Why Would God Descend As A Child

“Our dear friend Yashoda, your son sometimes comes to our houses before the milking of the cows and releases the calves, and when the master of the house becomes angry, your son merely smiles. Sometimes He devises some process by which He steals palatable curd, butter and milk, which He then eats and drinks. When the monkeys assemble, He divides it with them, and when the monkeys have their bellies so full that they won’t take more, He breaks the pots. Sometimes, if He gets no opportunity to steal butter or milk from a house, He will be angry at the householders, and for His revenge He will agitate the small children by pinching them. Then, when the children begin crying, Krishna will go away.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.8.29)

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वत्सान् मुञ्चन् क्‍वचिदसमये क्रोशसञ्जातहास:
स्तेयं स्वाद्वत्त्यथ दधिपय: कल्पितै: स्तेययोगै:
मर्कान् भोक्ष्यन् विभजति स चेन्नात्ति भाण्डं भिन्नत्ति
द्रव्यालाभे सगृहकुपितो यात्युपक्रोश्य तोकान्

vatsān muñcan kvacid asamaye krośa-sañjāta-hāsaḥ
steyaṁ svādv atty atha dadhi-payaḥ kalpitaiḥ steya-yogaiḥ
markān bhokṣyan vibhajati sa cen nātti bhāṇḍaṁ bhinnatti
dravyālābhe sagṛha-kupito yāty upakrośya tokān

“I find the concept of the avatara to be quite reassuring. It gives me hope. The stories tied to the movements of the avatara in the earthly realm are rightly studied for centuries after the fact. No matter how much freedom you give a population, at some point things go in the wrong direction. It is like the correction that takes place on the share markets. A necessary cooling down. That is why I completely understand, believe in, and appreciate the reveal from Shri Krishna in Bhagavad-gita about the timings and justifications to His descents.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य
ग्लानिर् भवति भारत
अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य
तदात्मानं सृजाम्य् अहम्

yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.7)

“Sorry for the following comparison, but per my understanding what often takes place can be likened to the wrestler tagged into the match, who then cleans house against the bad guys. Shri Rama appears in this world and goes head-to-head against the worst villain, the ten-headed Ravana. Prior to that, even, Rama assumes the burden of fighting against fourteen-thousand of the greatest Rakshasas, of frightening deeds, bhima-karma. Narasimha manifests to protect the defenseless Prahlada against the wicked king of Daityas, Hiranyakashipu.

“Those aspects of the avatara make sense to me. What seems a little odd is this idea of roaming around like a dependent child. I get it that if you are appearing in this world as a human, masking yourself in the way the Pandava brothers had to go incognito for the last year of their exile term, then you would need loving and supportive parents. You have to go through the typical cycle of life.

“At the same time, you are still God. How can you be dependent on anyone? How can you allow yourself to get tied by mother Yashoda, as punishment for breaking a pot of yogurt? Why do you have to break a pot of yogurt, to begin with? What is the justification for roaming around Gokula Vrindavana as a dependent child?”

Let us study the hypothetical case of a loving father. His family consists of a devoted wife and a beautiful child. This is the only child at the moment. The circumstances are not favorable to accommodating more children. The child is a girl. The father loves his daughter very much. The father is attentive to the child’s needs. The father can tell, based on instinct, what the child wants at any given moment.

The father notices that the daughter is happiest when spending time with other members of the family. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins – the daughter is not particular. They are so happy that they welcome any opportunity for such meetings. The problem is that everyone else has their own things to do. They are not as enthusiastic in their desire to spend time with the young one.

In this instance, the father feels so deeply for his daughter that he sarcastically utters the wish that he could reincarnate. If ever given the opportunity, the father would immediately take birth as a sibling to that daughter. This way, the father could experience that loving relationship directly. They know that there is no outside motive, that the daughter is the kindest and sweetest person.

Take this same concept and apply it to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If He sees someone who is so affectionate, so pure, and so free of any outside motivations in their devotional service, He feels indebted. There is a reason that deity worship is a fixture within Vedic culture. It is a way to bridge the gap. It is especially meant for those who long for the association of the Almighty. They place His presence at a priority over any benedictions that can be offered. In other words, their way of living is giving, rather than taking. Like the wives in Ayodhya who chastised their husbands for not eagerly following Shri Rama into the forest, they cannot find happiness outside of devotional service directly offered to their object of worship.

किं नु तेषां गृहैः कार्यं किं दारै: किं धनेन वा
पुत्रैर्वा किं सुखैर्वापि ये न पश्यन्ति राघवम्

kiṃ nu teṣāṃ gṛhaiḥ kāryaṃ kiṃ dārai: kiṃ dhanena vā
putrairvā kiṃ sukhairvāpi ye na paśyanti rāghavam

“Of what use are wealth, comforts and pleasures, home, wives, and sons if one is not able to see Shri Rama?” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 48.7)

It would thus make sense for Vishnu to descend to this world as the adorable Gopala, who is the jewel of the Vrindavana community. The Supreme Lord gets to directly experience the loving affection of mother Yashoda. He is more than happy to open His mouth to reveal the universal form, under the pretense of the mother checking for dirt. He gives so much pleasure to the cows that they produce milk upon sight. The trees and their fruits pay obeisance through bending down when Krishna and His brother Balarama are near.

Descending as a child does not invalidate the position of God; it rather increases the standing; at least in the eyes of the wise. Only God could be so kind. Only the Supreme Lord would want to satisfy the desires of His devotees in such a way. Only the one who is all-knowing would reciprocate the loving sentiments flowing His way, in the manner of a river that continuously rushes.

In Closing:

Infinite mercy to extend,
When as child to descend.

Direct experience to give,
In that blissful way to live.

Like Yashoda her darling seeing,
Even as butter thief being.

Undivided attention and care,
Enough for even God to share.