“In the yoga system, by the perfection called mahima-siddhi, one can expand himself as he desires. The demon Aghasura expanded himself up to eight miles and assumed the shape of a very fat serpent. Having attained this wonderful body, he stretched his mouth open just like a mountain cave. Desiring to swallow all the boys at once, including Krishna and Balarama, he sat on the path.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 12)

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His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that as there are tendencies within human beings, who are spirit soul at the core, the same tendencies exist in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the topmost person, Purushottama, and therefore the tendencies act out on a playing field, but with notable distinctions. The foremost of those distinctions is the lack of defeat; hence God is known by names such as Ajita and Achyuta.

The spiritual world, which is the original home of the living entities, is known as Vaikuntha. The literal meaning to that name refers to a place that is free of anxieties. By extension, there is no conflict; at least not to the level warranting physical competition. In order to act out on that tendency, the Supreme Lord descends to the manifest realm. The supposedly avyakta individual becomes vyakta, though He is never under the microscope of distinction. He is always in the supreme position, whether or not we understand Him, see Him, or acknowledge Him.

God descends to the mortal realm. He indulges an inclination for conflict. He never loses, which means that the opposing forces can reach the limits of the potency collected in the entire material universe and still end up defeated. At the same time, there is no exploitation. There is no rubbing it in, so to speak. Rather, the intervention by the Supreme Lord is always justified. He is protecting the innocent and the saintly, the sadhus.

परित्राणाय साधूनां
विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्
धर्म-संस्थापनार्थाय
सम्भवामि युगे युगे

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
sambhavāmi yuge yuge

“In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.8)

Sometimes, the visuals present an entirely different picture. Like the greatest contradiction or paradox, the impossible becomes possible. The adversaries may even object to the intervention, thinking that the other side is cheating. To help settle any disputes, we offer the following hypothetical situation of placing modern-day observers at the scene.

They are watching, like spectators in an arena. There are judges nearby, who will be consulted on any points of contention. Our judges are rational, honest, and impartial. They are not predisposed to rule a certain way. They call things down the middle.

We have broadcasters seated nearby, offering play-by-play. In each case, when things turn in the wrong direction for the adversaries, there is a complaint lodged. The broadcasters describe the scene and the subsequent ruling by the judges.

1. Putana

“Oh boy, it looks like Putana is in a lot of trouble. Nobody suspected her. That is how she was able to enter the home, to serve as a nurse to baby Krishna. Yashoda is a loving mother. No one would doubt her sanity. No one suspects foul play. Rather, the people of this village are simple-minded and open-hearted. That is just the kind of situation Putana thrives in. She is already known for killing newborn children.

“Her plan was to feed poison to the baby. Everything was set up well; she smeared poison on her breast. Unfortunately for her, that was the end of her success. She is screaming in pain right now, as all of you at home can probably hear. Putana’s supporters are complaining to the judges, saying that it is not fair for Krishna to try to suck the very life out of her.

“The judges are deliberating. They are ready to rule. They are saying they will allow it. Krishna is simply doing what a child does. Putana and others cannot blame Krishna for sucking the life out of the perpetrator. Play on, is the directive. I have a feeling we won’t be playing much longer. Oh, and down she goes! After revealing her original, hideous, and large form, Putana has fallen to the ground. I think this one is over.”

2. Trinavarta

“You have to hand it to Kamsa, the king of Mathura. He sure has an eclectic group of friends. If you ever need an unpleasant deed carried out in an underhanded way, Kamsa knows a guy. He knows a lot of guys, it seems. This Trinavarta is pretty incredible. He strikes out of nowhere, like that tornado which no one saw coming. The forecasts missed it. The meteorologists are baffled. They can only guess as to what happened, after the fact.

“But it seems Trinavarta is running into trouble here. He swooped up the baby Krishna. He took that baby high into the air. The desired outcome was on its way to materializing when suddenly things turned around. Not like one of those maneuvers from a wrestler who suddenly breaks out of a submission hold. Nope, this time you can’t really tell what is going on. Except the supporters of Trinavarta are lodging a complaint. They say it is unfair that the baby Krishna has suddenly become too heavy to hold.

“The judges are deliberating. They have returned a verdict. They say that if you can’t handle the heat, don’t step into the kitchen. They will allow the competitors to play on. After all, Trinavarta was the aggressor. He thought it would be child’s play to take care of Yashoda’s son. Now he is surely regretting his decision. Krishna is about to drop that demon to the ground. Not a pretty sight, if you are Kamsa.”

3. Aghasura

“This might be the cleverest demon of them all. Who would have thought to disguise yourself as a giant cave? Aghasura, who is living up to his name, is intent on one of the most sinful acts there is. He wants to kill calves and children. He barely has to break a sweat. They will simply enter his mouth, not suspecting a thing.

“But like with our previous encounters, there is something special about Krishna. That child of Yashoda and Nanda entered the same opening to the cave, which was actually the mouth of Aghasura. The tables have flipped. Krishna is expanding Himself. The supporters of Aghasura are complaining to the judges, saying this is not fair play.

“The judges are deliberating. They have reached a decision. They say they will allow it. Krishna can proceed. Aghasura is the one who tried to trick people. At least Krishna is staying true to who He is. Boy, Krishna can really expand Himself. It is like elasticity is a tool in His belt. Aghasura is having a rough go right now. I don’t think this will end well for him. Krishna is once again victorious.”

4. Govardhana Hill

“My goodness, have you ever seen this much rain? The people of Vrindavana intentionally skipped the Indra-yajna this year. They worshiped Govardhana Hill, instead. Okay, but then why is there so much rain? Where did it come from? This must be the work of Indra. He is upset that the people ignored him. You know, one of those cases where someone can’t stand to see people enjoying a peace that they didn’t create.

“In a flashflood, what can you really do? Maybe try to climb up a tree and hang on for dear life, but even the trees are coming down. Wait a minute, what do we have here? The people are rushing underneath this large tract of land. Oh, looks like that is Govardhana Hill. What is going on? My goodness, young Krishna has extracted the hill from the ground and placed it on His finger. He is holding up the hill all by Himself. The supporters of Indra are not happy. They are appealing to the judges.

“After careful consideration, the judges have advised all parties to play on. They say that since Indra attacked without prior warning, Krishna is justified in using topography to protect the innocent people. You would never have dreamed of this situation. That hill must be something special, indeed. That worship was worth it, if you ask me.”

In Closing:

Something special indeed,
Wise towards hill to proceed.

And that special celebration making,
Items from Indra-yajna taking.

Because even when rainfall sent,
Under its shelter they went.

As Krishna alone extracted,
Rescued from revenge exacted.

Categories: the four

Tags: bhagavatam, dailyprompt, krishna lila, poem, poems, poetry