Krishna the butter thief
Thank you for coming in this endeavor of worshipping Bhagvatam, we took Bhagvatam on the procession today and if you want to glorify somebody we really take him on your. Those players they also do when someone wins the match they lift him really give lift. So we lifted Bhagvatam it is above everything else also. It was on the head and it was even worshipped on the way (laughs) at least one resident ran out the lamp to worship Bhagvatam of course our chanting.
“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAM HARE RAM RAM RAM HARE HARE”
Glorifies that Bhagvatam, Bhagvatam is incarnation of Krishna, of Rukmini Dwarakadish there are many forms that is one form that stands before us. And if everyone identifies with that form as the Lord and worships and does “mad-bhakto madyaji mam namskuru” etc (B.G 9.34) then we find with difficult we say OH! Holy name is also the Lord, Bhagvatm is also the Lord, His pastime are also Lord nondifferent from the Lord and dhama His “Bhagavat swarupa” non different “Bhagavat swarupa” Sanskrit word is Bhagvat swarupa his own rupa this is yet another rupa, another form of Lord this Grantharaj Srimad Bhagvatam. Everyone runs to see “Rukmini Dwrakadish” I don’t want to minimize importance of running to “Rukmini Dwrakadish” and seeing them but Srila Prabhupad did emphasize hearing unless you hear you will not understand or really see. That’s why Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur one time asked one of his follower who had left the Dharma shabha where Bhagvat discourse was on and he went away and returned. Hye! Where did you go? I went for darshan he thought my spiritual master would be pleased to hear such reply and instead he was asked few questions. So how was your eye exercise? You went you opened your eyes closed them many times so how was the eye exercise?
I was here teaching techniques or science of how to see Krishna with the help of Bhagvatam and Bhagvat Gita and you ran away in the middle to see. So this way all previous acharayas certainly Srila Prabhupad emphasized hearing process as number one yes certainly number one business. “nitya suddha Krishna prema sadhya kabhu nahe sravana adi suddha citte karaho udaya” we all have love for the Lord it is not something to be purchased in the market nearby, no it is in there it is part of you, so how to get it out? How to manifest it? “sravana adi shuddha citte karaho udaya” sravan then chitta, shuddha consciousness, pure and then Krishna prema udaya will manifest, It is but natural. So Srila Prabhupad certainly wanted us to distribute his books; also wanted us to read them not only read them but also to study them. Many of us read but not everyone studies Prabhupad’s books. Any way we will make little attempt of studying Bhagvatam, contemplating on Bhagvatam. This is very very favourable time, nice time any time is good, any time is good “subhascha shigram”. “subhascha shigram” it’s a good thing do why tomorrow, no this evening, no now “subhascha shigram”.
So this is the best thing to do then you don’t have to look at your watch or what day this one is, no! But then there are certain time certainly favorable more beneficial get more out of those times, this is that time starting from today. Today is also “caturmasa” right, today marks the beginning of caturmasa and what is business of caturmasa? Eat less, circular was sent round saying don’t eat salt, sweet voice don’t eat this (laughs). So minimize, cutting down eating, sleeping etc and maximize certainly hearing and we are we would like to do that, today also is purnima and guru purnima. Its guru’s day also Brahaspatiwar today is Brahaspatiwar, today is day of Brahaspatiwar he is spiritual master of this Demigods this thursday so many favourable things, times.
So two yrs ago we were also here reciting Bhagvatam for 7 days well again. It is business of everyday “nityam bhagvat sevaya” is the recommendation and if we could encourage everyone or some of you after 7 days, 8th day also you study 9th day also you go to studying Bhagvatam. If you develop some attraction and you end up spending more time studying Bhagvatam we will consider our katha that’s perfection we have no real attachments to these 7 days thing. But we don’t do this as money making thing that is why Prabhupad was against this sapta business because this has became a business, contract has to be signed. How many lakhs before. Ya! They are not shy about this so Subhas (laughs) had many contracts we have not signed any, any underhand’s, no deals (laughter). And ya! Some other reasons why Prabhupad was against this 7 days reciting for 7 days but he is not against reciting Bhagvatam, its popular thing few extra people do come in the name of Bhagvat Katha. So you could take advantage of that trend that tradition don’t do this this this then study Bhagvatam, study Bhagvatam so that is what we wish to do, so lastime we did childhood pastime of Krishna, Krishna in Gokul little Krishna.
Circumstances before his birth and “Bhumi” crying (Maharaj makes crying sound) and goes to Demigods and they could not help out then goes Brahma and he says no..no…lets all go to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and he heard the prayers. Prabhupad says wireless (laughs) so wireless communication. He could not speck face to face from the beach of Svetadwipa he communicated. He was on the beach and Lord was in the middle dwipa Svetadwipa. Sveta –white, sveta means white, white island because of the milk, milk all around Lord in the middle and He said ok sir you go ahead you take birth so they took birth and then Lord also took birth in the middle of the night then He was taken across Yamuna to Gokul and baby girl back to Mathura and attempts of killing and that did not work out and then more pastime. Krishna was 6 days old then what happened? Just testing you Putana and she was killed.
Name giving ceremony was there Garga Acharya comes Krishna Balarama’s names were given, hidingly, privately in a goshala no big affair, they did not want to make a big thing no otherwise news could easily reach Kamsa and more trouble why invite trouble so they did this quietly then more pastime Krishna as little child eating dirt. Aa……..open your mouth and aaa……..there what was inside? The whole universe was inside OH! You heard that I ate dirt ok! You may see inside there was so much dirt (laughs). The whole universe which is made up of dirt, earth, so yes I took few pinches no you can see inside. Not only dirt there was water, fire, air, ether and earthly planets were there Bharatvarsha was there, New Delhi-Agra highway road (laughs) and Bhaktivedanta Swami Road and Jamuna. And Hye! There is Gokul too and as Yasodha looked more closely there was Yasodha inside chastising Krishna wonderful. But he was a thief also nice child but stealing, stealing mentality (laughs) so he would steal. So many complaints Yashoda and everyday complaint box would get full everyday (Maharaj laughs audience also laughing). But she says you have to prove, you have to prove and attempts were made to catch Krishna red handed or white handed (Maharaj asking) red or white handed? (Devotee answered blue blue). When butter in the hand then hand becomes white, white handed, blue bluish hand covered by the white butter. So many attempts were made to catch hold of Krishna, but there one lady she successed , her name was Prabhavati you heard of her? No. She was successful, she caught hold she thought she caught hold of him and dragged him and dragged him and as she got closer she starts yelling hye! Yashoda please come come come I caught hold of your son look and she enters Nanda bhavan and Yashoda comes running to check out this lady she had her, she was covered, her face was covered like this (laughter) you know how Brajwasi ladies are (Maharaj demonstrating the Brajwasi ladies cover their face great round of applause followed by laughter). She was dragging Krishna, then she said look you wanted me to catch hold here he is and Yashoda looked and she went closer and said remove your well please and when she really looked there was no Krishna that was husband of Prabhavati (laughter). You could imagine the embarrassment of this Prabhavati (Maharaj and audience laughing). Finally she caught him I am the one I am the going to get special reward my name in front page of Mathura Newspaper (laughter) thief was caught by this Prabhavati. But instead (laughs) husband was there so she rushed out of Nandabhavan back to her home on the way to home the little lane there was Krishna (laughter) waiting for her. He said ok OH! No, no actually I made mistake actually that was the son of prabhavati . He said ok next time you try this on me I will turn into your husband, I just became your son, so like that and how could Krishna be a thief who is the thief? We are “ sastenu danda manate” everything belongs to him. So that was just his pleasure pastime not his pleasure but everyone was highly pleased with Krishna stealing butter, ladies getting up early morning why would they get up early morning? Thinking if Krishna comes to steal and butter is not ready, he may go disappointed, I have to get up early keep it all ready just in case thief comes he could steal. So its competition for getting up early in Vrindavan they would prepare butter. So so many pastimes just butter related stealing butter related pastime and everyone just loves this Krishna, the butter thief.
So then 1 day stealing one took place in Yasodha’s own home. Krishna just stole started stealing butter because he was hungry, he was hungry and then she runs to the kitchen to take care of the milk dumping the hungry child in the middle of the he was just drinking the breast milk she threw him on the floor and ran to the kitchen. Krishna was very angry he did not like this he became so angry that his teeth like that trembling teeth and lips are trembling out of anger and in lot of anger and broke the pot Yashoda was crunching butter that morning and he was hungry . So he found hanging from the ceiling a pot so stealing Yoshoda came. He thought he was smart he was seeing this way that way. But Yashoda was smarter she came from behind (laughs) Krishna soon noticed and not only she was coming she had a stick in the hand. He jumped down and ran and attempts were made to catch hold of him. Yahoda is little well built “prithu kati tate” heavy and Krishna is little, he is running and she is running behind it took quite a while to catch hold of him, even yogis can’t catch but Yashoda caught. Trying to bind him not him but also the mortar why mortar? Because mortar had also has to be punished what is mortars fault? That mortar helped Krishna had climbed up the mortar so that he could reach so one who helped stealing he also gets punished yes. So Krishna and the mortar both are getting so she is trying to tie and its 2 inches shorter story you know and finally it worked out and then He wanted to do some naughtier things he crawled as mother Yashoda was busy with some other activities, behind the backyard two trees were waiting there for long Yamala-arjuna trees. They were cursed and blessed at the same time, so now was the blessing time otherwise also these trees had good time they were with Krishna seeing Krishna in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja, that’s not a curse (Maharaj asking question to the audience) would you like to be tree in Nanda Maharaj’s courtyard anyone here? many hands are going up, anything in Vrindavan (laughs) anybody.
Then so Krishna uprooted those two gigantic trees and they crashed and the dust storm and everyone came running what happened? So we described 2 yrs ago we were up to there, a kind of through little more lighter, just summarizing little abstract now. The Yamala-arjuna were liberated they were 2 son of Kuber and they were trying to untie the knots may I help you these to demigods seeing Krishna in that awkward position may I help you. Krishna’s response was thank you for the enquiry of offer for help but the knot has been tied by my mother, only someone with equal amount of affection could untie this knot. This is knot of affection my mother’s affection for me, you won’t be able to help you with this. So they had circumambulated Krishna and went away back happily and so right in there in the middle, middle of the dust storm and everyone has come running. Sukhdev Goswami he describes one pastime just in two verses he describes the fruit lady she comes with the a big basket of fruits and “krinihi bhoh phalaniti” (S.B 10.11.10) please buy fruits have this fruits, have that fruit “kela lelo amrut lelo” buy guava, buy chikoo different fruits she is saying by names. And I mean see she is going around round and round more around Nanda Bhavan than any other place (laughs) because these fruit vendors they come with intention of hoping to get glance of Krishna meet Krishna, bump into him somehow, this sailing business is just a secondary thing primary goal is how to meet him, see him. So for sure “srutva satvaram acyutak phalarthi dhanyam adaya yayau sarva phala pradah” (S.B 10.11.10)
Krishna heard take fruits, buy fruits, buy fruits, buy fruits and Krishna He heard OH! Fruits fruits fruits call, he got excited and hurried he ran out of the door of Nanda Bhavan. Sukhdev Goswami describes Krishna who is “sarva phala pradah” the Personality of Godhead who gives fruits to everybody, fruits of their labour to everybody, every time that Personality is now he is in need of fruits, he is giving fruits to everybody but now he has become “phalarthi” phala-arthi likes to get a fruit for himself, otherwise he is always giving fruits but now he wants fruit for himself. So he knew that it’s not going to be free and those were not the time for these dollar or rupee, currencies, those were the times for bartering. So caught hold of few in both hands full of grains and he is walking out of the door lady is now comfortably seated, potential buyer is there. Then Krishna is coming he is taking baby steps, he is taking little longer and that is fine with her. She wants Krishna as long as possible in her sight vision so that she could keep talking dharshan, what fun it is if Krishna had ran out and ran in with the fruits no! She wants him to take little extra time, take your time, take your time baby. He is coming and he is trying to hold those grains tighter as he tries to hold they are spilling more he is losing; he is holding thegrip on the grains. First of all such how small fist such a little child how many grains may be 20 grains, small grains he had but by the time he reached on the way he had hardly anything there (laughs). She took it and she is returning now “phala vikrayini tasya, cyuta dhanya kara dvayam” (S.B 10.11.11) Krishna the both hands, kara-kara “tava kara kamal” kara dvayam-two, dvi-two, both hands were full and “cyuta dhanya” beautiful he has been described as “acyuta” means what? Infallible he doesn’t but the grains are falling from his hands “cyuta dhanya” he is acyuta but dhanya is cyuta, he can’t (laughs) even hold dhanya, he is losing that dhanya.
“phalair apurayad ratnaih, phala bhandam apuri ca” (S.B 10.11.11). So she accepted those few left over grains in exchange she is giving fruits to the boy, beautiful darling of Yashoda and she is looking at him, she is fully focused on the beauty of the Lord, the beautiful face moon like face. The blooming lotus like face of the Lord and while doing so, she lost the tract how many fruits she had handed out and she also wants him to stay longer, she knows as soon as she stops He would turn around go away and what good is that. She is trying to keep him longer so in that process she has emptied her whole basket and you could see as many He is trying to balance them and he is looking at more fruits right (laughs). Hye! You have some more you know (laughs). Because we hear sometime that Krishna what he gives he has taken note of that but what you haven’t given, Krishna is taking note of that more than what you have given, given not given, so not given what you have more, He tries to dig deeper into the purse and tries to get as small coin as possible right (laughs). So Krishna knows what he has kept, Krishna would like us to give everything “manas deho geho jo kishu more arpila tava pade nanda kishor” So this is what this lady has done given everything you could see. Is she a loser? Look at her basket (video is being played in the background) it is full of jewels, diamonds and rubies. Jai shree Krishna…..
So Sukhdev Goswami middle of all this Lila he has talked of this past time and then Krishna was rescued Nanda Maharaj came to the site he picked up baby and was delighted to know is baby safe he started praying to the Lord, praying to the Lord (laughs) not to the baby, for the protection of the child and following that there was a big istagosti held in Gokul dhama, all the leading citizens they gathered together they wanted to review the whole situation and come to some conclusion, is there some way out “gopa – vrddha” (S.B 10.11.21) elderly persons “brhadvane” “brhad-vane” in the forest which are there 12 forests of Vrindavan and Gokul is called “brhadvan” brhad meaning a big one “brhad bhagvatam” brhad there are many brhad, brhadvrat , sannyas, brahmachari vrat, celibacy this is brhadvrat. So there are many brhadvan so in brhadvan Gokul all the elderly persons after experiencing the recent disaster, terrorist attack “nandadayah samagamya” (S.B 10.11.21) Nanda Maharaj and others are gathered “tatropananda-namaha, gopa jnana-vayo-dhikah” (S.B 10.11.22) and in the assembly there is Upananda who is eldest brother of Nanda Maharaj , there are 5 brothers, Nanda Maharaj is number 3, Upananda-number 2, 3 more . So Upananda is there in assembly he is very well known for first of all his “jnana-vayo-dhikah” . He is superior he surpasses everybody in two things first of all he is “vayo” in age he is the eldest member present and so far for “jnana” the experience in those he is also most experienced.
Comments