Srimad Bhagavatam – day 648
Illusion created by Krishna puzzles Balarama
“In this manner, the Supreme Lord enjoyed with Himself for a period of a year”.
He enjoyed in Himself and with Himself. He was alone. He took delight in His form as a calf. He enjoyed being a cowherd boy. He had so many mothers. Even the cows were now His mothers. He enjoyed the love showered by them all.
“One morning, when about five or six days were left for the completion of one year, Krishna together with Balarama left for the forests to tend the calves. The cows that were grazing atop the Mountain Govardhana, slowly descended from the mountain and as they were walking back to Brindavana, noticed their calves grazing nearby. The cows were overly excited to see their calves”.
When cows and calves see one another, they both jump in excitement. The cows eagerly wait for the calf to come and drink milk. To witness this love between a cow and a calf, one must visit a village. In cities only milk factories can be found.
“Upon seeing their calves, the cows were overly excited and forgot themselves in this overflowing love. In their eagerness to meet their calves, they ignored the calls of the cowherds and ran in great haste down on an uneven, rough thorny terrain, which was difficult even for the cowherds to traverse. The sight of these cows running in great haste to meet their calves was so beautiful that onlookers found their two eyes insufficient. It was mainly because, the great speeds at which the four-legged cows were running made it appear as if they had only two legs”.
The cows were running at such great speeds that only two legs were visible in each of them. It gave the impression that they were running on two legs.
“Their udders were overflowing with milk. With their upraised tails and heads they were mooing loudly to attract the attention of their calves. As they were running speedily, their humps merged into their necks. They neared their calves which were at the foothills of the mountain. With overflowing affection, the cows then fed their calves with the milk from their udders. The calves, with great relish, gulped the milk quickly to their heart’s content. The exhausted cowherds, who had followed them, tried to prevent the cows from feeding their calves, however their efforts were rendered futile. They were filled with embarrassment and anger at their inability to control their cows. Furthermore, their tiredness after running down the uneven, thorny terrain caused them to turn even more adamant.
Exactly at this moment, the cowherds spotted their sons who were tending their calves. At the sight of their sons, their hearts began to overflow with unending happiness. Their anger melted completely. Immediately they rushed forward, picked their sons, embraced them lovingly and kissed them repeatedly on their foreheads. Their hearts were soaked in bliss. They derived untold happiness by kissing and embracing their sons. Half-heartedly they left their sons behind and proceeded towards the forests with the cows shedding profuse tears due to separation from their sons.
At Brindavan, the cows as well as the mothers of the boys were filled with extreme affection towards their offspring, due to which, their anxiety towards the well-being of their child intensified. This increased love became a norm in every household.
Balarama observed these changed behavioural patterns in the adults of Brindavan was trying to discover the cause for it. Why are they so reluctant to be separated from their offspring for even a second? On the face of it, there appeared no valid reason. He then thought,
‘Srikrishna, the son of Vasudeva, resides within the heart of every living entity. Just as every living entity experiences extreme love towards Him, all the residents of Brindavana, including me, are of late experiencing increased affection towards these boys and these calves. We are unable to remain away from them for even a second. What could be the cause behind this extra-ordinary affection?
Just look at the fathers who weep when they are separated from their sons. Look at these cows that weep when their calves move away from them. Why do these mothers grieve when their sons leave for tending the cows? Definitely what is happening here is very strange. What could be this miracle? Such intense love was not seen in people before. Isn’t this mind blowing?
Keyaṁ vā kuta āyātā daivī vā nāry utāsurī
Prāyo māyāstu me bhartur nānyā me ’pi vimohinī
What is this illusion? From where did it arise? Did the Devatas create it or is it a creation of humans? Is it an illusion created by demons? If this illusion had the capacity to delude me, then undoubtedly it has to be the illusion created by my Lord and master Srihari’.
Balarama, the supreme compassionate being, and the descendent of the Yadava lineage, thus pondered deeply. Then using his divine vision (divya dŗṣṭi) he observed the calves and the boys. He could see that the Supreme Lord Srikrishna had manifested in all those forms!”
Swamiji explains: To Balarama the behaviour of the mothers, fathers and that of the cows was puzzling. Why did the cows rush down eagerly to feed their calves, unmindful of the rough terrain? Their udders were overflowing with milk as they rushed forward eagerly. Why did the fathers hug and kiss their children as they had never done before? Why did they grieve to leave their sons? What is it that is causing them to grieve even a momentary separation from their sons? When almost a year was complete, Balarama became suspicious. He pondered over it deeply. He then figured out that it was an illusion created by Lord Srikrishna.
Krishna.