Five External Reasons Krishna Was Considered Fortunate

“When mother Yashoda and the other ladies finally saw that Krishna, although decorated with many bangles and other jeweled ornaments, could not be bound with all the ropes available in the house, they decided that Krishna was so fortunate that He could not be bound by any material condition. Thus they gave up the idea of binding Him. But in competition between Krishna and His devotee, Krishna sometimes agrees to be defeated.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.9.18 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

1. Could not be defeated by asuras

One after another they came to Gokula. Their objective was the same: kill Devaki’s eighth child. They needed to travel a short distance since the child had amazingly escaped the grasp of King Kamsa of Mathura. Despite the watchful eye and the attention of the people in charge, Vasudeva managed to transfer the newborn son to a safer place.

Kamsa eventually learned of the child’s birth. Since the prediction was that this child, eighth in number for the parents, would be the king’s end, Kamsa tried to nullify destiny by putting his best assassins on the case.

It is sometimes seen that the helpless are able to escape danger. Perhaps they make it out alive from a burning building. A large tree falls on the house, but they happen to be in another room. They fall out of the sky, but land on a soft place.

With Krishna being an infant, the survival was nothing short of a miracle. Krishna survived the attack of a whirlwind. Despite being taken high into the air, it was the demon who ended up dying.

A witch fed Him poison and it didn’t make a difference. She eventually showed her true, hideous and large form. She tumbled to the ground, the life taken out of her, but the infant Krishna was not hurt.

The residents took this to be a sign. There was something special to Krishna, who was known as the son to mother Yashoda. He must have been sent to their presence from high above. He was not like the rest.

2. Incomparable beauty

Krishna had incomparable beauty. A moment of interaction with the vision was enough to elicit the strongest loving sentiments. Proof was in the cows producing milk. It was as if Krishna were their own child.

The mothers in the community felt the same way. They had a stronger attachment for Krishna than for their own children. The beauty was Divine in nature. The same applied to Krishna’s activities, which involved stealing butter, playing in the dirt, holding on to the tail of calves and cows, and showing off beautiful ornaments placed on Him by Yashoda.

“Sometimes the naughty babies would crawl up to the cowshed, catch the tail of a calf and stand up. The calves, being disturbed, would immediately begin running here and there, and the children would be dragged over clay and cow dung. To see this fun, Yashoda and Rohini would call all their neighboring friends, the gopis.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality Of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 8)

3. Protected by the names of Vishnu

Krishna was fortunate to escape the poison-attack from Putana, but the mothers were not taking any chances. They chanted the names of Vishnu to ask for protection. The different body parts essentially belonged to the origin of everything. Krishna was in an auspicious circumstance because Vishnu was always around, through various indications.

4. With auspicious marks

The family priest studied the transcendental body of the new child. Krishna had auspicious marks everywhere. This was not an ordinary child. It was like Vishnu Himself had arrived in their midst. It was a great blessing for the parents and the community as a whole.

5. Could not be bound up by rope

In one pastime with mother Yashoda, Krishna was being mildly punished. Yashoda tried to bind Him to a mortar using rope, but she could not seem to find enough rope to get the job done. No matter how much extra rope she added, she always ended up just short.

The mothers considered this to be yet another sign of Krishna’s good fortune. He was indeed Bhagavan, or the owner of all opulences. Though He wasn’t specifically trying to run away, He could not be caught. Though He was not resisting the punishment, there was nothing wrong in what He had done.

All the external signs pointed to Divinity, which was later confirmed by direct words. Spoken to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Krishna showed that He was indeed Narayana, or the source of men. He was the universal form, virata-rupa, and more.

The residents of Gokula were the most fortunate in that they had Krishna under their control. He agreed to be bound in the ropes of love by mother Yashoda. He enjoyed the butter produced by the residents. He lived up to the name of Govinda by giving pleasure to the cows and to the senses.

In Closing:

Auspicious marks on Him finding,
Troubled by Yashoda with ropes binding.

Despite many asuras to arrive,
Their attacks to survive.

Of beauty breath away taking,
Ride with tail of calf making.

Most fortunate son was He,
Krishna for everyone to see.