Krishna Krishna

“The trees of Brindavan were fully laden with flowers and fruits and due to their weight, the branches were almost touching the ground. Observing the branches touching the ground, Krishna felt as if the trees were bowing at His feet. In great elation and surprise, He addressed his elder brother Balarama and said,

‘O Supreme among Devatas! Please listen. In order to absolve themselves of that sin which caused them to be born in the tree family, these trees are offering to you flowers and fruits for worship. Using their branches, they are prostrating at your lotus feet, which are worshipped by the Devatas themselves. Purely in order to obtain this rare fortune, these entities have obtained births as trees.

O brother! You are of pure repute. You are the cause behind the existence of this creation. Your glory renders pure all the different planes of existence. The bees here are melodiously humming your glory and are worshipping you at every step. In all probability, they are eminent saints and the best among your devotees, who, living secretively in the forests, are not deviating from You, their God.

O praiseworthy brother! O Balarama! Look at these peacocks that dance in great happiness. The gaze of the deer which resemble the delicate gazes of the Gopikas, fills us with delight. Through their pleasant cooing, these flocks of cuckoos welcome you to their homes. How fortunate are the living entities that reside in a forest! This is because the behaviour of saintly persons remains eternally the same. They eternally welcome the guests who arrive at their doorstep.

Today, earth, grass, and the plants here have attained blessedness due to the touch of your lotus feet. The roots and creepers have been rendered pure by the touch of your hand. Your compassionate gaze has rendered pure the rivers, mountains, the animals and the birds here. By the touch of your chest, the Gopikas have obtained blessedness. Such is your greatness that even Mother Goddess Lakshmi seeks to touch your chest’.

Krishna who was mesmerized with the beauty of Brindavan thus spoke to his elder brother in great delight. Together with his friends, He walked to River Yamuna which was flowing close to the Mount Govardhana. While the cattle grazed, he too wandered leisurely.

The boys who had accompanied Krishna were singing His glories. Krishna, who was wandering leisurely together with Balarama, had adorned himself with a garland made from forest flowers. The bees that were intoxicated due to excessive consumption of honey were humming melodiously.

At times, Krishna sang along with these bees. At other times, He grunted along with the swans. On some occasions, He danced along with the peacocks and brought delight to the cowherd boys. In order to bring back the cows that had strayed far away while grazing, He would, at times, in a deep voice that resembled thundering clouds, call them by their names. On other occasions, He would play the flute hearing which the cows would return back to Him. Often, the cows and the boys would be captivated by His beautiful and melodious singing and their bodies would horripilate”.

His speech, His singing and His playing the flute always caused the friends to experience horripilation through their bodies.

“On other occasions, Śrikrishna would perfectly imitate the cries of the partridge, ruddy geese, peacocks and other birds that inhabited the place”.

The Lord was imitating the cries of the birds He had created. He was the one who had bestowed them with the voice and with that chirping style.

“On some occasions, He would run in fear pretending to be terrified hearing the lion or tiger roar. At times, he ran swiftly like a deer”.

Krishna would pretend to be terrified of a lion and would try to escape from there in great haste. In reality, He had created the lion.

“On some occasions, brother Balarama, exhausted due to play, would rest by placing his head on the thigh of another boy. At such times, Krishna would approach his brother and would lovingly press his feet. In this way, he offered services to his brother. He would fan his brother until he was relieved of his fatigue. Due to the touch of Krishna’s tender hands, Balarama would instantly be freed from fatigue.

At times, the cowherd boys would dance merrily. At other times, they would sing happily or jump and wrestle with one another. They played many such strange games. At such times, Balarama and Krishna, would hold each other’s hands enjoying these activities. They would clap, encourage and applaud the boys”.

Remember that within each game was contained a great spiritual essence.

“On some occasions, Krishna would wrestle with his friends and, in the process, would be exhausted”.

Krishna Jagadishwara