🏵️Damodara Lila🏵️
Mother Yashoda once turned over the task of churning butter herself, observing that her maidservant was working on other domestic tasks. She sang of her son Krishna’s beautiful childhood games and enjoyed thinking of Him while she churned butter. Krishna showed up there at that moment and was ravenous. Instead of churning the butter, he wanted her to feed him first.
Mother Yashoda began feeding her son when she had him on her lap. Mama Yashoda grinned and took in her son Krishna’s beauty as he sucked on the milk. Abruptly, the milk on the stove started to bubble. Mother Yashoda immediately set Krishna aside and went to the stove to stop the milk from spilling. Krishna’s lips and eyes turned red with fury after being left in that state by His mother. He clenched his jaws and lips together and broke the butter pot right away with a stone. Removing the butter, he ate it in private while pretending to cry.
🌻Damodara is very clever:🌻
Mother Yashoda, meanwhile, straightened the overflowing milk pan and returned to the churning spot. She noticed the cracked saucepan that had contained the churned yogurt. She decided the broken pot was a creation of Him because she could not find her boy.t, “The child is very clever,” and grinned. He fled this spot after smashing the pot out of dread of being punished. Following a thorough search, she discovered her son seated on a large wooden grinding mortar that was stored upside down. He was feeding the monkeys butter that he was collecting from a pot that hung on a swing from the ceiling.
She observed Krishna, aware of His mischievous behavior, looking this way and that out of worry for her. Observing her kid so engrossed, she very quietly came up behind him. But as soon as Krishna noticed that she was approaching Him while holding a stick, he dropped from the grinding mortar and started to run away in terror. Mother Yashoda pursued him relentlessly, attempting to apprehend the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is inaccessible even through the meditation practices of eminent yogis. Put differently, Mother Yashoda was a tremendous devotee of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always evading the attention of yogis and speculators by acting like a small kid. However, Mother Yashoda’s large frame and narrow waist made it difficult for her to catch the child, who was running quickly. Nevertheless, she made every effort to follow Him. Her hair relaxed, causing the flowers to drop to the floor. She was exhausted, yet nonetheless she found her mischievous child and caught him. Krishna was practically crying when he was apprehended. He covered his eyes with his hands, which were splattered with black makeup. When the child looked in His mother’s face as she stood over him, dread made His eyes twitchy.
Mother Yashoda could see that Krishna was unduly worried, and she wished to calm His concerns for His sake. Being the child’s greatest fan, mother Yashoda reasoned, “I don’t know what will happen to Him if the child is too fearful of me.” Then Mother Yashoda discarded her stick. She considered tying some cords around His hands as a kind of punishment. Unbeknownst to her, she was incapable of binding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mother Yashoda mistakenly believed that Krishna was her small kid, not realizing that the child was limitless. He is without beginning, without end, and without an inner or exterior. He is all-encompassing and boundless. Yes, He is the entire cosmic manifestation in and of Himself. Nevertheless, Krishna (Damodara) was in mother Yashoda’s mind as her child. She tried to confine him to a wooden grinding mortar, even though he is beyond the senses. However, she discovered that the rope she was using was two inches too short when she attempted to bind him. Even after adding more ropes that she had collected from the house, she discovered the same shortfall. She completed connecting all the ropes in her house in this manner, but when she tied the last knot, she discovered the rope was still two inches short. Mother Yashoda was smiling, but she was amazed. How was it happening?
🌺Binding Damodara with ropes:🌺
She was fatigued from trying to confine her son. Her head was covered in a falling garland as she began to perspire. Then, realizing how hard His mother had worked, Lord Krishna consented to be restrained by ropes out of compassion for her. Playing the role of a human child in Yashoda’s home, Krishna (Damodara) was engaging in His own chosen pastimes. Naturally, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is uncontrollable. The pure devotee gives himself up to the Lord’s lotus feet, and then the Lord has the power to either defend or defeat him. However, the devotee himself never forgets his own state of submission. In the same way, when the Lord gives Himself over to the devotee’s protection, He also experiences transcendental delight. Krishna’s submission to His mother, Yashoda, served as an illustration of this.
Although Krishna is the greatest liberator of all, neither Lord Brahma nor Lord Shiva nor the goddess of luck have ever experienced the blessing that was given to mother Yashoda.
🌺Damodara is easily available to His devotees:🌺
The yogis and speculators never know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, also identified as the son of Yashoda and Nanda Maharaja, to such an extent. But those who follow Him can readily reach Him.
Mother Yashoda took on domestic duties after tying her son up. When Krishna looked up to the wooden mortar at that moment, he saw two trees in front of him that were called arjuna trees. “Mother Yashoda first left without feeding me sufficient milk, so I broke the pot of yogurt and distributed the stock butter in charity to the monkeys,” thought Lord Sri Krishna, the wonderful wellspring of delight. She has now restrained me to a wooden mortar. Thus, I’m going to do something even more naughty than previously. He then had the idea to chop down the two extremely tall Arjuna trees.
The pair of arjuna trees have a background. The trees were born as Kuvera’s human sons in past lifetimes, and their names were Nalakuvara and Manigriva. Thankfully, they were caught up in the Lord’s vision. The great sage Narada had cursed them in past lifetimes so that they could see Lord Krishna, the highest blessing. They were cursed with this blessing because of their inebriation-induced amnesia.
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🌺Goverdhan Lila (The Story of Shri Krishna Lifting Govardhan Hill)
Once, after having a good time in the forest, Krishna and Balram arrived in Brija. The Indrotsava was causing great joy and excitement among all the gopas. When Krishna noticed this, he grew inquisitive and enquired, “What is this utsav about?”
“Indra is the lord of the Devtas and clouds,” retorted one of the elder gopas. Worldwide, he is protected. He is the one responsible for the rain. The rain has made all our crops lush; our cattle have an abundance of grass to feed on, and there is never a shortage of water. The clouds gather and fall at Indra’s command. Oh Krishna! This ground is made alive by the rain, and it is Devraj Indra who brings it. For this reason, the time to worship Indra Deva is during this rainy season. We ought to worship Indra Devi with the same delight that all the kings do.
After giving the gopas considerable attention, Krishna exclaimed, “Arya! Since we are all gopas who live in forests and rely on “godhan” for our subsistence, cows, forests, and mountains ought to be considered our devta. Just like caring for the cows is our livelihood, farming is a farmer’s livelihood. The mountains keep us safe, and the trees give us everything. Because of our reliance on each of these, I believe that we ought to do a Giriyajna. All the cows should be gathered by the mountains or trees, poojas should be made, and all the milk should be collected in an auspicious temple. The cows ought to be honored with flowers after being adorned with “mukuts” and peacock feathers. We will worship Giriraj Govardhan, and the Devtas shall adore Devraj Indra.
After hearing Damodar’s sage advice, all of the gopas made the decision to stop Indra Utsav and start Govardhan pooja. This festivity was causing excitement among all. Everywhere in Gokul was a happy place. The Giriyajna got underway with the collection of an enormous amount of milk, a large quantity of ripening fruits, and a long line of savory meals. Numerous options were presented. The brahmins were happy with the donations they had collected at the conclusion of the yajna. Accepting all these sacrifices, the mountain deity assumed the shape of Shri Krishna. As he stood atop the peak, he exclaimed, “I’m completely satisfied,” and burst out laughing.
“Bhagwan!” said all of the gopas as they bowed to the mountain deity. We serve you, dear one. Tell us what to do, please.
In response, the mountain deity Shri Krishna said, “If you have kindness in you, then worship me in the cows, and I will bless you with everything.” You should now gather all the livestock and perform a parakrama around me. It will truly bring me much joy.
All of the gopas and their cattle gathered around the mountain for the parikrama as soon as these words were uttered. Then they set off around the mountain in good spirits. While some gopas led their cattle, others danced while holding sticks in their hands, there was joy in the air. The parikrama came to a close in this manner, and all the gopas took their cattle back to Brija.
The cancellation of the Indra Utsav infuriated Devraj Indra. “The people of Vrindavan did not celebrate my festival because of Shri Krishna,” he stated to Samvartak, a “gana” of the clouds. I now command you to subject the cows, who depend on you for their livelihood, today and night storms and torrential rain. I’ll accompany you and utilize my vajra and lightning to produce a storm beyond anything anyone has ever seen.
And so, Indra’s fury manifested itself in a frightening way. Dark clouds surrounded Brija, and the atmosphere was made even more ominous by the lightning that illuminated the gloomy sky. It seemed like the disaster hour was nearing because of the intense rainfall, uprooted trees, and roaring waters.
The gopas were all terrified beyond belief. The cows were wailing and shivering, unable to move from the cold. They had not eaten in days and had grown quite thin. This is how some of the cows passed away. The intense rain caused the other cows to fall to the ground. Some were pathetically failing in their attempts to defend their calves. The cows’ overall state had deteriorated to the point that they were shaking from weakness, anxiety, and the cold. At this point, only Shri Krishna could assist them.
With the gopas and cows being destroyed in such a gory manner, Shri Krishna was furious with Indra. After giving it some thought, Lord Krishna stated to himself, “I’ve made a decision regarding how to keep the cows and gopas dry during the rain.” I’ll uproot the Govardhan mountain and all its forests, building a haven for anybody in need of protection. With those words, Shri Krishna moved the Govardhan mountain and grasped it with one hand. Under the mountain, all of the gopas, cows, and other Brijwasis sought refuge. At last, they were protected from Indradev’s fury. Even Vajra was unable to enter the sanctuary that Shri Krishna had built.
When Devraj Indra eventually gave up and put an end to the clouds, his fury descended upon them for seven nights. The sky had turned back to blue, and the sun was beaming brightly. With great happiness, all the gopas and cows went back to their homes, and Shri Krishna put the Govardhan mountain back where it belonged.
Indra wished to meet Shri Krishna because he was so impressed by his accomplishment. He went down to Prithvilok on his avat and discovered Shri Krishna sitting on a rock close to Govardhan. Indra was enthralled by Shri Krishna and could not take his eyes off him. He approached Shri Krishna and spoke the words, “O Mighty Shri Krishna! It’s amazing what you did to keep the cows safe. If it weren’t for you, nobody in the entire world could have stopped me from making it rain for seven nights while I was furious. Once more, you’ve left everyone in awe. You are the Indra of cows, and I am the Indra of the Devtas, which is why you will be referred to as “Govind” by everyone. Additionally, I offer you “Sharad ritu,” or the half of the rainy season when people adore you. There’s another reason I came here. Kill Aristasura, Keshi, and Kansa to take control of the kings. In addition, a portion of me that is identical to me was born in Kunti’s womb. Be a friend to him, show him respect, and protect him. He can’t live happily without you and will always obey you. As the best archer in the world, Kuntikumar will be crucial to the outcome of the Mahabharat conflict. Arjun is his name. Show him the same love and respect that you show me. You two will become well-known together.
As he heard this, Shri Krishna became emotional and exclaimed, “Devraj! I’m glad to meet you, and everything you mentioned will come to pass. Regarding Arjun, I am fully aware of him and all the other sons of the legendary Pandu. The sons of Dhritarashtra are also well known to me. Thus, rest confident and don’t worry. Nobody can ever defeat Arjun with me. I will safely bring the Pandavas to my aunt Kunti following the Mahabharat fight. Arjun will also have my undivided affection. Satisfied by Shri Krishna’s remarks, Devraj Indra returned to Swargaloka.
This is the tale of Govardhan Pooja’s origins, and there’s more fascinating information to be aware of. When Shri Krishna hoisted the Govardhan mountain, he was fed eight times a day by the people who fed him, and he held the mountain for seven days; hence, he had 56 meals, which are now referred to as “Chhappan Bhoga.”
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