Why Would Someone Enjoy Being Taunted

“’O naughty child, now try going from here, if you can.’ Having spoken thus, she returned to her household duties.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.15)

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यदि शक्नोषि गच्छ त्वम् अतिचञ्चलचेष्टित
इत्य् उक्त्वा च निजं कर्म सा चकार कुटुम्बिनी

yadi śaknoṣi gaccha tvam aticañcalaceṣṭita
ity uktvā ca nijaṃ karma sā cakāra kuṭumbinī

“Speaking for myself on this issue, I think the most appealing aspect to the culture of Krishna consciousness is this idea of a relationship with God. He is a person, you see. He also has an impersonal side; we don’t deny that. There is the cosmic manifestation. There is the sum collection of the parts. There is an understanding of a singular energy, pervading all of space. The undivided appears to be divided, but really isn’t. This is the Brahman realization. I will leave that for the scholars, the empiricists, and the impersonalists.”

सर्व-भूतेषु येनैकं
भावम् अव्ययम् ईक्षते
अविभक्तं विभक्तेषु
तज् ज्ञानं विद्धि सात्त्विकम्

sarva-bhūteṣu yenaikaṁ
bhāvam avyayam īkṣate
avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu
taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam

“That knowledge by which one undivided spiritual nature is seen in all existences, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the mode of goodness.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.20)

“The personal is the source of the impersonal. The person who is God can be identified, located, and held onto. There is the potential for interaction. In the same way that I get excited to meet a friend, to have someone to spend time with, I can maintain a steady connection with God as a person. This connection is yoga. Since the mood is devotion, it is bhakti-yoga. There is variety within this connection. One person can keep God as their best friend. Another can view Him with the greatest respect, like the esteemed guest staying indefinitely in the home.

“Then, of course, you have the option for carrying a commanding presence. You see, you can keep God as a dependent. The practical shape to the concept in theory is the relationship between Mother Yashoda and Krishna in Gokula-Vrindavana. The pictures are heartwarming. The interactions are endearing. One thing is puzzling, though. There is a moment where the mother essentially taunts the son. This is after punishing Him. I can see why a mother would be proud of that, of finally catching the culprit. But why would the Supreme Lord appreciate such words? Isn’t it in poor taste to boast? I thought humility was the way to God’s heart. Why is Yashoda appreciated so much, then?”

The following hypothetical situation may assist in our understanding. You are a young child. You lived with your mother since birth. She divorced from your father, who was unknown to you. That is, until recently. You see, after several years your mother went off and remarried. Since then, she wanted little to do with you. You became a burden. She advised you to go visit your father, to see if he would take you in.

In this case, the father is surprised to learn of your existence. He had no idea he had a son. He remembers the ex-wife, for sure. He is a little surprised by your proposal. He is not accustomed to caring for children. He has no other dependents. He wouldn’t know the first thing to do in caring for a boy. Despite the apprehension, he takes you in. Things appear to be going okay, at first. You are more or less left alone. At the same time, there are ample means. Plenty of food. A nice home. The best of everything. There is no austerity.

One day, in speaking with a friend from school, you learn about punishment. You see, your friend gets punished all the time. They say it is good for them, since it means the parents are paying attention. The parents only punish because they love. You happen to realize that your own father never punishes you. Granted, you have only known each other for a short time, but you still live together. He is still your father. Does the absence of punishment mean that he doesn’t love you?

In the next few days, you begin to test the limits. You break the rules, on purpose. One naughty behavior after another, increasing in egregiousness. Finally, your father loses it. He decides to punish you. No television or games for two weeks. It is the happiest day of your life. You finally did it. You made the old man angry enough to care. Nothing could be better than this.

In the same way, Yashoda was a busy adult. The setting is thousands of years ago. According to the foolish speculators of today, women were subjugated back then. They were oppressed. They were confined to the home. They were miserable, you see. They were not members of the workforce. The reality is that someone like Yashoda worked all the time. She managed the household. She helped with the occupation of the area, which was agriculture and cow protection. She worked from morning until night, and specifically for the benefit of her beloved son, who was Krishna.

That work was so important that a small child might wonder every now and then where they stood on the priority list. Krishna managed to get the mother’s attention one time by breaking a pot of butter in anger. It was a tantrum. There was visible damage. There was a trail left behind, footprints made of butter, to lead to the culprit. Yashoda chased after Krishna. She finally caught Him, but then she wanted to keep Him in one place. Better He learn His lesson than to think of causing further trouble.

Yashoda tried to bind Krishna to a mortar. She tried and tried, but the ropes were always too short. Finally, as if by magic, as though Krishna was subtly providing sanction, Yashoda succeeded. She bound Krishna by the belly, earning Him the new name of Damodara. She then sarcastically asked Him to try to move. Let’s see how strong He was now. Let’s see how brave He was, after being caught. The mother went to that much trouble just because she loved her son so much. What more could a son ever want?

ततश् च दामोदरतां स ययौ दामबन्धनात्

tataś ca dāmodaratāṃ sa yayau dāmabandhanāt

“It is thus that He became known as Damodara, for being bound by a rope.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.20)

In Closing:

Of punishment not aware,
So does she really care?

Or just ornament for others to see,
Like decoration in house to be.

Krishna experiment to make,
Where in anger pot to break.

Yashoda quickly chasing behind,
A punished Damodara soon to find.