Achyutaya namah

“Śrikrishna, together with brother Balarama, returned back to the hamlet even as his friends were profusely glorifying and singing His praises. Krishna’s curly locks, which were filled with the dust that had been raised by the hooves of the cows, were decorated with peacock feathers and forest flowers. As He, who had beautiful captivating eyes and charming face, walked ahead playing the flute, the boys walked behind praising Him”.

The place where the Lord resides is Gokula. It is Brindavana.

“The Gopikas who desired to see him, eagerly went forward towards Him”.

They were eager to see Him in this form wherein His curly locks were filled with dust. Only on this day, after the slaying of demon Dhenuka, His hair shone in this form. It was a unique get-up for that day. That morning was an unusual fight with many donkeys which had created whirlwinds. His face, His dusty face and hair made it seem as if He was slightly exhausted after this extra-ordinary feat.

“The Gopikas who rushed forward eagerly, through their bee-like eyes drank in the honey which existed in the form of the lotus face of Krishna, the Lord of liberation. Through this they derived bliss. The beauty of this lotus face is beyond imagination. Upon seeing Krishna, the grief that they had suffered all day due to the long separation from Him, was dissipated”.

The Gopikas were eternally tormented by the desire to keep gazing at His face. From morning to evening He would disappear into the forests and this was for them a painful and long separation. Upon seeing him in the evening, this suffering was abated and the mind swelled with joy.

“With their side-wards glances they greeted Him. With all bashfulness and humility Krishna accepted their greetings as He entered into the hamlet”.

What a wondrous welcome Krishna received! Various types of welcomes are organized normally but Śrikrishna alone was fortunate to receive the welcome which came from deep within the mind and heart. Only the cowherds, their wives and families were blessed with this fortune of inviting the Lord from their hearts.

“To Yashoda and Rohini, their sons were extremely dear. In accordance to the wishes of their sons Krishna and Balarama, they would, without exceeding the time stipulations, provide them with food and other comforts. They would, in great haste, arrange the food as desired by the boys who had returned exhausted after a long day in the forests. Balarama and Krishna would apply oil to their bodies, bathe and thus relieve themselves of their tiredness”.

The boys would walk to the forests daily when they took the cattle for grazing. In the forests, they had to ensure that the cattle grazed well and monitor the movements of the thousands of cows and calves. To add to this tiredness, that morning they had to kill the demons who had come disguised as donkeys.

“Having bathed, the boys would wear clean, washed clothes, apply sandal-paste to their bodies and decorate themselves with garlands. They would then eat the delicious food prepared by their mothers and then fall asleep on the soft beds readied for them. In this way, the Supreme Lord, who had incarnated as Śrikrishna, wandered through the forests of Brindavan as a cowherd boy.

One morning, Krishna went to the banks of Yamuna accompanied by his friends. His brother Balarama was not with him that morning. As it was a scorching hot summer day, the cows, calves and the cowherds were tormented by thirst. Desirous of quickly quenching their thirst, they walked to the lake Kalindi and drank in the waters not realising that the waters were poisoned. Destiny caused them to drink the poisonous waters and in quick succession they all fell dead by the banks of the water body.

In great shock, Srikrishna, the Lord of all eminent Yogis, observed the cowherds and cattle that lay dead by the banks of Kalindi. He then cast His compassionate glance on these cowherds, who had eternally sought shelter in Him and to whom He was the sole protector. With his compassionate nectarous gaze, He revived them all”.

The Lord merely looked at them and revived them. He would revive some through his speech; some through his touch; some through his gaze and some by supplying water. He revived some through food, some through mantras; some through music and some through songs. In this way, the Lord would use different methods to restore to life different persons. Many such sports will be covered in the future chapters.

Here He cast a single glance, filled with compassion, upon all the boys who lay dead. He did not have to fetch any Sanjivini herb or give them any medication or use any mantra. His gaze was adequate enough to restore them to life.

“The moment His gaze fell upon them, the boys became conscious, immediately stood up and stared at each other in amazement. They could not figure out what had happened. ‘Having drunk poisonous waters we died. It is purely the grace of Lord Govinda that we have been restored back to life’- they thought”.

How wonderful was this illusion! Krishna simply cast a glance over all the dead boys. He did not touch any one. They glorified the Lord ‘Krishna, Mukunda, Srihari, Govinda’.

With this the fifteenth chapter of tenth canto comes to an end.