The Glory of Krishna Avathar Part - 2
The Glory of Krishna Avathar Part - 2
Child Krishna proves that He is Divine
When Krishna was three years old he saw an old lady carrying a basket of fruits from the jungle. Krishna told her he would like to have some fruits. The old woman said he could get them only if he paid the price. Krishna innocently asked the meaning of the word price. The woman said that something should be given in return for the fruit. Krishna went in and brought a palmful of rice. The woman placed the rice in her basket and gave Krishna some fruits.
( It is continued from Part - 1. Those who did not read the first part click the below link to read it.https://saiavathar.blogspot.in/…/the-glory-of-krishna-avath…)
She was charmed by the beauty of the child. As she was returning to her cottage, she felt that the basket was getting heavier. When she placed it down in her hut, she was amazed to find that all the rice grains had turned into precious gems! She thought the child must be divine. Otherwise how could the rice turn into gems? Considering herself supremely lucky, she invited her neighbours to see the miracle.
Krishna was pleading with Yasodha that he should be allowed to go to the forest with other cowherd boys. Thinking that if he was put to sleep he would forget his desire to go to the forest, Yasodha gave him milk. Krishna was no ordinary child. While drinking the milk, he pretended as if he was sleepy. He made a pretence of yawning to indicate his drowsiness. In that wide open mouth of Krishna, Yasodha saw all kinds of things---all the worlds in motion and many deities.
She could not make out what it meant. "Is it a dream or Vishnu's Maaya (illustrious power)? Or is it some fantasy of mine? Or is it real? Am I Yasodha? Have I gone somewhere?" These thoughts racked her mind. "My son is an infant. How can all the worlds appear in his tiny mouth? It must be my imagination." Such doubts arise in the minds of those who are caught up in the delusions of the body complex.How child Krishna fought with the demons
Yielding to his entreaties Yasodha allowed Krishna to go to the forest with the cowherd boys. Almost every day Krishna encountered some ogre or ogress and slayed them. His playmates used to describe to their elders these exploits of Krishna, how he fought with the demons and finished them off.
Yasodha, however, used to say: "God is taking care of my child. Otherwise how could he overcome these encounters?" The cowherd boys observed: "When he himself is God, why does he need anybody's protection, oh mother!" Yasodha felt that the boys were naive in their judgment. "Will God come to one's rescue so easily? It is only because of my prayers, my child is protected." With this belief, Yasodha used to perform various rites, when. Krishna returned from the forest, to express her gratitude to Providence for saving him from the evil eye and other dangers.
There was great rejoicing among the Dhevas (celestial beings) when they heard about the slaying of many demons on earth by Lord Naarayana in His incarnation as Krishna. On hearing these stories, Brahma wanted to verify the truth about Krishna's prowess red the miracles attributed to him.
Brahma verifies Krishna's prowess
That same night Krishna gave a directive to his mares. "Today do not rake the cows for grazing. Let us rake the calves. Come with the calves together with your respective musical instruments. We must spend the day with music." Most of them came with flutes on which they could play well, holding a stick in one hand and a flute in the other. Only two boys brought two mud-pots to be used as drums. Playing on the mud-pot is known today as Ghatavaadhyam. This art is as ancient as the Dhvaapara Yuga.
The cowherd boys gathered on the bank of the Yamuna with calves. Some of them played on their flutes, some drummed their mud-pots while Krishna danced to the music. When Krishna stopped dancing, others started dancing.
After sometime, Daama, one of the two intimate friends of Krishna (the other being Subaala), told Krishna that he was feeling hungry and would like to have some palm-fruits from palm trees a little far away. Balaraama, who was close by, said he would fetch the fruits. Balaraama went near the trees and shook them. All the fruits dropped brown. At the time of the naming ceremony of the child Balaraama, the sage Garga referred to the strength of the baby and said that the name Balaraama would be appropriate for him. At that time, a huge donkey appeared there. All were frightened. The donkey was getting bigger and bigger. Balaraama seized the donkey by the forelegs and dashed it to the ground. It died on the spot. The cowherd boys hailed Balaraama as a hero and danced in joy.
Biding his time, Brahma created at that moment a huge cave. He took into the cave all the calves, while the cowherd boys were immersed in merriment. Missing the calves, the boys started searching for them, shouting "Krishna! Krishna!"
Brahma realises the inscrutable ways of the Lord
Krishna wanted to teach Brahma a lesson. He took the form of all the calves and all the Gopaalas imprisoned in the cave. In the evening Krishna and Balaraama took the calves and the boys back to their homes. This went on day after day for a whole year. The elders assumed that the calves and the boys were their own. Brahma wondered what was happening? Had Krishna managed to free the boys and the calves from the cave? When he went into the cave he found all of them inside. He was amazed to find that the same boys and calves were inside as well as outside. He then realised the inscrutable way of the Lord. "How can anyone know you, oh Krishna You are subtler than the atom and vaster than the vaste in creation. You dwell in all the myriad species in all the world, how can anyone know you?" He prayed to Krishna to forgive him and released the calves and the boys from the cave.
This episode reveals that the Supreme Lord can assume countless forms. He can assume the form of the entire cosmos. That is why the Upanishath declared- "The entire cosmos is dwelt in by God." All are forms of the Divine.
How is this possible? By the power of the Will of God. If a man, while asleep, experiences all kinds of things in the dream, including his own movements, while in fact he is motionless on his bed, what is it that is beyond the power of the Supreme Lord? Seeing the Divine in-human form people can have doubts whether the incarnation can have such miraculous powers when he has the same body as themselves. They do not perceive the oneness of the Aathma. It is difficult to recognise the Divine in the human form.
Krishna's leelas were intended to reveal His Divinity
Not recognizing His Divinity many people reviled Krishna calling him a philanderer and a thief. These accusations do not detract from His greatness. They are born of delusion. Men make the same mistake about themselves, forgetting their inherent divinity and identifying themselves with their bodies. Krishna appeared in human form to teach mankind to transcend their body consciousness.
Krishna's leelas (sportive miracles) were intended in one way or another to reveal His divinity. Once Balaraama teased Krishna by declaring: "You are not Yasodha's son. You may ask why I say so. This is because Nandha and Yasodha are of fair complexion and your are dark. You are not their child. You must have been born somewhere else."
What Balaraama said was true and Krishna knew it. But assuming an air of innocence, Krishna went to Yasodha and complained "Mother! Balaraama is saying that I am not your son. Tell me the truth."
Yasodha replied: "Krishna! What does Balaraama know? He is an innocent boy. You are very cute. You are highly intelligent. Don't pay any heed to his words. You are truly my son. The colour given by God is permanent. Colour as such is not important. Many people paint themselves in different ways to conceal their identity. All these are momentary. The colour given by God cannot be changed by anyone. God likes the dark complexion. You have got the colour of the Divine."
Gopikas' spiritual love for Krishna
While Pareekshith was listening to Shuka's narration of Krishna's leelas, many doubts occurred to him. Shuka resolved all the doubts. "Pareekshith! You are viewing things from a worldly point of view and missing the truth.
No one can determine the form of the Divine. He can assume any form at any time. But, when he has to demonstrate the nature of Divinity to mankind, He has to come in human form. But man, because of his polluted mind is unable to recognise the Divine in human form."
Even Yasodha, despite many occasions in which Krishna demonstrated His divinity, continued to regard him as a human child and frequently thanked the Lord for saving her child from many dangers. But Krishna tried to change her view by the words He used on different occasions.
Once when Yasodha asked Krishna whether it was true, as alleged by Balaraama, that he was in the habit of eating mud, Krishna replied: "Mother, am I a child, or a naughty boy or madcap to ear mud? People are mad about me. I am here to cure the world of its madness." From these words Yasodha began to realise that Krishna was no ordinary Child but a manifestation of the Divine.
- to be continued in the 3rd part
( It is a divine discourse narrated by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Gokulasthami Day in Sai Ramesh Hall, Brindaavan, on 28-8-1994 )
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