THE PASTIMES OF BALKRISHNA

When joyous sounds emanated from the chieftain Nandbaba’s house

The folks of Brindavan knew that a child was born to Yashoda, his spouse

They flocked to the headman’s home in hordes

Wearing jewellery, large turbans and colourful clothes

Baby Krishna had been placed in His cradle

Cherubic, for everyone a joyous bundle

The folks who had come to this place

Each longed to see and touch His smiling face

Lord Shiva also came upto Nandbaba’s dwelling 

He was most eager to see the Baby Lord smiling

But seeing Him scantily dressed and covered with ash   

The ignorant doorkeepers turned Him away in a flash

Lord Shiva went a little afar and sat under a tree

He wondered when He could get a looksee

He had come to see the Lord in His new avatar

Never mind that He had to travel from afar    

The baby Krishna suddenly cried out and bawled  

He kicked at the cradle and would not be consoled

Mother Yashoda and all the ladies present tried to pacify Him in vain

At last they made enquiries and sent for the ash covered figure again

When Lord Shiva came face to face with Lord Vishnu

He marveled at this new “leela” of Lord Vishnu

Tears of joy rolled down His ascetic face   

The baby Krishna smiled in cherubic innocence    

THE OPULENCE OF LORD KRISHNA

Lord Krishna, undisputed master of the universe

Is the reservoir of all conceivable opulence  

“Sachidanand Vigraha” is the title which is rightfully His  

Which means “eternally full of knowledge and bliss”

His beauty is beyond compare in the entire creation

His appearance and His smile is the antidote for this material condition

The cows, the calves and the deer, snuggle at His feet

Not afraid of He Who provides the universe with heat

The flowers are enchanted and sway in the breeze

They play merrily with the frolicsome bees

The twigs and the leaves rustle softly in the gentle wind

All reminding us of the Lord in spite of the material grind 

The existence of a rose and its ethereal beauty

Is not a condition of life, nor of necessity

But an extra, a reminder of a divine presence

Niranjana has infinite goodness and sublime benevolence

As Gopinath, He is the Lord of all the damsels of Brindavan

For the Gopis, Brindavan is as good as Heaven

Where they can be and relate with Shyam Sunder  

Like children, full of playfulness and whim   

LORD KRISHNA AS GIRIDHAR

The inhabitants of Gokul and Brindavan

Were thankful to the gods in heaven

They had had a good harvest

And felt that they were very well blessed

They were thankful to Indra for his bounty

For sending them rain in plenty

They prepared lots of delicious treats     

Puris, kachoris, malpoas and other sweets

They made everything ready in heaps

Indra thought that the offerings were his for keeps

Indra waited in great anticipation

Of the treat, with pleasureable expectation     

  

But the young lad Krishna asked to be heard

His foster father, the chieftain Nandmaharaj paused 

Krishna said, "why to Indra ? what has he done ?

Why not to the real giver, mount Govardhan ?

It is Govardhan that gives us green grass for grazing

It is Govardhan that gives us verdant fields for cultivating

It is Govardhan that is worthy of our gratitude

It is Govardhan to whom we must pay tribute

LORD KRISHNA – THE UNIVERSAL FORM

Five thousand years ago, in the holy grounds of Kurukshetra

The Pandavas were ready to take on the sons of Dhrtarashtra  

The two great armies met for the final test

To see which would emerge the victorious best  

In the midst of the assembled warriors  

Between the rows of arrayed soldiers 

Arjuna, the supreme archer, paused and reflected

Lord Krishna, his charioteer, smiled and waited  

Arjuna now knew that Krishna was the Supreme Lord 

Of all creatures, the one and only worshipable God

Arjuna believed that Lord Krishna had spoken the truth

Of all knowledge, the most mature and mystical fruit

Arjuna was glad that The Lord is ever in control

In the laws of nature, His writ is absolute and whole

He was anxious for everyone to know this supreme philosophy

The validation of this knowledge would be the ultimate trophy

BUTTER THIEF

From an early age, Lord Krishna stole butter

In Gokul, he always did create a flutter

He broke earthen pots with a flourish

For the Lord, there was no need of cup or dish

The village of Gokul was surrounded by meadows

Around Mount Govardhan and its shadows

The Yamuna swept past in slow undulation   

The pastures green with verdant vegetation   

The cows and calves frolicked all day with Lord Krishna,

Their friends, the gopals, the gopis, and Lord Balarama  

The cows of Gokul gave forth milk in plenty

For all the folks, there was peace and prosperity

The gopis and damsels of Gokul

Always had their pots full

Of milk and curds and cream

Like an idyll, as in a dream

Krsna and Sudama

Lord Krsna  is lovingly inclined to all humans
As Brahmanyadeva, He is especially worshiped by all brahmanas
But one who surrenders fully to Lord Krsna 
Automatically attains the position of a brahmana !

Krsna  and Sudama, two friends of old
A king and a pauper – differences untold !

When Lord Krsna  heard of Sudama ‘s arrival at His gate
   He rushed out barefeet, in great haste

Krsna  seated Sudama on His golden throne
Washed his feet and pampered them as His own
Fed him fruits, food and drinks of every taste
And applied on his forehead cool sandalwood paste

Krsna  made Sudama recline on His bed
The very same He’d laid Rukmini on, when They’d wed
Krsna  treated Sudama like His own brother
And chatted with him of their youth spent together

Laugh, smile and be happy!

Gura Nitai

In today’s world we see so many instances wherein people are unhappy. They are worried, scared and unhappy for a variety of reasons. Be it career, work, personal life. They have some or the other reason to be unhappy. We usually try to find some way out of our misery. We look for solutions and most of the times we fail. Our misery never ends. We become so hard that we forget to laugh, to smile. In every situation we only notice a problem. We become negative.

Laughter is the best medicine is an age-old mantra. But do we truly understand its meaning? It means that whatever is the situation we should try to smile. We should laugh because only that will reduce our pain. It will curb our anxiety. Now-a-days we see that people rarely laugh. They are rarely happy. Why is it so? Why are people not realizing that this life is full of bliss? It is full of happiness? We should try to be positive. We should have fun. We should seek every opportunity wherein we can be happy.

The best solution is to become Krishna Conscious. That’s the only way by which we can restore our lost happiness. If one becomes Krishna Conscious everything will fall in place. He will automatically see the difference. He will laugh more, smile more. He will see an opportunity in every situation. He will start realizing that this life is a beautiful gift given by God. He will become positive.

We all should make ourselves realize that we all have to go back to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. We should channelize our efforts in achieving this objective. And it is the only way for us to become happy. 

- Swati Pande.

God’s Abode—the only place of eternal happiness!

In today’s world we see so many instances wherein people are unhappy. They are worried, scared and unhappy for a variety of reasons. Be it career, work, personal life. They have some or the other reason to be unhappy.

We usually try to find some way out of our misery. We look for solutions and most of the times we fail. Our misery never ends. In every situation we only notice a problem. We become negative.

Now-a-days we see that people rarely happy. Why is it so? Why are people not realizing that there’s a way out of this misery?

The best solution is to become Krishna Conscious. That’s the only way by which we can restore our lost happiness. If one becomes Krishna Conscious everything will fall in place. He will automatically see the difference. He will become happy. He will see an opportunity in every situation. He will start realizing that this life is a beautiful gift given by God. He will become positive.

Face it!

Why are you thinking that your problem is big? Who said so? Remember, problems are never big. We make them big.

I can very well understand your case in a problem. You are totally helpless. You cannot work things out. But why are you thinking that you are alone in the problem that you are facing? Why are you forgetting that God is there with you? God will never ever abandon you. Always remember, between you and the problem stands the Supreme Power. He is there to protect you and pull you out of the mess in your life.

In this world, you can never escape problems. That’s the reality. So face them! Face them with the understanding that God is there with you. This will give you strength. Remember, when your strength begins to fail, God’s work starts. He brings Himself in between and fights for you. Never ever question His strength.

Also, God tests you by giving you problems. He wants to check your strength. He wants to check your faith. Never ask God to give you a light load ask Him to give you a strong back. By facing and sorting problems yourself, you will make God happy. However, if you cannot sort them then do not worry He will sort them for you.

So from now on, always remember that you are not alone. God is always there with you. You should trust Him blindly, He will never let you down.

- Swati Pande.