Vishnave namah

Emperor Parikshit enquired, “Through His transcendental childhood sports, the Supreme Lord Srikrishna who is the Lord for all universes, sucked out all impurities from the minds of the people”.

He sucked out the sins, murk and grime from all minds. With the intention of cleansing them, He incarnated as an infant in Gokula and exhibited transcendental sports using His illusionary energy.

“Among those who watched his transcendental deeds, Yashoda and Nanda assumed the most significant position. What austerities did they undertake previously to be blessed with this fortune? How could they obtain this luck to live in close proximity to the Lord treating Him as their own son?”- enquired Parikshit.

Such is the significance of His childhood activities, that even after passage of many eons, they are gloriously rendered by poets and devotees. Innumerable commentaries have been written about them even to this date. Based on the way the Lord manifests before them, poets interpret His childhood actions differently. Such poets fix their mind entirely upon the Lord so much so that they forget their individual existence. Among them all, Maharishi Vedavyasa is the foremost! However apart from him too, there are innumerable saints and poets who have written extensive commentaries upon this subject. In the Madhava sect, there are many Peethadhipatis who have written detailed commentaries. Shankara bhagavad-pāda himself wrote commentary on this subject. In this parampara too, many other saints have written commentaries.

Irrespective of whether the philosophers belonged to the Advaita (non-dualism), Dwaita (dualism) and Viśiṣṭa-advaita (conditional non-dualism) schools of thought, they have all written commentaries on the childhood activities of the Supreme Lord. Many ardent devotees of the later periods have, in their compositions, glorified His transcendental deeds tremendously.

It is incorrect to presume that His activities are popular solely because they have been extensively glorified by poets and saints. Irrespective of whether people glorify Him or not, His glory remains intact. It is eternal. The truth is that He showed His divinity right from the moment of His birth.

Even to this date, in Kali-yuga there are many commentators who see the Lord as they narrate His divine stories. As I sit here and narrate, I am able to see the Lord. I cannot see these flood lights, these camera men or the audience. All I see is the Lord himself! As I explain the incident when he rolled in grime, the scene unfolds before my eyes. I see Him with grime all over His body. I am unable to bring my mind back to this world. Back and forth I am coming back to this world and instantly I go back there to see Him. Perpetually every second I am merging into that Lord and then once again coming back to this land of action, once again merging back into Him and then again coming back. For every word, for every sentence that I utter this phenomenon takes place.

In these present days too, many poets, erudite scholars and devotees discuss His transcendental deeds. My mother, Jayalakshmi mata, has written many songs glorifying this Lord. Some of her poetic compositions were found; many could not be traced. Her compositions were in simple Kannada, the language that is commonly understood by village folks. She would sing for Krishna. Krishna would perhaps be visible to her! When I was an infant, she would carry me and then sing her compositions on Krishna. Only those compositions, which she would sing during my childhood, remain in my memory and I have made them available to you all. Who knows whether she saw the Lord in her son? Who knows the extent of darshan she had of the Lord? She was a divine Yogini. To me, she was a Guru. To her, I offer obeisance. She could witness the Lord’s childhood activities within her mind and with this she would be ecstatic.

Let us all offer obeisance to those millions of devotees, teachers, saints and poets who have had the fortune to witness, within their minds, His transcendental glories. How fortunate they all are!

Emperor Parikshit continued, “However, Devaki and Vasudeva, the real parents of Krishna, never obtained this chance to witness His childhood activities. Why weren’t they blessed with this chance? What could be the reason? What was this illusion?”

The real parents were imprisoned by Kamsa. Fearing that they would stealthily escape, Kamsa ensured that their legs were tied with huge iron chains.

Devaki and Vasudeva were aware that the Lord had incarnated as their son. In reality, the Lord did not appear from Devaki’s womb. How can the Lord be born from her womb, when He is ayonija (takes birth without necessity of mother’s womb)? Exactly at that moment when Devaki completed her full term of pregnancy, He suddenly manifested before them in a wonderous, exquisite form! Devaki and Vasudeva, the fortunate parents, witnessed Him in His original form. They were undoubtedly fortunate. Even though He did not originate from them, He caused in them the feeling that He was born from them. Thus, He covered them too with his veil of illusion. Trillions of celestials and Devatas invisibly descended into the prison cell to see the Lord who had manifested there in His original form. They glorified Him profusely.

We do not get tired even after recounting these incidents pertaining to His birth repeatedly. We derive profound joy in listening to them time and again. The Lord’s birth in the prison cell, the door-keepers of the prison drifting into deep slumber, the parents being freed from the iron shackles, the doors of the prison opening on their own, Vasudeva carrying his infant son and stepping out into the dark streets of Mathura, the snake guarding the child from the havoc caused by the rain- the Lord exhibited all these transcendental, extra-ordinary incidents immediately upon His birth.

Despite having had the fortune to witness these miraculous deeds, Devaki and Vasudeva missed out all other childhood activities of the Lord. This fortune was obtained by Yashoda, Nanda and other residents of Gokula. What could be the boons obtained by Nanda and Yashoda to be blessed with the opportunity to see His transcendental childhood activities? What could have been the boons obtained by Vasudeva and Devaki that bestowed them with the fortune of begetting the Lord Himself as their son, but which took away this chance of witnessing His childhood activities?

“O Maharishi Śuka, I yearn to know all these details. Please clarify my doubts”- pleaded Parikshit.

Vishnave namah