“’O naughty child, now try going from here, if you can.’ Having spoken thus, she returned to her household duties.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.15)

Download as podcast episode (right click and save)

यदि शक्नोषि गच्छ त्वम् अतिचञ्चलचेष्टित
इत्य् उक्त्वा च निजं कर्म सा चकार कुटुम्बिनी

yadi śaknoṣi gaccha tvam aticañcalaceṣṭita
ity uktvā ca nijaṃ karma sā cakāra kuṭumbinī

When you hear the word, what comes to mind? When someone interrupts what you are doing, pointing a finger in your face, insisting that you surrender to such and such, what is your response? Do you feel like you know this individual? Is it even an individual? Or is it a figment of the imagination, something man created as a story to tell themselves when things get tough? You see, that is the only way to rationalize the horrors of birth and death and everything terrible that occurs in between. In the case of Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, and the larger Vedic tradition itself, the corresponding image is not necessarily what you would expect. This highest being of all is real, exists, and can be found tied to a mortar in the sacred farm community of Gokula.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada wishes the best for us. He is wishing well to everyone. This includes the believers and the nonbelievers. For those who don’t believe, it is a good idea to take stock of the situation around them, to begin asking questions as to the origin. For instance, how is it possible that a large banyan tree emerges from a tiny seed? Why is it that some other seed, though similar in appearance, produces something entirely different? Why is there no seed to produce the typewriter? Why is there always intelligence behind something great? What, exactly, is the source of that intelligence?

सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो
मत्तः स्मृतिर् ज्ञानम् अपोहनं च
वेदैश् च सर्वैर् अहम् एव वेद्यो
वेदान्त-कृद् वेद-विद् एव चाहम्

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)

For the believers, there is the challenge to rise to a higher standard of interaction. Do not settle for believing. Do not merely ask for the basics, for subsistence, for the continuation of life. After all, the animals do not make such requests. They are incapable of such expression. Somehow, they manage. They get enough food to eat, though they might not be as advanced as the humans, with their planning commissions and schemes to hoard resources.

The acharya of the Vaishnava tradition says that in a real relationship with God it is possible to actually surpass Him. That is correct. Instead of asking for things from Him, He asks from you. He might even make you chase after Him, where you insist on punishment for the casual crime of petit larceny involving butter.

1. The one who gets punished

This is the image of Damodara. He is more commonly known as Krishna. He first appeared from the womb of Devaki, but that arrival was anticipated and well-received. The devas, who are the celestials residing in the heavenly region, welcomed their benefactor as He appeared as an avatara within the manifest realm. Vishnu was going to take birth as Krishna, to be the son of Devaki and later the foster son of Yashoda.

“Our dear Lord, You are appearing as the best of the Yadu dynasty, and we are offering our respectful humble obeisances unto Your lotus feet. Before this appearance, You also appeared as the fish incarnation, the horse incarnation, the tortoise incarnation, the swan incarnation, as King Ramachandra, as Parashurama, and as many other incarnations.” (Demigods praying to Krishna in the womb of Devaki, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 2)

It is Yashoda who caused Krishna to be known as Damodara. She is responsible for that name. Imagine the scene. God getting punished. God getting tied to a mortar. God running away in fear, of the whipping stick shown by the mother. God shedding tears, as if the mother is in full control. This can only happen with prior sanction. Only when the devotion is so pure that there is nothing else requested. Yashoda is not looking for riches. She is not looking to make a name for herself. She is not preparing chapters for a soon-to-be-published memoir about her life as the greatest devotee.

Yashoda loves Krishna. She loves Him as her son. Her love is simple. She is not kept at a distance by awe and reverence. There is closeness. She will feed milk upon request. She tries to handle multiple responsibilities. It is a kind of juggling act, and one time Krishna became upset at the brief period of neglect. He broke a pot of butter to show His dissatisfaction with Yashoda’s decision to check on the stove in the kitchen.

When Yashoda caught up to Krishna, she tried to bind Him. Her attempts failed. No matter how many ropes she brought. She was always short. Finally, Krishna relented. He did not speak directly to Yashoda. He did not tell her that He was going to let her win. It was just known by the outcome. Yashoda finally bound her beautiful son to a mortar, earning Him the name Damodara.

2. The one who releases others from punishment

Damodara is God being punished. It is God in a subordinate role. It is God choosing to accept the pure love of one of His devotees. Interestingly, the same Damodara releases others from punishment. Just as Yashoda returned to the kitchen, Krishna proved that He was not actually bound. How can a child tied to a mortar move? Only if that child is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krishna strategically placed the mortar in between two trees. The mortar became something like a pivot. This is normally a dangerous situation. You would expect the child to get seriously hurt. Either the rope would break or the anchor would relent. The anchor in this case was a small boy. Instead, the trees fell. This was intentional. The two trees were actually devas who had previously been cursed by Narada Muni. By crashing to the ground and seeing Damodara, they were released from the curse. In the same way, those who always remember the darling child of Yashoda and His all-attractive interactions in Gokula will be released from the dreaded fate of rebirth.

अन्त-काले च माम् एव
स्मरन् मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्
यः प्रयाति स मद्-भावं
याति नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

“And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5)

In Closing:

By my desires headed,
To that fate dreaded.

But one person to see,
From rebirth to free.

Like when dropping those trees,
Though child with ease.

Because only by love to be bound,
Like in Yashoda of Gokula found.