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Nilanjana retells the story of play time of little Krishna, The people of Gokula in their innocence never realised that an avatar of Vishnu was among them, instead, thanked Narayana for protecting the child and them. Read more in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
The Krishna avatar of Vishnu is the most loved one. The simple people of Gokula loved him unconditionally. He would spend most of his time outside his house, with the gopis and keep on entertaining them. The little Krishna enjoyed dancing when asked to. The gopis would clap with delight as he turned around on his heels, resembling a rotating top that children play with. He also enjoyed singing along with them. If a gopi requested him to fetch some vessel, he would rush to get it. But then he would pretend as if it was too heavy for him. He would lie on the ground and pretend to shake off the fatigue that plagued him as a result of the mammoth task assigned to him.
Krishna and Balarama would play in the mud and get soiled. They did not mind the dirt, even though their mothers were not exactly happy with their naughty acts. If the mothers would call them back, they would not pay any heed to all those warnings and keep on playing with mud without any care in the world. Their playmates would enjoy their company and their growing up years was filled with child-like fun.
Krishna and Balarama were like any other naughty children that we see. Divinity had beautifully concealed itself in the form of regular children. The innocence of the simple folks at Gokula made them witness divinity in the most mischievous and innocent form. Yashoda was the only one who was granted the privilege of knowing the presence of divinity in her life, but that was again veiled by maya ( an illusion that this world is real). This maya made her forget what she saw and she considered her son a regular naughty child.
The innocence of the folks at Gokula made it easy for Krishna and Balarama to hide their true selves. These simple people did not over-analyse the death of so many ferocious asuras (demons) who were killed when little Krishna was around. They accepted the child’s presence as a mere coincidence all the time and thanked Narayana for protecting them and the child.
The simple folks at Gokula were drawn to little Krishna and they never realised that the love was more than the fondness one has for little children. It was far more intense, closer to the devotion that one has for the divine. All other discussions and pre-occupations were replaced by the conversations about the little child. Quite unconsciously, they had become devotees who can think of none but the divine. Eventually, this devotion would liberate them.
Krishna, on his part, was very comfortable in this avatar. He did not have to try too hard to conceal himself for the innocence of these people made his role-play rather easy. Life in Gokula continued this way as the little one was gradually gearing up for the tasks that he had to complete in this avatar.
[To be continued]
Footnote: Srimad Bhagavatam is often called the Bhagavad Purana. Authored by Ved Vyasa, the stories are about the various avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu, also known as Narayana.
©Nilanjana Dey
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