॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Sunday, 9 April 2023 - X a.13 - When Brahma in a prank makes the cowherds and their cattle disappear for a whole year from Gokula, Sri Krishna shows Lord Brahma who's really in charge.
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When Sage Shuka sees Parikshit so engrossed and asking questions, he is immensely pleased with having the right audience.
सतामयं सारभृतां निसर्गो यदर्थवाणीश्रुतिचेतसामपि ।
प्रतिक्षणं नव्यवदच्युतस्य स्त्रिया विटानामिव साधुवार्ता ॥
T: "Indeed, King, you're blessed to have this nature of the devout, who are always eager to listen to newer and newer stories of the Lord! We see such a fatal attraction only in womanisers in this world towards women."
Sage Shuka now narrates:
Bhagavan Sri Krishna now led all the cowherds with their cattle to a pristine bank of the Yamuna, with soft sand, and a cool breeze. Nature was smiling in all the fauna and flora. He said, "Dear Gopas, this seems like a great spot for us to enjoy our meal, with whatever lunches our mothers have packed for us! Go and graze the cattle after quenching their thirst with Yamuna's water. Then let's have our lunch!" The cowherds gleefully went and let the cattle free to graze soft tender new shoots of grass after drinking Yamuna water. They now came, sat around Sri Krishna like the lovely petals of a lotus surrounding an open flower with its seed cluster in the centre! (यथाम्भोरुहकर्णिकायाः) There was much laughter and fun as everyone opened his lunch, used a flower leaf or a large plant leaf or bark as a plate, and some even spread their food over large clean stones!
Here is a lovely shloka!
बिभ्रद्वेणुं जठरपटयोः शृङ्गवेत्रे च कक्षे वामे पाणौ मसृणकवलं तत्फलान्यङ्गुलीषु ।
तिष्ठन्मध्ये स्वपरिसुहृदो हासयन् नर्मभिः स्वैःस्वर्गे लोके मिषति बुभुजे यज्ञभुग्बालकेलिः ॥
T: "Sri Krishna sat with his flute tucked in his waistbelt on one side, on the other side were his cow horn and the cow stick. He had his morsel of fine food (the translator says it was wonderful curd rice!) in his left hand, and a bit of pickle stuck to his right-hand fingers, as he ate in much glee, laughing, smiling, making others laugh with fine, delicate humour. The gods in heaven watched in utter envy at this delectable picnic!"
Sri Krishna noticed that the cowherds' glances were darting here and there watching over their cows and calves that we're grazing nonchalantly over the wooded area. The coweherds seems frightened by the thought, "what if someone, especially an Asura, were to do away with the cattle?"
Sri Krishna smiled, and he said, "Friends, worry not! I am almost done with my lunch. You eat in peace. I shall go and take care of the cattle." Sri Krishna walked away, holding his lump of curd rice in his hand (सपाणिकवलः) towards the area where the cattle roamed.
Just then, Lord Brahma saw from above this lovely play of life. Suddenly, an egoistic thought came into his head. He saw the designation plate on his desk, perhaps. "The Supreme Creator Lord Brahma".
अम्भोजन्मजनिस्तदन्तरगतो मायार्भकस्येशितुः द्रष्टुं मञ्जु महित्वमन्यदपि तद्वत्सानितो वत्सपान् ।
नीत्वान्यत्र कुरूद्वहान्तरदधात्खेऽवस्थितो यः पुरा दृष्ट्वाघासुरमोक्षणं प्रभवतः प्राप्तः परं विस्मयम् ॥
T: "Lord Brahma, born in the cosmic lotus, was still recovering from the surprise he got when Sri Krishna had given Moksha to Aghasura. Why not Brahma play his own little game now? This may also reveal something more about Sri Krishna! So Brahma made all the cowherds and cattle vanish instantly from material sight, hiding them with his cosmic power in a state of invisible hibernation. This was an astonishing moment. Lord Brahma too vanished, not planning to revert the status quo in a hurry."
Sri Krishna saw that everyone had suddenly disappeared! He knew this was the work of Brahma. What to do? No confrontation was necessary. What he did was:
ततः कृष्णो मुदं कर्तुं तन्मातॄणां च कस्य च । उभयायितमात्मानं चक्रे विश्वकृदीश्वरः ॥
यावद्वत्सपवत्सकाल्पकवपुर्यावत्कराङ्घ्र्यादिकं यावद्यष्टिविषाणवेणुदलशिग्यावद्विभूषाम्बरम् ।
यावच्छीलगुणाभिधाकृतिवयो यावद्विहारादिकं सर्वं विष्णुमयं गिरोऽङ्गवदजः सर्वस्वरूपो बभौ ॥
T: "Sri Krishna did not want the mothers to get into any panic mode about this. Indeed, he wanted to keep them all happy. So what he did was he replicated himself into every cowherd, every cow and every calf in a process of divine cloning so that everyone was there, as before! Every little detail was preserved. The gestures, appearances, dresses, mannerisms, sounds, swishes, habits, movements, affinities, moods, expressions, enjoyments... everything was just like there never had been any mischief. Indeed the cowherd mothers clasped their little ones, fed them as applicable, dressed them, let them roam about and go do their work in the fields, day after day without the least idea of the substitution."
ततो नृपोन्मर्दनमज्जलेपनालङ्काररक्षातिलकाशनादिभिः ।
संलालितः स्वाचरितैः प्रहर्षयन्सायं गतो यामयमेन माधवः ॥
गावस्ततो गोष्ठमुपेत्य सत्वरं हुङ्कारघोषैः परिहूतसङ्गतान् ।
स्वकान्स्वकान्वत्सतरानपाययन्मुहुर्लिहन्त्यः स्रवदौधसं पयः ॥
T: "This miracle continued every evening. The cowherds would return with the cattle. The mothers would massage them, bathe them, decorate them, feed them (some were still breastfed) and so on. The cattle returned to their sheds, mooing and acting all natural. They fed their calves, had their own meal, and rested for the night. Imagine all this was Sri Krishna himself in so many forms and bodies. Nobody realised what had happened, and even breastfeeding mothers did not discern any difference in their young ones."
We should pause and understand this. We have read that Brahma is the creator of all the material universe and beings, using the Prakriti ingredients and the power he is endowed with by Bhagavan's grace. Brahma thinks he is the doer of it all. At our level, we know intellectually that everything is created the same way, and the essence of all creation is Paramatma or Bhagavan. Yet, in our material world, we see no unity. We see only differences.
How would this creation behave if everyone were completely conscious of his own and everyone's divinity, the manyness in the oneness of the supreme? What would then be the expression of life? It would be one of bliss and love, nothing else. All would then know themselves to be mere costumed actors in Bhagavan's Leela, knowing well that within they were all one! This is what was played out, as indeed Sri Krishna was himself every cowherd and calf and cow, and there was this universal expression of bliss and love among all during this time as all of them had full Krishna consciousness.
A year passed thus. When only e few days were left, The first one to notice the extraordinary bliss and love shown uniformly by all the cowherds and their cattle towards one another was Balarama.
केयं वा कुत आयाता दैवी वा नार्युतासुरी । प्रायो मायास्तु मे भर्तुर्नान्या मेऽपि विमोहिनी ॥
T: "What is this magic? Whose work is this? Some Asura's or some divine creature's? How come everyone is divine in their behaviour!? Ha! Eureka! Now I know. This is the divine Maya Leela of my blessed brother Sri Krishna alone! He has deluded us all for nearly a year! Wow!"
Brahma also came to check. By the way, Vyasa reminds us that a second of Brahma's time is one whole earthly year. What did Brahma see!?
मायाशये शयाना मे नाद्यापि पुनरुत्थिताः ॥ इत एतेऽत्र कुत्रत्या मन्मायामोहितेतरे ।
T: "What is this I see!? I have made all the cowherds and cattle lie in my bed of illusion during this whole time, and they are still in hibernation. Then how come I see everyone active here, as nothing is amiss!!!????"
Just then, Sri Krishna decided to show Brahma what indeed was happening. Nothing was missing, no anxiety or panic, no effect at all of Brahma's hiding all the cowherds and cattle in suspended animation for all this While, and then, SUDDENLY:
तावत्सर्वे वत्सपालाः पश्यतोऽजस्य तत्क्षणात् । व्यदृश्यन्त घनश्यामाः पीतकौशेयवाससः ॥
T: "Brahma then beheld an amazing scene. Every one of the cowherds and cows was Sri Krishna himself. All the cowherds, all the cows and calves. Everyone manifested the glorious form of Bhagavan Maha Vishnu, of the colour of the dark rain-bearing cloud, wearing the golden cloth, with four arms, wearing all the divine ornaments, holding the divine weapons, lotus in hand, and so on." Vyasa describes this in some detail!
Brahma hurriedly brought back everyone into this material world, in which very instant Bhagavan withdrew all the beings He had manifested in His multiplicity.
Brahma rushed to Sri Krishna and fell flat at his feet. He rested his four heads with their crowns at Sri Krishna's feet. His tears of joy flowed. He was totally rid of any illusions of his own separate power.
He began to pray!
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
