Damodar Lila Pastime of Krishna

Once upon a time, in the lovely village of Gokula, Mother Yashoda was busy churning butter while singing songs about her dear son, Krishna.  While she worked, baby Krishna, feeling hungry, approached her. She held Him on her lap and fed Him her breast milk with great love.

Krishna’s Mischief Begins

Suddenly, the milk on the stove began to boil over. To stop it from spilling, Mother Yashoda put Krishna aside and went to the stove. Angry at being put aside, Krishna’s lips and eyes turned red. In His playful mood, He broke the butter pot, secretly ate the butter, and fed some to the monkeys.

When Yashoda returned and saw the broken pot, she smiled, realizing her clever child was hiding. She found Him sitting on a grinding stone, stealing butter from a hanging pot and sharing it with the monkeys. Seeing her with a stick, Krishna ran around the house, but Yashoda finally caught Him.

The Lord Bound by Love

Determined to teach her mischievous son a lesson, Yashoda decided to punish Krishna and bind Him for his antics. In attempting to bind her son, she became tired and started perspiring. Then Lord Krishna saw how hard His mother was trying to bind Him. Later she surrendered to Him requesting Him to get bound. Feeling kind and loving towards her, He allowed Himself to be tied with the ropes. Krishna, acting like a small child in Mother Yashoda’s house, was actually enjoying His own special loving pastimes with His Mother.

 A true devotee always surrenders to the Supreme Lord completely, whether He chooses to protect them or test them. The devotee never forgets their humble position of surrender. While no one can control the Supreme Lord, He feels great happiness when He gives Himself into the care of His devotee. This is shown in the way Krishna lovingly let His mother, Yashoda, bind Him.

The blessing given to Yashoda—binding the Supreme Lord with love—was never attained by Brahma, Shiva, or even the goddess of fortune. Pure love and devotion conquer the Lord, whereas yogic powers and philosophical speculation never can.