“It is not proper to remain in this place. Let us go to another great forest, as here we have seen numerous calamities which are causes of ruin. The destruction of Putana and the reversal of the cart, and similarly the falling of the trees without the intervention of the wind. Therefore, let us without delay depart from Gokula to Vrindavana, where the earthly calamities will not overpower us.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.22-24)

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स्थानेनेह न नः कार्यं व्रजामो ऽन्यन् महावनम्
उत्पाता बहवो ह्य् अत्र दृश्यन्ते नाशहेतवः

पूतनाया विनाशश् च शकटस्य विपर्ययः
विना वातादिदोषेण द्रुमयोः पतनं तथा

वृन्दावनम् इतः स्थानात् तस्माद् गच्छाम मा चिरम्
यावद् भौममहोत्पातदोषो नाभिभवेद् व्रजम्

sthāneneha na naḥ kāryaṃ vrajāmo ‘nyan mahāvanam
utpātā bahavo hy atra dṛśyante nāśahetavaḥ

pūtanāyā vināśaś ca śakaṭasya viparyayaḥ
vinā vātādidoṣeṇa drumayoḥ patanaṃ tathā

vṛndāvanam itaḥ sthānāt tasmād gacchāma mā ciram
yāvad bhaumamahotpātadoṣo nābhibhaved vrajam

“Have you ever stopped to consider how parents you know today might have reacted to the calamities surrounding a young Krishna in Gokula? This is not meant to be a joke or an intro for a standup routine. I am serious. Take some people from today and transport them back into the past. To the farm community where cow protection is everything. Where there is work to be done, where even the supposedly dependent and weak women are engaged in household work from morning until night, supporting the economy such that it thrives.

“Insert into the equation a charming and beautiful boy of bluish complexion. He is the beloved son of Nanda Maharaja and his wife Yashoda. Everyone loves Krishna. He is a little naughty. The elderly housewives, known as the gopis, sometimes complain about the intrusions. They mildly protest the theft of butter and the general nuisance that is Krishna and His close friends. At the same time, they really like to see Krishna. They recognize His effulgence, which is so strong that it can even light up a dark room. This allows the children to see where the precious butter is stored.”

हस्ताग्राह्ये रचयति विधिं पीठकोलूखलाद्यै-
श्छिद्रं ह्यन्तर्निहितवयुन: शिक्यभाण्डेषु तद्वित्
ध्वान्तागारे धृतमणिगणं स्वाङ्गमर्थप्रदीपं
काले गोप्यो यर्हि गृहकृत्येषु सुव्यग्रचित्ता:

hastāgrāhye racayati vidhiṁ pīṭhakolūkhalādyaiś
chidraṁ hy antar-nihita-vayunaḥ śikya-bhāṇḍeṣu tad-vit
dhvāntāgāre dhṛta-maṇi-gaṇaṁ svāṅgam artha-pradīpaṁ
kāle gopyo yarhi gṛha-kṛtyeṣu suvyagra-cittāḥ

“When the milk and curd are kept high on a swing hanging from the ceiling and Krishna and Balarama cannot reach it, They arrange to reach it by piling up various planks and turning upside down the mortar for grinding spices. Being quite aware of the contents of a pot, They pick holes in it. While the elderly gopis go about their household affairs, Krishna and Balarama sometimes go into a dark room, brightening the place with the valuable jewels and ornaments on Their bodies and taking advantage of this light by stealing.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.8.30)

“The real problem is the danger. Not in the stealing of butter or the pinching of babies to make them cry. This Krishna happens to be at the center of inauspiciousness. There is the wicked witch who comes crashing to the ground. There is the cart that suddenly collapses. There are the two tall trees that get knocked down to nothing. The elderly cowherd men cannot find a fault, dosha. They cannot blame the wind. For some reason, Krishna is always unharmed. Every single time. He is not disturbed in the least.

“Don’t you think that some of today’s parents would consider Krishna to be bad luck? They would want to get rid of Him. Don’t even try to defend them; you know that I am right. They would think of themselves first. Self-preservation. They might give Krishna up for adoption. They would consider sending Him to live with distant relatives. I am not assigning blame, I am merely considering different angles of vision. Why didn’t the people of Gokula think this way? Krishna was so special to them that they thought they should move to Vrindavana. They packed up their whole lives, abruptly and quickly, and moved to that great forest, mahavana.”

Could this perhaps be a reason for the Supreme Personality of Godhead appearing in that place? Maybe Vishnu knew what He was doing when He heard the pleas from Lord Brahma and Mother Earth? Wouldn’t it make sense for special, kind-hearted people to be the caretakers of God? They think they are taking care of Him. Krishna does not stand in their way. He allows them to act on their impulses.

Our hypothetical thus far focuses on parents who would be considered selfish, but there is also the middle-ground version. The one where the parents think that Krishna must be special. He must be a good luck charm. He must be powerful, without knowing it. Therefore, let us stay where we are. He is managing to escape unscathed. The danger is not bothering Him.

Indeed, even this would be a kind of service. There is a relationship. People ask things from God all the time. He is the most powerful, after all. What is the harm? If He can’t put bread on the table, regularly and repeatedly, then who can? Where else should we turn? We are helpless, after all. God is Almighty and we are miniscule.

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते
तांस् तथैव भजाम्य् अहम्
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते
मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
mama vartmānuvartante
manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

“All of them – as they surrender unto Me – I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.11)

As Krishna Himself explains in Bhagavad-gita, everyone follows Him in all respects. Those who ask for things are still following God. The people of Gokula are special in that they only give. They are not taking. They never think of taking, in fact. Even if Krishna were to tell them to stop, they wouldn’t listen. Even when He later lifts a massive hill and holds it above His head to protect the same people from dreaded rainfall, the people feel the need to help. They don’t want Krishna to stand alone, to bear the burden Himself. Rather, the devotees will assume the burden, just to keep Krishna safe, happy, and at peace.

In Closing:

Despite survival aware,
Holding mountain standing there.

Burden on themselves to place,
Trouble for Krishna to erase.

Such that hill never to drop,
This love impossible to stop.

Perhaps the reason for it all,
That home of Gokula to call.

Categories: questions

Tags: bhakti, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga