Narayana

“Balarama and Krishna, with their broken speech and childish pastimes, brought great joy to all the residents of Brindavana. When they became old enough to tend to the calves, they accepted their roles and were busily engaged in it”.

The cowherd-children would take the calves to the forests for grazing. This was their daily responsibility. Thousands of children guarding lakhs of calves as they grazed in those forests, was a feast to the eyes! Is it possible to ever capture the exact scene in any movie? Is it possible to bring out the inherent beauty of that scene in any oil painting? We have to remain satisfied with that which is being explained in Bhagavatam.

Isn’t it fascinating that they joyfully took up responsible roles even while they were young? Did we not discuss that in certain foreign lands, military training is compulsory for every individual? In contrast to that, here in India, we civilians do not even contribute in any way for the betterment of those army men who guard our borders and who risk their lives for us. We do nothing for them. Most of us do not even contribute to the fund setup for their betterment. Today we are able to lead free, happy lives solely because these soldiers guard our borders. While they guard us risking their lives, we take great delight in harming each other within the country. Had they not guarded so diligently, we would have had to face enemy attacks. We too should take up certain responsibility towards our motherland. Home guards and NCC was intended for this purpose. We should willingly go and enrol in those departments which work for the safety of our motherland. We should learn how to help civilians during times of crisis, how to handle infiltrators and so on. Only then our country will remain safe.

In those countries, suddenly a siren is sounded. Immediately upon hearing it, the civilians have either to rush outdoors or hide securely within the home. In this way, every quarter they have drills so that civilians remain alert. Civilians in India are too lazy to adopt such procedures. We are unconcerned about enemy attacks and precautionary measures.

Often fire drills are conducted in schools and other places to educate the people and to prepare them for emergencies. How should fire be extinguished, what are the steps to be taken during evacuation due to fire, how to respond at times of earthquakes. These lessons are equally important to adults as they are to children. Should we not learn how to save our life? Contrary to this, we expect the Government to save our life during crises. We wait for the police or fire brigade to arrive. Had we participated in the drills, we could have been of use to the police or fire brigade during emergencies.

When survivors are submerged under the debris after the earthquake and are screaming for help, neighbours and family members stand helplessly watching them and waiting for the Government personnel to arrive and rescue them. Many precious hours are lost in this process. By the time the rescue teams arrive, the survivor may have breathed his last.

Every individual must mandatorily take classes on giving first-aid. When the finger is cut with a knife, learn how to give first-aid. What is the point of howling in pain? You are fifteen years old and still weep watching the blood flow from the wound. Instead, if you had learnt first-aid techniques, you would have deftly handled the situation. When every child learns these first-aid techniques, then automatically as she grows up, she will learn how to handle bigger emergencies with a calm mind. Learn from those countries wherein children are given military training at a young age.

For this reason, in the past eons, children would be trained to handle tough situations. Didn’t Dasharatha send his four sons to Maharishi Vaśiṣtha’s ashrama for education and training? Were the boys provided royal luxuries including soft silky beds during their stay in Maharishi’s hermitage? Did he provide them with sumptuous breakfast every morning? He made them sleep on the bare floor. They had to survive on roots and fruits. They had to bathe in cold water. They had no blankets to cover their bodies when they slept. Due to this rigorous training during childhood, Rama and Lakshmana did not face any inconvenience when they were exiled for fourteen years. They only ensured Mother Sita’s safety and comfort. This was the outcome of the rigorous training in childhood.

Hence training is essential right from childhood. The child should be trained to handle extremities of weather like heat and cold, to handle poverty, to run, and to be physically fit. In its absence, the child will grow into an adult who cannot handle crises. Why should we wait for someone to rescue and help us during times of difficulties? We should be mentally strong and fit to handle them independently.

For every trivial problem, we should not seek consultation. For every small crisis, we should not run for help. We should learn to counter such situations and to set them right with our own efforts. When such resistance power is developed, no disease can destabilize us.

Don’t the slum dwellers have adequate resistance power? Even when they live in murky, filthy surroundings, don’t they live for hundred years? Do they need preventive medicines? No. Do they take frequent vaccinations? No. They have ample resistance power. On the other hand, we have no pain-bearing capacity. Even at the onset of fever we need to take a tablet. A small pain in the body, we need medication. We have become totally dependent on medicines. If a small problem lands on the head, we rush to all doctors, Gurus and to the mantriks and tantriks seeking solution. We run to our Guru and seek advice. We go to the astrologer. We go to for tarot reading or approach the person who keeps the mystic parrot that picks a card indicating our future. We approach those experts who predict our future using sea shells. We get mantras and pujas done. Is there anything sensical in this? Should you not increase your mental fortitude to handle such difficulties?

We are taking about those cowherd boys who, albeit being tiny, would take the calves to the forests for grazing. They were so young that parents would normally carry them. But yet they were responsible. What I am explaining is the truth as it happened in those eons. This is explicitly mentioned in Bhagavatam. When they reached the age to tend calves, they automatically accepted the duty of taking the calves for grazing.

“Krishna and Balarama, together with other cowherd boys, would carry their playthings to play with their friends while the calves grazed. They took the calves to the fields closer to Brindavana and left them there for grazing. They would ensure that the calves grazed properly”.

The calves too would lovingly listen to these children. The calves could not escape cause the entire area was surrounded by dense forests. The present day Brindavana has no semblance with the original Brindavana where Krishna lived. Due to excessive deforestation, the size, shape and looks are completely altered. In that era, it was an unimaginably dense forest.

“Krishna and Balarama would at times play the flute. At times Balarama would sing while Krishna played the flute. All the boys and the calves would listen to this flute rendition with absolute silence. The calves would remain stationed in a place as long as He played the flute. Thousands of calves would walk along with Krishna, listening to him. Hundreds of cowherd boys and girls would walk along with them.

In this sacred place, Rasakreeda (not to be spelt as Rāsakreeda) took place. Rasakreeda is a play pertaining to Self-knowledge.

Narayana