Saturday 17 September 2011

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    

Lord Shiva was satisfied with this touching meet
He departed for Kailash, happily contented and replete
Baby Krishna was soothed and gurgled liveliness 
While the folks gathered around in gay happiness

The she demon Putana, dressed as a nursemaid, came to kill Baby Krishna
She had killed many babies at the behest of the demon Kamsa
She offered Balkrishna milk from her poison covered breast
The baby Krishna happily gurgled and snuggled upto her chest

He sucked so hard that she screamed in pain
But the Lord would not let go and she screamed in vain
Putana fell to the ground in a deathly swoon
The life was drained from her body, all too soon
When baby Krishna began to crawl on all fours
He scuttled hither and thither all over the floors
He crawled over the cowdung and clay 
Which made mother Yashoda sigh with dismay

He would crawl upto a calf and try to stand up
He would catch hold of the tail and try to pull himself up
The frightened calf would run all over the place very hard   
Balkrishna would hang on, and be dragged all over the yard  

He would present a comic sight to Yashoda, His fond foster mother
Who would call all the gopis and enjoy this funny spectacle all together  
The Lord Balkrishna thus enjoyed His babyhood
From the simple rustic life He thus grew into childhood

Mother Yashoda caught baby Krishna eating mud
She yanked open His mouth and fainted with a thud
Because she saw the entire universe within that tiny mouth
Something she had scarcely known anything about

The Supreme Lord remains always supreme
In whatever physical form He appears to be
He is eternal, all powerful and omniscient  
Lord Krishna as the original Narayan is omnipotent

To understand the Lord in this glorious manifestation
We need to have eyes that are anointed with devotion
As stated in the Bhagavad – Gita, bhakti is the highest form of yoga
The Lord is also known as Yogeshwar, the supreme master of all yoga 

- Gautam Saha.

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