Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam --- Verse Three - Dig-darśinī-vṛtti

 Śrī Dāmodarāṣṭakam --- Verse Three - Dig-darśinī-vṛtti

 

Oṁ viṣṇupāda paramahaṁsa parivrājakācārya aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja

25.09.2011

Dig-darśinī-vṛtti

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are lakes of inexhaustible bliss in which He drowns the entire village of Gokula. The village of Gokula is known as ghoṣa-pallī, which refers to the place where all the animals, birds, cows, gopas and gopīs loudly sing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa without cessation. It is constantly resounding with the calls of the gopas and gopīs:

 

“Milk the cows!

 

Untie the calves!

 

Bring the milk-pail!”

 

And all is entirely for the pleasure of Śrī Gopāla-kṛṣṇa. 

 

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa became a little bit bigger He discovered that He could go beyond the doorstep leading out of the house. One day, when He and His big brother Balarāma went outside, They saw that some bright red flowers had blossomed nearby. However, the flowers were surrounded by a fence of dry ber thorns. Somehow, They moved the thorny branches aside and went through to pick flowers. Meanwhile, the thorny branches fell back into place, blocking Their way out.

 

“How will We get out of here?”

 

They wondered, and burst into loud sobbing. Mother Yaśodā heard Their crying and came out of the house. Finding Them trapped, she managed to move the thorny branches to the side and take Them out.

 

Sometimes Śrī Kṛṣṇa would hold on to the horns of huge bulls and swing on them. Other times, He would become astonished when He saw Himself reflected in the jewelled pillars of His home and He would even try to speak with that reflection.

 

One day His mother said:

 

“Kṛṣṇa, go fetch a calf and we will worship him”

 

Kṛṣṇa found a calf and caught hold of him, but when He tried to bring him to His mother, the calf refused to move. Kṛṣṇa struggled to bring him along, tugging and pulling all the way. He finally reached the house, but when He noticed a pot of butter hanging from the ceiling, His mouth began to water. He climbed on to the calf’s back and, taking hold of the pot, He began to empty it of its contents. Seeing his chance to escape, the calf fled from the spot, leaving Kṛṣṇa dangling.

 

“Maiyā, Maiyā!”

 

He cried. Mother Yaśodā, finding Kṛṣṇa in that position, took Him down and scolded Him.

 

Early each morning the gopīs used to crowd into Mother Yaśodā’s home just to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes, some gopīs would say:

 

“Kṛṣṇa is so strong”

 

While others would argue:

 

“No, Balarāma is much stronger” 

 

“How shall we definitely find out who is stronger?

 

Let the two boys wrestle and the winner will get a big lump of butter.”

 

On these occasions, just by seeing the butter, the two boys’ mouths would water and They would start wrestling. The gopīs siding with Kṛṣṇa would clap their hands if He won, but if He lost, then the gopīs on Baladeva’s side would clap victoriously.

 

Sometimes a gopī would tempt Kṛṣṇa with a laḍḍū, saying:

 

“Kanhaiyā, if You dance for us I will give You this laḍḍū”

 

Putting His hand on His waist, He would dance to the rhythm, tā thaī, tā thaī, and even sing a sweet little song. In various ways, the vraja-gopīs would make Kṛṣṇa dance. He became just like their puppet, for He came under their full control.

 

At other times, the gopīs who came to visit Mother Yaśodā would order Kṛṣṇa:

 

“Kṛṣṇa, bring us that wooden seat”

 

Their darling little Kṛṣṇa would try to lift the small seat, but when they saw that He could not, they swelled with sweet affection for Him. The same Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in His Varāha incarnation, lifted the entire earth on His tusks. Also, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa was a little older, He easily lifted Govardhana Hill on His little finger as if it were no more than a toy ball. But in His childhood pastimes in the same Vraja-dhāma, He could not even lift a small wooden seat. This is the nature of His sweet, human-like pastimes. He controls and maintains everything in creation, yet He is controlled by the residents of Vraja.

 

Although He is the master of unlimited potencies, including His ghaṭana-aghaṭana-śakti, which makes the impossible possible and the possible impossible, in Vraja He is unaware of His supreme, absolute position. There He is an innocent and simple child, nourished and cared for by His affectionate mother. As befitting an obedient son, He brings His father’s shoes, carrying them on His head, and considers:

 

“Father will wear these shoes to attend the assembly of gopas”

 

What is the meaning of ītīdṛk sva-līlābhir-ānanda-kuṇḍe, sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam?

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweet childhood pastimes are an ocean of rasa. That ocean is inexhaustible and it has no boundary for it is absolutely unlimited. He drowns all of the gopas, gopīs, cows, calves and the entire settlement of Vraja in the vast ocean of these pastimes. Moreover, even He certainly drowns in the ocean of the sweetness of His own pastimes.

 

Why does Śrī Kṛṣṇa perform these pastimes?

 

Śrī Satyavrata Muni answers this question in relation to tadīyeśīta-jñeṣu, those who always retain knowledge of Bhagavān’s supreme position.

 

A tattva-jñānī sees Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Śyāmasundara as the source of all incarnations and the essence and ultimate limit of Godhead. They know Him as the possessor of all six opulences in their fullness, and the Supreme Lord who has the power to make the impossible possible. Devotees such as Nārada and the four Kumāras have full knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s true position. Through these pastimes Śrī Kṛṣṇa is explaining to them:

 

“Although I possess the potency to make the impossible possible, I am nonetheless controlled by the residents of Vraja. I am simply playing here in the mood of an ignorant child.”

 

“Ītīdṛk sva-līlābhiḥ – His uncommon childhood pastimes, like this dāmodara-līlā, are supremely charming.”

 

One day, a fruit-seller from Mathurā came to Vraja to sell her fruit. She had heard of the pre-eminent sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Gokula and had become exceedingly eager to see Him directly. Although she came to Vraja often, whenever she came she could not see Kṛṣṇa. He was either asleep or in the lap of His mother. At other times He was surrounded by His friends or busy playing inside His home. She tried again and again, but she was always unable to see Him. 

 

Direct vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is easily available to the residents of Vraja, but it is quite rare for the people of Mathurā. Still, the heart of the fruit-seller became so full of anxiety that she resolved:

 

“If I do not see Kṛṣṇa today, I will not return to Mathurā”

 

The sādhaka’s resolve should be exactly the same. He should think:

 

“Day and night I will execute the limbs of devotion as instructed by Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. With love, I will chant a fixed number of Śrī Hari’s names and serve Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas. Every day I will study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other devotional literatures. Every day I will recite Gopī-gīta, Veṇu-gīta, Bhramara-gīta and Yugala-gīta. If I come across a rasika Vaiṣṇava I will give my life to serving him. I will visit the places where Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa performed Their confidential pastimes, in the groves and forests of Vraja. I will pray very piteously there and recite hymns and prayers that are full of longing. Then, Śrī Kṛṣṇa will surely give me His darśana; He is not far away.”

 

Having made her vow, the fruit-seller came to Nanda Mahārāja’s cowherd settlement and wandered about near his house. She began crying out:

 

“Come, take fruits!

 

Phala lo, take fruits!

 

Come; take mangoes, bananas and guavas!

 

Phala lo, phala lo!”

 

But within moments, she became so absorbed in thinking about Kṛṣṇa that instead of calling the names of the fruits, she cried out:

 

“Come, take Gopāla, Govinda lo, Mādhava lo, Dāmodara lo!”

 

At first she had been balancing the basket of fruit on her head with one hand, but eventually she forgot to hold the basket altogether. It kept from falling only due to her natural expertise. Finally, she sat down before the doorstep of Nanda’s house.

 

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa heard the cries of the fruit-seller, He could not remain sitting quietly on His mother’s lap so He climbed down and went to a nearby mound of grain. After taking as much grain as He could hold in His joined palms, He started toward the fruit-seller, but His hands were so tiny that all the grain fell from them as He walked. When He reached the fruit-seller, all He had left were a few grains that were wedged between His palms and fingers. He poured them into her basket and demanded:

 

“Oh, give Me some fruit!”

 

The fruit-seller became completely enchanted by the beautiful form of little Kṛṣṇa and just sat there looking at Him for some time.

 

The import of this pastime is that unless someone is intensely eager to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa and is absorbed in remembering Him, just as the fruit-seller was, He does not give them His darśana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa only gives His darśana to those sādhakas who desire nothing but to see Him and serve Him. In other words, He only appears before those who have become completely free from anarthas.

 

When the fruit-seller returned to external consciousness she said:

 

“Lālā, my darling baby boy, I will only give You fruit if You sit on my lap just once, and call me Mā.”

 

Little Kṛṣṇa carefully looked in all directions, to make sure no one was watching. When He was sure no one could see, He jumped on to her lap:

 

“Mā!” 

 

And then quickly jumped off again.

 

“Give Me fruit!”

 

All of the deepest desires within the heart of the fruit-seller had now been fulfilled. She wanted to give Kṛṣṇa all of her fruit, but she could only give Him as much as He could hold in His tiny arms and hands. When Kanhaiyā returned to where Mother Yaśodā was sitting in the courtyard, He placed the fruit in her veil.

 

“Lālā, where did You get these fruits from?”

 

She asked.

 

Kṛṣṇa simply pointed toward the door. Mother Yaśodā became delighted to see such succulent and tasty fruits. She began to distribute them to all the gopīs present, but amazingly, even though there were only a few fruits, the quantity did not diminish. 

 

When Kṛṣṇa left the fruit-seller near the doorstep of His house, she completely lost external awareness. Śrī Kṛṣṇa had stolen her heart and she simply sat in the very same spot until a gopī passing by shook her and brought her back to external consciousness. She slowly picked up her basket of fruit, placed it upon her head, and then set off for Mathurā.

 

As the fruit-seller walked along the bank of the Yamunā river, she realised that her basket had become much heavier than before. When she set it down and looked inside she was struck with wonder. Her basket was filled with a variety of valuable jewels. She picked up the basket, threw it into the Yamunā, and burst into tears.

 

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa has cheated me”

 

She cried.

 

“I have been completely deprived of His real mercy”

 

Overwhelmed by love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she lamented bitterly and never returned to her home. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa steals anyone’s heart, invariably, this becomes their condition. 

 

evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā

jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ

hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty

unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.40)

 

Saintly people, who have firmly devoted themselves to serving Bhagavān with deep love, constantly engage in kīrtana of their most beloved names of Kṛṣṇa. When deep attachment (anurāga) arises in them, their hearts thoroughly melt and they become mad in love of God. They laugh and cry loudly. Agitated by love, they sing about their Lord in sweet voices and just like madmen, without a trace of shyness, they dance and sing unaffected by the opinions of ordinary people.

 

The evil demoness Pūtanā, who would murder small children and drink their blood, beautifully disguised herself as a mother and entered Vraja intending to kill baby Kṛṣṇa. Despite her wicked deceit, merely on the basis of her motherly appearance, Śrī Kṛṣṇa granted her a position as a real nursemaid in Goloka. And in exchange for a morsel of worthless chipped rice, just see what He gave Sudāmā Vipra (1).

 

Then what will he not give this fruit-seller who was ready to give Him all her fruit?

 

Even four-headed Śrī Brahmā, the creator of the universe, cannot imagine the answer to this question. Lord Brahmā says:

 

eṣāṁ ghoṣa-nivāsinām uta bhavān kiṁ deva rāteti naś

ceto viśva-phalāt phalaṁ tvad-aparaṁ kutrāpy ayan muhyati

sad-veṣād iva pūtanāpi sa-kulā tvām eva devāpitā

yad-dhāmārtha-suhṛt-priyātma-tanaya-prāṇāśayās tvat-kṛte

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.35)

 

O Master who is most worshipful even for the demigods, now my mind is becoming bewildered by a doubt.

 

How will You be able to reward the residents of Vraja for their service?

 

You are the condensed form of the highest benediction; there is no reward superior to obtaining You. But even if You give Your very self to the Vrajavāsīs, You will not be freed from Your debt to them because You have even given Yourself to Pūtanā. She was extremely cruel at heart, yet by deceitfully appearing before You in the form of a virtuous nursemaid, she has obtained You. Even her relatives, like Aghāsura and Bakāsura, have now obtained You.

 

How can You give the same reward to the Vrajavāsīs who have given You everything?

 

They have offered You their homes, wealth and relatives. They have even offered their own bodies, children, life and mind – everything – at Your lotus feet.

 

Every day, Śrī Kṛṣṇa would perform beautiful, sweet pastimes like these and immerse the residents of Vraja in an ocean of bliss.

 

There are those who know Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the controller of all others. They know Him as the possessor of all potencies; as the causeless, original cause of all other causes; as the Supreme Being who has no equal what to speak of a superior; and as He who makes the impossible possible. Yet, by these pastimes, He is showing such knowledgeable personalities that He can only be controlled by bhakti.

 

What kind of bhakti can control Him?

 

The four Kumāras, Dhruva Mahārāja, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Śrī Nārada, Śrī Uddhava and the Yādavas, as well as many others all have some form of bhakti, but their bhakti can never control Him:

 

“aiśvarya-śithila preme nāhi mora prīta

 

I am not pleased by love that is weakened by awe and reverence

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.16)”

 

Devotees who have reverential love for Kṛṣṇa stand before Him and, with folded hands, offer Him prayers. But if someone loves Him with a mood similar to one of the Vrajavāsīs, like Subala, Śrīdāma, Madhumaṅgala, Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Bābā or, above all, one of the vraja-gopīs, then Śrī Kṛṣṇa will come under his control. Among these Vrajavāsīs the vraja-gopīs are supreme, and among them Śrīmatī Rādhikā is topmost. If someone’s devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is like the devotion of Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s maidservants, then he can control Śrī Kṛṣṇa completely. The following verses celebrate these facts: 

 

anaṅga-raṅga-maṅgala-prasaṅga-bhaṅgura-bhruvāṁ

savibhramaṁ sasambhramaṁ dṛganta-bāṇa-pātanaiḥ

nirantaraṁ vaśī-kṛta pratīti nanda-nandane

kadā kariṣyasīha māṁ kṛpā-katākṣa-bhājanam

(Śrī Rādhā-kṛpā-katākṣa Stava-rāja 3)

 

O Sarveśvarī (mistress of all controllers) Rādhikā, on the stage of amorous sport, in the course of an auspicious discussion, You express amazement by curving Your eyebrows like bows and then suddenly firing the arrows of Your sidelong glances, piercing the son of Śrī Nanda with amorous delusion, and bringing Him under Your perpetual control. When will You make me the recipient of Your merciful sidelong glance? 

 

Even Śrī Sītā, the wife of Bhagavān Śrī Rāma, could not control Śrī Rāma by her love. Śrī Rāma gave her up and sent her to the forest to live in exile.

 

Could Śrī Kṛṣṇa ever banish Śrīmatī Rādhikā from His house in Nandagaon?

 

Śrīmatī Rādhikā does not even live in His house with Him. He becomes so nervous in Her presence that He could never even ask Her to leave His house, what to speak of banishing Her from it. The reason He gets so nervous is because He is always impassioned with love for Her. When She instructs Him in the various arts, such as dancing, He fears that He may make some mistake. 

 

priya ko nacavata sīkhavatī pyārī

māna gumāna lakuṭi liye ṭhārī

ḍarapata kuñja bihārī

 

While instructing Her beloved in the art of dancing, Śrī Rādhikā watches Him with a cane in hand, ready to chastise Him. Her cane is Her sulky, contrary mood, which causes Śrī Kuñja-bihārī to fear making any mistake.

 

When Śrī Rādhikā spontaneously becomes inflamed with māna (jealous anger), either with or without any cause, Śrī Kṛṣṇa prays:

 

smara-garala-khaṇḍanaṁ mama śirasi maṇḍanaṁ 

     dehi pada-pallavam-udāraṁ

(Śrī Gīta-govinda 10.8)

 

O My beloved, Cupid’s powerful poison is devastating me. Please be merciful to Me and place upon My head the cooling, tender petals of Your lotus feet. 

 

What to speak of bowing at the lotus feet of Sarveśvarī Śrī Rādhā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa falls at the feet of Śrī Rūpa Mañjarī and Śrī Rati Mañjarī, Her maidservants, when, on their Svaminī’s order, they forbid Him to enter Śrī Rādhā’s kuñja. He begs them for permission to enter, pleads with them and flatters them just to pacify them. Just see the position of Śrī Rādhā’s maidservants! Our worshipful Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī says:

 

pādābjayos tava vinā vara dāsyam eva

nānyat kadāpi samaye kila devi yāce

sakhyāya te mama namo’stu namo’stu nityaṁ

dāsyāya te mama raso’stu raso’stu satyam

(Śrī Vilāpa-kusumāñjali 16)

 

O Goddess, You are capable of bestowing all benedictions, but I do not want anything other than service to Your lotus feet. I offer my obeisances – obeisances forever – to sakhya (the mood of friendship), but the essence of my life – the real essence of my life – is dāsya (the mood of service).

 

Śrī Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī’s eternal identity in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is Tuṅgavidyā Sakhī, one of Śrī Rādhā’s eight principle sakhīs. But he is also praying to attain the position of being Śrī Rādhā’s maidservant:

 

yat-kiṅkarīṣu bahuśaḥ khalu kāku-vāṇī,

nityaṁ parasya puruṣasya śikhaṇḍa-mauleḥ

tasyāḥ kadā rasa-nidheḥ vṛṣabhānu-jāyās

tat-keli-kuñja-bhavanāṅgana-mārjanī syām

(Śrī Rādhā-rasa-sudhā-nidhi 8)

 

O daughter of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja, ocean of rasa, that beautiful boy who wears a gracefully tilting peacock feather in His hair is actually the original Personality of Godhead. Still, He is always falling at the feet of Your maidservants and pitifully begging them with many humble words to gain entrance into Your kuñja where the two of You engage in Your playful loving pastimes. My life would be successful if I could even be one stick in the broom Your maidservants use to clean Your delightful kuñja. 

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa rises when the gopīs order Him to rise, and He sits when they order Him to sit. 

 

chachiyā-bhara chāca-para hari ko nacāveṅ

(By Rasakhāna)

 

Just see the glories of these ladies of Vraja; they make Śrī Hari dance for a mere handful of buttermilk.

 

No other kind of bhakti has the power to control Kṛṣṇa in this way. 

 

Mother Yaśodā may tell Kṛṣṇa:

 

“Today, Kanhaiyā, do not take the cows to graze in the forest; it is Your birthday.”

 

But He will not follow Her order. He will eagerly go out to graze the cows.

 

What is in the forest that attracts Him so much?

 

Within the forest, He can meet the young vraja-gopīs and play freely with them – especially with Śrī Rādhā. They meet together in secret places like Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Sūrya-kuṇḍa and Kusuma-sarovara.

 

The amorous love that the young vraja-gopīs have for Śrī Kṛṣṇa is greater even than parental love for Him. In fact, their love includes all the qualities of parental affection. Therefore, playing with the gopas or grazing His cows is not the primary reason He takes the cows into the forests every day. The main reason He enters the forest is to play with His dear most gopīs.

 

In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 8.201–5), Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains that without the help of Śrī Rādhā’s sakhīs, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s amorous pastimes will never develop in someone’s heart:

 

rādhā-kṛṣṇera līlā ei ati gūḍhatara

dāsya-vātsalyādi-bhāve nā haya gocara

 

Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in the groves of Vṛndāvana are extremely confidential. Such pastimes are beyond the grasp of anyone in the mood of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s affectionate servant, friend or parent. (201)

 

sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihāṅ adhikāra

sakhī haite haya ei līlāra vistāra

 

Only the damsels of Vraja are qualified to see these secret pastimes, and only they can expand these pastimes. (202)

 

sakhī vinā ei līlā puṣṭa nāhi haya

sakhī līlā vistāriyā, sakhī āsvādaya

 

Only the sakhīs are qualified to nourish these secret pastimes and they take great pleasure in expanding them. (203)

 

sakhī vinā ei līlāya anyera nāhi gati

sakhī-bhāve ye tāṅre kare anugati

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-kuñja-sevā-sādhya sei pāya

sei sādhya pāite āra nāhika upāya

 

No one can see or participate in these pastimes without the help of the young vraja-gopīs. Only those fortunate souls who follow in their footsteps by adopting their exalted mood of amorous love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa will attain the ultimate goal of directly serving Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the kuñjas of Vṛndāvana. There is no other way to obtain this. (204-5)

 

 

One day Mahādeva Śiva, the chief demigod, set off to see his supremely worshipful Lord who had just appeared in Vraja. Arriving at the gate of Nanda Mahārāja’s home, he sang loudly, “alakha nirañjana, alakha nirañjana!”(2) and played his damru (a kind of hand-drum). 

 

Mother Yaśodā came to the door when she heard him singing and playing his drum, but when she saw the appearance of this unusual yogī, she became afraid. He wore robes of tiger-skin and a garland of human-skulls. Dangerous serpents adorned his hands, feet and neck, and he held a tall, fearful trident by his side. His body was smeared from head to toe with ashes from a cremation ground and his thoroughly matted hair made him look ancient and even more dreadful. His carrier, Nandī, a massive bull, accompanied him. Seeing that the terrible looking yogī was approaching her accompanied by Nandī, Yaśodā became utterly terrified. Nonetheless, she asked him dutifully:

 

“Do you want some alms?

 

Just wait and I will bring them to you”

 

Mahādeva Śaṅkara replied:

 

“O Mother, I have walked so far to come here from my home in Kailāśa. Just show me your baby; I just want to see your darling child” 

 

“Eat or drink whatever you like, and then go”

 

She said.

 

“And do not play your damru so loudly. My child is sleeping” 

 

Śaṅkarajī said:

 

“O innocent Mother, I do not want your flour and beans, or silk clothes and bags, nor do I want anything to eat, drink, wear or rest upon. I have come to see your darling son just once. This is the only donation I need.”

 

Mother Yaśodā hesitated, and then said to him:

 

“I am an adult, yet your appearance terrifies me. My darling boy is so young. He will become too afraid if He sees your form, so I will not show Him to you”

 

And she went inside the house.

 

Śrī Śaṅkara, the foremost demigod, was not about to leave without seeing Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He sat down by the door and lit a ceremonial fire. 

 

“When your beautiful son grows a little older”

 

He thought:

 

“He will come outside to play and I will finally be able to see Him. I will not return to Kailāśa without seeing Him”

 

To this day, the place near Nanda’s home where Mahādeva Śrī Śaṅkara was sitting is known as Yogiyā-kuṇḍa.

 

Mother Yaśodā entered the house and found her darling baby boy crying loudly. Nothing she tried would pacify Him so she consulted her friends. A respected elder gopī spoke. 

 

“This is not an ordinary yogī; he is from the sacred mountains of Kailāśa. When your boy heard him playing his drum, He became afraid and now He has started to cry more and more loudly. It would be wise to show him your dear son at least once”

 

Seeing no other recourse but to show her son to the extra-ordinary yogī, Yaśodā-māiyā placed Kṛṣṇa in a black basket and covered all of His limbs with black cloth to protect Him from inauspiciousness. She anointed His eyes with thick black eyeliner and marked His forehead with a black dot. Then she reluctantly brought Kṛṣṇa outside and allowed the yogī just a brief glimpse of Him. To her astonishment, when she was turning to enter her house, she noticed that Kṛṣṇa had stopped crying. Śrī Śaṅkara, the king of mystics, spoke to her.

 

“Mother, I will light a ceremonial fire and stay nearby. If ever your beloved child falls prey to some evil, just call for me. I will chant mantras and ward off any evil effects with mustard seeds and salt and He will be restored to health”

 

Thereafter, whenever Kṛṣṇa would cry she would call the yogī from his dwelling.

 

yogī! calo nanda-bhavana meṅ, 

yaśomatī maiyā tumheṅ bulāve

vāke lāla ko najara lagī hai, 

tai pai rāī nūn karavāveṅ

raha raha yogī! nanda-bhavana meṅ, 

vraja meṅ vāsa sadā tū kījo

jaba jaba vāko lālā rove, 

taba taba darasana dījo

 

Yogī, come to Nanda-bhavana; Kṛṣṇa’s devoted mother, Yaśodā Maiyā, is calling you. Her dear son has come under an evil eye. Ward off its effect with mustard and salt. Stay here, yogī, just stay here in Nanda-bhavana. Please live in Vraja forever. Whenever her darling son cries, come and give Him your darśana.

 

Thus, the life of that ‘yogī’ became successful.

 

In his Padyāvalī, an anthology of verses written by many different ācāryas, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī quotes the following pastime:

 

rāmo nāma babhuva huṁ tad-balā sīteti huṁ tāṁ pitur

vācā paṅcavaṭī-vane nivasatas tasyāharad-rāvaṇaḥ

kṛṣṇayeti purātanīṁ nija-kathām ākarṇya mātreritāṁ

saumitre! kva dhanur dhanur dhanu-iti vyaghrā giraḥ pāntu vaḥ

(Padyāvalī 150 Author Unknown)

 

One night, Mother Yaśodā was tenderly stroking Kṛṣṇa and lulling Him to sleep with a story. 

 

“Once there was a king”

 

She said.

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa eagerly responded:

 

“Yes, and...?”

 

“His name was Daśaratha”

 

She continued:

 

“And he had four sons. When they grew up, Viśvāmitra took them to protect the arena of his sacred fire-sacrifice”

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa murmured:

 

“Mmm. Yes, and...?”

 

“After they saved the fire sacrifice, Viśvāmitra took them to Mithilā. The King of Mithilā, Mahārāja Janaka, had vowed to give his daughter’s hand in marriage only to the one who could string Śiva’s bow and break it, and not to anyone else” 

 

Again Śrī Kṛṣṇa murmured:

 

“Mmmm”

 

“Kings came from many far off lands”

 

She continued,

 

“But they all failed. Finally, Śrī Rāma strung Śiva’s massive bow and broke it. Then Princess Sītā was married to Lord Rāma.”

 

Kṛṣṇa murmured as she spoke, and whenever she paused, even for a brief moment, He eagerly inquired:

 

“Mother, what happened next?”

 

“To carry out His father’s order, Śrī Rāma had to enter the forest in exile and Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa went with Him. When they were residing at a place called Pañcavaṭī, the demon Mārīca tricked Rāma and led Him into the forest. Meanwhile, back at their cottage, Rāvaṇa came and kidnapped Sītā.”

 

Just hearing this, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, absorbed in the mood of Rāma, sprang up from the bed, crying:

 

“Lakṣmaṇa!

 

Bring Me My bow!

 

Where is My bow?

 

My bow!” 

 

May Śrī Hari’s impassioned cries when He is absorbed in this mood protect You.

 

One day, while Mother Yaśodā was churning yoghurt in an earthen pot, she attracted her darling son to her with sweet words. Then for a short time, she left to do something else. When Kṛṣṇa’s eyes suddenly fell upon the earthen pot, He saw the moon reflected on the surface of the yoghurt. When Mother Yaśodā returned, He repeatedly demanded:

 

“Mother, I want the moon. Give me that toy”

 

Mother Yaśodā took a lump of butter from the pot and gave it to Him. At first He became happy, but when He looked back into the pot, He saw that the moon was still there. Again, He began restlessly demanding it.

 

Mother Yaśodā said:

 

“Look up, that is the moon”

 

“I want it”

 

He demanded.

 

“There is poison on it”

 

She said.

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa asked:

 

“How did it get poison on it?”

 

“A long time ago, when the demigods and demons churned the great ocean of milk, poison came to the surface. That poison is on the moon.

 

Do You see those black impressions on the moon?

 

That is the poison.

 

Tell me, who would play with that?” 

 

Hearing this explanation, Śrī Kṛṣṇa became frightened.

 

Such are Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited pastimes. He drowns the residents of Vraja in the ocean of their sweetness, and even He Himself drowns in that ocean.

 

~ Thus ends the Dig-Darśinī-Vṛttir on the third verse ~

 

(1) Editor’s footnote: In exchange for a few pieces of broken chipped rice,

Śrī Kṛṣṇa awarded Sudāmā Vipra unimaginable opulence. See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.81).

 

(2) Editor’s footnote: This phrase is used to beg alms in the name of Śrī Bhagavān or simply to make one remember Him. It is a description of Paramātmā, who is invisible (alakha) and aloof from māyā (nirañjana).

 

 

 Rama Kānta Dāsa

 

One day, a fruit-seller from Mathurā came to Vraja to sell her fruit. She had heard of the pre-eminent sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Gokula and had become exceedingly eager to see Him directly. Although she came to Vraja often, whenever she came she could not see Kṛṣṇa. He was either asleep or in the lap of His mother. At other times He was surrounded by His friends or busy playing inside His home. She tried again and again, but she was always unable to see Him.

 

Direct vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is easily available to the residents of Vraja, but it is quite rare for the people of Mathurā. Still, the heart of the fruit-seller became so full of anxiety that she resolved:

 

“If I do not see Kṛṣṇa today, I will not return to Mathurā”

 

The sādhaka’s resolve should be exactly the same. He should think:

 

“Day and night I will execute the limbs of devotion as instructed by Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. With love, I will chant a fixed number of Śrī Hari’s names and serve Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas. Every day I will study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other devotional literatures. Every day I will recite Gopī-gīta, Veṇu-gīta, Bhramara-gīta and Yugala-gīta. If I come across a rasika Vaiṣṇava I will give my life to serving him. I will visit the places where Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa performed Their confidential pastimes, in the groves and forests of Vraja. I will pray very piteously there and recite hymns and prayers that are full of longing. Then, Śrī Kṛṣṇa will surely give me His darśana; He is not far away.”

 

Having made her vow, the fruit-seller came to Nanda Mahārāja’s cowherd settlement and wandered about near his house. She began crying out:

 

“Come, take fruits!

 

Phala lo, take fruits!

 

Come; take mangoes, bananas and guavas!

 

Phala lo, phala lo!”

 

But within moments, she became so absorbed in thinking about Kṛṣṇa that instead of calling the names of the fruits, she cried out:

 

“Come, take Gopāla, Govinda lo, Mādhava lo, Dāmodara lo!”

 

At first she had been balancing the basket of fruit on her head with one hand, but eventually she forgot to hold the basket altogether. It kept from falling only due to her natural expertise. Finally, she sat down before the doorstep of Nanda’s house.

 

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa heard the cries of the fruit-seller, He could not remain sitting quietly on His mother’s lap so He climbed down and went to a nearby mound of grain. After taking as much grain as He could hold in His joined palms, He started toward the fruit-seller, but His hands were so tiny that all the grain fell from them as He walked. When He reached the fruit-seller, all He had left were a few grains that were wedged between His palms and fingers. He poured them into her basket and demanded:

 

“Oh, give Me some fruit!”

 

The fruit-seller became completely enchanted by the beautiful form of little Kṛṣṇa and just sat there looking at Him for some time.

 

The import of this pastime is that unless someone is intensely eager to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa and is absorbed in remembering Him, just as the fruit-seller was, He does not give them His darśana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa only gives His darśana to those sādhakas who desire nothing but to see Him and serve Him. In other words, He only appears before those who have become completely free from anarthas.