Ananda Vrindavan Champu

Krsna's Yawning and Childhood Pranks

Yasoda felt as if she had attained the ultimate fulfillment of all desires by having Krsna as her son. Gazing at the lotus face of her darling pleased her more than pleasure itself. One day Krsna yawned while Vrajesvari breast fed Him. His yawning face appeared like a fully blossoming lotus flower. Yasoda saw the earth and all its trees, mountains, oceans, and cities situated in Krsna's mouth. She also saw both herself and Nanda Maharaja within His mouth. Perceiving this touch of her son's transcen­dental opulence overwhelmed Yasoda with astonishment. What more can be said? .

On another day when Yasoda breast fed Krsna, she glanced lovingly\at His lotus face and said, "0 my darling son! Please open Your mouth so I can see if any baby teeth have come in yet." Yasoda saw His baby teeth looking just like tiny drops of her breast milk. In this way Krsna fulfilled the desires of everyone, just as the rising moon creates happiness in all directions with its soothing rays. Everyday it appeared that Pusti-devi, the goddess of satisfaction, directly served Krsna by ever increasing His pleasure. Sometimes Yasoda held Krsna to her breast, and other times Nanda carried Him about on his shoulders.

Although Krsna is beyond the force of time, rules, and regulations, by His free will He seemed to be following the laws governing human beings. At this time, Krsna, whose body is softer than the petals of a lotus, crawled around Nanda's courtyard on His hands and knees. Hearing the sweet tinkling of His own waist-bells, Krsna stopped moving and looked with surprise. Turning His conch-shell shaped neck, He glanced curiously over His shoulder. Seeing these childish antics of Krsna filled Mother Yasoda's heart with inconceivable joy.

Crawling across the room, Krsna eventually came to the door leading outside. Birds sat on the arches over the jewel-inlaid doorway. Seeing the birds' forms reflected in the jewels, Krsna tried to touch them with His soft reddish fingers, which resembled the pink color (aruna) of the sky at dawn. The elderly gopis relished these simple yet sublime pastimes of Krsna-kumara.

Krsna is completely made of transcendental consciousness, yet He ap­pears to act like an ordinary human child. Although He has assumed a charmingly soft and enchantingly beautiful form. He is actually the concentrated form of the Absolute Truth. Just for fun Krsna crawled around like a little baby pretending to be learning about the world. By such pastimes He filled the Vrajavasi ladies with joy. Sometimes the elderly gopis joked with Krsna and affectionately asked Him, "Point to Your face. Point to Your ear. Where are Your eyes?" Krsna answered by touching those parts with His delicate leaf-like fingers. The "dies continued, "Krsna, show us Your teeth." Krsna put His lotus hand to His mouth, smiled and replied shyly, "My teeth have not yet come out."

The wife of Upananda asked Krsna, "Who is Your father? Who is Your mother? Please tell us." Again beaming that irresistible smile, Krsna-kumara pointed toward Yasoda and Nanda Baba with His leaf-like hand. The Vraja gopas thrilled with bliss to see this.

One nurse, brimming with maternal affection, tested Krsna's speaking ability. She said, "Can you say the names of Your parents?" Krsna an­swered with distinct, softly spoken words. Then to everyone's amazement, Krsna-kumara transgressed the rules of Sanskrit by combining the first syllable of the word mata (mother) and the second syllable of the word tata (father) and said, "MaTa" again and again.

Sometime later Krsna crawled into a room full of gems and jewels, and became afraid upon seeing His own reflection in the jewels. In His en­chantment He tried to erase the reflection with His hand. But He could not remove the image at all. Overcome with fear, Krsna climbed up on Yasoda's lap in order to escape.

Krsna tried to stand up and take a few steps on His own. Falling on His bottom, He would look unhappily at Yasoda and cry for a moment. To encourage Him, Yasoda held Krsna's finger and walked beside Him. Then that lotus face, which had previously wilted from crying, blossomed with a bright smile. Thus Krsna brought great joy to mother Yasoda with His moonlike face which bathed His body in the nectar of gentle beauty.

One day Radharani's grandmother Mukhara played a joke on Krsna by asking, "0 darling! Go fetch the large clay pot, the low wooden seat, and the drinking cup." With a mild smile on His face Krsna gingerly held some of the articles in His hands while balancing the remainder on His gorgeous belly. After walking some distance Krsna rested a little, and then slowly lifted those articles and brought them all to Mukhara. The heavy items that He could not lift, He just touched and left alone.

Then the wives of Upananda and Sunanda arrived and asked Vrajaraja Nanda if they could see Krsna. Due to having previously worshiped great devotees like Narada Muni and others, the wives of Upananda and Sunanda achieved the rare fortune of seeing the charming lotus feet of Krsna. They lifted Krsna onto their laps and said, “O darling! You are the son of the king, so just drop these things. Such work is not proper for You." Then they rebuked Mukhara and threw away the things Krsna had carried.

In so many ways the village ladies joked with Krsna. One elderly goni said, "0 my beloved Krsna! If You dance for me, I will give You some sweet butter." Krsna danced with delight for the pleasure of Yasoda and the gopis by gracefully moving His legs and gesturing artfully with His hands. At another time, one gopi smiled and said, "What is that, darling that looks like a golden doll? Is that beautiful golden line adorning Your chest Your wife?" Everyone laughed when Krsna agreed by smiling and slightly moving His head from side to side.

At other times Yasoda affectionately dressed Krsna with exquisitely fine beautiful yellow cloth that complemented His attractive waist. Unaccus­tomed to such opulent dress, Krsna felt bothered by it so He tried to take it off while frowning and crying. Yasoda greatly enjoyed watching Krsna throw away His clothes. Once the housewives of Vrndavana sat in a loxely place braiding Yasoda's hair and decorating her with her favorite jewelry Suddenly restless Krsna snatched the ornaments from Yasoda's body, and tried to put them on again in the wrong places.

Thus Krsna, with a splendid necklace hanging from His chest, gradually completed His crawling pastimes (carana bihard). Watching the babyhood pastimes of his beloved son immersed Vrajaraja Nanda in an ocean of bliss from

Now we will describe more of Krsna-Balarama's nectarean pastimes. In order to see Krsna's childhood pastimes the demigods had previously worshiped Devaki. But even more venerable than the demigods is Rohini, the mother of Balarama, who had performed an unlimited number of pious deeds. She existed as the embodiment of piety.

That person whom Rohini carried within her womb took birth before Lord Krsna. Rohini was famous because her son manifested both the majesty and the sweet love of the Absolute Truth. All the great sages and realized saints have glorified Rohini, the mother of Baladeva. Krsna and Balarama behaved just like ordinary human children. The beautiful dis­play of Their pastimes seemed like the movements of emerald and crys­tal. When They played together Krsna and Balarama looked like a mon­soon cloud and moonbeams, a white lotus and a blue lotus, a pure white swan gliding on the ice blue waves of the Yamuna, or a ray of moonlight shining through the darkest night. The fantastic transcendental pastimes of Krsna and Balarama far surmounted the frivolous play of ordinary children.

The spiritual bodies of Krsna and Balarama glistened like the attractive glow of blue sapphires and pure crystals. When Balarama embraced his brother in a playful mood of ecstasy, Krsna looked like a blue jewel held within a conchshell. Seeing the mixture of Their brilliant effulgences, Yasoda could not tell Them apart. At such times she often mistook Krsna for Balarama. During Their childhood, Krsna and Balarama behaved very naughtily. Taking sticks in Their hands They used to chase ferocious animals. Sometimes they ran into blazing forest fires, or dashed in front of proud bulls while fearlessly trying to grab their long horns. These actions terrified Yasoda and Rohini, and filled them with apprehension and con­cern for their beloved boys.

The Name Giving Ceremony of Krsna

Vasudeva, the embodiment of pure goodness, sent the famous priest Garga Muni to Gokula to perform the name giving ceremony of Krsna and Balarama. By his purity, Vasudeva blessed everyone and liberated his ancestors from their sinful reactions. Because of having perfectly con­trolled his senses, his fame spread in every direction for all time. The essence of yajna is mantra, and the essence of Garga Rsi was his vast intelligence, which he used to give expert advice. As Kapila Muni had previously described the twenty-four elements of material nature, Garga Muni explained the truth of the planetary movements. He perfectly un­derstood the four Vedas and the twenty-two different intonations of chant­ing Vedic mantras. As the ocean is the source of all rivers, Garga Rsi stood as a rich storehouse of all branches of Vedic knowledge.

As the sun removes darkness and manifests simultaneously in many places, Garga Muni destroyed the ocean of ignorance and became fa­mous everywhere for his austerities. He also established a dynasty in his name. As clouds gather over Mt. Sumeru, the best of mountains, and pour profuse rain during the monsoon season, wherever Garga Muni stayed in Vrndavana he showered everyone with unlimited joy. Due to his exceptional character, he brought good fortune to all. Garga Muni, the acarya of the Yadu dynasty, did not immediately disclose the reason for his visiting Nanda Maharaja. Vrajaraja Nanda received him respec­tively, offered obeisances, worshiped him, and washed his feet. Serving the great sage filled Nanda's heart with remarkable bliss.

Afterwards Nanda Maharaja took Garga Muni to a private place, sprinkled the sage's caranamrta on his head, and spoke submissively, "0 best of the sages!

Saints of your caliber show compassion to others by your exemplary behaviour You remove the sufferings of birth, death, disease, old age and other miseries without a doubt, sages like you sanctify the world. Indeed I have attained unlimited fortune by drinking your caranamrta. Simply a particle of dust from the feet of a realized soul like you, who possesses all auspicious qualities, can liberate the entire universe from mountains of sin. Those who worship saintly persons usu­ally have many desires to fulfill. Simply by seeing you today the creeper of my desire has borne fruit.

."Although you are physically strong, you are devoid of desire. You act only to benefit others by relieving their distress. Your presence here has made my life successful, so I need not ask why you have come. But listen I have something to say which you may not like. I am praying to you because you are famous throughout the world for your compassion and selflessness. Your glories illuminate the whole world.

"I am disturbed by various anxieties, but I feel somewhat afraid to ap­proach you because of your exalted position. Nevertheless, since your heart is very soft, I feel inclined to reveal my mind to you. 0 Master! The fame of Anakadundubhi (Vasudeva) is heard throughout the world like the sound of a dundubhi drum. I will be pleased and indebted if you pub­licly announce the names of our two sons Rama and Krsna. Please perform the necessary rituals for Their auspicious name-giving ceremony."

Favorably inclined, Garga Muni replied, "0 Vrajaraja! Your humility conquers the hearts of everyone, and your submissive request is free from pride and arrogance. As the soothing rays of the moon bring pleasure to the kumuda flower, I will satisfy your cherished desire in all respects. There is no one in this world like the wicked King Kamsa. He is notorious for his cruelty and cannot stand to see anyone else enjoy. He is like a poisonous fruit on a dangling creeper. He defeated the demigods and put everyone in distress. Now without any challenge, he has seized control of your country.

"Kamsa is always meditating upon the son of Vasudeva and inquiring about His whereabouts. He hisses loudly like a snake hiding in a moun­tain cave. He knows I am the acarya of the Yadu dynasty. Therefore, 0 Vrajaraja Nanda! If I perform the auspicious name giving ceremony of your son, then the inimical kings, who are moving amongst us in disguise, will immediately disclose the news to that wicked king. All the sinful kings of the Bhoja dynasty will treat us cruelly due to their malice. And among them, Kamsa is envious and malicious. As a fire burning within a tree causes continual pain, such kings give relentless suffering to others. It is very difficult, therefore, to execute this ceremony."

Overwhelmed with lamentation over Garga Muni's words, Nanda Ma­haraja replied, "0 my Master! Your statements are certainly correct

Is there anyone alive who could be envious of you? 0 affectionate one! The foolish people will not know if we secretly hold the name-giving ceremony "1 my house. Besides our four eyes, there are no other eyes here to see.

"No one else will find out if we observe the ceremony along with my intimate family members. Since you are the embodiment of fortune, your presence alone can easily remove the misery of material existence. There is no need for the external pomp of drums, cymbals, and other musical instruments. You alone can perform the ceremony by chanting all the necessary hymns and mantras."

Garga Muni's face beamed happily upon hearing Nanda's words. As a glass bowl of oil reveals the objects within it, Garga Muni's executing this service showed his inner prema rasa. Mother Yasoda and Rohini then brought Krsna and Rama before the great sage. While gazing at Krsna, Garga Muni mused, "The body of this little boy holds within Himself all the truths of the Upanisads, and He firmly establishes the existence of God Is He a flower on the desire tree causing all our good fortune? Is His form the origin of the nectar ocean of condensed bliss? Jnanis see Him as Brahman or the Lord of the universe. Mental speculators see Him as the creator. Mystic yogis see Him as the Supersoul and saintly devotees worship Him as Bhagavan.

"Although beyond the influence of time and space, that very same Per­sonality of Godhead plays in the lap of His pure devotees Nanda and Yasoda. 0 what an amazing sight! Is He the causeless origin of a beautiful light within the dense darkness of ignorance? Ah! His form is completely astonishing. Though reclining on the lap of His mother, He floods my heart with a stream of joy. His darsana satisfies my eyes like a lamp of cooling camphor. The fragrance of His body resembles the sweet smell of burning aguru and sandalwood."

"Krsna causes my body to manifest ecstatic symptoms such as shaking, hair standing erect and mental bewilderment. I came here to do His name giving ceremony, but if this joyous state continues it will be impossible for me to do it."

Considering the situation, Garga again pondered, "If I hold on to His feet everyone will say, This Garga Muni has gone crazy.' If I embrace Him to my chest people will say I am acting frivolously. Alas! If I hold back and do nothing, I.will become filled with anxiety and lose my pa­tience. But never mind; let it be like this. Today my life has really become fortunate.

My eyes have attained perfection, my learning and exalted birth we now become blessed. The Lord has shown His compassion upon me and made my life successful by making me the acarya of the divine Yadu dynasty.”

Thinking thus, Garga Muni simultaneously drank nectar and bathed in an ocean of bliss. Due to this he seemed to be sleeping though awake; to be in illusion though wise; to have fallen unconscious though alive; to be blind though seeing; to be deaf tough hearing; speaking though appearing dumb, and to be frivolous though patient.

Yasoda and Rohini brought Krsna and Rama to Garga Muni. Full of all good fortune, these two boys remove all misfortune. Before naming the children, Garga Muni blessed Them by chanting auspicious mantras. After dispelling all negative elements, Garga Muni selected appropriate names and initiated the ceremony saying, "The son of Vasudeva is as powerful as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He shall be named Bala because He possesses extraordinary power. In the future He will enjoy wrestling so He will also be called Baladeva. Sometimes His friends will defeat Him in the sport of cracking jokes. At that time they will say '0 Deva! Now show us your strength.' For His relishing of hasya ra'a (mellow of humor), He will be called Balarama.

"He is the personification of fame and perfection and more glorious than the creator. Since He will attract all people 'arid remove their sins the name Sankarsana also befits Him. Handsome and pleasing to every­body, this boy will become famous as Rama. Because He will show ex­traordinary strength while playing He will be called Balarama.

"As bhakti-yoga is found among the four castes, your youngest son ap­pears in four colors: white, red, yellow, and dark blue. Although your son resembles the hue of a blue sapphire, in every millenium He manifests a different color to show His compassion. In Satya-yuga, the people lived religious lives free from sin. Your son appeared in that age in a white color. In Treta-yuga, fire had three names: daksine-agni, gdrhapatya-dgni, and dhavanya-dgni. In that age your son appeared as the combination of these three fires known as Yajna. In Dvapara-yuga, the Lord appears in a dark blue color resembling the syama color (dark blue complexion) of your son. In Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel, He has a golden color.

"He will be addressed as Krsna which is a combination of five letters: ka, ri, sa, na, a. By the first four letters of His name He assumed the different colors of the fouryugas. His present syama color signifies Visnu, which is indicated by the last letter of Krsna's name. Therefore, He, who now assumes the color of a blue sapphire, is the origin of all the other yuga avataras and shall be known as Krsna.

"He will be called Krsna for His ability to attract the hearts of His lovers and take away the sins of His devotees. The word krsi means existence and the letter na signifies bliss. His primary name is Krsna because He is the personification of bliss and etemality. Sometimes your younger so combines with Yogamaya to appear as the son of the liberated sou Vasudeva. For this reason He will also be known throughout the world a Vasudeva. Your son has all the qualities of Narayana such as mercy, to giveness, truthfulness, and cleanliness. Sarasvati, the goddess of learning has put these concepts in my mind. Although Narayana is equal to Krsna your son is the origin and Narayana is His expansion. Since your son possesses the power to maintain the universe, everyone will call Him Narayana.

Not only Sarasvati proclaims this, but I also agree. My words fail to reach extent of your son's unlimited glories. Nanda Maharaja! You are fortunate to have such a phenomenal child. By His mercy you will easily overcome all difficulties now and in the future. Not only that, but anyone who loves your son will have all his desires fulfilled. Though the pandits have attained the rare fortune of knowing everything, still they will not be able to fathom the identity of your son. Do not reveal this confidential truth to anyone."

Then Garga Muni picked up Krsna, who removes all distress, and placed Him on his lap. From the touch of Krsna, the sage experienced ecstatic symptoms such as horripilation and hairs standing erect. At that moment Garga Muni thought, "Aha! This boy is displaying unprecedented effulgence. How can this child's transcendental brilliance appear along with material objects such as kajala, a cloud, a blue lotus, and a blue sap­phire? expert pandits have explained this by saying that the Brahman has appeared on earth as the effulgence of your jewel-like son." After giving the boys a final loving embrace, Garga Muni placed Them on Nanda's lap and prepared to leave. Nanda Maharaja stood up and respectfully escorted Garga Muni outside.

Krsna's Pastimes of Stealing Butter

Krsna's pastimes of crawling about and drinking His mother's breast milk gradually stopped. Soon He walked on His lotus feet and started stealing butter. Is there anyone who did not feel unlimited bliss when the Lord, who is the very source of bliss, enacted His childhood pastimes?

One day when no one was looking, Krsna began His pastimes of steal­ing fresh butter. Startled upon seeing His own reflection in a jeweled inlaid pillar. He shivered in fear and said, "0 dear brother, do not tell mother. I will save some butter for You and You may enjoy too." Watching her mischievous son from a hidden place. Mother Yasoda heard these sweet broken words with great relish. Then she innocently appeared be­fore Krsna and Rama.

Pointing to His effulgent reflection, Krsna said, "0 Ma! Being very greedy, this boy came here today to steal your butter. Although I forbade Him, He did not listen to Me. And when I got angry with Him, He also got angry. But I am not at all greedy for butter.” One day while Yasoda was outside the house engaged in some domestic activities, inside the house Krsna stole butter again. When Yasoda returned and called out, “O my darling Krsna! Where are You and what are You doing?” Hearing her, Krsna became afraid and stopped stealing butter. Pausing for a moment, He answered, "Mother! My hand started burning from the shining effulgence of My ruby bangles,so I stuck it in this butter pot to relieve the pain."

Pleased by her son's clever words, Yasoda said, "Hey Vatsa! Please come sit on my lap. Oh My darling, show me the bums on Your hand." Then Yasoda kissed Krsna's hand and consoled Him, saying, "Ahh.-.ahh... Look, Your hand has been burned. So let me remove these ruby bangles." On another day Krsna cried and rubbed His eyes with His flower bud-like palms. In a choked voice He uttered unintelligible phrases. Even though Yasoda had previously scolded Krsna for stealing butter, this time she wiped the tears from His eyes with the edge of her sari. While ten­derly caressing Krsna, She said, "Hey Lala, all of our stock of butter actu­ally belongs to You alone."

One night the soothing rays of the full moon illumined the courtyard of Nanda's house. Yasoda sat there talking with some elderly gopis while Krsna played nearby gazing at the moon. Sneaking up behind Yasoda, Krsna removed the veil covering her head, loosened her braid, and pat­ted her on the back to get her attention with His butter-soft lotus palms. His voice choked up as He continually cried. Yasoda's heart swelled with maternal love, so she indicated with a glance that her friends should at­tend to Krsna.

With great respect and affection the gopis enthusiastically lifted up Krsna and asked, "0 darling! What do You want? Do You want some khira?” Krsna replied, "No, No!" "Do You want some thick creamy yo­gurt?" Krsna replied, "No, No!" "Do you want some cheese?" Again Krsna said, "No, no! I want freshly churned condensed butter." The gopis con­tinued, "Do not lament or be angry with Your mother. What do You mean by 'condensed butter?' " Pointing His little index finger to the full moon, Krsna replied, "I want that freshly churned condensed butter!"

The elderly gopis said, "0 Vatsa! Do not mistake the moon for a hug< piece of butter. It is a rajahamsa (royal swan) gliding across the lake " the sky." Krsna said, "Then give Me that rajahamsa so I can play wi him. Quickly catch him before he reaches the bank of the lake. Full anxiety, Krsna kicked His legs and cried loudly, "Give Me! Give Me!"

While Krsna showed his childish antics, some other gopis said, "0 darling! They have lied to You. What You see is not a rajahamsa, but it is t! moon hanging in the sky and it is called Candra." Krsna said, "Then give Me that Candra! I really want it so I can play with it. Right now! Get it!

Yasoda placed her crying son on her lap and comforted Him, "Daninf Actually it is freshly churned condensed butter! Definitely, it is not rajahamsa nor is it the moon. Regardless, I can never give it to You. Ju see by chance or by the arrangement of Providence it has poisonous spo on it. Although it looks very tasty, no one in this world can eat it." Then Krsna said, "Mother, mother! Why is it stained with spots of poi­son? What is poison anyway?" Seeing a change in Krsna's mood, mother Yasoda embraced Him and spoke in a gentle, sweet voice. "Listen atten­tively my dearest son. There is an ocean of milk called Ksira-sagara."

Krsna: "Mother please tell Me about that? How many milk cows made that ocean?"

Yasoda: "Darling, the milk ocean was not made by cows."

Krsna: "Mother, you are lying to Me. How can there be milk without

Yasoda: "The one who gave cows the ability to produce milk can also make milk even without cows."

Krsna: "Who is He?"

Yasoda: "He is the Lord, the cause of creation. He is Bhagavan. He is immovable and all pervading. Although He is everywhere, I cannot show Him to You."

Krsna: "Well mother, are you telling Me the truth?"

Yasoda: "Long ago the demigods and the demons had a fight. To favor the demigods and bewilder the demons, the Lord churned the ocean of milk. Mandara Mountain served as the churning rod and Vasuki, the king of the serpents, offered his body for the rope. The demons and demigods stood on opposite sides pulling that rope."

Krsna: "Mother, did they churn the way the gopis do?"

Yasoda: "Yes my son. The churning of the Ksira-sagara produced a poi­son named kalakuta."

Krsna: "Mother, how did churning milk produce poison? Only snakes have poison."

Yasoda: "Darling, Mahadeva drank that poison. But the snakes drank the drops of poison that fell from his mouth. As a result, they now have poison. The poison rising from that milk is also the energy of the Lord."

Krsna: "Yes mother that is indeed true."

Yasoda: "Darling, this condensed butter You are seeing in the sky is produced from that Ksira-sagara. That is why the moon is spotted with the remnants of that poison. Look carefully, do You see it? Therefore, "o not try to eat that butter, but please take my freshly churned butter instead." After hearing this description, Krsna felt sleepy so mother Yasoda put Him to rest in an opulent golden bed on a fluffy soft mattress, whiter than powdered camphor.

The next morning Yasoda brought butter, yogurt and other eatables to Kṛṣṇa’ss room. Lovingly fondling His body, she said, "Wake up! God forbid, you seem to be weak from not eating sufficiently yesterday." After Kṛṣṇa awoke, Yasoda cleansed His mouth with scented water. Then she offered Him a golden plate full of butter, yogurt and other delights while saying, "0 my beloved son, take whatever You like."

Krsna replied, "Mother, I will not eat anything that you have brought Me. Last night you lied to Me and put Me to sleep. And I felt very distressed due to hunger." Yasoda said, "Krsna, if You went to sleep then who stole the butter?" Krsna replied, "Mother, when did I steal your butter? You are lying." With His charming transcendental pastimes Krsna continually captivated the heart of mother Yasoda.

Sometimes while roaming in the courtyard Krsna caught a stray calf, put it on His lap, and kissed it with His lotus mouth. Seeing this Yasoda felt both pleased and apprehensive. In the pasturing ground Krsna some­times grabbed the tail of a calf. Startled, the calf would jump up and run away dragging Krsna, dressed only by the wind, behind him. Thus the uncovered Brahman personified stole the hearts of the Vrajavasis.

Sometimes, Krsna smeared cow dung all over Himself. Seeing it as musk covering His body, the Vrajavasis enjoyed a festival of beauty. How can there be any inebriety in the one who is beauty personified? At other times, Yasoda tied a very attractive turban on Krsna's head, and dressed Him in gorgeous yellow garments. After marking His body with tilaka the color of gorocana, she would anoint His lotus eyes with soft kajala.

Adopting the mood of an ordinary mother, Yasoda placed her saliva on Krsna's forehead to prevent people from casting an evil eye on her son, whose sublime elegance enchants the entire creation. While playing in the courtyards of the gopis, Krsna often wore a necklace of tiger nails set in gold and a waist belt bedecked with costly jewels.

Once the Vraja gopis talked amongst themselves, "Krsna brings good fortune wherever He goes, and His presence make everyone's life glori­ous. Who in this world is not enchanted by the frivolous and amusing childhood pastimes of Krsna? Who cannot appreciate these mirthful ac­tivities?" Rather than getting upset, they felt the greatest happiness when­ever Krsna broke their clay pots and stole their butter.

Still the housewives of Vrndavana pretended to be angry and complained to Yasoda about Krsna's stealing. In a mixed mood of love and laughter the gopis warned Yasoda, "0 Queen of Vrndavana, Yasoda! In the future you will suffer for the mischievous acts of your son. Although now yo\s son is like a young sprout with tender leaves, already He is disrupting the whole creation. But be careful, in the future when this tender sprout grows into a tree full of leaves and branches, He will bring you tremendous pair-Now your boy's adventures are just beginning, but by nature they are forever expanding. Your son's naughty behavior will soon destroy our own village. We have no idea what mischief He will do next.

"Before our cows have been milked, your son unties the calves and makes them drink all the milk. If someone tries to rebuke Him, He simply smiles sweetly and that person immediately forgets all his anger. If we keep our butter in a dark storeroom, He uses His natural effulgence to easily find and steal it. But instead of eating it Himself, He takes great pleasure in feeding it to the monkeys. When the monkeys reach their fill and are unable to eat more, Krsna breaks the pot and throws the butter on the ground. He catches the butter pots which are beyond His reach by stacking many small tables on top of each of other, climbing them, and extending His arm to grab the pots. Krsna is always stealing our butter and yogurt. If someone tries to stop Him, He immediately drops the food on the ground and quickly escapes.

If by chance a housewife captures Him, Krsna twists her wrist and runs away. Then from a safe distance He yells back, 'Hey just stay where you are! If you come any closer, I will give you even more trouble by teasing your babies and making them cry.'

"If someone calls, 'Hey thief, stop!' Krsna becomes angry and shouts, 'You are the thief. This house is Mine and everything in this house be­longs to Me.' In the morning we spread a fresh layer of clay on the outer walls of our houses, and paint beautiful designs on top of it with powdered limestone. Then your son Krsna comes along to spoil everything by throwing dirt all over our houses. In front of you, Krsna is so quiet and well behaved. But when He enters our homes He acts frivolously, steals our food, speaks sharp words, and becomes angry and greedy."

In this way the ladies of Vrndavana, pretending to be angry, made many complaints against Krsna. But in reality Krsna's joyous pranks filled ev­eryone with pleasure. When accused by the gopis, Krsna feigned inno­cence and shed false tears. Though culpable for His immoral acts of steal­ing and offending the villagers in various ways, Krsna tried to minimize His misdeeds by speaking very sweetly.

Responding to the charges of the gopis, Krsna said, "Mother, none of these ladies have any affection in their hearts. They are not speaking a single word of truth. Actually they are all liars, and have given up their human dignity. Whenever I see them or their sons I feel completely happy. oecause of the natural affection I have for them, I regularly visit their homes every morning at sunrise.

“Ma, so knowing My motives you can easily understand they are deliberately telling lies. You should not believe them at all. Mother, since you are My worshipable superior, from now on I will not visit My friends any more.” Saying this, Kṛṣṇa sobbed and cried.

Vrajesvari Yasoda put Kṛṣṇa on her lap and smiled shyly at the gopis in order to conceal her real mood. Then just to please Kṛṣṇa, Yasoda said, “You gopis are all telling lies, Only Kṛṣṇa is telling the truth. He is just an innocent boy, so how could He possibly do such things? I think you have already scolded my son sufficiently." After saying this, Yasoda spoke af­fectionately with the gopis. Then as a friendly gesture, Rohini applied tilaka to their foreheads and sent them home.

After the departure of the gopis, Yasoda, who is expert in the laws of etiquette, spoke to Krsna, "My son, because of greed You performed many improper acts in the homes of our friends. Although in Your own home such behavior is acceptable, in the home of another it is totally unbecoming. 0 beautiful one! These deeds of Yours were not good at all. From now on just stay here and play." After instructing her son Yasoda caressed Him lovingly.

Just then Vrajaraja Nanda arrived and brightened the room with his favorable feelings. Nanda spoke pleasing words to encourage and pacify his charming son. "0 Vatsa! Come sit on my lap." Leaving Yasoda^ lap, Krsna climbed up on Nanda's lap and wrapped His arm around Hislather's neck. Then Krsna said softly, "Why is mother chastising Me for nothing?"

Nanda responded, "What is this all about?"

That fabulous boy of oceanic intelligence replied, "Mother, now tell truthfully what happened."

Then mother Yasoda recounted the misdeeds of Krsna by repeating the words uttered by the gopis.

Pointing to Queen Yasoda, Vrajaraja Nanda said, "My son is faultless. He has not done anything wrong. I always see Him behaving nicely. By siding with those who made fun of Him and with those who showed envy toward my jewel-like son, you have wrongly accused my well-behaved son and so you should be punished." Concealing his real mood behind these words, Nanda rebuked Yasoda and comforted his son: "0 my darling son, just stay in my lap and do not go to anyone else."

Though hearing His father's words, Krsna immediately jumped off his lap just like an unpredictable child, and quickly climbed on Yasoda's lap. Seeing this gave both parents a hearty laugh.

Krsna Plays in the Village

One day Vrajaraja Nanda and Yasoda spoke about their son, the van­quisher of many demons. "When Krsna is out playing He likes to wander off alone leaving the powerful Balarama behind. We should hire some­one to supervise Their play, and send some expert servants to accompany Them. Let them wander all over Vrndavana serving our two boys." Shortly later, Nanda engaged some servants to take care of his boys.

Every morning after leaving their respective houses, the cowherd boys came to the home of Krsna and Balarama. The meeting of Krsna and Balarama with Their friends and servants looked like a king meeting his ministers and advisors. As a baby elephant picks up dirt with his trunk and throws it all around, Krsna entered the open fields of the village, and olayfully covered Himself and His friends with vraja-raja (dust of Vrndavana). At this time Krsna used to sport with both young boys and girls of the same age. Sometimes Krsna quarreled with the gopas and gopis and beat them, and other times they beat Him. Krsna responded by laughing, getting angry, or by not reacting at all.

Playing in the dirt Krsna, built houses, a toy wall, or a small town. Other times He broke the dirt houses of His friends and they broke His. When Krsna rebuilt His house, they would break it again. While curiously ob­serving these antics from the sky, the demigods thought, "Simply by His glance thousands of unlimited universes come into existence and then again are dissolved. Instead of bothering with that work, He now plays in the dirt making roads, homes, and villages. Although He is becoming ex­hausted from doing this, He does not give it up." Krsna's perplexing pas­times captivated the minds of the demigods. While Krsna delighted in the dirt, He looked like the sun shining in the sky.

The housewives of Vrndavana, full of motherly affection, addressed Krsna with sweet words, "0 darling boy! Please come to our beautiful courtyards, play with our children, and take some food." Hearing this, Krsna smiled and replied softly, "I cannot come because I do not have any spare time." Thus the all-attractive beloved of every mother's heart cleverly responded to the elderly gopis. Anxious to express their motherly affection toward Krsna, these impatient gopis held His hand and hurried to their homes. In their eyes, fortune had blessed Krsna alone as the sole recipient of matchless beauty. Brimming with love, the elderly gopis served Krsna by rubbing His body and bathing Him. With great devotion they fed Him butter, rabri and ksira, and then sent Him home.

Krsna Eats Clay

One day Krsna ate some clay in order to expand the glories of His be­loved land of Vrndavana and to purify the universe. Upon seeing that, Balarama, who possesses keen powers of discrimination, and a group of cowherd boys ran to tell mother Yasoda. "Mother! Krsna cannot control His mind. Out of greed He just ate some clay! Despite our rebukes, He Just keeps eating more and more."

On hearing such harsh words about her son, Mother Yasoda felt dis­turbed. Her eyebrows raised in anger, she grabbed a bundle of sticks and quickly ran out of the house. Finding Krsna, she said. "Hey You naughty "oy! Why did You eat clay? Didn't I give You enough sweets? Who can enjoy eating clay? Just as we caught You before doing mischief in others' homes, now we caught You again. Don't You realize that You cannot hide Your faults? Your elder brother and friends are always there to witness all Your misbehavior."

In fear of His mother, Krsna tried to conceal His faults. Though per­forming many mischievous deeds. He pretended to be completely inno­cent, and poured profuse tears from His lotus eyes. In order to counteract the charges, Krsna said emphatically, "Mother! I did not eat any clay. They are all lying. If you do not believe Me, then just look in My mouth." Vrajesvari Yasoda replied, "Alright, open Your mouth."

Krsna, the embodiment of unlimited power and the abode of good for­tune, smiled and opened His lotus mouth. Mother Yasoda saw Bhuloka and the seven islands amidst limitless oceans. Bhuloka extended for a great distance with varieties of human beings and roaring rivers along its edges. Both small and large forests covered its surface. Trees^wrapped with flowering creepers blowing in the wind spread in all directions.

Lions and many types of animals inhabited its huge mountain chains. She saw the lower planetary systems including Nagaloka and the Nagapatnis serving their master. She saw the heavens complete with stars, planets, constellations, and the passing of the days. She saw the abodes of the celestials populated by Siddhas, Caranas, Gandharavas, and Vidyadharas. Munis such as Marichi, Atri, and other famous sages beau­tified that realm with their radiant auras. Beyond that, Yasoda saw Maharloka, Tapaloka, and other universes as well. Countless living enti­ties from the insignificant insects up to demigods like Indra and Brahma inhabited those regions. Within Krsna's mouth Yasoda also saw herself, Nanda Maharaja, Vraja-dhama, and her son Nandanandana.

Upon marveling at these sights, mother Yasoda said, "What am I see­ing? Am I dreaming? Is it the illusory energy? Is it a show of magic? Am I under a hypnotic spell?" This pastime put Yasoda into complete bewil­derment. But after a moment, the wise Yasoda thought, "Indeed, this must have been a display of Krsna's limitless power and opulence." For­getting all these ideas, Yasoda tried to find out what had happened. Re­gardless of what she had seen, Yasoda felt that Krsna must protect her.

Upon seeing that amazing universal form, mother Yasoda concluded that her son was a most extraordinary personality. She thought, "Mahadeva himself must be astounded by the majesty and influence of my son. Cer­tainly Krsna must be the supreme controller." Although Krsna revealed Himself as the supreme controller, due to the influence of Yogamay?-, mother Yasoda continued to treat Him as her dependent son. In order to expedite the free exchange of sweet intimate love between Himself and His dear devotees, Krsna quickly abandoned His mood as the Absolute Su