective in the sense that it requires more attention. There is an active response elicited within the mind through the process. The same attention is absent with seeing, for visuals can bring distractions, with the eyes focusing on certain aspects while ignoring other things that are going on.

In various public opinion surveys, it has been shown that people who listen to the news, either through a news radio station or talk radio, have more knowledge of current events than people who only watch the news. This should make sense, as it is easier to remember something heard as opposed to something seen. Increased memory equates to increased contemplation, which keeps the brain working to formulate arguments and opinions. Moreover, the opinions formed are better supported by the logic and reasoning applied during the initial hearing.

Though young Krishna could not go anywhere, He eventually managed to move the mortar in between two trees, causing them to fall down. Thus began another pastime, which was instigated by Krishna’s crime of stealing butter and then mother Yashoda’s subsequent punishment. The dear mother took all the effort in the world to love her son, and the child reciprocated by interacting with her in the way that an affectionate child does.

Mother Yashoda is as glorious as her beloved son. She was loved in Vrindavana some five thousand years ago, and she continues to be honored to this day. She took the effort to provide motherly affection to her son, and because of this the transcendental pleasure seekers were able to get a steady supply of life-giving nectar. Just as the lotus flower automatically opens at the rise of the sun, the devotee cherishing the sweet nectar of the pastimes of the Supreme Lord comes to life upon hearing Krishna’s interactions with His mother in Vrindavana.

That same darling of Vrajabhumi is our constant well-wisher, as He is just waiting for us to recite His holy names, "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare". From that chanting comes remembrance of His pastimes, the sweetest of which took place in Vrindavana when Krishna roamed this earth as a young child.

In Closing:

To mother Yashoda a heartfelt thank you,

For to motherly duties being always true.

 

Angry at mother, Krishna’s stubbornness strong,

Broke pot of butter, knew what He did was wrong.

 

With a whipping stick the good mother chased,

Tied with ropes to a mortar young Krishna placed.

 

Krishna happy, mother able clearly to see Him,

Devoted listener pleased too, win win win.

 

Both mother and her son cherished to this day,

With us may their sweet vision always stay.

Adjoining Ropes

“’Unless I agree,’ Krishna desired to show, ‘you cannot bind Me.’ Thus although mother Yashoda, in her attempt to bind Krishna, added one rope after another, ultimately she was a failure. When Krishna agreed, however, she was successful.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.15 Purport)

Mother Yashoda is now ready. Having caught the culprit of a strike on a supply of freshly churned butter, the time for punishment has arrived. The criminal in this case is a small child, so it shouldn’t be difficult to implement the sentence. An adult is, after all, more mature, both physically and mentally. Another advantage for the adult is that the child doesn’t realize that certain kinds of punishment aren’t really so harmful. If you tell a kid to go to their room for an hour, they may become fearful, but the adult knows that sitting in a room for that long isn’t that big a deal. Though Yashoda had everything in place to teach her son a lesson, for some reason her method of punishment wasn’t working. The target of her motherly duties happened to be the world’s greatest magician, who through a simple exhalation creates this and innumerable other universes and then brings them back into Himself with a subsequent inhalation.

To call the Supreme Lord a magician borders on offensive, as a magician is known for using slight of hand, illusion in his dealings. He can’t really saw his assistant in half; it just looks that way on stage. With Yashoda’s young child, the actions He takes look like magic, but for Him there is no mystery. If He can arrange for objects that are billions of tons in weight to float in the air without a problem, what difficulty is there in either elongating or shortening a rope without any visible effort? The “unknown” will forever remain a mystery to the human mind, which is limited in its thinking by the concepts of time and space. Just sit down and try to think about the beginning of the beginning, the oldest point in time. You can’t reach it, for even when you say the beginning, there had to be something before that. On the other side, the future continues infinitely. This is why the theory that a big bang of chemicals created life doesn’t hold any water. If chemicals are the source of life, what were they doing before the purported bang? Where did the chemicals come from? If the answer is, ‘They were just there’, the theorist is essentially saying that chemicals are God, holding the property of eternality.

Space stretches infinitely as well. Go to the outer limits of this present galaxy and eventually you’ll drift so far away that you’ll worry about making the long journey back home. So much of the universe is unknown, even in light of the many discoveries made in the past one thousand years. With the mind unable to grasp the concept of infinity, why should a young child’s dealings with a rope be so difficult to understand? Indeed, the apparent display of magic in Yashoda’s courtyard had nothing to do with substantiating the position of her son as the Supreme Lord. Rather, as with every activity of the darling of Vrindavana, the aim is to provide pleasure, to both Himself and the people that love Him.

How was mother Yashoda pleased from this situation? Her son had just broken a pot of yogurt that was in the process of being churned into butter. He broke the pot without proper cause, and intentionally. Yashoda was feeding Him when a pot of milk started to boil over in the kitchen. Was she supposed to just let it spill over and burn on the stove? She had only been away for a few moments when the petulant Krishna decided to break the pot. He knew that the mother had worked so hard during the day to make that sweet butter. She made it for her son too, for she was worried about why He had been sneaking into the homes of the neighbors to take their butter. Perhaps He didn’t like what was available at home.

Afterwards, the mother, rightfully attempting to catch the culprit, had difficulty inflicting the chosen punishment. She decided she would tie Krishna to a mortar. For starters, this would show Him that children can’t intentionally defy the orders of their parents and get away with it. Secondly, since she was holding a stick when chasing after Krishna, the Lord showed signs of fear. By tying Him to a mortar, Krishna would not be able to run away from the home due to that fear. Also, Yashoda wouldn’t have to worry about where her son went.

The problem with the method of punishment turned out to be logistics of all things. The rope Yashoda used was short by the width of two fingers. She was close to tying the delight of Maharaja Nanda, but the rope wasn’t quite long enough. No problem. Yashoda went and got another rope and joined the two together. Time to tie up Krishna again. Oh, but somehow this rope had the same deficiency. Just too short to tie the Lord to the mortar. In this way the problem continued with each rope the loving mother added on, until finally Krishna allowed for the rope to be long enough.

The incident was not an imagination. It happened for real and it was documented in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown-jewel of Vedic literature. With Krishna’s actions, so many purposes are simultaneously fulfilled. The incident with the rope is tremendously delightful to those kind-hearted souls sincerely interested in hearing about and connecting with God. Secondly, trying to catch God and not being able to symbolically reveals so many lessons. Unless the Supreme Lord agrees, He can never be caught. If you want to travel to another planet, you may be able to see it for a while after expending great effort in aviation and science, but unless the Lord agrees to give you a body suitable for habitation, you will not be able to find permanent residence there.

The same requirement for sanction holds true with all other aspects of life. The spirit soul, which is the essence of identity, is a vibrant life force. It’s easy to overlook, but all the amazing inventions and complex structures we see around us were built by people who are no more smarter than we are. They invested much effort and had a passion to complete their work, but at their core they are spirit souls just like us. This means that one tiny spark within a larger body has so much potential for action. Because of the amazing abilities of the soul, the individual sometimes gets deluded into thinking they have full control over personal fate.

As a simple example, if we are going on an interview for a position that we know we are qualified for, if we present ourselves nicely, demonstrate our proficiency in the skills necessary for the job, and really hit it off with the hiring committee, the expectation is that the job will be secured. At the same time, however, there are other factors that the candidate has no control over. The place of business has an operating budget, human resources to manage, and considerations based on personal sentiments. If any one of these pieces of the delicate balance of the work environment should fall the wrong way, even a perfect candidate for the job will be denied.

In mother Yashoda’s courtyard, we saw a woman who should have had no problem tying up her son. Finding a rope long enough to fit the task should not require much effort, especially when the object to be tied is a small child. Lord Krishna, however, is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest. Many years later on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, He would show His gigantic universal form, the virat-rupa, to the hesitant warrior Arjuna. Then moments later, Krishna would change back to His original two-handed form which took its seat in front of the warrior. Both forms exist simultaneously, so the shifting was just related to external vision, not to functionality. If we put on a specific outfit on a particular day, we are automatically not wearing the other clothes in the closet. With Krishna, even when He descends to earth, He is still in Vrindavana in the spiritual sky and within the hearts of the living entities.

Because He sanctioned it, Krishna was eventually caught by mother Yashoda and tied to the mortar. Following the Lord’s direction is the only way to gain the favor of the one person whose exhibition of prapti, or the mystic perfection of being able to get whatever you want, is perfect. Fortunately, Shri Krishna does not ask much from His sons and daughters. Yashoda’s qualification was her pure love for her son, which thus enabled her to interact with Him in so many wonderful ways. The adjoining ropes finally became long enough when Krishna decided that His mother deserved to emerge successful in her parental duties. That vision of sweet Damodara was cherished by Yashoda on that day and it remains implanted within the mind of the dear servant who regularly recites the holy names with firm faith, reliance and love: “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

In Closing:

Finding the culprit Krishna was tough,

Then adjoining ropes never long enough.

Assistant sawed in half at the hip,

Part of magician’s illusory tricks.

Krishna similar but His magic is real,

Lives in Vrindavana but presence can still feel.

After seeing how hard His mother did try,

Krishna made ropes long enough to tie.

That darling Damodara to mortar He stood,

Remember incident so God to be understood.

The Immeasurable

“Every individual person can be measured, but Krishna has already shown that although He also is an individual, the entire cosmic manifestation is within His mouth. All these points considered, Krishna cannot be measured. How then did Yashoda want to measure Him and bind Him? We must conclude that this took place simply on the platform of pure transcendental love. This was the only cause.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.13-14 Purport)

Take the largest object you can imagine and then try to keep in mind its size. This exercise is a little difficult considering the fact that there are land masses so great in scope that you can’t appreciate the impression they make unless you have a bird’s eye view from an airplane or other vehicle flying high above. Not until you see something with your own eyes can you be truly awe-inspired. This explains the purpose for sight-seeing, travelling to landmarks and world wonders to see the scenes in question for only a few brief moments. The experience doesn’t last long, so one might even say that it is easier to just look at the same scenes in pictures, for in either case the association with the object will be temporary. But we like to experience awesome things in person so that their wonder can truly make an impression.

Whatever it is we think is the greatest is actually minute in comparison to the land mass that is the earth. And then the earth is puny compared to the many other planets existing in this solar system. Then all the planets themselves can’t compare to the sun, which is so powerful that we can’t even get close to it. The sun is thousands of miles away, yet even from that distance it has such a tremendous effect on us.

The wonder of space is noticed by the size and scope of physical objects, but there is also time. Look at old pictures of yourself and you can’t imagine how strange the time period shown in them was. Then see and hear about the period of time on earth prior to your birth. Again, the feelings are strange. “What did people do back then? What a great time it must have been? I would love to go back and live through that.” While it may seem interesting, the recent past, perhaps one hundred years ago, is nothing in comparison to the infinitely large time factor. It operates in both directions: past and future. Think of the environment around you right now. In one hundred years everything will seem strange to the people living on earth. They will yearn to travel back in time to what you consider the present.

Take the full breadth of time and space and you get a slight idea of Lord Krishna’s position with respect to the world. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is unmanifest. This means that from our perspective we cannot see how large and pervasive His energy is. It is said that the deity is the authorized object of worship for the fallen souls in the material world. The deity is made of earthly elements, and through authorized procedures it can accept the obeisances of those looking to see God and connect with Him. The deity is but a small replica of Krishna’s features. Say that the worshipable statue is one foot tall. Does this mean that Krishna is so short? Does this mean that we’re taller than Krishna? In actuality, the Lord is so tall that we could never find enough materials to dress Him properly. His transcendental belly has so much room that we could never properly fill it with sumptuous food preparations.

Despite the fact that Krishna is unmanifest [alakshyam] and beyond the perception of the senses [adhokshaja], in mother Yashoda’s courtyard some five thousand years ago He was bound up to a mortar as punishment for having broken a pot of butter. The relevant details are presented in the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the crown-jewel of Vedic literature, a bhakti-shastra. The difference between any other scriptural work, or shastra, and a work on bhakti is that the Supreme Lord is described in the most complete detail in a bhakti-shastra. In other works Krishna may be described as the Supreme Absolute Truth, the feature of Brahman that is beyond duality. Brahman is explained to be all-pervading, unmanifested to the naked eye. Brahman cannot be perceived by blunt senses or by instruments. No microscope exists that can perceive the size and presence of the spirit soul. We can only go off of outward symptoms.

The Bhagavatam also touches on Brahman and its features, but as it is a bhakti-shastra, it spends more time describing the source of Brahman, Lord Krishna. Despite the fact that He is unmanifest, in His original feature God is still a person. His personality is indescribable; hence the common use of the term “neti neti”, meaning “not this, not that”, in the Vedas. If you took a label maker and went from object to object and noted its relation to the Supreme Absolute Truth, you would have to label everything as “Not God.” After all, how can even the sun, which is composed of the material element of fire, be considered beyond duality? Something which is created must be destroyed, thereby indicating that it is subject to the influence of time and space.

Krishna, on the other hand, is not bound by any force. Time never touches Him, as His spiritual body is always blissful and knowledgeable. He holds a flute in His hands and dazzles the ears of the liberated souls who take their only wealth in life to be Krishna consciousness, the steady stream of transcendental thoughts that can constantly flood the mind through recitation of the holy names, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”.

The inconceivably brilliant Krishna appeared on earth in the form of a human child, one that looked like it was subject to birth and death like everyone else. A child is the dependent of the guardians, be they parents or other elderly figures. As a child can be controlled by a loving guardian, so Krishna could be tied to a mortar by His mother, the sweetheart Yashoda, the wife of the king of Vraja, Nanda Maharaja. This incident was so cherished by the reciter of the Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Goswami, that in the shloka that presented it the juxtaposition to Krishna’s all-pervasive and beginning-less and endless position was made.

How was Yashoda able to bind Krishna? Elevated transcendentalists try their best just to see God, what then to speak of controlling Him? As Krishna is beyond past, present, future and the influence of space, the only conclusion is that He allowed Yashoda to bind Him. Children have no ability to pay for expensive vacations or to go to the amusement park, but adults find themselves in these places regardless. Through their loving innocence, the children are able to get the parents to willfully agree to visiting these places.

Krishna is the Supreme Father, so to allow for loving exchanges He agrees to play the part of a naughty child who needs to be punished for His transgressions. The ropes used by mother Yashoda were never long enough, as Krishna retains His amazing features even when in the form of a child. Therefore devotees rightfully look at the deity with the utmost respect. Though in the form of a statue made of resin, wood or stone, the deity is non-different from Krishna. It accepts the offerings of flowers, food and water made to it and returns them as prasadam, or the Lord’s mercy.

The rope became long enough once Krishna allowed it to be. The significance of the incident with mother Yashoda cannot be discussed enough. The beautiful Shyamasundara was more than just intentionally captured by Yashoda’s ropes of loving affection. Shri Krishna would do anything for His devotees, regardless of the time or circumstance. If someone’s only desire is to connect with God in pure innocence, why would the most powerful person deny their request? He will go out of His way to do whatever it takes to please them, even if it means transgressing the social standards He instituted as part of His Vedas. The rules are meant to bring one to Krishna after all, so someone who is already there need not worry about self-realization. We don’t see any mention of Yashoda’s having viewed her son with awe or reverence. She did not sit in meditation or study Vedanta. She had no interest for understanding Brahman, but from her sincerity of purpose, she got to love God without inhibition.

Krishna would have a similar interaction with a devotee later on during His time on earth. This time a princess found herself in trouble and needed Krishna to make her dress infinitely large. As a child being tied by His mother, Krishna first made sure the rope was never the proper size, as what measurement exists that can accurately account for Krishna’s body? With Draupadi, the princess of Panchala and wife of the five Pandava brothers, the situation called for a sari that did not have an end. Draupadi was in the middle of being disgraced in an assembly of kings, who were trying to take off her sari. In utter helplessness, Draupadi prayed to Krishna to save her, and He did so by making sure that no matter how much the kings pulled, her sari would never completely come off. The person who is above matter assumed the form of the largest garment in the world to protect His devotee.

The loving spirit of devotion is best felt through separation, though we may not be fond of this method. Yashoda bound Krishna that day to the mortar, but eventually the Lord would have to be set free and then leave Vrindavana completely. Never to fear, though, as through reliving His pastime and chanting His holy names, that same butter thief can be bound up and remain in our consciousness forever. He can leave anytime He wants to, but since He is won over by pure love, He makes the heart and mind of the devotee His most comfortable residence.

In Closing:

As He has no end and no beginning,

His greatness there is no measuring.

Adhokshaja means His presence cannot measure,

Unmanifest also is Vrindavana’s treasure.

Yet from Yashoda He could not hide,

With ropes of love to mortar she tied.

That He let her only way to explain,

His loss in chase was mother’s gain.

Chant holy name with faith and confidence,

So in your heart Shri Krishna to make residence.

Making Work Pay

“When Lord Krishna was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of the transcendental realm of Goloka Vrindavana as an attraction for the people in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother, Yashoda. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yashoda by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vrindavana, who took advantage of the Lord’s munificence.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.31 Purport)

Mother Yashoda works so hard during the day to maintain the household. A good mother never gets the proper credit she deserves. Selfless in motive, the mother runs the household, attends to the needs of the children, both large and small. There are the children designated by nature, who need help in doing everything from getting up in the morning to dressing properly for school. Then there is the biggest child in the husband, who needs help in similar areas and also admonishment with respect to errant and forgetful behavior. Yet the leader of the family assumes her duties in stride, not asking for anything in return. She wants everyone else to be happy, and for this so much work needs to be completed every single day. Bearing this in mind, it’s a little strange that the person who created this and many other universes, a person who is all-knowing, would delight in foiling a good mother’s work, in making her tasks a little more difficult to complete. Through the elation that would result, the hidden meaning to the plan of the greatest plan-maker would be revealed.

“Mom, I’m hungry. Mom, I need something good to eat. Mom, can you make my favorite dish tonight? Mom, I need a ride to such and such place, can you take me?” For such statements to be uttered by children is not out of the ordinary, but if you look at them on the surface, they indicate odd behavior. The human being craves freedom, for the many violent uprisings throughout the course of human history have revealed this fact. Without freedom of action, man feels trapped, made to work against his will and restricted from doing those things that he likes to do. Yet concomitant with freedom is responsibility. If I want to be able to do whatever I want, I should at least know how to do what it is I am desirous of.

With each pursuit that freedom enables comes responsibility. If I want the freedom to be able to play sports, I should take the responsibility to prepare myself for the games. Preparation doesn’t just involve the action on the field of play. One must additionally eat and sleep properly, which requires consideration to both time and quantity of consumption. Ideally, my exercise of freedom should not impose on the ability of others to enjoy life. I may want the freedom to go places and experience new things, but if others are obligated to take me from one place to another and manage my wellbeing, where is the question of their freedom?

The head of the household takes all of this into consideration when the dependents want this thing or that. Freedom is wonderful, but the good mother knows that the children shouldn’t have too much of it. Rather, accepting responsibility during childhood bodes well for the individual when they mature into adulthood. Nevertheless, the specific requests made by the children are more times than not granted by the mother. Though they may specifically ask for things, she doesn’t consider her child to be spoiled. Rather, the opportunity to serve is the greatest reward, for that is the way the parent offers love. If the child were completely self-sufficient or if they never asked for anything, how could the parents show their love?

Shri Krishna, the Supreme Lord, knows these ins and outs of human behavior. In the science that describes the interactions the living beings have with God, the exchanges of transcendental emotions are known as rasas. The offering of paternal affection is known as vatsalya-rasa, which was particularly enjoyed by mother Yashoda. The living being gets its yearning for freedom from its identifying aspect: the spirit soul. Lord Krishna is intimately familiar with the properties of the soul, so for those who are desirous of exercising their freedom in the spiritual arena, He creates a playing field filled with circumstances just suitable for the occasion.

Some five thousand years ago, the ideal playing field on this earth was Vrindavana. It is still the best place to interact with Krishna, but during the Dvapara Yuga the conditions were the most auspicious, as the object of service had personally descended to earth. The idea that the Divine can make appearances before us and not become tainted by the material elements and their inhibiting influence requires some faith to be extended by the sincere listener in the beginning. This shouldn’t be too foreign a practice, as the first day in every new class in college requires the same trust. The professor hands out the syllabus, and even though the required work may appear daunting, based on the credentials of the instructor the student understands that if they follow the coursework and complete the necessary assignments, they will be better off for it.

In a similar manner, accepting the statements found in Vedic texts like the Shrimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita on faith in the beginning can only lead to a better condition in the future. Even if one is of a different religious persuasion or not spiritually inclined at all, just hearing from these works will delight the mind, carrying it to a time and place of supernatural purity. Vrindavana is the home of homes, and its caretaking mother is Vrinda Devi, the goddess of devotion who creates circumstances favorable for the exchange of transcendental mellows.

The manager of the most sacred home in Vrindavana is the person who Shri Krishna especially blessed. How did He arrange for this? If Jesus were to come up to us, would we not feel a tremendous thrill? If the Supreme Lord in our worshipable form of choice were to bestow His glance upon us, revealing His identity and form, should that not be enough to fulfill the mission of life? While seeing God is wonderful, the spirit soul still craves action under conditions of freedom. Better than seeing God is being able to interact with Him. Better than interacting with Him is serving Him with every thought, word and deed.

This is precisely what mother Yashoda did. Under the pretense of motherly duties completed to maintain a family consisting of the child Shri Krishna and the father Nanda, Yashoda went to work every day. Though these were traditional times, where the women weren’t formally educated or allowed to freely intermingle with other men not their husbands, mothers like Yashoda worked very, very hard. Everything they did was for the benefit of their household. Shri Krishna enjoyed mother Yashoda’s cooking very much, but since He also took delight in enchanting the other residents of Vrindavana, He would sometimes steal from the stocks of butter in the homes of the neighbors.

The mothers would complain to Yashoda, but they secretly loved the fact that the adorable Krishna was attracted to their homes. They would find new places to hide their butter so that Shyamasundara and His friends would think of more elaborate plots for how to get to the secret stash. Mother Yashoda took Krishna’s activity as impetus to work harder at churning butter in her own home. In addition to cooking and caring for her dependents, Yashoda would sit down peacefully and churn butter in a pot; all the while singing of her beloved son’s most cherished activities. Aside from His playful pastimes, Krishna had thwarted the attacks of several ghoulish creatures who had infiltrated Vrindavana. As a child killing powerful creatures is completely out of the ordinary, Yashoda decided she wanted to remember those incidents all the time. What better way to immortalize a set of activities than to put them into song format that can be sung over and over again?

Since Yashoda worked so hard for His satisfaction, you would think that Krishna would oblige by being a well-behaved son. On the contrary, under the pretense of feigned anger over having been neglected for a moment while feeding, Krishna broke the pot of butter His mother took so much time to fill. To make matters worse, He ate some of the butter and distributed the rest to monkeys, animals who are known for stealing others’ food. It may sound strange to those who have never been in India for too long, but in places like Vrindavana and Chitrakuta, monkeys roam the streets just like ordinary citizens. They cause a disturbance by sneaking up on people and stealing whatever they have in their hands, hoping it is food. The unsuspecting visitors have to pay attention especially to their eyeglasses, as monkeys are fond of taking these.

As monkeys are already prone towards theft, the fact that Krishna was voluntarily handing over Yashoda’s wonderful butter was a brave act of defiance. Yet the mother delighted in this naughty behavior of her son. As He was playing the part of a delightful child, Yashoda made sure to stay true to the role of a caring mother. She chased Krishna with a whipping stick and then bound Him to a mortar as punishment. Rather than child abuse, this was a sparkling display of divine love, for the event is so wonderful that people still sing about it to this day.

When Krishna was caught He faked tears of fear, which rolled down His face, mixing with the anjana, or eye-ointment, so carefully applied by His mother. This scene of Krishna crying after being caught by mother Yashoda was appreciated by Kunti Devi, the mother of the famous Pandava brothers. During adulthood, Krishna was particularly favorable to the Pandavas. After the brothers survived numerous attempts made on their lives and eventually reclaimed the throne of Hastinapura that was rightfully theirs, Kunti Devi offered a set of prayers to Krishna, thanking Him for His kindness and attention. In these wonderful offerings, she remarked on the good fortune of Yashoda, who was able to tie up the Supreme Lord with ropes of affection.

Mother Yashoda worked hard to keep her family happy, and the young Krishna made sure she worked even harder. While carrying out duties it is easy to forget the purpose behind them, the tie that holds all the actions together. Shri Krishna purposefully created situations where His mother could stop working for a few brief moments and give Him personal attention. That same opportunity is created for every living entity desirous of transcendental association, freedom of spiritual movement. Through the excuse of following a routine in bhakti-yoga, the devoted soul can take time out of their busy day to give attention to Krishna. By regularly chanting, “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”, the beloved darling of Vrindavana will play regularly on the field of your mind.

In Closing:

Have to take care of my duties you’ll say,

But how to make this work actually pay?

From Shri Krishna’s charming glance you’ll find,

Supreme wisdom, tie that everything binds.

Children, young and old, to ask have the nerve,

Mother responds, never gets credit she deserves.

Yashoda to Krishna’s welfare was dedicated,

Lord acted like her efforts not appreciated.

All done for transcendental love to increase,

In caring for Krishna Yashoda never to cease.