Through Wind And Rain

“While Vasudeva was carrying his son Krishna in the falling rain, Lord Shesha in the shape of a serpent spread His hood over the head of Vasudeva so that he would not be hampered by the rainfall. Vasudeva came onto the bank of the Yamuna and saw that the water of the Yamuna was roaring with waves and that the whole span was full of foam. Still, in that furious feature, the river gave passage to Vasudeva to cross, just as the great Indian Ocean gave a path to Lord Rama when He was bridging over the gulf.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 3)

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There is the common folklore of the mother rescuing her child in an emergency situation through an amazing display of strength. Something like lifting up an automobile to prevent injury. Dashing through traffic to yank a toddler back to safety. Hearing a sound from one hundred feet away, alerting her to potential danger.

The idea is that the strong attachment and affection facilitate the breaking of barriers. The individual inside is so powerful that they give potency to an otherwise dull and lifeless collection of elements. A person would find it interesting to learn that the animating spark is so tiny in size that it wouldn’t register under microscopic vision.

Take the tip of a piece of hair and then try to divide it into ten thousand parts. One of those fragments represents the individual soul, jivatma. Yet the same kind of soul powers both the ant and the elephant. The grass growing in front of the house is as much life as the cow providing milk to its calf.

आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्िचदेन
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैव चान्यः।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः श्रृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्िचत्।।

āścaryavatpaśyati kaśicadena
māścaryavadvadati tathaiva cānyaḥ।
āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śrṛṇoti
śrutvāpyenaṃ veda na caiva kaśicat।।

“Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.29)

The soul is amazing, as described in Bhagavad-gita. The only real limitations are from the body itself. Something like the driver behind the wheel capable of going very fast, but held back by the engine and overall construction of the vehicle.

With the help of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual is able to transcend those boundaries. An ideal example in this regard is the father Vasudeva, whose heroic journey in the middle of the night is documented in the sacred text called Bhagavata Purana.

It was amazing enough that he escaped from the prison cell. King Kamsa was the perpetrator. Imagine being convicted for something you never did. Your only crime was to be the subject of a prediction announced by an uninvited voice from the sky.

“This man, right here. Look at him. His eighth child will be your doom. That’s all I have to tell you. Have a nice day.”

Kamsa was forewarned, and he eventually took drastic measures as an attempt to deny destiny. He placed his sister Devaki in a prison cell, along with her husband Vasudeva. Whenever a child was born to them, Kamsa made sure to kill it immediately, in plain sight.

It was amazing that the eighth child survived long enough to reveal His true identity to the parents. This was the same Narayana who eternally resides in Vaikuntha. God had appeared as the couple’s child. He was on a mission to correct many wrongs, targeting especially the wicked Kamsa.

Vasudeva received the instruction to transport Krishna to the nearby town of Gokula. After conquering the obstacles of the dark of night and a carefully guarded prison environment, he ran into one of nature’s most trusted blockades.

A raging river, in the middle of the night, during a rainstorm. How was Vasudeva going to cross the Yamuna? He could try to swim for it, but he had child in arm. Krishna was with Him, and His safety was the primary concern.

Just as Shri Rama had previously crossed the boundary of the vast ocean to reach Lanka, Vasudeva received passage. He was allowed to cross the river, and Krishna was protected from the rain by a loving Anantadeva, who used His many hoods to create an umbrella.

From this incident we see that any person can succeed in life’s most important mission of returning to the spiritual consciousness. Shri Krishna will provide the assistance; if we are willing to accept it and take advantage. He sends His representative to remove the darkness of ignorance, shining the light of transcendence through the medium of sacred sound: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

When to Yamuna’s banks came,
After battling wind and rain.

A greater obstacle to clear,
Of failure now the fear.

Since Shri Krishna protecting,
But suddenly Ananta projecting.

His hoods for an umbrella to use,
Helped father with no time to lose.