Srimad Bhagavatam – day 585
Purushottamaya namah
“Krishna and Balarama would crawl behind strangers passing by the streets and, after covering some distance, pretending to be terrified of their surroundings and of these strangers, they would re-trace their steps and return home”.
All this was part of their playful childish activities. All the residents of the hamlet kept a watchful eye on the activities of these two boys. The infants playfully enacted their drama. They would turn in one direction and quickly crawl as if someone was calling them there. Suddenly they would re-trace their steps and crawl in another direction. They at times pretended to be terrified of strangers. If, listening to these melodious stories brings untold joy to the ears, then what would be the joy experienced by those who lived in that time period and who directly witnessed them all? Narrating these joyful incidents of His childhood causes our body to horripilate.
To the Lord who had incarnated in Gokula, every woman was his mother. He would lovingly beg the ladies to carry and cajole him.
“To these two brothers, the grime outside the homes of Gokula was akin to sandal paste, which they joyfully applied on their bodies”.
When grime touches the Lord’s body it emits sweet perfume similar to sandal paste. For this reason, even though their bodies were dirtied by filth and grime, they smelt divine. Attracted by the sweet smell emanating from the grime that had been touched by the Lord’s feet as he crawled past them, people would intentionally apply it on their bodies. The soil in all those areas where he wandered emitted sweet fragrance. The homes which he visited were filled with divine fragrance.
“Despite dirtying themselves, their bodies would glow brightly. The boys shone handsomely with their dirty limbs and bodies.”
Dirt was another decoration to the Lord’s body. It caused him to illumine even more brightly. The dried dirt on Krishna’s body resembled a world map. It was as if designs were artistically drawn on his body. Images of deities were also visible within the dried-up dirt-cakes that were stuck to his body.
At every second, irrespective of their attire, the boys shone resplendently. Whether they tried to crawl, sit, stand or walk, there was beauty in every step. When they lost their balance and fell, it was wondrous. When they were bathed, it was uniquely beautiful. Every action, every step and every moment of his infancy was wondrous!
“With overflowing love, the mothers carried their sons, embraced them and fed them with milk”.
Does the Lord need milk for his sustenance? When they breast fed him, he actually drank their devotion. He was drinking their dedication. He was gulping down their love. In the form of milk, he was sucking away their sins in totality. He was drinking nectar. When He accepted the butter and milk, that was lovingly offered to Him, He was accepting and drinking their sins.
“The boys happily drank the milk and slept peacefully in their mother’s lap as if they were exhausted after their adventures, as if they were doing a great service to others through their activities and as if they had accomplished enormous tasks. When they slept, their tender faces looked delightful.”
Even when they cried they looked lovely. When Krishna threw up tantrums, He looked cute. Deliberately they cried at times.
At times when infants cry nonstop, elders panic because it appears as if the infants are not drawing in adequate oxygen. This is often seen in the infant when he/she wants to stubbornly accomplish his/her goal. The child throw tantrums until the demand is met.
“When they drank milk, in their tender faces, an innocent laugh would be visible. When they laughed, they tiny teeth were visible”.
Their tiny teeth were uniformly spread. They were as beautiful as tender pomegranate seeds. When they laughed these tiny teeth were clearly visible. Innocence was visible in that laugh.
The smile of any infant is cute. It is filled with innocence. This is because the laugh is free from jealousy, likes-dislikes or any other vices. It is pure. At this stage, divinity is visible in them. The Lord is visible through them.
These two boys cried as if they were extremely hungry. They drank milk and slept contentedly as if their stomachs were filled.
“Seeing their activities, all the women-folk of Gokula would become ecstatic. They would experience horripilation throughout the body”.
How much penance these women-folk would have performed to directly witness the childhood activities of the Lord! They perhaps were Yogis in their previous births. Hence they were fortunate to witness the childhood activities of the Lord, to be able to carry and kiss Him, to bathe Him and to cajole Him.
“Hundreds of ladies watched the boys when they slept innocently and peacefully”.
All of them were captivated by His charm. They were totally enveloped by His illusion and they derived unexplainable bliss watching them.
Vamadevaya namah