KRISHNA –

THE BUTTERTHIEF

SRI SRIMAD BHAKTIVEDANTA

NARAYANA MAHARAJA
 CHAPTER O NE
HEARING KRISHNA’S PASTIMES
RELIABLE AND ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

The Vedic culture of India is steeped in esoteric knowledge,

and has developed to such a degree that the sages in this
culture have discovered the soul. They have also discovered
God within and without, and through research into the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, they have even discovered
and realised different relationships with God.
We can never imagine or realise transcendental
relationships with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
through our imperfect material senses and knowledge.
However, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself transmits
transcendental knowledge through an unbroken succession of
spiritual masters and disciples. He personally imparted this
transcendental knowledge to Brahma (the creator of the
material universe). Brahma then gave it to Narada, Narada
gave it to Vyasa, and Vyasa gave it to Sukadeva. This process
of disciplic succession’ established a body of transcendental
knowledge that has descended to us from the perfect source.
We should trust this disciplic succession and try our best to
follow it.
“What is God’s transcendental nature? What can we know
of his omnipotence and mercy? What relationship do we have
with Him, and how can we realise this relationship and serve
Him eternally?“ These topics have been elaborately described
and explained in the great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, which
contains the essence of all Vedic literature. There are twelve
cantos in Srimad-Bhagavatatm, and its most important
instructions are contained in the Tenth Canto. The purpose
of this booklet is to explain the essence of the Tenth Canto.
It is very attractive and enjoyable to read, and will help you to
practise bhakti-yoga.

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 BHAKTI -YOGA

We must practise bhakti-yoga in order to understand and

realise the Absolute Truth. We can not realise anything
transcendental otherwise.
In order to appreciate what bhakti is, we must first know
that the soul and Supersoul exist eternally. Krishna is eternally
the one Supersoul, and the innumerable individual souls are
also eternal.
Two pure souls (that is, the individual soul and the
Supreme Soul, Krishna) can only come together through the
medium of love and affection. This love and affection is
called bhakti-yoga.
There are many categories of transcendental love and
affection, or prema. The liberated souls serve Krishna eternally
in the pure and transcendental realm of Vaikuntha. Within
Vaikuntha is Krishna’ s supreme abode, which is called
Goloka-Vrndavana. There, he is served with the most perfect
moods of transcendental love and affection.
Conditioned souls are materially bound, and covered by
maya or illusion. They are only qualified to serve bodies,
which are made of matter, not spirit. Conditioned souls are
always unhappy, because they are suffering in the chain of
birth and death. How can they attain the eternal and
transcendental stage? They have to practise bhakti-yoga from
the beginning stages, and develop progressively and regularly
from the stage of faith through steadiness, taste,
transcendental attachment, and transcendental ecstasy. This is
the way.

THE DESCENT OF THE L ORD

It is only through bhakti-yoga that we can realise the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. We cannot do so by any other
means.
The Supreme Lord is so merciful that He sometimes
descends in this world to bestow His mercy on the

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conditioned souls who inhabit it. For instance, the scriptures
tell us about the ten primary incarnations. These are:

(1) the fish incarnation (Matsya);

(2) the gigantic, transcendental tortoise (Kurma);
(3) the boar incarnation (Varaha);
(4) the terrifying form as half-man and half-lion
(Nrsinghadeva);
(5) the dwarf incarnation (Vamana);
(6) Parasurama, the invincible warrior;
(7) Lord Ramacandra, the great king;
(8) Baladeva, who is the complete form of all spiritual
masters;
(9) Buddha;
(10) Kalki, who rides a white horse and destroys the
miscreants at the end of the Iron Age.

KRISHNA ATTRACTS ALL

The root and the original cause of all these ten forms is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Himself.
Krishna descends to this world, not only in these different
incarnations, but also in His original form. In this original
Krishna form, He attracts everyone. What to speak of human
beings, He also attracts the animals, deer, birds, creepers and
trees.
Krishna attracts all creatures, because He attracts the soul,
which is present in the demigods; in the hog and the fish; in
eggs, trees and creepers; and even in water particles and dust.
The soul is present everywhere. If you practise bhakti-yoga,
you can see and realise this fact, and you will gradually
develop bhakti, devotion to Krishna.
People generally do not appreciate hearing philosophical
conclusions alone. For this reason I want to explain these
categories of prema by narrating Krishna’s pastimes. This
bhakti-yoga will become more attractive if we explain the
Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam - how Krishna descends in

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this world, how He protects the sadhus and kills the demons,
and how He performs His supremely attractive pastimes.

THE BLESSINGS OF HEARING KRISHNA’S PASTIMES

Krishna’s name and Krishna’s pastimes are not mundane

things of this mortal world; they are transcendental. Hearing
Krishna’s pastimes is not an ordinary activity; it is also
transcendental. There is a vast difference between the mortal
world and the transcendental world. When we glorify
Krishna’s qualities and pastimes, or chant His holy names, the
transcendental sound vibration is extremely auspicious.
Even if one is covered with ignorance, and his heart is full
of unwanted material thoughts and desires, still, if he has a
little honour — just a very little — these transcendental
vibrations will come through his ears to his heart. These are
not words in the common sense; Krishna Himself comes in
these transcendental sound vibrations. how? His
transcendental world comes into the heart of any person who
has a slight fraction of faith (Sraddha).
When one realises this, his whole heart becomes clean and
pure, and his faith (Sraddha) becomes more condensed.
Transcendental devotion (bhakti) comes into his heart, and he
becomes a devotee. The devotee takes initiation from
Gurudeva, and engages in devotional service. All the
unwanted material conceptions and desires flee from his
heart, and all his bad habits go away. Then he develops his
Krishna consciousness, and fixed and stable practice (nistha),
taste (ruci) and transcendental attachment (asakti) follow.
After that, his devotion develops to the stage of
transcendental ecstasy, and then fully developed
transcendental love for Krishna, or prema. At some point, he
will give up his material body, mind, false ego, etc., and be
situated as pure spirit soul. In a transcendental body, the
devotee associates with Krishna as an eternal resident of
Vraja, and becomes happy forever.

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 CHAPTER TWO
THE LORD’S CHILDHOOD PASTIMES
INTRODUCTION

The Vedic literatures — including the first nine cantos of

Srimad-Bhagavatam — describe pastimes of the Supreme Lord
which would not be possible for human beings, or even for
the demigods. In these pastimes, it is clear to all that He is the
Absolute, Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam reveals confidential
pastimes which only take place in Vraja, or Vrndavana. There
the Supreme Lord appears like an ordinary human being, and
His devotees do not think that He is the Supreme Lord.
Rather, they see Him as the supremely attractive personality,
and they can therefore serve Him in intimate moods of love
and affection, which would not be possible if His devotees
thought that He is God.
In these Vraja pastimes, Krishna appeared to take birth,
perform pastimes as a helpless baby, and then mature into
childhood and youth. However, unlike us, He is not subject
to the changes imposed by material nature; He only acts as if
He were to delight His affectionate devotees. He is always the
same unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful, transcendental
Supreme Personality of Godhead, but to facilitate these
pastimes, His pastime potency covers His knowledge, so that
even He forgets that He is God. Thus, He can become
completely absorbed in these intimate, loving exchanges with
His devotees.

O NE ABSOLUTE TRUTH APPEARING AS TWO

Krishna and Baladeva are the Supreme Personality of

Godhead. One may ask how two Personalities can both be
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We should understand
that, although They manifest two bodies, Baladeva is actually
non-different from Krishna. They are both one. Krishna has

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appeared in the body of Baladeva, and the purpose of this
incarnation is to teach us how to serve Krishna.
Baladeva Prabhu is the sum total of the eternal principle
of guru. He imparts all the eternal truths and principles, and
teaches us how to serve Radha and Krishna, that is, Krishna
with His eternal pleasure potency.

WHEN THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH GROWS UP

Krishna and Baladeva now appeared in Vraja as small boys of

one or two years old. We conditioned souls start life as
babies; then we grow into children, youths and adults; and
from adulthood, we come to old age. Krishna, however, does
not go through these stages. In His eternal, unmanifest
pastimes, He is always a very beautiful teenage boy. He never
becomes older or younger. However, when He displays his
pastimes in the material world, He manifests all these stages
of growth in order to increase the love and affection of the
devotees.
Although Krishna and Baladeva are the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, They appeared in Vraja as naked
babies, and crawled here and there on Their hands and knees.
Krishna’s mother is called Yasoda, and Baladeva’s mother is
called Rohini.
Sometimes, Krishna or Baladeva would see a snake and
catch hold of it. When Yasoda and Rohini mother saw this,
they became so afraid! Sometimes the boys put Their hands
in the mouths of wild dogs, and the dogs became very calm.
They learned a very good game; They would seize the tail
of a dog or a calf, and hold on tightly, and the dog or calf
would drag Them around, with love. Sometimes, Krishna and
Baladeva would catch the horns of very large and ferocious
bulls, and wrestle and play with them, and the bulls would
play with Krishna and Baladeva.

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 YASODA REMEMBERS KRISHNA

While Krishna and Baladeva were still very young babies,

They sometimes crawled to the outer gate of the house. If
They saw anyone, Oh! They became afraid. They
remembered Their mothers, and at once turned back, and
rushed to sit in their laps. And what did Yasoda, and Rohini
do then? They put Them in their laps, covered Them with
their veils, and caressed Their hair; and then with tears in
their eyes, and with melting hearts, they put their breasts in
the mouths of Krishna and Baladeva.
Sometimes a gopi would come into Yasoda Maiya’s
courtyard. What did she see? Yasoda Maiya was engaged in
churning and performing other duties, just to prepare
something for Krishna. She had no other occupation. She
was always engaged in serving Krishna, and whenever she
was performing service, she always remembered him, and
sang:

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

Krishna was crawling in the house and courtyard, and she

was making everything neat and clean to protect Him. While
she did so, she was singing like this:

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

Sometimes she was engaged in grinding something with a

pestle and mortar, and as she did so, she sang:

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

Sometimes she engaged her servants in various tasks. At

other times, she gave some pomegranate seeds to the parrots,
and she told them, “You should sing like me. Sing this song:

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

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 Yasoda Maiya was not the only one who remembered
Krishna while she performed her household duties. All the
gopis of Vraja always remembered Krishna in their homes, and
they carried on their everyday activities for Krishna, just so
that He would come to their houses and steal some butter.
They used to think, “He must surely come, and then,
somehow I will play a trick and catch hold of Him.“
The Vraja gopis spent all their time serving Krishna by
performing their activities in this mood.
Sometimes, at about seven in the morning, they would
stop what they were doing, and gather together at Yasoda’s
house. Why? To see Krishna. He was so beautiful that they
had more love and affection for Him than they had even for
their own sons. They longed for Krishna so much: “Oh, we
want Krishna to be our son, so that we can give Him our
breast milk, and serve Him with so much love and affection.“

BABY WRESTLERS

All the gopis felt this way, and the cows did, too! Sometimes,
the cows would come into the cowherd town of
Nandagrama, and stand waiting. Then Krishna and Baladeva
used to go out, and lie down on the ground beneath them,
and the cows udders would spontaneously pour milk into
Their mouths. The cows would think, “If only Krishna were
my son! Then I could give Him my milk, and show love and
affection for Krishna.“ This mood was everywhere in Vraja.
Krishna and Baladeva grew up, and when They were
about one and a half years old, They could stand up, and walk
a little; and sometimes They would fall down, as well. The
gopis would come to see Them, and they divided themselves
into two parties. One party took Baladeva’s side and the other
party supported Krishna.
The gopis on Krishna’s side announced, “Krishna is so
strong that He can defeat Baladeva.“
Then Baladeva Prabhu’s party disputed with them: “No,
no, Baladeva is stronger than Krishna.“ The gopis on
Krishna’s side said, “If Krishna defeats Baladeva, I will give

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Krishna a laddu.“ And the gopis in Baladeva Prabhu’s party
said, “If Baladeva wins this battle, then we will give Baladeva
a Iaddu.“
Krishna and Baladeva could understand what was going
on, and in this way, the gopis inspired the two brothers to
wrestle with each other. Krishna and Baladeva were naked.
They stood opposite each other, and began to slap Their
thighs and chests like adult wrestlers. Then They caught hold
of each other and tried to bring each other to the ground, but
They were equally matched. Sometimes Baladeva would
almost defeat Krishna but then, Oh! Krishna turned just in
time, and He would defeat Baladeva; then Baladeva would
defeat Him. They were going on like this — back and forth
— and everyone rejoiced, singing and clapping. All the gopis
were overjoyed to see this play.

COMPLAINING IN LOVE

Now Krishna grew older and bigger. Quite often, He just

wore a golden chain, which tinkled and jangled around His
waist. Krishna always wondered, “Where is that sound
coming from?“ He used to look here and there, not realising
that He was making the sound Himself.
The gopis still came to see Krishna, but now they came to
Yasoda Ma to complain about her son: “Sometimes Krishna
comes to our houses, and He steals our butter, even though
we have hidden it here and there, in different places. He has
so many friends — Sudama, Sridama, Subala, Madhumangala
— and they’re always with Krishna. They’re just like
mischievous little monkeys.“ Krishna’s baby friends were all
as naked as the four Kumaras, and they were with Krishna
the whole time.
When the gopis came to Mother Yasoda to complain about
Krishna, they were not at all angry; on the contrary, they felt
sorry for Yasoda. They thought, “Yasoda is not as fortunate
as we are. Krishna comes to our houses and plays here and
there, and steals things according to His own sweet will; but
He doesn’t steal things in His own house, and He does not

9
play so sweetly there, either. So Yasoda is not as fortunate as
we are, because she doesn’t see all these sweet pastimes. We
are so fortunate.“ It seemed that they were coming to
complain to Yasoda, but really they were only pretending to
complain, so that they could engage in Krishna-katha, and let
Yasoda know how sweet Her son was.
Here are some of the stories that Yasoda’s friends would
tell her: “Oh! Your boy has become so naughty! He enters
our houses, and He plays so many naughty tricks. He steals
our butter, and then He hands out it to his friends, and even
to the monkeys.
“Sometimes He makes a naughty plan, and tells one of
His friends, ‘You go to your mother, while we hide in the
shelter of a tree, or another good hiding place just outside the
house. Say to your mother, “Oh, come quickly! Someone has
untied the calf’s tether, and it’s got free. Now it’s taking its
mother’s milk, and soon there won’t be any left.“’
“When the boy tells his mother, the gopi goes chasing after
the calf, and while she is away, Krishna and His friends enter
her home, and steal butter and whatever else they want.“
Sometimes a gopi would hide in her own house, thinking,
“Krishna must come, and then I will catch Him.“ Sure
enough, Krishna would creep in and put His hand in the pot
of butter. The gopi would suddenly pounce on Krishna and
rebuke Him:
“Oh! You are stealing in my house?“
Krishna would say, “Oh, Mother, I came here because I
thought this was My home and you are My mother. It never
occurred to Me that you’re not My mother, and I certainly
didn’t think you’d catch hold of Me and beat Me.“ Saying this
He began to smile, and the gopi’s heart melted. Although she
had caught hold of Krishna’s wrist, He wrenched His hand
free and ran away.

THE RUNAWAY CALF

One day a gopi told Mother Yasoda, “Today, I caught your

son Krishna red-handed, with His hand right in a pot of

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butter. I asked Him, ‘Why have you come here? Did You
come to steal butter?’
“‘No, no mother! I was searching for My calf. I was
playing with him today, and he ran away. So I followed him,
but he jumped into this pot.’
“‘Oh, your calf has jumped in this pot, has he?’
“‘Yes, Mother’, Your son replied very innocently, and
when He pulled His hand out of the butter pot, He was
holding a marble toy calf! Then He and His friends all began
to laugh, and they quickly ran away.
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He
always wants to please His devotees. Krishna’s other
incarnations are not like He is. Everyone can worship
Krishna. but Krishna Himself wants to worship His pure
devotees, and serve them, and fulfil their desires. Krishna’s
pure devotees in Vraja think, “I really want Krishna to come
to my house and steal butter from me,“ and that is why
Krishna comes. Otherwise, Krishna will never come to any
home.

KRISHNA ONLY ACCEPTS LOVE AND AFFECTION

Krishna will only accept an offering that is made with love

and affection. One incident which shows this very clearly
took place many years later, when He was in Hastinapura.
One day, Krishna was visiting Arjuna and his four
brothers, who were all His very dear friends and devotees.
Duryodhana, who also lived in Hastinapura, was the sworn
enemy of Arjuna and his brothers (later they fought each
other at the Battle of Kuruksetra), but he wanted to invite
Krishna to a feast. Duryodhana was very wealthy, so he
served preparations of delicious foodstuffs — such as Iaddu,
pera, kicodi, puns and makhan - in golden dishes, and put water
in golden cups. Then he requested Krishna, “Please come
and take Your meal with Me.“
Krishna objected, “I can’t eat anything, because I have no
appetite. I can eat anything where there is love and affection,
but I can never eat with you, because you have no love and

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affection for Me! Besides that, I came to Hastinapura to make
a specific proposal to you, but you haven’t complied with it.
How can I take My meal with you? I’m not a beggar, and I’m
not hungry.“

DELICIOUS BANANA PEELS

Shortly after speaking with Duryodhana, Krishna went to

Vidura’s house. Vidura was Krishna’s devotee, and was also
very affectionate to Arjuna and his four brothers; in fact, on
several occasions he had saved them from great danger.
Because of this, Krishna was very fond of Vidura.
When Krishna got to Vidura’s house, Vidura was not
there, so Krishna pleaded with his wife Vidurani, “Oh,
Vidurani Maiya, I am so hungry! Please give Me something to
eat.“ Vidurani was very affectionate to Krishna, and she was
anxious to serve Him. She began to offer Him bananas, but
in her confusion, she threw away the fruit and gave Him the
peels. Krishna affectionately accepted the peels, and relished
them joyfully. They tasted sweeter to Him than all the
preparations and offerings made in Dvaraka by his chief
queens Rukmini and Satyabhama.
While Krishna was completely absorbed in accepting
Vidurani’s offering of banana peels, Vidura came in. He was
astonished at what he saw, and exclaimed, “Oh, Vidurani!
What are you doing?“
Krishna tried to caution him, “Don’t speak to her. She is
not in her external senses. She is fully absorbed in
transcendental love and affection.“ Vidurani, however, came
back to external consciousness when she heard her husband
speak, and she soon realised what was happening. Then she
began to give Krishna the fruit of the bananas, and throw
away the peels.
Krishna was a little disappointed. “Oh! This fruit is not as
tasty as the peels were.“
From this pastime, we can see that Krishna never
becomes hungry. He doesn’t want to taste banana, or rabadi,
or milk or anything. He just wants to take the essence of all

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the fruits. What is that essence? It is simply love and
affection, the mood of bhakti in the offering.
Krishna will never take anything from someone who has
no love and affection for Him. On the other hand, He will
forcibly take what He wants from a devotee who has love and
affection for Him, if that devotee does not give Him enough.
When Krishna appeared in the form of His own devotee as
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He used to quarrel with His dear
devotee Sridhara, and take the things that Sridhara was
selling. Sridhara used to protest, “No! I won’t give you these
things without payment! I’m a very poor person, or, You
shouldn’t take these things. Go and get them from someone
else.“ But Mahaprabhu used to take his moca, and banana
flowers and other things anyway. That is Krishna’s nature.
Krishna is not a beggar. He is full in all opulence, but still
He comes to Vraja to serve all His associates, and to play
with them.

KRISHNA IS LET DOWN

Now Krishna became somewhat bigger. One day Yasoda told

Him, “It’s your birthday today. Go and bring a female calf
here, and worship her.“
Krishna became so happy. He went out and chose a very
beautiful she-calf, who was as snow-white as a swan. The calf
was very healthy, and stout and strong, and was jumping here
and there. Krishna wanted to catch her, but He couldn’t,
because she was jumping so much. After a great struggle, He
managed to hold her, and then He wanted to bring her in to
the courtyard. He tried to tie up her four legs, but the calf
refused to let Him tie her, and they had another wrestling
match. Somehow or other, Krishna managed to bring her
into the courtyard, and as He was doing so, He suddenly
noticed a pot hanging from a rope. He could immediately
understand that this pot must be full of sweet butter.
In an instant, Krishna’s intense greed for the butter made
Him forget that He was supposed to bring the calf in. But
how could He reach the butter? It was hanging high up in the

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rafters, and there was no ladder, or anything to stand on.
When He was with His friends, He would climb on their
backs, one by one, higher and higher, until He could reach
the butter. However, none of His friends were there, and He
had no stick. What to do?
After considering carefully, Krishna thought, “I can reach
the butter very easily if I stand on this calf.“ He managed to
climb up on the calf’s back, and when He stood upright, sure
enough, He was high enough to put His hand into the pot.
Just at that moment, however, the calf suddenly jumped
away. Little Krishna had put His whole arm into the pot, so
when the calf ran away, He was left dangling there. Now He
called out fearfully, “O Mother! Mother! Mother!“ and cried
bitterly.
Mother Yasoda was churning, and when she heard
Krishna weeping and crying for her, she smiled and ran out
to help Him. As soon as she saw Him hanging high above the
ground, she understood what had happened.
“You stay like that!“ she told Him. “I’m not going to
touch You. And I’ll punish You for being naughty, as well. I’ll
never help You!“
Krishna began to weep more loudly: “Mother! Mother!
Mother! Mother!“ and of course, Yasoda brought Him down.
Krishna was extremely naughty in His boyhood, and that
is why He garnered so much love and affection from all the
gopis, and especially from His mother.

CAUGHT RED-HANDED

One day, Yasoda’s gopi friend told her a story about Krishna’s
mischievous activities. “Early this morning, Krishna came to
my house to steal butter. When He got there, He saw that
everything had been stored very carefully, and there was no
butter lying about for Him to steal. My little baby son was
asleep, but Krishna pinched him so much that he woke up,
and began to cry. If we don’t keep butter in our houses for
Him to steal, then He will do such terrible things. And if He
finds butter and doesn’t like it, He breaks all the pots.“

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 When Yasoda heard this story, she thought, “I think that
Krishna has become naughty, stealing butter in other people’s
houses. I must teach Him a good lesson.“
Meanwhile, her gopi friend thought, “Yasoda doesn’t really
believe us when we tell her what her son has done. I’ll wait
for Krishna in my house, and when He comes, I’ll catch Him
red-handed, and take Him to Yasoda. Then she’ll see how
naughty her boy is.“
In the very early morning, while it was still very dark,
Krishna came alone to the house. He was stealing butter here
and there, and thinking, “No one can catch me.“ However,
that gopi was hidden from view, and waiting to catch Him.
When Krishna came and ate her butter, she was watching
Him from her hiding-place. She pounced on Him, and caught
Him red-handed. “Oh, I will take you to Mother Yasoda!“
she exclaimed in great excitement. “Then she’ll have to
believe us when we tell her that her boy is a great thief.“
The gopi covered Krishna with a cloth chaddar to take Him
as a captive to Yasoda Maiya. When she arrived at Yasoda’s
house, she called out, “Oh Yasoda! Oh Yasoda! Just see! I
have caught your son red-handed! He has become a thief!
You’ve never believed me up till now, but
today you’ll have to believe me.“
Yasoda came out to meet her friend, and on the way, she
saw that Krishna was asleep on the bed. Puzzled, she asked,
“Where is my son?“ In response, the gopi took off the cloth
that she had used to wrap up Krishna when she caught Him.
“Oh!“ Both were amazed to see that it was not Krishna, but
the gopi’s own son, who was wrapped in the chaddar!
Krishna came out of the bedroom, and started weeping.
“O Mother! O Mother! Just see! They are all telling lies about
Me. I have never been to that house. They are all liars! Now I
will have to go and steal some butter!“

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 CHAPTER THREE
BOUND BY LOVE
YASODA MAIYA’S BEAUTY

While Yasoda performed her household chores, she

considered how to satisfy Krishna’s desire for butter. “All the
other gopis prepare butter with their own hands to give
Krishna with love and affection,“ she thought. “That butter is
are so sweet. Up till now, I haven’t made butter myself; my
servants and maidservants have done it for me. From now
on. I’ll milk the cows with my own hands, put the milk on the
fire and then I’ll personally make very sweet yoghurt from it.
I’ll churn the yoghurt myself, so that my butter will be very
sweet, and Krishna will take it with great delight and
happiness.“
Having made this decision, on the day of Diwali, Yasoda
sent all her servants and maidservants to the house of Nanda
Baba’s older brother, Upananda. She even sent Rohini Maiya
off with Baladeva. because there was no one to help with the
Diwali preparations at Rohini’s palace.
Yasoda was left all alone, churning yoghurt just at dawn,
when the reddish sun rises in the peace and calm of the early
morning. Yasoda was so beautiful. If she were not, how could
Krishna be beautiful? The son cannot be so beautiful if the
mother is ugly.
How can we describe Yasoda’s beauty? Her breasts were
so broad, that it seemed as if her slim waist would break if
she bent down. She wore fine silk clothes. In India at that
time, the art of making silk cloth was highly developed. A
standard cloth [san] for a lady was about ten yards, and the
weavers were so expert that a full san could be pulled through
a hole no bigger than one’s finger-nail; the cloth was so fine.
Yasoda had put on especially fine silken cloth for the Diwali
festival, and her feminine beauty shone through her clothes.
Mother Yasoda prepared for churning. She put the pot of
yoghurt next to a pillar, and supported the churning rod in

16
the pot with thin ropes. She then began to churn by pulling
on the ends of the rope that was wrapped around the
churning rod. She was very beautiful, resourceful and
intelligent. That is why Krishna was so attractive, that if
thousands of people were watching His activities, He would
completely capture everyone’s attention. 5oys naturally have
that quality.
What was Yasoda’s mood while she was churning? She
was remembering the sweet childhood pastimes of Bala
Krishna and singing:

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti,

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

Yasoda was absorbed in singing, and thinking of Krishna.

Her heart was melting, her eyes were closed, and tears of love
were flowing down her cheeks.

YASODA’S SINGING

When Vaisnavas sing in glorification of Sri Krishna, they

accompany themselves with a special drum called the mrdanga.
The large end of the mrdanga resounds deeply, “Tan! Tan!“
while the small end gives a high sound, “Dik! Dik!“ The
singers also play small cymbals called karatalas, which chime
sweetly and rhythmically.
While Mother Yasoda was singing and churning, the
rhythmic motion of the churning rod in the deep pot of
yoghurt made a sound like the drum: “Dik, dik, tan! Dik, dik,
tan!“ At the same time, the golden chain on her neck, and the
bangles on her wrists chimed in time like very sweet cymbals.
Yasoda was singing in time with the “Dik tan! Dik tan!“
accompaniment.
The ‘dik tan’ sound of the churning was singing, “Fie on
those who don’t worship Krishna, and who don’t remember
Krishna! Fie on them! Fie on them! Dik-tan! Dik-tan!“

17
 KRISHNA SEARCHES FOR YASODA

Yasoda was totally absorbed. In the meantime, Krishna

awoke in the bed where He slept with His mother. His eyes
were still closed, but He was searching for His mother with
His hands, and whimpering softly: “Ma! Ma! Ma!“ When He
found that His mother was not there, He began to cry a little
louder, and rub His sleepy eyes with His little fists. At first,
there were no tears; He just smeared the black kajal that His
mother had applied to His big eyes, which were very long,
like the petals of a lotus flower.
When Krishna could not find His mother, He began to
weep: “I’ve just woken Lip, and I’m so hungry, and Mother
has gone somewhere and left Me.“ He cried, as babies do
when they want their mother. After a while, tie heard the
sound of the churning, and then He realised that His mother
could not hear Him. “Oh, she’s over there churning, ‘dik-tan!’
‘dik-tan!’ and she’s singing, ‘Govinda Damodara Madhaveti ‘, and
that’s why she can’t hear Me.“
He began to cry more loudly, but still His mother did not
come. Now He wanted to climb down from the bed, but it
was high, so how could He get down? As the Supreme Lord,
He is limitless, and the whole universe is within His body, but
now, playing the part of a small child, He could hardly get
down from His bed.
Krishna lay on His front, put His feet over the side of the
bed, and began to let Himself down backwards, very carefully
and gradually. Slowly, He slid off the bed until His feet
touched the ground, and then He began to walk towards His
mother.
He was walking very unsteadily, staggering first to one
side and then to the other, because He was still quite sleepy.
He was crying, and tears were rolling down His cheeks. His
tears were white like the River Ganges, and the streaks of
smeared kajal (collyrium eye-liner) were black like the River
Yamuna. Krishna was black, and the black kajal made Him
blacker and blacker. He was weeping loudly now, more and
more loudly still, but Yasoda was so absorbed, and the

18
sounds of the singing and churning were so loud, that she still
could not hear Him.
At last, baby Krishna came right up to Yasoda. He caught
hold of the churning stick with His left hand, and the end of
her veil with His right hand. Yasoda, still absorbed,
wondered, “What has stopped my churning?“ Then she
looked back and saw her baby Krishna.
“Oh, Krishna has come, and He’s crying.“
Yasoda stopped churning at once, and took Krishna in
her lap. He was still weeping, so she wiped His tears with her
veil, and began to relieve Him of His distress. She pacified
Him, caressed Him, and put her breast in His mouth.

DESPERATE MILK

Now Krishna stopped crying, but Yasoda began to weep

herself. She did not cry loudly, but tears of love flowed softly
down her cheeks. At the same time, her hair began to stand
on end in her transcendental loving ecstasy. Advanced
devotees experience eight bodily symptoms of transcendental
ecstasy, and these symptoms all began to appear in Yasoda.
Tears poured from her eyes profusely, her body trembled,
and she began to perspire heavily. She was completely
absorbed in her ecstasy of transcendental maternal affection
for Krishna, and Krishna was relishing it fully.
Krishna sucked Yasoda’s breast for some time, but He
was still not satisfied, because He had been hungry for a long
while. Meanwhile, Yasoda looked at the pot of milk that she
had left heating, and she saw that the milk was boiling over
into the fire.
Yasoda realised that this milk was also a devotee, who was
thinking, “I want to serve Krishna, but Krishna’s stomach is
so vast that it can contain the whole world, and there is
enough milk in Yasoda’s breasts to fill millions and millions
of Milk Oceans. Krishna’s appetite is limitless, His stomach is
limitless, and Yasoda has endless oceans of milk. If Krishna
takes Yasoda’s milk for millions and millions of years, it will
never be depleted. I will never have a chance to serve Krishna

19
in this lifetime, so what is the use of maintaining my life? It’s
better if I die now.“ That is why the milk was boiling over
into the fire.

GURUDEVA ENGAGES DEVOTEES

Wherever you find bhaktas (devotees), the symptom of their

bhakti is that they feel intense separation: “My body, my mind
and all my senses are not engaged in serving Krishna. So let
me die. What is the use of living?“
We are not thinking in that way. No such desire is coming
in us. And why not? Because we do not have good practice.
When this intense desire comes in one’s practice, Krishna will
appear at once, and award us His service. Or a bhakta like
Yasoda will come and give us a chance to serve Krishna, and
engage in His service.
When Yasoda understood that this milk was desperately
jumping into the fire, she told it, “All right, I will engage you
in Krishna’s service, and I will serve Krishna afterwards.“ A
real bhakta — a guru like this — engages newer and newer
devotees in serving Krishna. Gurudeva’s service is to engage
qualified souls — those who are eager — in Krishna’s
service.
Yasoda Maiya is like a guru of parental love for Krishna’
and in order to help the milk, she had to put Krishna down
quickly, and run to the fire. This is the guru’s inclination and
mood — to help others to serve Krishna. It is his first duty.
That is why Yasoda Maiya wanted to put Krishna aside.

YASODA DEFEATS KRISHNA

Just after Krishna was born, when He was only six days old, a
demoness called Putana had come to Vrndavan a to try to kill
Him. She put poison on her breast, and took the form of a
very beautiful woman. When she offered her breast to baby
Krishna, he began to suck out her life. The demoness had the
strength of many thousands of elephants, but even though

20
she tried to pull Krishna from her breast, she could not
escape from His grasp, and she died.
Now Krishna was much older and stronger. When He
saw that Yasoda wanted to put Him down, He caught hold of
her like a baby monkey. He wrapped His arms and legs tightly
around her body, and fastened His mouth on her breast. All
His senses were completely engaged, and He resolved, “I
won’t give up My position in Yasoda’s lap!“
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He
possesses the sum total of all opulence. He has the power to
defeat the whole world, including all sorts of mighty demons
such as Kesi, Agha, Baka, Putana, Hiranyakasipu and Ravana.
Still, He could not prevent His mother from putting Him
down! Yasoda Maiya defeated Him without any difficulty.
“You should sit here,“ she told Him, and despite Krishna’s
best efforts, she quickly and easily lifted Him off her lap with
one hand, and put him down. Krishna was helpless.
This is a good lesson for everyone. If anyone has such
deep and strong bhakti for Krishna, Krishna becomes like a
baby. By the arrangement of His pastime potency Yogamaya,
His limitless power deserts Him, and He becomes helpless.
When Yasoda left Krishna, even though He wanted to
keep drinking her breast milk, He began to weep loudly, and
He became angry: “She hasn’t satisfied My hunger, and yet
she has left Me and gone to save that milk.“

THE SERVANT OF THE SERVANT

It is clear from this pastime that those who serve Krishna

also take care of the articles with which Krishna is served: the
utensils, the clothes, the flute, the peacock feather and all the
paraphernalia. Yasoda Maiya gave more attention to these
than she did to Krishna. Why? This is the nature of the bhakta
in this world. It is not so easy to understand, but there are
some examples that will help us.
Yasoda would sometimes slap Krishna when He got mud
and earth on His clothes. “Oh, You are so naughty!“ she

21
would say. “I have only just washed Your clothes, and now
You’ve made them dirty again.“
Now, when the milk jumped into the fire, Yasoda had put
Krishna aside to go and save it, even though Krishna was
weeping. Why? What was so special about this milk? The
whole purpose of the milk was to satisfy Krishna, but
Yasoda’s priority was exactly the opposite: she was ready to
satisfy the milk before she satisfied Krishna.
Why did she put Krishna aside, and go to save the milk —
even though He wept when she did so? For the same reason
that she sometimes slapped Him for making His clothes dirty:
the milk was for Krishna’s service, just as the clothes were for
Krishna’s service.
This is the nature of pure bhakti (transcendental
devotional service). Krishna has more affection for those
who serve His bhakta (devotee) than He does for those who
serve Him directly. He becomes very pleased with the servant
of the devotee. We must try to understand this concept; it is
essential.
For example, Srimati Radhika is Krishna’s dearmost
devotee, so Krishna is more pleased with one who is serving
Her than He is with someone who is serving Him directly.
And if someone is serving Rupa Manjari, who is the servant
of Srimati Radhika, Krishna will say, “You are a servant of
Rupa Manjari? Oh, I shall give you everything. What do you
want?“
This is the nature of bhakti.

WEAKENED BY LOVE

Yasoda went to save the milk, which was especially for

Krishna. Yasoda needed that milk, as well as her breast milk.
“My breast milk alone is not enough for Krishna,“ she
thought. “I can’t make sweet yoghurt from my milk, so how
can I use my milk to make butter?“ Since she couldn’t make
butter from her breast milk, it was essential to save the milk
in the pot on the fire, so off she went.
But Krishna was weeping.

22
 Now, what should we understand if Krishna is weeping?
Is He angry or not? Externally, it seems that He was angry,
but internally, He was so happy — Oh! so happy — even
though He was weeping.
Krishna thought, “My mother has gone away, and left Me
here without satisfying Me, so I will teach her a lesson. I’ll get
into mischief.“
He stood up and tried to upset a nearby vessel containing
yoghurt, but He was not strong enough to move it. Although
He had previously killed the witch Putana, Yasoda’s maternal
love for Him now made Him become like a small boy, and
He was so weak that He could not move the pot, or even
shake it.
Where love and affection are prominent, Krishna can
forget all His opulence, and everything to do with being the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why He forgot all
His opulence at this point, and became ignorant and weak.

BREAKING THE YOGHURT POT

“What should I do?“ Krishna thought to Himself. “I can’t

turn the pot over, so I’ll try to break it. The top of the pot is
very thick, but the bottom is quite thin, so if I hit it there with
the pestle, it’ll break.“ And that’s what He did; He took the
pestle and smashed a hole in the bottom of the pot. Since the
hole was at the bottom of the pot of yoghurt, the pressure
inside made a very beautiful jet of white yoghurt squirt out of
the pot, and across the kitchen floor.
When Krishna saw the yoghurt streaming everywhere, He
was delighted, and He began to clap His hands, and laugh.
But the next moment, he thought, “Oh! If Mother Yasoda
sees Me, she will punish Me.“ He immediately became very
fearful, and decided that it was best to leave the scene of the
crime.
Krishna left that room and went into another room that
was close by. As He went, He thought, “I will hide so that
Mother will not find Me.“ By the influence of His pastime
potency Yogamaya, he was playing the part of an ordinary

23
small boy. Consequently, He did not notice that after He had
paddled in the stream of yoghurt, He had left a trail of very
sweet and pretty yoghurty footprints for His mother to
follow.

KRISHNA REWARDS HIS DEVOTEES

Krishna went into the next room, and there He saw a

grinding mortar, above which a pot of butter hung in a swing.
When he saw the butter, His mouth began to water. He
climbed on top of the grinding mortar, and began to take the
butter and feed it to the monkeys and crows, who had
gathered in great numbers. Krishna was very happy. He
thought, “In my previous incarnation as Ramacandra, the
monkeys came and helped Me so much when I was living in
the forest. They worked very hard, day and night, to build the
bridge to Lanka, but I couldn’t feed them or satisfy them
properly at that time. Now I’ll give them this butter. “These
crows have appeared in the dynasty of My very dear servant
Kakabhusandhi, so I will feed them as well.“
In the meantime, while Krishna was joyfully feeding the
crows and monkeys, Mother Yasoda had come back to the
room where she had been sitting with Him, and had seen the
broken pot of yoghurt. She followed the yoghurt-thief’s trail
of footprints, and approached the room where Krishna was
feeding the monkeys. This room had two doors, one coming
from the inner rooms of the house, and the other opening
into the outer courtyard. Krishna had entered the room from
the inner compound, and now had His back towards it.
Mother Yasoda came through this door, and began to sneak
up on Him very stealthily, like a cat walking skilfully and
silently on dry leaves.
Krishna did not notice His mother coming closer, but
when the monkeys and crows saw her, they began to scatter
and fly away in all directions. When Krishna saw the birds
and monkeys leaving, at first He thought, “Oh, where are you
going?“ Then He realised, “Aha! Someone else is in the
room!“ As Yasoda Maiya was just about to catch Him, He

24
looked over His shoulder and saw her. “Oh, Maiya is
coming!“ Quickly He jumped down from the grinding
mortar, and began to run away.

THE ZIGZAG COURSE OF THE ABSOLUTE

Krishna ran as fast as He could, and Yasoda Maiya began to

run after Him. “Oh, You friend of a monkey!“ she called
after Him, “You come here!“ Krishna was running in a zigzag
way, and Mother Yasoda could not run so fast because of her
heavy breasts and slim waist.
Krishna was so nimble that it was difficult for her to run
after Him and catch Him. Still, He saw that she would catch
Him in the end, so He had an idea: “I won’t run around the
room; I’ll go outside.“ In the Vedic culture, ladies don’t
appear in public places alone. Krishna knew that it would be
very embarrassing for His mother to chase Him in the street,
so He thought, “I will run outside so that she won’t chase
after Me.“

THE SPEED OF AFFECTION

Krishna ran outside, and Mother Yasoda came to the door,

looked after Him, and thought, “Oh! What to do?“ She
looked left and right, and saw that no one was watching, so
she also ran outside, and began to pursue Her naughty son.
Mother Yasoda eventually caught up with Krishna, and
grabbed His right hand with her left hand. She was carrying a
stick in the other hand, and Krishna was so afraid of the stick
that He was dodging this way and that around her legs.
There is a good lesson here. Krishna is the goal that we
want to attain, and the devotee is the practitioner who wants
to attain that goal. Krishna is the practitioner’s object of love.
When Krishna was running away from Yasoda Maiya, she
had to run faster than Krishna to catch Him. Devotees
should practice in such a way that their love and affection
surpasses Krishna’s.

25
 Krishna has affection for His devotees and the devotees
have affection for their beloved Krishna. If the love is equal
— that is, if Krishna loves the devotee as much as the
devotee loves Krishna — then Krishna will not be controlled.
However, if a devotee has more love and affection for
Krishna than Krishna has for him, that devotee can control
Krishna. Krishna was very loving and affectionate towards
His mother, but Mother Yasoda had more love and affection
for Him. Her love for Him was very high in comparison to
His love for Her, and that is why she could catch Him. This
is the hidden conclusion here.

A LOVING QUARREL

Mother Yasoda held Krishna, and began to scold Him. “I’ll

give You such a beating!“ she threatened. “I know You go
from house to house, stealing. You are a thief (caura)!“
Krishna replied, “Oh! Why are you saying that I am a
thief? There is no thief in My dynasty, in Nanda Baba’s
dynasty. Perhaps there is a thief in your dynasty.“
He was so cheeky. He had heard Yasoda Maiya and
Nanda Baba talking about Mother Yasoda’s forefather called
Caura Ghosh. Caura means thief. Krishna now remembered
that there was someone called Caura in his mother’s dynasty,
and that is why He told Her, “There is no caura in My
dynasty, but there is a Caura in your dynasty.“
“Why are you chastising me?“ Krishna protested
innocently. “What have I done?“
“How was the yoghurt pot broken?“
“That was the punishment of the Supreme Lord,“ said
Krishna.
“And who fed the butter to the monkeys?“
“He who made the monkeys, feeds the monkeys,“ said
Krishna.
Yasoda Maiya was a little angry, but she was laughing as
well. “Now tell me the truth!“ she said.
“Who broke the yoghurt pot?“

26
 Krishna explained, “Oh Mother! You jumped up to pacify
the milk that was boiling over, and when you rushed into the
kitchen, you were in such a hurry that your heavy ankle bells
hit the yoghurt pot, and broke it. I haven’t done anything.“
“Is that the truth? In that case, how is it that You have
butter all over Your face?“
Krishna said, “Oh Maiya! Every day a monkey comes and
puts his hand in the pot to eat the butter, but today I caught
him. He pulled his hand out of the pot and began to run
away, but the butter on his hand smeared all over My face.
Tell Me honestly, am I to blame for this? But still you call Me
a thief and you want to beat Me.“
“Oh! You are a liar.“

BINDING KRISHNA WITH LOVE AND AFFECTION

Yasoda Maiya considered in her mind, “What shall I do? My

boy is so restless, that He might try to run away. Besides, if I
don’t punish Him for his mischief, He might become a dacoit
when He grows up. Then she came to a decision and told
Krishna, “The grinding mortar helped you to steal the butter,
so I will punish you and your accomplice by tying you both
together.“
Yasoda Maiya took a rope and tried to tie Krishna up with
it, but the rope was too short by the width of two fingers, so
she asked a servant to bring another rope. Surprisingly, when
both ropes were tied together, somehow or other they were
still two fingers too short. Now her sakhis began to bring
ropes from their homes, but no matter how many ropes they
tied together, the rope was always too short.
The gopis were all laughing and clapping their hands, and
they told Yasoda Maiya, “Oh sakhis, it is not written on His
forehead that he can be bound. It is not in His destiny.“
Yasoda thought, “He is my child, and He came from my
womb. It will be so embarrassing if I cannot bind him. How
will I ever be able to look my sakhis in the face again?“
From early morning until noon, she tried again and again
to tie Krishna. She was becoming more and more fatigued.

27
Her face was red, and she was breathing heavily. She was
perspiring, and the flowers were falling from her hair.
Finally, Yasoda Maiya took shelter of her worshipful
Deity, Narayana, “O Narayana! O Supreme Personality of
Godhead! Please help me bind my son!“ At that moment (the
Supreme Personality of Godhead heard her prayers), Krishna,
having seen His mother’s hard labour, allowed Her to bind
Him. His pastime potency Yogamaya immediately expanded
her influence and Yasoda Maiya took the cord with which her
hair was bound and very easily tied Krishna.
What is the significance of the rope always being two
fingers too short? One finger represents our own hard
endeavours to practise devotional service. The second finger
represents Krishna’s mercy. When Krishna sees our repeated
and sincere endeavour to serve Him, His heart melts with
compassion. At that time, by His causeless mercy, He allows
himself to be bound by the devotee’s prema.

28
 CHAPTER FOUR
A FLOOD OF AFFECTION
YASODA’S DOUBT

When Yasoda Maiya had bound Krishna, she went into the
house to continue with her household duties. She resumed
her churning, but her mind was not there. It had become
somewhat upset, and she was always thinking about Krishna.
“Why did I tie Him up?“ she thought. “I should not have
done that. But actually, I was right to bind Him. If I hadn’t,
He would have done something even naughtier.“ Then again,
she thought that she was not justified. “He is so soft and
sweet, and I have given Him too much pain. No, not to Him.
I have given myself too much pain. I have given too much
trouble to my own heart.
“What can I do? Krishna is so angry, and I am afraid that
if I untie His rope, He will go roaming all over Vraja, and I
won’t be able to control His movements. It’s best to let Him
remain there for the time being.“ However, she was not
peaceful. She maintained a constant vigil from inside the
house to see what He was doing.

THE OPPOSITION PARTY

In the meantime, Krishna’s cowherd friends had gathered

round, and they began to joke with Him. Since they were
laughing and clapping, Krishna began to laugh with them.
The mixture of tears and black collyrium dried on His face,
and down the front of His body to His waist.
Now Krishna became somewhat happy, and He forgot
what His mother had done. The boys said to each other,
“Why don’t we untie Krishna’s ropes and free Him?“ Krishna
was enthusiastic. “Yes, yes! My hands won’t reach all the way
round the grinding mortar to untie the ropes, so you should
do it.“ All his friends came one by one to try, but the knot
was so tight that none of them could untie it. Still, they were

29
trying, one after another. When one was defeated, the others
would say, “Oh you can’t untie it, but I can,“ and then he
would wrestle the knot away from the others and try himself.
Each of them failed several times, but they still persisted in
pushing each other out of the way, and trying yet again.
Krishna’s funny friend Madhumangala was especially
determined. “You are all bogus! You have no idea at all. I can
untie it.“ He quickly came up, pushing all the others out of
the way, and tried himself, but he also failed. All the others
laughed at him in great amusement.
Amidst all the clamour and hubbub, the boys were
thinking, “If Baladeva were here, He could untie Krishna in a
moment. Then this would all be finished, and we could do
something else.“
Meanwhile, Mother Rohini was coming with Baladeva
Prabhu. Baladeva found the boys playing with Krishna in the
courtyard, and when He saw that Krishna was tied up to the
grinding mortar, He became furiously angry.
“Who has done this?“ He said. “I will punish him.“
He was so upset that His eyes became reddish, and His
hands were shaking with rage. Then Subala came close to
Him and whispered in His ear, “Oh brother, don’t be so
upset. Mother Yasoda has done this.“
“Maiya did it? Oh. if she did it, I can’t do anything.“
Baladeva backed away thinking, “There must be some reason
behind all this.“

THE PLAN FOR DELIVERANCE

While this was going on, Krishna was thinking. He is all-

knowing, and He remembered a pastime that had taken place
in the previous millennium. “Now I recall how My dear
devotee Narada cursed Nalakuvera and Manigriva.“
Nalakuvera and Manigriva were sons of Kuvera, who was
a friend of Lord Siva, and Siva is very near and dear to
Krishna, so there was a relationship. The very exalted, saintly
devotee Narada was also a friend of Kuvera. One day,
Narada saw Kuvera’s two sons playing in a lake with a

30
number of extremely beautiful young women from the
heavenly planets. The women and the two young men were
naked, and they were playing various games, such as hide-
and-seek. When Narada approached, the women became
ashamed. Coming out of the water, they hastily put on their
clothes, and offered obeisances repentantly.
The two young men, however, were stubborn, and did not
change their behaviour. They were madly intoxicated from
drinking wine, and they began to abuse Narada and the girls
shamelessly. “Why has this madman come here? He is
completely ignorant. And you are all so bogus that you left
the pond when you saw him. Now the mood has been
completely spoiled.“
The young men stood in front of the great devotee
Narada without any clothes on. They had lost their shame
and knowledge; and they did not know how to respect a
superior, or a saintly person. Narada saw that they were like
dry trees. He thought, “These young men are very near and
dear to Sivaji, so I should teach them a good lesson.“

A STRONG INJECTION

A person who has had a thorn under the skin knows what
pain is, but someone who has not experienced such pain can
give pain to others very easily, and without remorse. We see
that people can cut off a fish’s head, and cut the throats of
goats, cows and other animals, just to eat their flesh. If
anyone gives such hard-hearted people even a little injection
of awareness, they can come to their senses and understand,
“I should not do this.“ One who understands nature’s laws
realises that the pain of cutting one’s finger is simply the pain
that we have given to others coming back to us.
We should note the spelling of the word ‘meat’: M E A T.
It contains the word ‘eat’: E A T, and it means, “Those
whose flesh I eat will return to eat me.“ Every action has its
reaction. If you abuse anyone, you will receive abuse. If you
give someone else a slap, someone will slap you. Animals
who have been slaughtered will receive a human body, and

31
will eat those who killed them in their previous life. We
should therefore avoid eating meat and fish.
Nalakuvera and Manigriva had taken birth in an
aristocratic family, and they were very beautiful and wealthy.
They were also highly cultured and had a good education.
Such people often have so much opulence that they don’t
believe in God at all, and certainly don’t want to perform
bhajan of Krishna (offer their hearts to Him with devotion.)
They are puffed up with false ego, thinking, “I am so
educated and so beautiful. I come from an aristocratic family;
I am a brahmana I am very wealthy.“ Those who think like
that can never do bhajan of Krishna.
Narada understood how fallen the two young men were,
and he decided to give them an injection. “You are acting
exactly like trees, standing naked, and not caring for your
superior. You are behaving in a nonsensical way! You should
at once become trees.“
His words were so powerful! Manigriva and Nalakuvera
immediately sensed that they were undergoing some
transformation; they were beginning to become trees. Quickly
realising how serious the situation was, they fell down at
Narada Rsi’s feet. “Oh, Narada Rsi, we never knew that you
were so powerful. We were always immersed in false ego.
Now we understand that Krishna has given us this human
body for bhajan, so that we can realise who is God. We have
misused our time, always drinking and making merry. Please
be merciful to us. Surely it can’t be true that we are going to
be trees?“
Narada said, “What I have said will surely happen. No one
can make my words false. Still, I will minimise the
punishment, because you are now realising how foolish you
have been, and you are the sons of my friend. You will
certainly become two trees, but you will be in Vrndavana, and
after some time, Krishna will appear in the neighbourhood
where you are standing. When He is playing as a boy, tie will
personally touch you both, and then you will not only have
liberation, but bhaktas well.“
Slowly, the two young men became pacified and peaceful.

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 THE LIBERATION OF NALAKUVERA AND MANIGRIVA

Krishna remembered Narada Rsi’ s prediction, and thought,

“I must fulfil My devotee’s desire.“ Krishna is so expert, that
He can accomplish many goals and fulfil many desires with
one action.
Krishna immediately asked His friends to push the
grinding mortar out of Nanda Baba’s compound, and they
began to push it and pull it towards the gate. Just outside the
main gate were two very large, tall arjuna trees. These trees
cast cooling shade over a wide area, and thousands of birds
were taking shelter in their broad branches. The two trees
stood close together, with only a narrow passageway between
them. Krishna crawled through the narrow passage between
the two trees, but the grinding mortar was wider than He
was, and as the cowherd boys pushed and pulled, it became
stuck between the two trees.
When the mortar touched the trees, they became
connected to Krishna through the rope. It was as if a current
flowed from Krishna to the mortar, and from the mortar to
the two Arjuna trees. Anyone who touched the mortar would
receive that current.
As Krishna continued to pull at the mortar which was
stuck between the two trees, by Narada’s grace they
surrendered to Krishna’s pull, and fell with a tremendous
crash. Krishna’s friends had been playing with Him, pulling,
shouting, playing and joking happily, but when the trees
unexpectedly fell, the boys suddenly became very frightened.
What had happened?
As the trees toppled over, the two beautiful demigods
appeared before Krishna. They offered prayers and
obeisances to Him, and He blessed them that they would
both go to His eternal abode, where they would sing about
His wonderful pastimes. They circumambulated Krishna, and
then proceeded to their glorious destination.

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 YASODA’S FEAR AND SHOCK

The whole of Vraja trembled with the sound of the arjuna

trees falling, and all the inhabitants of Vraja ran towards the
terrible, noise from wherever they were.
Meanwhile, Mother Yasoda had been restless, and unable
to concentrate on what she was doing. She became very
fearful when she heard the frightful sound. “Where is that
sound coming from? Oh! It is very close to where Krishna is
— very close.“ Her heart began to pound with fear, and at
once, she began running toward the source of the sound. All
the other residents of Vraja came quickly.
When they arrived at the spot, they were deeply relieved
and thankful at their good fortune. The trees had fallen to the
left and right of Krishna, and not on Him, so He was not
even slightly hurt. Still, they were all afraid.
Yasoda saw it all from a distance. “Oh, those two trees
have been uprooted, and Krishna is in the middle. What
would have happened if they had fallen on Him?“ She could
not bear to think of anything at all after this, and became
completely stunned, like a tree, with no sense at all — just
like dry wood. There were no tears, and she was not even
breathing. She just stood there like a pillar.

NANDA BABA RELEASES THE SUPREME

Nanda Baba had been taking bath in Brahmanda Ghata, and

he also came running to see what had caused that sound.
When he saw Krishna tied to the grinding mortar, he was
dumbstruck. Boiling with rage, he took Krishna in his lap and
asked Him, “Who did this?“
Meanwhile, the small boys gathered around and
clamoured, “Baba! Baba! Baba! Krishna touched the two trees
and they were uprooted. Two very beautiful people like gods
or sunrays came out of the trees. They began to pray, and
Krishna said something to them. Then they walked round
Krishna, fell flat on the ground in front of Him, and left to
the North.“

34
 Nanda Baba did not believe them. “These boys are so
simple,“ he thought. “How could Krishna uproot two great
trees? Maybe those two were demons sent by Kamsa to kill
Krishna. As for Yasoda, she is so cruel-hearted and
unintelligent that she doesn’t realise the danger she has
brought on by her actions.“ Suddenly he considered the
unthinkable: “What would have happened if Krishna had
been killed?“ He could not think any more after that.
Just after the trees had fallen down, Krishna had been
laughing happily. However, when He saw Nanda Baba
coming in the distance, He began to weep more and more
loudly. When Nanda Baba arrived, Krishna told him
piteously, “Mother said she would beat Me!“ He was sobbing
now, catching long breaths between His speech and His cries.
Nanda Baba tried to pacify Him, but Krishna wept even
more. Nanda Baba wiped Krishna’s tears with his chaddar, and
asked him, “My dear son, who tied You up?“ But Krishna
would not tell him.
Nanda Baba repeated, “Who tied You up? Tell me! I will
punish whoever it was.“ He kept asking again and again, as he
untied the knots in the rope tying Krishna to the mortar.
Finally, Krishna put His mouth very close to Nanda’s ear
and whispered, “Mother tied Me.“
Nanda Baba was astonished by Krishna’s revelation.
“Your mother tied you up? Oh! I never knew that she was so
cruel-hearted.“ He gave Krishna a laddu, and Krishna took it
in His hand, but He did not eat it. Still, He was pacified a
little, and the tears had almost stopped, although not
completely Nanda Baba caressed Krishna’s head and body,
and Krishna became very grave, looking at Mother Yasoda
with fearful eyes.
Mother Yasoda was not in external consciousness. She sat
motionless, and her gopi friends waited around her. They
could read Yasoda’s heart, and they were deeply unhappy.
How they wished that Krishna would come to Yasoda’s lap!
Nanda Baba also looked very grave now. He took Krishna
and Baladeva on his shoulders — Baladeva on his right
shoulder and Krishna on his left shoulder — and went to

35
Brahmanda Ghata to bathe in the Yamuna. He bathed
Krishna and Baladeva at the ghata and took bath himself, so
that they would all be purified after this inauspicious event.
Then he lifted Krishna and Baladeva onto his shoulders
again, and returned home. It was after 2 p.m., but no one had
cooked anything at Yasoda’s house that day. Who would
cook? Yasoda and her sakhis were so upset that they were just
staring into space. None of them had even thought of
cooking, much less eating.

A MEAL IN THE COW BARN

When Mother Rohini saw Nanda Baba coming with the two
boys, she quickly went to the kitchen and cooked a little
sweet porridge. She gave it to Nanda Baba, and he fed the
boys — first Baladeva, and then Krishna. When They were
satisfied, he began to take a little himself. He was still very
grave, but he ate something, and then went outdoors.
Homes in India — especially the homes of wealthy people
— are divided into two parts. The inner part of the house is
reserved for the ladies, and it contains the kitchen and other
rooms where they do the household work. The outer part is
for the men, and it has a courtyard or meeting hall, as well as
a drying-room, where clothes can dry without being stolen by
the monkeys. It was to these outer quarters that Nanda Baba
went now.
The afternoon passed, and it was time for the evening
meal. Still nobody had cooked, so Nanda Baba went to the
cows’ barn with the boys. There he milked the cows directly
into the mouths of Krishna and Baladeva, and gave them
some sugar-candy. The two boys ate and drank till their
stomachs were full, and then Nanda Baba returned home
with Them. By that time, it was night.

“BRING KRISHNA TO YASODA MAIYA“

By now, all of Yasoda’s sakhis — especially Rohini and

Upananda’s wife - were very worried. All the older ladies

36
came with Mother Rohini to where Nanda Baba was sitting
with Baladeva and Krishna in his lap.
The older gopis said to Baladeva, “You are stronger than
Krishna, and He will listen to You, because You are His older
brother. Quickly, take Him straight to Yasoda Maiya’s lap.“
Baladeva went to pull Krishna, but Krishna gave Him such a
strong push that Baladeva fell down. Krishna wrapped His
arms tightly around Nanda Baba’s neck.
Rohini said, “O King Nanda! Krishna’s mother has not
taken anything to eat. She is sitting in a corner as still and
silent as stone. All the gopis in the house are so sad, and they
are also sitting silently, without eating or drinking.“
“What can I do?“ said Nanda Baba. “She should realise
that this is the result of her anger. She has acted cruelly.“
Tears flowed from the eyes of the elderly gopis. “Alas!
Alas! You shouldn’t call her cruel! It’s not right to use a word
like that for her. She is extremely soft, both inside and out.“
Hearing this, King Nanda became more emotional. “Lala!
Will You go to Maiya?“
“No! No! I will stay with you,“ replied Krishna
emphatically.

“I’LL STAY WITH FATHER!“

Then Rohini Maiya came to Krishna, “Krishna, where will

You spend the night? Where will you sleep?“
“I’ll sleep with Father.“
“Not with Mother?“
“No.“
Upananda’s wife said, “You may stay with Baba, but what
will you eat? Who will breastfeed You?“
“I will drink milk straight from the udders of the cows.
My Baba will give it to Me, and he will give Me sugar candy,
too.“
“Who will You play with?“
“I will play with My brother and Nanda Baba.“
“Won’t You go to Your Mother?“
“No, I will never go to Her.“

37
 Nanda Baba said, “Why don’t You go to Rohini Maiya?“
Krishna sobbed and declared angrily, “I was calling out to
my elder mother to come and untie Me, but she didn’t come,
and Rohini Maiya didn’t come either.“
When Rohini heard this, tears flowed down her face, and
she said softly, “Lala! Don’t be so cruel-hearted. Your mother
is crying for You!“
Krishna’s eyes, too, brimmed with tears when He heard
this. He turned around, and looked at his father’s face. A
shower of tears began to fall from Baba’s eyes, as well.
“Lala! Should I slap your mother?“ Nanda asked Krishna.
He raised his hands, and made a gesture as if he were beating
someone. Krishna could not tolerate this, and He caught hold
of His father’s hands tightly. At that moment, Nanda Baba
remembered the anguish in Yasoda’s heart.
Then Rohini Maiya said to Krishna, “And what if your
mother is.. “She paused and snapped her fingers above her
head, meaning, “What if she passes away?“
Oh! Seeing this, Krishna became very anxious. He began
to cry out loudly, “Oh, Mother! Mother!“ He jumped down
off His father’s lap, and began to run towards His mother of
His own accord, with His arms outstretched, to sit in her lap.
Rohini Maiya was weeping. Picking up Krishna — who
was also crying — she quickly took Him into the ladies’
quarters, and placed Him in Mother Yasoda’s lap.
Until now, Mother Yasoda had been as senseless as a
statue, but when Rohini Maiya placed Krishna in her lap she
came to life, and became very relieved.
“My dear son! My dear son!“ she cried again and again.
Trembling, and with her heart melting, she covered Krishna
with her veil and began weeping and weeping like a kurari
bird.
Krishna began consoling her. “Mother! Mother! Mother!“
Rohini Maiya and all the other gopis had gathered there by this
time, and they all began to weep and cry loudly.
Yasoda was weeping; Krishna was weeping; Rohini was
weeping; and all the gopis were weeping. In the meeting room,
Nanda Baba was weeping as well. Everyone was weeping, and

38
the whole area was over-flooded with the condensed moods
of parental love and affection.
After some time, when Yasoda was somewhat pacified,
she gave Krishna her breast, and in the meantime, some food
was prepared. Nanda Baba was quickly called to take some
prasadam and he sat down with Krishna and Baladeva to his
left and his right. Nanda Baba said, “Krishna, go and call
your Mother. If she doesn’t come, I will not take anything.“
Yasoda was so ashamed and embarrassed that she would
not come, but Krishna caught hold of her veil and pulled, so
she could not resist, and He brought her to Nanda Baba.
Nanda Baba took some prasadam, gave some to Krishna
and Balarama, and left some remnants, which were
distributed to everyone in Yasoda’s house. Krishna was now
sitting in Yasoda’s lap, and that night, He slept with her very
peacefully.
Krishna. the Supreme Personality of Godhead, performs
so many sweet pastimes. Why? To renew the love and
affection of those who love Him dearly.

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 CHAPTER FIVE
THE GLORIOUS FRUIT-SELLER
ATTRACTED BY NANDA-NANDANA

At the same time as Sri Krishna was performing His pastimes

in Vrndavana, there was a lady in the nearby city of Mathura
who used to sell very, very sweet fruits. She would go to the
country villages where small children lived, and she would
walk through the narrow lanes calling out, “Mangos! Oranges!
Bananas! Guava!“ She had such lovely, ripe fruits, that many
children would run to her, and ask for them in a beautiful
way. They would all collect around her, and watch her with
greedy eyes, saying, “Mother, mother! I want to take that
fruit.“ She was very popular with the children.
One day, this fruit-seller lady heard the name Nanda-
nandana, which means ‘the son of Nanda’, and she became
very much attracted. Someone told her, “Yasoda has given
birth to a very lovely boy, and His name is Krishna. He is so
beautiful and so attractive, that anyone who goes to Gokula
and sees Him just once cannot return his mind to his
business. If he does return, it is without his mind and without
his heart.“ When the fruit-seller heard this, she wanted to see
that boy.

CALLING OUT TO KRISHNA

One day she took a basket full of fruits, and with some
difficulty crossed the river Yamuna in a makeshift boat made
of branches and banana trees. Then she set off for Gokula,
which was only seven miles from where she had crossed the
Yamuna.
(When we first came to Gurudeva, we used to walk there
on foot. Now, they have invented taxis, cars and so many
things, that hinder us from going there.)
The fruit seller went to Gokula, and she began calling out
to attract people to buy her fruits. She wanted to call out,

40
“fruit! Bananas! Mangos! Oranges! Guava!“ but she was just
thinking of Krishna, so instead she called out,

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda, Damodara, Madhaveti

She began to cry out more loudly, “Govinda! Damodara!

Madhava!“ as she walked along with her basket on her head.
(Indian ladies can carry baskets on their heads without
touching them with their hands. They can carry two, three, or
even four pots of water on top of each other on their heads
without holding them. Vraja gopis are expert in this. Even
today, you can see them doing it in Vrndavana.)
The fruit-seller went on calling like this, and her heart was
crying, “Krishna! Govinda! Damodara!“ The whole of that
day, she made the rounds in Nandagrama, where Krishna
lived with His parents, but Krishna did not come. She
returned the next day, and the next, but she still did not see
Him.

THE FRUIT-SELLER’S VOW

After the third day, she vowed, “If Krishna does not allow
me to see Him today, I will not return. I will just give up my
life.“ With this conviction, she was so absorbed in singing,
“Govinda! Damodara! Madhava!“ that Krishna could not
check Himself when he heard her calling. He was sitting in
Mother Yasoda’s lap, but He quickly jumped up to go to the
fruit-seller. Krishna had seen adults bartering, and He knew
that the fruit-seller would give Him some fruit, if He gave
Her something in return. On the way out, He saw a sack of
grains, and He picked some up in his little hands, and ran into
the courtyard. “Oh, I want some fruits, I want some! Give
Me fruits!“
This fruit-seller was from a lower caste, so she was waiting
outside the gate; she could not come into Mother Yasoda’s
house, or even into the courtyard. Although Krishna had
tried to bring some grains for bartering, His little hands
would not hold many, and most of the grains that He had

41
picked up fell to the ground as He ran out. There were only a
very few grains left, but Krishna did not notice this; He
thought that His hands were so full of grains that the fruit-
seller would give Him plenty of fruit.

THE SUPREME LAPFUL

When the fruit-seller saw Krishna, she became completely

absorbed in the wonderful sight. She just sat looking and
looking at Him. In a moment, she had given her heart to
Krishna.
“Give Me fruits! Give Me fruits!“ Krishna told her.
“What will You give me in return?“
“I’ve brought lots of grains with Me.“
The fruit-seller smiled and said, “Oh boy, there are no
grains in Your hands.“
Krishna looked at His hands, and was surprised to see
that all the grains were gone. He still wanted the fruits,
though.
The fruit-seller looked at Krishna’s face, and said, “If you
call me ‘Mother’ and sit in my lap, I will give You all the fruits
You want.“
Krishna looked up and down, this way and that, to see if
anyone was watching. He is very affectionate to all His
devotees, and is not even slightly concerned what caste or
class they are born in. Still, He was playing the part of the son
of the Icing of Vraja. “I don’t know what will happen if My
mother or anyone in Vraja sees Me sitting in the lap of this
lady,“ He thought. “And what would My friends say if they
found out that I had called Her ‘Mother’?“ That’s why He
was looking here and there, to see if anyone was watching.
When He saw that no one else was around, He quickly
jumped into the lady’s lap and said, “Mother!“ Then just as
quickly, He jumped out of her lap and demanded, “Now, you
should give He some fruits.“
The fruit-seller lady was delighted, for Krishna had
fulfilled all of her desires. She wanted to give Him everything
— all of her fruits — but His hands were so small that He

42
could only take two mangos and a banana. He held the fruits
against His chest with both hands, and went off dancing, as
small boys do.
Krishna went to his mother and put all the fruits in her
veil. She began to distribute them to her friends, and she
became so happy, for they provided an endless and
inexhaustible supply. She gave fruits to all the gopis. and when
everyone had received fruits, there were still fruits left.
And what happened to that fruit seller? When Krishna sat
in her lap and called her. ‘Mother!’ she was overcome with
transcendental sentiments and emotions. She had given her
whole heart and mind to Krishna.
She didn’t move for a long time, but sat there outside the
gate, motionless in disbelief. When anyone came and asked.
“Why are you just sitting here?“ she did not reply; she
couldn’t.

A BASKET OF JEWELS

Eventually, towards evening-time, the fruit-seller took her

basket on her head, and started for home. When she came to
the banks of the Yamuna River, she thought, “My basket is
very heavy. What is in it?“
When she put the basket down and looked into it, she was
amazed at what she saw. The basket was full of countless
wonderful jewels, each one equal in value to the whole of
King Kamsa’s treasury.
The fruit-seller was completely fixed in her determination.
Standing on the bank of the Yamuna, she cried out, “What is
the use of all these jewels?“ Then she threw them all into the
Yamuna, and with her hands above her head, she began to
sing like a mad woman,

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

She had no veil — it had come off. She collapsed, and fell
on the earth, weeping. She had no sense — only the sense

43
that Krishna was there. Tears were pouring from her eyes,
and her heart was melting.
No one knew where she went after that, for she never
returned to her house. Where had she gone? Can anyone tell?
Krishna knew her heart completely, and He thought. “Oh,
she would like to be My mother!“ He gave her a very
beautiful spiritual body, and quickly took her to His supreme
abode, Goloka Vrndavana, where she could be like His
mother eternally.
Only her body was left lying on the banks of the Yamuna,
and someone came and gave it to fire.

SINGING FROM THE HEART

It is very wonderful to follow that fruit-seller lady, if you want

to. Gurudeva has come to give you this, to sprinkle this
mercy. You cannot repay him with wealth, or reputation, or
anything of this world. You have nothing to give to
Gurudeva to repay him.
You should meditate on Srila Gurudeva’s glory, and try to
understand who he is. He wants to give you the same wealth
that Krishna gave to that fruit-seller, so try to take what he
wants to give you. Don’t waste your valuable time, and don’t
waste this valuable human body. At once, from this moment,
you should try to be like that, always absorbed in that way
and always singing,

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

Govinda Damodara Madhaveti, Govinda Damodara Madhaveti

How should you sing? Not as if you are singing an

ordinary song. You should pray to Krishna with all your
heart, and then Krishna will hear. Otherwise, you may be
singing like a professional, but Krishna doesn’t need so much
music. He already knows many songs. He wants your heart.
An inferior devotee may be able to sing expertly, but Krishna
wants more.

44
 Try to pray like this — with your full heart — and
Krishna will hear. However you chant, whatever kirtana you
sing, you should be absorbed in it. If you are singing just to
make music, Krishna will not hear, but if you are chanting
and hearing in a heartfelt way, Krishna will come at once, and
give you His wealth.

Gaura-premanande! Haribol!

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