Krishna & Yashoda

From the Bhakti List Archives

• October 3, 1997


> God accessible to His devotees 
> 
>                 Date: 03-10-1997 :: Pg: 24 :: Col: c 
> 
>                 Cl: Religion 
> 
>                 CHENNAI, Oct. 3. 
> 
>                 Among the auspicious qualities (Kalyana gunas) of the
>                 Almighty it is His easy accessibility (Saulabhya) which is
>                 important to human beings wallowing in bondage. It is not
>                 possible to attain the vision of God through human effort
>                 alone, unless He wills and graces man. But to His
>                 devotees, the Lord is indeed accessible though He is the
>                 absolute Lord, Master of all. This remains a mystery and it
>                 is very difficult to say who would become eligible for His
>                 grace, because it is reiterated in the scriptures that He
>                 remains elusive even to great Jnanis and Yogis. 
> 
>                 The incarnation of Lord Krishna itself reiterates this
>                 mystery. The joy He brought to the simple cowherd
>                 community who did not have any pretense to learning is
>                 described by Bhattatiri in the Narayaneeyam, ``O
>                 Bestower of liberation. When Thou, lying on the bed of
>                 Yashoda in the house of Nanda, did cry, the women-folk
>                 woke up and announced the birth of a boy. How can I
>                 describe it? All Gokula brimmed over with joy.'' 
> 
>                 Describing Yashoda's merit the Bhagavata Purana
>                 mentions that by beholding Krishna and carressing His
>                 charming body, she surpassed in good fortune all the
>                 meritorious people in the world. This was a special blessing
>                 the Lord conferred on Yashoda and Nanda for their
>                 unalloyed devotion to Him in their previous births. 
> 
>                 In his discourse Sri B.Sundar Kumar said that the Gopis
>                 vied with one another to gain His attention. But at the same
>                 time they complained about the pranks He did, to
>                 Yashoda. He untethered the calves when they scolded Him
>                 and ate the curds and milk stolen from their homes. He not
>                 only stopped at eating them Himself but fed the monkeys
>                 and smashed the pots. 
> 
>                 ``He commits nuisance in our tidy homes and does other
>                 such mischievous acts. And having accomplished his work
>                 through pilfering devices, He sits by your side like a very
>                 innocent boy,'' accused the cowherd maidens. But
>                 beholding the charming innocence of her darling son,
>                 Yashoda did not feel inclined to rebuke Him. Krishna's
>                 childhood pranks and lilas continue to inspire poets and
>                 mystics. 
> 
>                 A mystic envisioning the manner in which Yashoda taught
>                 her son to walk as any mother would, wondered how
>                 blessed indeed this noble lady was, in that she held his
>                 hand and taught Him who had measured the 14 worlds in
>                 one step in His Trivikrama incarnation. Sage Suka in the
>                 Bhagavata observed while describing Krishna's
>                 accessibility to Yashoda, that neither Brahma, the creator,
>                 nor Lord Siva nor Goddess Sri who has Her abode on His
>                 very person, received such grace from Him as Yashoda
>                 did. 

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