How God created the World!

I am fortunate to be a student of Dr. Sowmya Krishnapur in the Vyoma Labs online course on the Mahā-kāvya of Śrī. Vedanta Deśika, The Yādavābhyudaya. It tells the story of Bhagavān Ṣrī Kṛṣṇa in 24 Sargas comprising 2500+ślokas. 

The way the great poet introduces the hero of the epic poem is this:

क्रीडातूलिकया स्वस्मिन् कृपारूषितया स्वयम् ।

एको विश्वमिदं चित्रं विभुः श्रीमानजीजनत् ॥१ - ०९॥

The supreme Lord, with His limitless powers of creation, sustenance and dissolution, dipped his sporting brush in the infinite colours on His palette of compassion, and painted this creation within His own Being, by Himself with no other medium or aid, by the resplendence of His Consort of Prosperity and Grace. 

As the teacher was explaining this verse, my mind went to the first verse in Bhagavān Ramānuja's Śrī Bhāṣya :

 अखिलभुवनजन्मस्थेमभङ्गादिलीले....That Lord who sports in the creation, sustenance and dissolution of this entire universe...

I recalled also the several times that Bhagavān proclaims in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta how He has created this world and its relation to Him :

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय । अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ॥ ७-६॥
मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय । मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥ ७-७॥

Understand Me to be the creation and dissolution cause of all this creation and all beings born in various wombs. There is nothing beyond Me, as indeed, everything is within Me like many gems strung in a necklace . 

 

मम योनिर्महद् ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् । सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥ १४-३॥ 

 The primordial Nature is but my womb wherein I place the seed and cause all creation.  

 

 गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत् । प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥ ९-१८॥

 For all, I am the Destiny, the Provider, The Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the Creation, the Dissolution, the Habitation, and the Treasure as well as the Inexhaustible Seed. 

 I do believe that the spirit of the verses quoted from the saints aligns perfectly with the message of Bhagavān in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta. I am immensely lucky to be studying this under an incomparable teacher, Dr. Sowmya Krishnapur.

 

Leelaa Laalasa - Ethereal music

(I thank Sri P. K

 Krishnakumaran for the translation.)

ലീലാ ലാലസാ, നിന്നുടെ മായാ-

Leela lalasa, ninnude maaya

Oh the playful one, your Maya's

ലീലകൾ കാലം പാടുന്നു

Leelakal kaalam paadunnu

divine sports are timeless! 

കണ്ണാ ! നിൻ കഥ പാടുന്നു...

Kanha ! nin kadha paadunnu 

Oh, dear Krishna!! All are singing songs of your sports! 

പൊൻ കിണ്ണം കൊട്ടി പാടുന്നു.

Ponn kinnam kotti paadunnu

They are beating golden drums and singing! 

തംബുരു മീട്ടി പാടുന്നു

Thamburu meetti paadunnu

Accompanying themselves on the tanpura and singing! 

ശ്രുതി താളം കൊട്ടി പാടുന്നു

Shruthi taalam kotti paadunnu.

Singing with Shruti and Taala! 

 ॥ ലീലാ ലാലസ...Leelaa Laalasa... ॥

കാലിയെ മേച്ചു നടക്കുന്നു

Kaaliye mechchu nadakkunnu

 You go grazing cows... 

നീ കോലകുഴലു വിളിക്കുന്നു

Nee kolakuzhalu vilikkunnu

You play your flute

കാളിന്ദിയിൽ നീരാടുന്നു 

Kalindiyil neeradunnu

You revel sporting  in the Yamuna river! 

നീ കാളിയ മർദ്ദനമാടുന്നു 

Nee kaliya mardana maadunnu

You vanquish the serpent Kaliya... 

 ॥ ലീലാ ലാലസ...Leelaa Laalasa... ॥

ഗോപികമാർ നീരാടുമ്പോൾ

Gopikamaar neeraadumbol

When Gopikas bathe..

നീ അവരുടെ ആടകൾ കവരുന്നു

Nee avarude aadakal kavarunnu

 You steal their clothes, 

ആലിലകൊമ്പിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്നു

Aalila kombil irikkunnu

And you go and sit on a banyan tree branch. 

നീ ഹരിഗീതം ഓതുന്നു 

Nee Harigeetham othunnu

Oh lord Vishnu, you teach us the Bhagawad Gita! 

 ॥ ലീലാ ലാലസ...Leelaa Laalasa... ॥

കാടുകൾ താണ്ടി നടക്കുന്നു

Kaadukal thaandi natakkunnu

You roam in the forest...

നീ കാലിയേ തേടി പോവുന്നു

Nee kaaliye thedi povunnu

You go looking for your cows. 

രാസകേളികൾ ആടുന്നു

Raasakelikal aadunnu

You play the dance of divine Raasa! 

നീ രാഗസരോവരമാടുന്നു 

Raaga sarovaram aadunnu

You sport in the veritable lake of love. 

 ॥ ലീലാ ലാലസ...Leelaa Laalasa... ॥

നിൻകഥ ഇങ്ങനെ നീളുന്നു

Nin kadha ingane neelunnu

Your story thus goes on ...

നീ ഞങ്ങടെ ഉള്ളിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്നു

നീ njangade ullil irikkunnu

You stay in our minds

കൺമണിയായി ചിരി തൂകുന്നു

Kanmaniyayi chiri thookunnu

You smile as our dearest one

നീ കംസനെയും നീ കൊല്ലുന്നു 

Kamsaneyum nee kollunnu

And you are the one who killed the terrible tyrant Kamsa. 

 ॥ ലീലാ ലാലസ...Leelaa Laalasa... ॥

Come, let's listen to an ethereal rendition by Vid. Ananya Ashok🙏

Prof. H.V. Nagaraja Rao - Gopala Vimshati quote

I am fortunate to watch this video, thanks to Samskrita Bharati

Vedanta Deshika - Gopala Vimshati

(भगवान्  श्रीकृष्णः) (Bhagavan Sri Krishna)  

विनिहितकरः = having put his hand

कुम्भे - in the pot

हर्तुम् = to steal

स्वादु हैयङ्गवीनं = most tasty, freshly made butter*

दृष्ट्वा = on seeing

मातरम् = mother Yashoda

जातरोषाम् = with her anger rising

दामग्रहणचटुलाम् = ready to fetch the rope to bind him

प्रचलितपदः = started to run

ईषत् = a little

पायात् =  to save himself

न अपगच्छन् = but did not run away

न तिष्ठन्  = but did not stay still either

(अभवत्) = (was thus seen)

मिथ्यागोपः = In order to hide his theft

सपदि = at once

मीलयन् = closed

नयने = his eyes

विश्वगोप्ता = the One who takes care of the Universe, the Lord!

The Lord, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, a precocious child, was dipping his hand into the pot to steal freshly churned butter, when he saw his mother Yashoda come in, being provoked instantly into anger by his misdemeanour, and ready to catch him and tie him with a rope as punishment(as was her wont). So he tried to feign innocence, closing his eyes, and also tried to run away, but stayed back to get the butter he wanted so much to eat! This was the Lord who takes care of the Universe, come as baby Krishna to play his pranks!

*हयङगवीन पदविभागः - नपुंसकलिङ्गः

कन्नडार्थः - ಸದ್ಯಃ ಕಡೇದ ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ /ಮೊದಲ ದಿನದ ಹಾಲಿನಿಂದ ಕಡೆದ ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ /ನವನೀತ

निष्पत्तिः - ह्योगोदोह - हियङ्गुरादेशः विकारार्थे "खञ्" च निपा० (५-२-२३)

November 8, 2017: The Baby Krishna

|| śrī līlāśukaviracita śrī kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛtam  ||

karāravindena padāravindaṃ 

mukhāravinde viniveśayantam          |

vaṭasya patrasya puṭe śayānam

bālaṃ mukundaṃ manasā smarāmi  ||2-57 ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

smarāmi manasā - I remember with all my mind(=heart!)

mukundaṃ Mukunda=Narayana=Krishna, who gives liberation, as

bālaṃ - that baby who

karāravindena  - with his lotus-like hands, 

padāravindaṃ - (taking up) his lotus-like foot,

viniveśayantam - was placing it   

mukhāravinde - in his mouth, which was lotus-like, 

śayānam - while resting on 

vaṭasya patrasya puṭe - the Peepal/Ashwattha leaf  surface.

This imagery is beautifully depicted in the Srimad Bhagavatam and narrated in this famous shloka by Sri Lilashuka. The Lord Narayana=Krishna, as a baby, is envisioned as lying only on an Ashwattha leaf, sucking his toe. It is after the great deluge, when everything in creation disappears. Now the entire universe is in its latent form, resting in Narayana's stomach. He is about to send forth the creation anew.

We need to understand our mythology as a grand conception of the cycle of creation, and its dynamic interaction with the Creator, in a way we can see everyday in our lives. Anybody who has tended an infant in the cradle would be able to relate to this imagery.

September 13, 2017: Krishna's Eternal Sport

līlāśukaviracita śrīkṛṣṇnakarṇāmṛtam   2-109

kastūrītilakaṃ lalāṭaphalake vakṣaḥsthale kaustubhaṃ

nāsāgre navamauktikaṃ karatale veṇuṃ kare kaṅkaṇam   |

sarvāṅge haricandanaṃ ca kalayan kaṇṭhe ca muktāvaliṃ

gopastrīpariveṣṭito vijayate gopālacūḍāmaṇiḥ                   ||

Re-ordered Word-by-word meaning

gopālacūḍāmaṇiḥ  vijayate    gopastrīpariveṣṭitaḥ - Krishna, the crest-jewel among cowherds, shines inglory, surrounded by gopi women, (and the poet desribes His appearance):

kalayan - He sports

lalāṭaphalake kastūrītilakaṃ - On His forehead, the kasturi (musk deer unguent) mark of beauty,

vakṣaḥsthale kaustubhaṃ - the Kaustubha jewel on His chest,

nāsāgre navamauktikaṃ - at the tip of His nose, a beautiful pearl ornament,

karatale veṇuṃ kare kaṅkaṇam - in His hand, the flute, on his wrist, the jewelled bangle,

ca  sarvāṅge haricandanaṃ  - and  the red sandalwood paste all over His body, 

ca kaṇṭhe muktāvaliṃ - and a pearl necklace round His neck.

Lila Shuka, a Kerala poet, has recounted the story of Krishna in beautuil Samskrita verses like these. The book is called Krishnakarnamruta.

Today is the Krishna Janma Adtami Rohini festival. The picture is of my mother's handiwork with lace. silk, pearls and stones on a Krishna picture. This art was the rage in first half of 20th century. 

               

September 12, 2017: Chaitanya's Prayer

śrīcaitanyamahāprabhuviracita śikṣāṣṭakam

cetodarpaṇamārjanaṃ bhavamahādāvāgninirvāpaṇam

śreyaḥkairavacandrikāvitaraṇaṃ vidyāvadhūjīvanam

ānandāmbudhivardhanaṃ pratipadaṃ pūrṇamṛtāsvādanam

sarvātmasvapanaṃ paraṃ vijayate śrīkṛṣṇasaṅkīrtanam

tṛṇādapi sunīcena tarorapi sahiṣṇunā

amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

yugāyitaṃ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam

śūnyāyitaṃ jagatsarvaṃ govindaviraheṇa me 

 śrīkṛṣṇasaṅkīrtanam - the singing of Krishna's glories

cetodarpaṇamārjanaṃ - cleanses the mirror of my mind,

bhavamahādāvāgninirvāpaṇam - puts out the deadly forest fire of worldliness,

śreyaḥkairavacandrikāvitaraṇaṃ - spreads moonlight (thereby helping it to blossom) on the night-lily of my welfare,

vidyāvadhūjīvanam - gives life to the bride of true learning,

ānandāmbudhivardhanaṃ - grows the ocean of eternal joy,

pratipadaṃ pūrṇamṛtāsvādanam - and every moment  gives the nectarine taste of immortality,

sarvātmasvapanaṃ - bathing and cleansing every soul around,

paraṃ vijayate - and thus reigns as the supreme human endeavour, indeed.

hariḥ sadā kīrtanīyaḥ - Hari is to be constantly extolled in prayer, with the attitude of

tṛṇādapi sunīcena - being humbler than a blade of grass,

tarorapi sahiṣṇunā - being more patient and forbearing than a tree, amāninā - without any ego, 

 mānadena -  and with utmost reverence.

me govindaviraheṇa - To me, separation from Govinda makes

nimeṣeṇa yugāyitaṃ  - A moment seem like an epoch (4000 years),

cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam - my eyes shed tears like a deluge of rain,

jagatsarvaṃ śūnyāyitaṃ - the whole world resemble a desolate nothingness.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the foremost guru of the Krishna bhakti movement. He showed by example how to live in constant prayer. But just before casting off his body, on repeated pleas of his disciples. he gave them eight simple shlokas of precept. They exemplify the madhura bhakti path.

These are only some extracts.

Smt. Subbulakshmi has rendered them very very very beautifully.

September 7, 3017: Krishna on a Peepal Leaf

līlāśukaviracita bālamukundāśṭakam

karāravindena padāravindaṃ

mukhāravinde viniveśayantam

vaṭasya patrasya pute śayānaṃ

bālaṃ mukundaṃ manasā smarāmi

indīvaraśyāmala komalāngaṃ

indrādidevārcitapādapadmam

santānakalpadrumamāśritānāṃ

bālaṃ mukundaṃ manasā smarāmi

smarāmi manasā - I remember and pray in my mind to

bālaṃ mukundaṃ  - the infant Mukunda, Krishna, who

karāravindena padāravindaṃ -(lifting) with His tiny lotus-like hands His little lotus-like feet,

mukhāravinde viniveśayantam -in His lotus-like mouth, places the big toe for sucking (something every infant wants to do!)

vaṭasya patrasya pute śayānaṃ - and is resting on a holy fig leaf cradle!

smarāmi manasā - I remember and pray in my mind to

bālaṃ mukundaṃ  - the infant Mukunda, Krishna, who is

indīvaraśyāmala komalāngaṃ -endowed with tender limbs resembling a blue lotus,

indrādidevārcitapādapadmam- whose lotus feet are worshipped by all the gods starting from Indra, 

santānakalpadrumamāśritānāṃ - and bestows the boon of progeny like the wish-fulfilling tree on all those who come to Him for grace/succour!

Am image of the baby Krishna sucking his big toe lying on a rather large Ashwattha leaf is an image engraved on my memory for all time.

This Ashwattha/peepal/holy fig leaf was brought by me from Sidhbari, HImachal Pradesh, Sandeepany Ashram of Swami Chinmayananda after attending the Geeta Camp there in October 2015.

Hari Om!

Mother Nature speaking!

Julia Roberts, the actress who has given us so many memorable performances, speaks in this video as the voice of Mother Nature, for Conservation International.
Here is the script of Julia's words:
“ Some call me Nature. Others call me Mother Nature. I've been here for over four and a half billion years: twenty-two thousand five hundred times longer than you.
I don’t really need people. But people need me.
Yes, your future depends on me.
When I thrive, you thrive. When I falter, you falter.Or worse.
But I've been here for aeons.
I have fed species greater than you. And I have starved species greater than you.
My oceans, my soil, my flowing streams, my forests, they all can take you or leave you.
How you chose to live each day, whether you regard or disregard me, doesn't really matter to me.
One way, or the other, your actions will determine your fate. Not mine.
I am Nature. I will go on. I am prepared to evolve. Are you?”

My first reactions: breathtaking visuals, very hard-hitting dialogue, in the famous manner of a Julia who doesn't mince words. Right now, she sounds ominous. She is telling me, or us, that we had better start mending our ways. Let's not overestimate ourselves or our powers. Mother Nature will go on, whether we mess up our existence or not.

A bit intimidating. Nature with a capital N.

As someone who has sought answers in the Bhagavad Gita all the time, let me see how this relates to what Bhagavan Krishna (God) says in the Gita, in the context of man and nature.

What Krishna says sounds quite different, at least in a literal sense, from the words of Mother Nature in this video. But in the end it all connects in a wholesome way, in the circle of life. How?

 I give below selected verses from the English translation from Swami Chinmayananda's The Holy Geeta (each quote is numbered as "chapter.verse"). The words are spoken by the Lord.

13.20. Know that Nature and Spirit are both without beginning; and know you also that all modifications and qualities are born of Nature. *** Creation is an eternal process***
9.10. Under Me as her Supervisor, Nature produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, the world revolves.
7.4. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, egoism --- these are My eight-fold Nature.
7.5. This is the "lower" Nature; different from it, know thou, My "Higher" Nature, the very Life-element or Spirit, by which this world is upheld. ***this implies that Consciousness is all-pervading and represents the eternal Spirit which exists in all Nature and is yet beyond it ***
7.6. Know that these (Nature and Spirit), are the womb of all beings. So I am the source and dissolution of the whole universe *** man has only the autonomy to change only a few things, but not the big picture ***
7.8. I am the juice/taste in water, I am the light in the moon and the sun; I am the syllable OM in all the Vedas, sound in ether, and virility in men; *** it is not a random design without purpose ***
7.9. I am the sweet fragrance in earth and the brilliance in fire, the life in all beings, and I am austerity in the austere. *** Here austerity means giving more to life than taking from life, the basis of man's responsibility ***
3.14. From food come forth beings; from rain food is produced; from sacrifice (meaning work done according to one's nature, but with an attitude of doing good for all creation) arises rain, and sacrifice is born of action. *** the circle of life ***
3.12. The "Devas" (demigods governing the forces of nature), nourished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. " Indeed he who enjoys objects, given by the Devas , without offering (in return) to them, is verily a thief. *** Man's duty to creation ***
3.20. Janaka (a famously wise king) and others attained perfection verily by action only: therefore you should perform action, even with a view to conserving all this creation. *** the word is Loka Samgraha in Sanskrit, exactly same as global conservation! I give at the end a beautiful explanation of this term by a well-known author in this area, S. P. Agarwal.
13.21. In the production of the effect and the cause, Nature is said to be the cause; in the experience of pleasure and pain, Spirit is said to be the cause. *** Consciousness or Spirit in man ***
13.22. The Spirit, seated in Nature, experiences the qualities born of Nature; attachment to the qualities is the cause of his birth in good and evil wombs. ***the principle of the individual Self and its karma leading to rebirth ***
13.23. The supreme Spirit in this body is also called the Spectator, the Permitter, the Supporter, the Enjoyer, the great Lord and the Supreme Self.  *** Definition of God and how God is always an enabler and motivator, yet giving each creature a degree of autonomy ***
13.24. He who thus knows the Spirit and Nature together with the qualities, in whatsoever condition he may be, he is not born again. *** Concept of wisdom leading to liberation, or Buddha and Nirvana!***

So in summary, the Gita talks of Nature as encompassing all creation including man. Nature revolves, evolves, dissolves and is reborn. It is an eternal cycle of change. Man, by his very nature, is part of this circle of life, and he has to recognise how connected he is. He has to give to life, or nature, willingly, in a spirit of sacrifice or worship. In that spirit, nature is nourished, he is nourished in turn. God has planted the seed of life, the seed of evolution, and the seed of a higher nature or godliness in all creation, which manifests itself as "giving". Knowledge of this truth confers on everyone of us the grace of well-being, and leads us towards the liberation of the spirit. At the same time, this knowledge makes us act responsibly, supporting the circle of life.

Two questions remain. In the video, it is said that when Nature falters, man falters even more. Secondly, man can either destroy himself, or save himself. In the Gita, instead of making it a Man vs. Nature discussion, the Lord tells us that we have the power to save ourselves, or destroy ourselves, through our choices and actions:

6.5. Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone, and let him not lower himself; for, this Self alone is the friend of oneself, and this Self is the enemy of oneself.
6.6. The Self is the friend of the self for him who has conquered himself by the Self, but to the unconquered self, the Self stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe.

In these two verses, the Self is to be understood to be the same as the Spirit, separate from the ego. The self (no capital) is the ego. Conquering himself means becoming wise and owning responsibility.

God exists in Nature. God exists in man. God guides in our evolution. And just as Mother Nature speaks to us, God speaks to us through Nature, all the time. We just have to listen to Nature. And feel Nature. And give to Nature.

Hari Om!

Explanation of Lokasamgraha

You can read the original Bhagavad Gita with Swami Chinmayananda's translation online, here.
You can but the book here.

A Comparison Table (click here to read the Excel sheet)

Why Bhagavadgita is India's #1 scripture

I don't wish to debate the idea of making Gita India's national book. For one thing I don't understand what that status will imply. But surely I wish to tell you why I think the Gita is India's most important scripture.

To begin with,  for a scripture to be of timeless importance,  it has to have direct relevance to our lives. It has to address both ethical and social issues. It has to provide guidance for a seeker of truth. You may give the status of truth to what is scientifically validated, or spiritually experiential, or both.

Second, the scripture has to be easy to read and understand. It has to have layers of meaning which are consistent and that make sense to different readers. It has to talk not through myths and legends but through a more direct discourse.

Third,  it should have an authentic text which prevents people from disputing endlessly  for versions and interpretations.

Fourth, it should have a transformational power which rules the minds and hearts of men.

The Gita qualifies on every one of these criteria, as will be seen from a study of the work and its various commentaries. Let me add some more points.

First of all it is a direct dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna,  a warrior, standing ready to battle his enemies for his right to the kingdom, which has been taken away wrongly. His friend and guide Krishna has become his charioteer. Arjuna has sudden doubts of what's right for him to do. He gets advice from Krishna. For those confused about Gita's context for the righteous war, I suggest reading the Mahabharata first. And then Gita. Anyone who has not read either Mahabharata or the Gita seriously has no right to take part in this discussion.

Krishna gives his advice first at the level of responsibility for a warrior readied for battle for a cause he has stood for, all his life. This gives a social and ethical basis for discussing one's duty within the context of Arjuna's life situation.

But Gita quickly moves into ideas of the nature of existence and creation,  how man acquires his tendencies and propensities,  how he has to deal with conflict,  how he has to give back to life.  We may feel uncomfortable with Hindu concepts of rebirth, karma and such. But we are discussing here a scripture of this nation, and these ideas are implicit to our way of life and form the fabric of thinking for an entire civilisation. That is why both Buddha and Mahavira accepted rebirth and karma theory as the basis of their teachings also.

The concept of karma and rebirth provides a strong basis for ethics.

Now Gita does not stress image worship, ritualistic prayer and ostentatious ceremony. Very briefly, Krishna says that all duty done well is a sacrifice or offering that helps the entire circle of life. Worship is more important in spirit and attitude. Worship is not meant to be ostentatious display. In fact Krishna says it is evil and unethical to horde and display wealth. Wealth is to be treated only as a trust.

There are far reaching discussions also in the Gita about-
Discipline in habits,  day-to-day living,
Moderation in rest and recreation,
Leading by example others- especially those who look up to a man of influence,
Taking failure as a stepping stone to success,
Treating success with equanimity,
Giving to others generously,
Speaking the truth,
Contemplation and solitude for self-development,
Becoming attuned to the circle of life.

All these ideas as developed and discussed in the Gita have no mythological dimensions but are dipped in immense practicality.

Man has also to find answers and meanings in life as well as in death. Krishna deals with these aspects in a most inspiring and thought- provoking manner.

Finally Krishna also lists what's wrong- meaningless ritual, blind adherence to practice without commitment to the larger goal of life, and a dogmatic response to reality.

I don't know of any other such timeless classic in Indian civilisation. Bhagavad Gita is for me the scripture for the Hindu way of life.

Weighing God's grace

Here is a lovely story, I copied it from kshetrapuranas.wordpress.com:

*****

One day, the divine sage Narada, the creator of mischief, came to Dwaraka to offer his salutations to Sri Krishna. In the courtyard he met Satyabhama, beautifying herself with some flowers on her tresses. He walked up to her and with a voice of absolute innocence asked her, “Rani Satyabhama, dont doubt my intentions, but is it my old age or is it really true that Krishna loves Rukmini more than you?” Sathyabhama was thoroughly shaken and stood still, gaping at Narada.”You are far more beautiful and charming than her. You are the younger queen. Dont you think you deserve more attention?”, prodded Narada again. Pulling herself together, Satyabhama looked inquisitively at Narada, “Tell me divine sage, what should I do to gain his undivided attention? You are my only hope now”, she pleaded to him.

Narada, ever eager to cause confusion told, “That is my whole point of visit, mother. I have a first-class plan all hatched up to bring Krishna back to you.” Satyabhama’s eyes were twinkling and she listened to Narada with rapt attention.” You will now make a vow, that you will hand over Krishna to me as a slave. Then to keep the sanctity of the vow but also to retain Krishna to yourself, I will allow you to trade him in for an equivalent weight of your riches. Seeing that you are willing to trade in your wealth for him, Krishna will admire you for your sacrifice and will keep you close to him. The only hitch is that I do not know if your wealth will suffice to balance out Krishna’s weight”, Narada asked sceptically. Proud as ever, Satyabhama flared up, “I am the daughter of Satrajith. My wealth is limitless. I am sure that I have enough to balance Krishna. We will carry on with this plan of yours.”  And that,was exactly what Narada wanted.

Satyabhama rushed to Krishna and hurriedly told him about her unfortunate vow to Narada. Krishna patiently listened to her and very meekly nodded his head. Satyabhama then commanded one of the servants to bring out the large scales used to weigh grains and groceries. She also sent the Caretaker of the Coffers to bring out all her jewels and gold to the grand court room. And gently leading Krishna, she went to the Courtroom. All the ministers stared at the scales that had been placed at the center of the court. Their mouths further fell when they saw box after box of gold being carried inside. Krishna was silent throughout the entire time. So great was the uproar of surprise at the court that Krishna’s other queens too hurried from their Anthapuram to the main court.

Amidst all the courtiers and with Krishna himself as the witness, Satyabhama gave away Krishna in dhaana to Narada. The other wives of Krishna were shocked at this, but being ever dutiful, they did not speak out in front of the assembled court. Narada then gave her the option of taking back Krishna but instead presenting him with an equivalent weight of riches. Amidst loud sighs of relief, Satyabhama agreed to it. She then placed Krishna on one plate of the Scales and with a smirk on her face started piling up the gold, jewels and gemstones on the other plate. She kept adding more and more of her wealth, but the pan with Krishna did not even budge. To top it all Narada kept giving her ominous warnings, “Remember devi, if you fail to supply me with sufficient wealth, Krishna will forever be a slave to me. I can even bid him out to anyone I want.” Satyabhama freaked out and swallowing her pride, begged the other wives of Krishna to give her their jewels so thet they could retain Krishna. Out of their devotion to their lord,, the wives removed every gold ornament on their body until they were wearing only the Mangalsutra. But the scale showed no signs of motion. 

Krishna, always the sly cowherd, “Look Satyabhama, because of your stupid vow, I have to be a slave to this rishi. Oh how I hate this”, he complained. Satyabhama was at a loss for words when Krishna continued, “Why dont you ask Rukmini. She must be able to get us out of this predicament”, he suggested coyly. Satyabhama was in such a state that all her ill will towards Rukmini flew out of the window. Rushing to Rukmini’s private chambers she poured out the dire state of matters. Rukmini, ever calm, didnt panic and came along with Satyabhama. On the way she passed the sacred Tulasi Maadam and plucking a single leaf of Tulasi [Sacred Basil], she continued her way to the hall. She very quietly walked towards the balance and praying to Krishna, placed the single tulasi leaf on all the piled up wealth. Lo and Behold! The pan containing Krishna flew up and remained underbalanced. Shocked at this, Satyabhama looked to Krishna for explanation. “Try removing your riches, Bhama,” Krishna told her, all smiles.

*****

I feel all our offerings, pompous poojas and yagnas, prayers, special vows and fasts, all our pilgrimages, are a way of bargaining for God's grace. The moment we realize that whatever we are, whatever is, is nothing but God's grace, we will stop bargaining. That is true prayer!