The Butter Thief
Weakened by Love
Yaçodä went to save the milk, which was especially for Kåñëa.
Yaçodä needed that milk, as well as her breast milk. “My breast
milk alone is not enough for Kåñëa,” she thought. “I can’t make
sweet yoghurt from my milk, and I cannot 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 from overflowing into
the fire, so off she went. But Kåñëa was weeping.
Now, what should we understand if Kåñëa 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.
Kåñëa then 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
Bound By Love (25)
had previously killed the witch Pütanä, Yaçodä’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, Kåñëa can forget
all His divine opulence, and everything to do with being the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why He had no
strength to overturn the vessel, and was child-like and weak.
Breaking The Yoghurt Pot
“What should I do?” Kåñëa thought. “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
will break.” And that’s what He did; He took the pestle and
smashed a hole in the bottom of the pot. A beautiful stream of
white yoghurt squirted out of the pot across the kitchen floor.
When Kåñëa saw the yoghurt flowing everywhere, He was
delighted. He clapped His hands, and laughed. But the next
moment He thought, “Oh! If Mother sees Me, she will punish
Me.” He immediately became very fearful, and decided that it
was best to leave the scene of the crime.
Kåñëa left that room and went into an adjacent room. He
thought, “I will hide so that Mother will not find Me.” By the
influence of His pastime potency Yogamäyä, he was playing the
part of an ordinary small boy. Consequently, He did not notice
that after He had paddled in the stream of yoghurt, He left a
trail of very adorable little footprints for His mother to follow.
Kåñëa Rewards His Devotees
Kåñëa went into the next room, and saw a grinding mortar,
above which a pot of butter hung in a swing. When he saw the
(26) The Butter Thief
butter, His mouth watered. He climbed on top of the grinding
mortar, and took the butter and fed it to the monkeys and crows,
who had gathered in great numbers. Kåñëa was very happy.
He thought, “In my previous incarnation as Rämacandra, the
monkeys came and helped Me when I was living in the forest.
They worked very hard day and night to build the bridge to
Lanka. I couldn’t feed them or satisfy them properly at that time,
but now I’ll give them this butter. These crows have appeared in
the dynasty of My very old and dear servant Kakabhüñaëòhi, so
I will feed them as well.”
In the meantime, while Kåñëa was joyfully feeding the
crows and monkeys, Mother Yaçodä came back to the room
where she had been sitting with Him, and saw the broken pot
of yoghurt. She followed the Butter Thief’s trail of footprints,
and approached the room where Kåñëa 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.
Kåñëa had entered the room from the inner compound, and
now had His back towards it. Mother Yaçodä came through this
door, and began to carefully and quietly sneak up on Him, like
a cat walking silently on dry leaves.
Kåñëa 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 Kåñëa 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 Yaçodä
Maiyä was just about to catch Him, He looked over His shoulder
and saw her. “Oh, Maiyä is coming!” Quickly He jumped down
from the grinding mortar, and began to run away.
Bound By Love (27)
The Zigzag Course Of The Absolute
Kåñëa ran as fast as He could, and Yaçodä Maiyä began to
run after Him. “Oh, You friend of a monkey!” she called after
Him, “You come here!” Kåñëa was running in a zigzag way,
and Mother Yaçodä could not run so fast because of her heavy
breasts and slim waist.
Kåñëa 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. Kåñëa knew that it would be very embarrassing for
His mother to chase Him in the street. He thought, “I will run
outside so that she won’t chase after Me.”
The Speed Of Love
Kåñëa ran outside to escape his mother. Mother Yaçodä came
to the door and thought, “Oh! What to do?” She looked left and
right, and seeing that no one was watching, quickly ran outside
in pursuit of her naughty son. With great effort, she finally
caught the mischievous Kåñëa. Holding Him tightly with one
hand, she raised the stick she was carrying in her other hand.
Kåñëa was so afraid of the stick, that He dodged this way and
that around her legs.
There is a good lesson here. We all want to capture Kåñëa by our
love. When Kåñëa was running away from Yaçodä Maiyä, she had
to run faster than Kåñëa to catch Him. Devotees should practice
in such a way that their love and affection surpasses Kåñëa’s.
Kåñëa has affection for His devotees and the devotees have
affection for their beloved Kåñëa. If the love is equal —if
Kåñëa loves the devotee as much as the devotee loves Kåñëa
(28) The Butter Thief
— then Kåñëa will not be controlled. However, if a devotee
has more love and affection for Kåñëa than Kåñëa has for her,
that devotee can control Him. Kåñëa was very loving towards
His mother, but Mother Yaçodä has even more affection for
Him, and that is how she captured Him, by her love. This is the
hidden message in this story.
A Loving Quarrel
Mother Yaçodä held Kåñëa, and began to scold Him. “I’ll give
You such a beating!” she threatened. “I know You go from house
to house to steal. You are a thief!”
Kåñëa replied, “Oh! Why are you saying that I am a thief?
There is no thief in My dynasty, in the lineage of my father
Nanda Bäbä. Perhaps there is a thief in your dynasty.”
He was so cheeky. He had heard Yaçodä Maiyä and Nanda
Bäbä talking about Mother Yaçodä’s forefather called Cora
Ghosh. Cora also means thief. Kåñëa now remembered that
there was someone called Cora in his mother’s dynasty. That is
why He told Her, “There is no cora (thief) in My dynasty, but
there is a cora in your dynasty.”
“Why are you chastising me?” Kåñëa protested innocently.
“What have I done?”
“How was the yoghurt pot broken?” His mother replied angrily.
“That was the punishment of the Supreme Lord,” Kåñëa said.
“And who fed the butter to the monkeys?”
“He who made the monkeys, feeds the monkeys,” Kåñëa said.
Yaçodä Maiyä was a little angry, but she was laughing as well.
“Now tell me the truth!” she said. “Who broke the yoghurt pot?”
Kåñëa explained, “Oh Mother! You jumped up to pacify the
milk that was boiling over. When you rushed into the kitchen,
Bound By Love (29)
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?”
Kåñëa said, “Oh Maiyä! 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,” she retorted.
Binding Kåñëa with Love and Affection
Yaçodä Maiyä 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 misbehaviour, He might become a
bandit when He grows up. Then she came to a decision and told
Kåñëa, “This grinding mortar helped You to steal the butter,
so I will punish You and Your accomplice by tying You both
together.”
Yaçodä Maiyä took a silk ribbon, which she used to tie up her
hair and tried to bind Kåñëa to the mortar, but it was short by
the width of two fingers. Her servant brought additional ropes,
but surprisingly, when the ropes were tied together, they were
still two fingers too short. Now her friends, who were happily
witnessing this amazing scene, began to bring ropes from their
homes. But no matter how many ropes they tied together, the
ropes were always two fingers short.
The gopés were all laughing and clapping their hands. They
told Yaçodä Maiyä, “Oh dear friend, we have told you that this
(30) The Butter Thief
boy possesses some extraordinary illusory potency. He is more
clever than the greatest of thieves.” Yaçodä thought, “He is my
child. He came from my womb. It will be so embarrassing if I
cannot bind him.”
From early morning until noon, she tried again and again to
tie Kåñëa. She was becoming more and more fatigued. Her face
was red, and she was breathing heavily. She was perspiring, and
the flowers were falling from her hair. As long as Kåñëa, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, refused to be bound, Mother
Yashoda’s persistent efforts were fruitless.
Finally, Kåñëa’s heart was touched by the sight of His mother
being so overwhelmed. Her desire to bind Him was born of her
intense love and desire for His well-being. Kåñëa agreed to
become bound by that love.
His pastime potency Yogamäyä immediately expanded her
influence. Yaçodä Maiyä then took the same ribbon from her
hair that she had first used unsuccessfully, and now very easily
tied Kåñëa. What is the significance of the rope always being two
fingers short? One finger represents our own hard endeavours
to practise devotional service. The second finger represents
Kåñëa’s mercy. When Kåñëa 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
(pure transcendental love).
Chapter Four
A Flood Of Affection
Yaçodä’s Doubt
Having successfully bound Kåñëa, Yaçodä Maiyä went into
the house to continue her household duties. She resumed her
churning, but her mind was distracted and upset, thinking
about her son who was now bound to the mortar. “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 only to Him; I have given myself
too much pain as well. I have given too much trouble to my own
heart.
“What can I do? Kåñëa is so angry, and I am afraid that if
I untie Him, 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, Kåñëa’s cowherd friends had gathered
round, and they began to joke with Him. Since they were
laughing and clapping, Kåñëa began to laugh with them. The
mixture of tears and black eye-liner that had run down his face
(32) The Butter Thief
and body was now dry. In the company of His friends, Kåñëa
became somewhat happy, and He forgot what His mother
had done. The boys said to each other, “Why don’t we untie
Kåñëa’s ropes and free Him?” Kåñëa was enthusiastic. “Yes,
yes! My hands won’t reach all the way around 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 trying, one after another.
When one was unsuccessful, 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. Kåñëa’s
funny friend Madhumaìgala was especially determined. “You
are all bogus! You have no idea at all. I can untie it.” He
quickly
came forward, 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 Kåñëa in a moment. Then
this would all be finished, and we could do something else.”
Meanwhile, Mother Rohiëé was coming with Baladeva
Prabhu. Baladeva found the boys playing with Kåñëa in the
courtyard, and when He saw that Kåñëa was tied up to the
grinding mortar, He became furious. “Who has done this? I will
certainly 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 Yaçodä has done this.”
“Maiyä did it? Oh. If she did it, I can’t do anything.”
A Flood Of Affection (33)
Baladeva backed away thinking, “There must be some reason
behind all this.”
The Plan for Deliverance
While this was going on, Kåñëa was thinking. He is allknowing,
and He remembered a pastime that had taken place
in the previous millennium. “Now I recall how My dear devotee
Närada cursed Nalaküvara and Maëigréva.” Nalaküvara and
Maëigréva were sons of the powerful demigod Kuvera, who was
a friend of Lord Çiva, and Çiva is very near and dear to Kåñëa,
so there was a relationship. The very exalted, saintly devotee
Närada was also a friend of Kuvera.
One day, Närada saw Kuvera’s two sons playing in a lake with
a number of beautiful young women from the heavenly planets.
The women and the two young demigods were naked, and they
were playing various games, such as hide-and-seek. When Närada
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 brazenly abuse Närada
and the girls. “Why has this madman come here? He is completely
ignorant. And you are all so faithless that you left the lake when
you saw him. Now the mood has been completely spoiled.”
The young men stood in front of the great devotee Närada
without any clothes on. They had lost their shame and
knowledge. They did not know how to respect a superior, or
a saintly person. Närada saw that they were like dry trees. He
thought, “These young men are very near and dear to Çivajé, so
I should teach them a good lesson.”
(34) The Butter Thief
A Strong Lesson
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 words ‘me’ and ‘eat’: 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 that have been slaughtered will receive a human body,
and will eat those who killed them in their previous life. We
should therefore avoid eating meat and fish.
Nalaküvara and Maëigréva had taken birth in an aristocratic
family, and they were very beautiful and wealthy. They were also
highly cultured and educated. 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 Kåñëa and 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 brähmaëa I am very wealthy.” Those who think
like that can never do bhajan
of Kåñëa.
Närada understood how degraded the two young men had
become, and he decided to teach them a lesson. “You are acting
exactly like trees, standing naked, and not caring for your
A Flood Of Affection (35)
superior. You are behaving in a nonsensical way! You shall
become trees.”
His words were very powerful! Maëigréva and Nalaküvara
immediately sensed that they were undergoing some transformation;
they were becoming trees. Quickly realising how
serious the situation was, they fell down at Närada Åñi’s feet.
“Oh, Närada Åñi, we never knew that you were so powerful. We
were always immersed in false ego. Now we understand that
Kåñëa 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?”
Närada said, “What I have said will certainly happen. Once
spoken, the intent of my words cannot be checked. Still, I will
mitigate the punishment, because you are now realising how
foolish you have been and you are the sons of my friend. You will
have to become two trees, but you will be in Våndävana. After
some time, Kåñëa will appear in the neighbourhood where you
are standing. When He is playing as a boy, He will personally
touch you both, and then you will not only have liberation, but
bhakti as well.” Hearing his words, the two
young men became
pacified and peaceful.
The Liberation of Nalaküvara and Maëigréva
Kåñëa remembered Närada Åñi’s prediction, and thought, “I
must fulfil My devotee’s desire.” Kåñëa is so expert, that He can
accomplish many goals and fulfil many desires with one action.
Kåñëa immediately asked His friends to push the grinding
mortar out of Nanda Bäbä’s compound, and they began to push
it and pull it towards the gate. Just outside the main gate were
(36) The Butter Thief
two very 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. Kåñëa crawled through the narrow
passage between the two trees, but the grinding mortar was
wider than He was. As the cowherd boys pushed and pulled, it
became stuck between the two trees. When the mortar touched
the trees, they became connected to Kåñëa. It was as if a current
flowed from Kåñëa through the rope to the mortar and from the
mortar to the two arjuna
trees. Anyone who touched the mortar
would receive that transcendental current.
As Kåñëa continued to pull at the mortar, by Närada’s grace,
the two trees surrendered to Kåñëa’s touch, and fell with a
tremendous crash. Kåñëa’s friends had been playing with
Him, pulling, shouting, and joking happily. But when the trees
unexpectedly fell, the boys became very frightened. What had
happened? As the trees toppled over, the two beautiful demigods
appeared before Kåñëa. 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 circled Kåñëa with folded palms, and then proceeded to
their glorious destination.
Yaçodä’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 Yaçodä had been restless, and unable to
concentrate on what she was doing. She became very fearful
A Flood Of Affection (37)
when she heard the frightful sound. “Where is that sound
coming from? Oh! It is very close to where Kåñëa 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 Kåñëa, and
not on Him, so He was not even slightly hurt. Still, they were
afraid. Yaçodä saw it all from a distance. “Oh, those two trees
have been uprooted, and Kåñëa 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, 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 Bäbä Releases the Supreme
Nanda Bäbä had been bathing in Brahmäëòa-ghäöa, and he
also came running to see what had caused that sound. When he
saw Kåñëa tied to the grinding mortar, he was dumbstruck and
angry. He took Kåñëa in his lap and asked Him, “Who did this?”
Meanwhile, the small boys gathered around and clamoured,
“Bäbä! Bäbä! Bäbä! Kåñëa 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 Kåñëa said something
to them. Then they walked around Kåñëa, fell flat on the ground
in front of Him, and left to the North.”
Nanda Bäbä did not believe them. “These boys are so simple,”
he thought. “How could Kåñëa uproot two great trees? Maybe
those two were demons sent by Kaàsa to kill Kåñëa. Suddenly
(38) The Butter Thief
he considered the unthinkable: “What would have happened if
Kåñëa had been killed?” He could not think any more after that.
Just after the trees had fallen down, Kåñëa had been laughing
happily. However, when He saw Nanda Bäbä coming in the
distance, He began to weep more and more loudly. When Nanda
Bäbä arrived, Kåñëa told him piteously, “Mother said she would
beat Me!” He was sobbing now, catching long breaths between
His speech and His cries. Nanda Bäbä tried to pacify Him, but
Kåñëa wept even more. Nanda Bäbä wiped Kåñëa’s tears with
his shawl and asked him, “My dear son, who tied You up?” But
Kåñëa would not tell him.
Nanda Bäbä 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 binding Kåñëa to the mortar. Finally, Kåñëa put His mouth
very close to Nanda’s ear and whispered, “Mother tied Me.”
Nanda Bäbä was astonished by Kåñëa’s revelation. “Your
mother tied you up? Oh! I never knew that she was so
cruelhearted.”
He gave Kåñëa a laòòu, and Kåñëa 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 Bäbä caressed
Kåñëa’s head and body, and Kåñëa became very grave, looking
at Mother Yaçodä with fearful eyes.
Mother Yaçodä was not in external consciousness. She sat
motionless, and her gopé
friends waited around her. They could
read Yaçodä’s heart, and they were deeply unhappy. How they
wished that Kåñëa would come to Yaçodä’s lap. Nanda Bäbä
looked very grave now. He took Kåñëa and Baladeva on his
shoulders — Baladeva on his right shoulder and Kåñëa on his
Hearing Kåñëa’s Pastimes (39)
left shoulder — and went to Brahmäëòa-ghäöa to bathe in the
Yamunä. He, Kåñëa and Baladeva bathed at the ghäöa so that
they would be purified after this inauspicious event.
Then he lifted Kåñëa and Baladeva onto his shoulders and
returned home. It was well after midday, but no one had cooked
anything at Yaçodä’s house that day. Who would cook? Yaçodä and
her friends 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 Rohiëé saw Nanda Bäbä coming with the
two boys, she quickly went to the kitchen and cooked a little
sweet porridge. She gave it to Nanda Bäbä, and he fed the boys
— first Baladeva, and then Kåñëa. 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 Bäbä went now.
The afternoon passed, and it was time for the evening meal.
Still nobody had cooked, so Nanda Bäbä went to the cows’
barn with the boys. There he milked the cows directly into the
mouths of Kåñëa and Baladeva, and gave Them some sugarcandy.
The two boys ate and drank until Their stomachs were
full, and then Nanda Bäbä returned home with Them. By that
time, it was night.
(40) The Butter Thief
“Bring Kåñëa to Yaçodä Maiyä”
By now, all of Yaçodä’s friends — especially Rohiëé and
Upananda’s wife - were very worried. All the older ladies came
with Mother Rohiëé to where Nanda Bäbä was sitting with
Baladeva and Kåñëa in his lap.
The older gopés said to Baladeva, “You are stronger than Kåñëa,
and He will listen to You because You are His older brother.
Quickly, take Him straight to Yaçodä Maiyä’s lap.” Baladeva
went to pull Kåñëa, but Kåñëa gave Him such a strong push that
Baladeva fell down. Kåñëa wrapped His arms tightly around
Nanda Bäbä’s neck. Rohiëé said, “O King Nanda! Kåñëa’s mother
has not taken anything to eat. She is sitting in a corner as still
and silent as stone. All the gopés in the house are so sad, and they
are also sitting silently, without eating or drinking.”
“What can I do?” said Nanda Bäbä. “She should realise that
this is the result of her anger. She has acted cruelly.” Tears
flowed from the eyes of the elderly gopés. “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. “Läla!
Will You go to Maiyä?”
“No! No! I will stay with you,” replied Kåñëa emphatically.
“I’ll Stay With Father!”
Then Rohiëé Maiyä came to Kåñëa, “Kåñëa, where will You
spend the night? Where will you sleep?”
“I’ll sleep with Father.”
“Not with Your Mother?”
“No.”
Upananda’s wife said, “You may stay with Bäbä, but what
will you eat? Who will breastfeed You?”
A Flood Of Affection (41)
“I will drink milk straight from the udders of the cows. My
Bäbä 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 Bäbä.”
“Won’t You go to Your Mother?”
“No, I will never go to her.”
Nanda Bäbä said, “Why don’t You go to Rohiëé Maiyä?”
Kåñëa sobbed and declared angrily, “I was calling out to my
mother to come and untie Me, but she didn’t come, and Rohiëé
Maiyä didn’t come either.”
When Rohiëé heard this, tears flowed down her face, and
she said softly, “Läla! Don’t be so cruel-hearted. Your mother
is crying for You.”
Kåñëa’s eyes 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 Bäbä’s eyes as well. “Läla! Should I slap
your mother?” Nanda asked Kåñëa. He raised his hands and
made a gesture as if he were beating someone. Kåñëa could
not tolerate this, and He caught hold of His father’s hands.
At that moment, Nanda Bäbä remembered the anguish in
Yaçodä’s heart.
Then Rohiëé Maiyä said to Kåñëa, “And what if your
mother…? She paused and snapped her fingers above her head,
as if to say, “What if she passes away?”
Oh! Seeing this, Kåñëa 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 with
outstretched arms. Rohiëé Maiyä was weeping. Picking up
Kåñëa — who was also crying — she quickly took Him into the
ladies’ quarters, and placed Him in Mother Yaçodä’s lap.
(42) The Butter Thief
Until now, Mother Yaçodä had been as senseless as a statue,
but when Rohiëé Maiyä placed Kåñëa 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 Kåñëa with
her veil and began weeping and weeping like a kuraré bird.
Kåñëa began consoling her. “Mother! Mother! Mother!” Rohiëé
Maiyä and all the other gopés
had gathered there by this time,
and they all began to weep and cry loudly. Yaçodä was weeping;
Kåñëa was weeping; Rohiëé was weeping; and all the gopés were
weeping. In the meeting room, Nanda Bäbä was weeping as well.
Everyone was weeping, and the whole area was over-flooded with
the condensed moods of parental love and affection.
After some time, when Yaçodä was somewhat pacified, she
gave Kåñëa her breast, and in the meantime, some food was
prepared. Nanda Bäbä was quickly called to take his meal and
he sat down, with Kåñëa and Baladeva to his left and his right.
Nanda Bäbä said, “Kåñëa, go and call your Mother. If she doesn’t
come, I will not take anything.” Yaçodä was so ashamed and
embarrassed that she would not come, but Kåñëa caught hold of
her veil and pulled, so she could not resist, and He brought her
to Nanda Bäbä. Nanda Bäbä ate his meal, gave some to Kåñëa
and Balaräma, and left some remnants which were distributed
to everyone in Yaçodä’s house. Kåñëa was now sitting in Yaçodä’s
lap, and that night, He slept with her very peacefully.
Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, performs so
many sweet pastimes. Why? To enhance the love and affection
of those who love Him dearly.
Chapter Five
The Glorious Fruit-Seller
Attracted by Nanda-Nandana
At the same time that Çré Kåñëa was performing His pastimes
in Våndävana, there was a lady in the nearby city of Mathurä
who used to sell exceptionally sweet fruits. She would go to the
country villages where small children lived and 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, “Yaçodä has given birth to a very lovely boy, and His name
is Kåñëa. He is so beautiful and so attractive, that those who
go to Gokula and see Him just once, cannot think of anything
else. They give their minds and hearts to that boy and return
home without them.” When the fruit-seller heard this, she
wanted to see that boy.
Calling Out To Kåñëa
One day she took a basketful of fruits, and with some
difficulty crossed the river Yamunä in a makeshift boat, made
of banana trees and branches tied together. Then she set off
(44) The Butter Thief
for Gokula, which was only seven miles from where she had
crossed the Yamunä.
The fruit-seller went to Gokula, and began calling out to
attract people to buy her fruits. She wanted to call out, “Fruit!
Bananas! Mangos! Oranges! Guava!” but she was thinking
of Kåñëa, so instead she called out, “Govinda, Dämodara,
Mädhaveti, Govinda, Dämodara, Mädhaveti.”
She began to cry out more loudly, “Govinda! Dämodara!
Mädhava!” 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 stacked on top of their heads without holding
them. Vraja gopés are expert in this.
The fruit-seller went on like this, her heart crying, “Kåñëa!
Govinda! Dämodara!” For the whole day she made the rounds
in Nandagräma, where Kåñëa lived with His parents, but Kåñëa
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 Kåñëa 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! Dämodara! Mädhava!” that Kåñëa could not
check Himself when He heard her calling. He was sitting in
Mother Yaçodä’s lap, but He quickly jumped off to go to the
fruit-seller.
Kåñëa had seen adults bartering, and He knew that the fruitseller
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
The Glorious Fruit-Seller (45)
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 class, so she was waiting
outside the gate. She could not come into Mother Yaçodä’s house,
or even into the courtyard. Although Kåñëa had tried to bring
some grains for bartering, His little hands would not hold many,
and most of the grains that He had picked up fell to the ground as
He ran out. There were only a few grains left, but Kåñëa did not
notice this; He thought that His hands were so full of grains that
the fruit-seller would give Him plenty of fruit.
Kåñëa Reciprocates His Devotee’s Love
When the fruit-seller saw Kåñëa, she became completely
captivated by the wonderful sight. She just sat looking and
looking at Him. In a moment, she had given her heart to Kåñëa.
“Give Me fruits! Give Me fruits!” Kåñëa 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.”
Kåñëa looked at His hands, and was surprised to see that all the
grains were gone. He still wanted the fruits, though. The
fruitseller
looked at Kåñëa’s face, and said, “If you call me ‘Mother’
and sit on my lap, I will give You all the fruits You want.”
Kåñëa 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 King of
Vraja.
“I don’t know what will happen if My mother or anyone in
Vraja sees Me sitting on the lap of this lady,” He thought. “And
(46) The Butter Thief
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 onto the lady’s lap and said,
“Mother!” Then just as quickly, He jumped off of her lap and
demanded, “Now, you should give Me some fruits.”
The fruit-seller lady was delighted. Kåñëa had fulfilled all of
her desires. She wanted to give Him everything — all of her
fruits — but His hands were so small that He 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.
Kåñëa 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 there was an endless and inexhaustible supply. She
gave fruits to all the gopés, and when everyone had received
fruits, there were still fruits left.
And what happened to that fruit seller? When Kåñëa sat
on her lap and called her ‘Mother’, she was overcome with
transcendental sentiments and emotions. She had given her
whole heart and mind to Kåñëa. She didn’t move for a long
time, but sat there outside the gate, motionless in disbelief.
When someone approached her 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 Yamunä River, she thought, “My basket is so
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 filled
The Glorious Fruit-Seller (47)
with wonderful jewels, each one equal in value to the whole of
King Kaàsa’s treasury.
The fruit-seller was completely fixed in her meditation on
Kåñëa. Standing on the bank of the Yamunä, she cried out,
“What is the use of all these jewels?” Then she threw them all
into the Yamunä, and with her hands above her head, she began
to sing like a mad woman, “Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti,
Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.”
She had no veil — it had come off. She collapsed, and fell
on the earth, weeping. She had no sense — only the sense that
Kåñëa 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 say? Kåñëa knew her heart completely. 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 Våndävana, where she could be like His mother
eternally. Only her material body was left lying on the banks of
the Yamunä, and someone came and gave it to fire.
Singing From The Heart
It is very wonderful to follow that fruit-seller, if you want to.
Your 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 that you can to give to Gurudeva
that could repay him. You should meditate on Çré Guru’s glory,
and try to understand who he is. He wants to give you the same
wealth that Kåñëa 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,
(48) The Butter Thief
you should try to be like that most fortunate fruit seller, always
absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa, and always singing, Govinda
Dämodara Mädhaveti, Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti, Govinda
Dämodara Mädhaveti, Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.
How should you sing? Not as if you are singing an ordinary
song. You should pray to Kåñëa with all your heart, and
then Kåñëa will hear. Otherwise, you may be singing like a
professional. Kåñëa doesn’t need that kind of music. He already
knows many songs. He wants your heart. An inferior devotee
may be able to sing expertly, but Kåñëa wants more.
Try to pray like this — with your full heart — and Kåñëa
will hear. However you chant, whatever kértana you sing, you
should be absorbed in it. If you are singing just to make music,
Kåñëa will not hear, but if you are chanting and hearing in a
heartfelt way, Kåñëa will come at once, and give you His wealth.
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Om Tat Sat
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