KRISHNA: THE ENTERTAINER.

KRISHNA: THE ENTERTAINER.
(This I dedicate to all chidren)

Now a days my fellow members of ‘Secret-8-Ivy league’ (average age being 10 to 11) are busy rehearsing a play they propose to stage on Krishna Jayanthi night in our colony.
“Have you ever acted, uncle?” asked a 5 year old.
What could I say? Are we not all acting day-in and day-out?
“Yes, I have in a similar kind of play titled ‘Bhakta Kuchela’ staged in my village when I too was a boy of five”
“And what were you uncle- Krishna or Sudama?”
“ Neither. I was given a Chaamaram (a fan) by my seniors and was asked to fan the actor
Krishna till the play ended- as a punishment”.
They all laughed.
“How come uncle?”
“Oh, on an earlier occasion I forgot to pull the curtain closed as soon as Kamsa was felled by Krishna. What could I do? It was late night and I fell asleep”.
Again a roar of laughter.
“Alright, uncle please do come for our final dress rehearsal and let us know how you liked it. This is a theme we adopted from a magazine”, said the Director (11 year old)

"veNNaikku aadum perumAL"

The dawn is about to break. It is always better to churn the thayir (yoghurt) just before the Sun is about to rise. Any undue delay may melt the butter making it difficult to gather. Yeshoda prepares to get up; gently puts away the right leg of Kannan thrown carelessly on her lap and without waking him up, she gets up. After the usual morning ablutions and attending to her other chores she gets ready with paanai and matthu to churn out the butter with that sar… sar .. noise. Kalla Krishnan had been awake. Pretending to be fast asleep, his watchful eyes were monitoring his mother’s movements. Hearing the noise, he walks up to Yashoda hugs her from behind and enquires,
“Amma, what is this noise?” as if the Maya Kannan does not know anything at all!
Yashoda could have said, “O it is the butter churning up”. But no; she decides to tell a lie. Or else Krishna will swallow up all the butter, mess the floor by spreading mOr (butter milk) all
over. She no doubt wants to give her Kannan all the butter he wants but Yashoda is afraid of the mischief and the pranks he will let loose making her life miserable for the moment.
“Inside this Paanai, there is a Bhootham (man eating ogre). So run away or else it will catch you”, she tells Krishna.
He holds the whole Universe in his mouth (as shown toYashoda later!)As a babe in the cradle He had handled Poothana. Later Sakataasura, Trinaavrita,Vatsaasura, Bakaasura – all got wiped out by this child.
“Amma, is the ogre really inside?” queries Kannan innocently.
“Yes. Inside it is. And if you do not run away it surely will swallow you”
“But amma, will it not catch you?”
Yashoda is in a great dilemma. One lie usually leads to another. Any way she decides to continue with her pretensions.
“ You see the ogre dare not catch big people”, replies Yashoda.
Immediately Kannan pushes an Oral (mortar) near his mother and stands on top of it.
“Look at me amma. Now I too have become big. The ogre dare not touch me now. Am I right?”
In later period, He who would give Upadesam to Arjuna (when in bewilderment he says (“Chanchalam hi mana: Krishna!...) decides to give some dose to His mother Yashoda!!
“Amma, you want me to run away now. Is it justified? Sooner I leave; the ogre will eat you up. What will the world say? Everyone will blame me saying, ‘look at him, this is the child who let the ogre eat up his mother’. If one’s mother at home is not taken care of, what earthly use is there of Teerttha yaatraa? If one’s hungry mother is not taken care of how will Annadaanam be useful? Mata is one’s first relation. Father comes later followed by others. I will therefore not leave you alone.” says the God child firmly.
Yashoda is tongue-tied.
“So Kannaa! What do you want me to do?” says wearily Yashoda.
“Ha! That’s it. Now you are talking some sense. You could have asked me this earlier. I am here to give you correct advice under all circumstances”
“Alright my son. Let me hear your great advice”, says Yashoda a bit irritant now.
“Amma put both your hands inside the paanai. The ogre who is afraid of me is inside the
Paanai in the garb of vennai (butter) hiding like a coward. Just grab and gather it. Hand over to me and you see I shall swallow it immediately.
Yashoda gets up gathers Kannan in a tight embrace, with tears in her eyes. She gives
Krishna plenty of butter-mouthful and handful of Vennai.
Nandagopan dances in glee.

Epilogue

In the Bhagavatham, the lessons you learn are according to the state of your mind. To understand the glories of the Lord as related in the Bhagavatham, you have to enjoy the leelas of Krishna and realize their inner meaning. Krishna had always eluded the gopikas after playing his mischief. But once, out of compassion for them, he wanted to provide a clue by which they could trace him. One day they all lay in wait round their houses to catch Krishna. Krishna went into a house stealthily, broke a pot of milk and quietly hid himself. The gopikas found that he had broken the pot and tried to trace him. The milk-white steps which he had left revealed to them his hide out. Then, Krishna revealed to them the spiritual truth that if they cling to the feet of the Lord they will realize Him. "Follow my footsteps and you shall find me", Krishna told the gopikas.
The childhood episodes relating to Krishna have an esoteric meaning. For instance, when his mother, Yashoda, chided Krishna for eating mud (as alleged by Balarama), Krishna replied: "Mother am I a child, or a silly brat or a crazy fool to eat mud". In this way Krishna, even though he was a child, He was affirming His divinity indirectly.
Devotees of Krishna subscribe to the concept of lila, or divine play as the central principle of the universe.

Happy Sree Krishna Jayanthi


V V R
23rd Aug 2005