Lord Krishna on Kaliyuga

Yudhishthir was ruling Hastinapur righteously after the Kurukshetra war. One day, Krishna visited Hastinapur. Yudhishthir was in the court and the four other Pandavas were having conversation with Krishna.

“Krishna, now dharma is dominant. How will Kaliyuga be? Will Dharma be sustained there from start? How will the life of people be affected in Kaliyuga without Dharma?” asked Arjuna.

“Oh, it’s not that easy to explain. Better let me demonstrate to you all about the life of people in Kaliyuga.” Saying so, Krishna took a bow and stringed four arrows and shot them in four different directions. “Now, each of you go and bring back one arrow to me.” Krishna smiled and ordered the Pandavas. Each one of them went in four different directions in search of the arrows.

When Arjuna picked an arrow, he heard a very sweet voice. He heard a cuckoo singing in charming voice. Mesmerized, he stood listening to the whole song of the cuckoo. When he looked up for the cuckoo, he was shocked to see the cuckoo singing and at the same time eating the flesh of a live rabbit. The rabbit was crying in agony. He was astounded to see such an act by a divine bird. He left the place wondering why such a divine cuckoo would do something that cruel.

The next person to reach for the arrow was Bhīma. Bhīma picked the arrow where five wells were situated. One widespread single well was in the center surrounded by four wells. The four wells were overflowing with very sweet water as if they were not able to hold the water but surprisingly the big one in the center was completely empty. Puzzled at the sight, Bhīma left for the palace.

Nakula, who had found an arrow already while on his return to the palace saw a cow which was about to give birth. He waited to see the cow and calf’s condition after the birth. After giving birth, the cow started licking the calf. But to his surprise, the cow did not stop licking. It kept licking even after the calf was clean. With great difficulty, people separated the calf from its mother. But by the time they removed the calf from its mother’s side, the calf was badly injured. Nakula wondered on such a behavior from such a calm animal. He returned to the palace pondering on the behavior of the cow.

Sahadeva, when he picked the arrow which fell near a mountain he saw a big boulder falling. The boulder was falling in full speed. Uncontrollable it was destroying and crushing everything on its way down. But the boulder was stopped by a small plant which was on its way. Sahadeva was stunned at the sight. The boulder which crushed big trees and demolished rocks into pieces was stopped by a small plant! He rushed towards the palace to ask about the reason for such an act.

All the four Pandavas returned to the palace and explained what they have seen while they were gathering the arrow. They all sounded surprised, confused and startled and asked for explanation from Krishna.

Krishna smiled and started explaining to the Pandavas. “Arjuna, what you saw is how the relation between priests and devotees will be in Kaliyuga. The priests will have very sweet voice and great knowledge but they will exploit devotees the same way cuckoo was doing with the rabbit.”

He turned towards Bhīma and said-“Bhīma, what you saw is how wealth will be in Kaliyuga. The poor will live among the rich. The rich people will have massive amount of wealth which will keep increasing and overflowing but they will not offer a single penny to the poor ones. They will waste the money for themselves as they have more than what they need but they won’t be sharing it with those who are needy and suffering. Just like how the four wells were overflowing while the center one was empty.”

Krishna looked up at Nakula. “Nakula, what you saw is how the relationship will be in families. That’s how the parents and children relation will be. In Kaliyug, the parents will love their children so much that their love itself will destroy the lives, dreams and the future of the children.”

“And Sahadeva, what you saw is how people will live in Kaliyuga. People will fall in the terms of character. They keep crushing and destroying everything on their way to success. Just like the boulder. They won’t listen to anyone. They will be unstoppable. They won’t follow the path of Dharma. But when they get to know what they have done is against Dharma, when they realize that all they have done are selfish acts, when they call for help from God, they will be stopped and saved from falling further down. They won’t get hurt and they won’t be broken into pieces. Just one call on the God’s name will help them to hold them from the doom. Just like how the small plant saved the boulder from falling further and getting wrecked into pieces.

So, do you all understand how hard life will be in Kaliyuga and how easy it will be to reach for God?”- Krishna smiled at the Pandavas who were enlightened on Krishna’s words.

Lord Krishna and Balarama

Once on a full moon day, Krishna and Balarama were walking in the forest, it was late and they decided to rest in the forest for the night. It was a dangerous forest, so Krishna suggested “Balarama, you keep watch until midnight while I sleep, and I will be on watch from midnight till morning.” They both agreed and Krishna went to sleep.

A few hours passed, Krishna was sleeping sound. Balarama heard a growl at a distance, it was a terrifying sound. He walked a little further towards the sound. Now he could see a gigantic monster approaching him. The monster growled again, Balarama was very afraid, he trembled in fear.

Every time he trembled, the monster grew double in size. The monster grew bigger and bigger as it approached Balarama. Now the monster was standing very close to Balarama, it growled again. Terrified by the sound, size and terrible smell of the monster Balarama screamed “Krishna! Krishna!” and collapsed and fell unconscious.

Woken up by the call, Krishna followed the sound and thought that Balarama was sleeping, Krishna thought, ‘It must be my turn now’ and started walking to and fro. Slowly Krishna recognized the monster standing nearby.

The monster growled at Krishna. “What do you want?” Krishna asked unafraid. The size of the monster decreased, it shrunk to half its size. “What are you doing here?” Krishna asked again and the monster shrunk again. Krishna kept questioning it expecting a reply, the monster kept shrinking every time he asked.

Now the monster was just two inches tall, and looked cute and adorable. Krishna took it in his hand and placed it in his waist pocket. The night passed and Balarama woke in the morning.

Balarama saw Krishna and joyously shouted “Krishna! Krishna! “.

“Krishna! You don’t know what a terrible thing happened while you were asleep. There was huge monster trying to kill us both. I don’t know how we survived; the last thing I remember is that I fainted.” Balarama said trying to recall yesterday night’s events.

Krishna took out the little monster out of his pocket and said, “Is this the same monster?”

“Yes, but it was so big! How did it shrink?” asked Balarama.

“Every time I questioned it, it shrunk in size, finally it became this.”

Balarama told Krishna how the monster grew yesterday every time he was scared of it.

Then Krishna concluded “Everytime we are afraid, our fears grow big, but every time we face them and question them, they become smaller and smaller. “

When we are afraid of something we avoid facing it or make our fears grow bigger and bigger. When we face any situation boldly we can address the issue or fear and get a solution to it. It may or may not be favourable to us but we would have faced it and learnt a lesson instead of allowing the fears to grow further and further. One can progress if only we face any given situation. Avoiding it will hamper our growth.

Lord Krishna and the sparrow

The battlefield of Kurukshetra was being prepared to facilitate the movement of mammoth armies with large cavalries.

Areas were marked for rival camps. Huge bundles of wood were organized to cook food for a sea of the army. Trees were being felled by elephants to clear the ground.

On one such tree lived a sparrow, a mother of four young ones. As the tree was knocked down, her nest landed on the ground along with her offspring — too young to fly — miraculously unharmed.

The vulnerable and frightened sparrow looked around for help. Just then, she saw Lord Krishna scanning the field with Arjuna. They were there to physically examine the battleground and devise a winning military strategy before the onset of the war.

She flapped her tiny wings with all her might to reach Krishna’s chariot.

“Please save my children, O Krishna,” the sparrow pleaded. “They will be crushed tomorrow when this battle starts.”

“I hear you,” said He, the omniscient one, “but, I can’t interfere with the laws of Nature.”

“All I know is that you are my savior, O Lord God. I rest my children’s fate in your hands. You can kill them or you can save them, it’s up to you now.”

“The wheel of Time moves indiscriminately,” Krishna spoke like an ordinary man implying that there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

 “I don’t know any philosophy,” the sparrow said with faith and reverence. “You are the wheel of Time. That’s all I know. I surrender to thee.”

“Stock food for three weeks in your nest then”, Lord Krishna said.

Unaware of the conversation, Arjuna was trying to shoo away the sparrow when Lord Krishna smiled at the bird. She fluttered her wings a few times in obeisance and flew back to her nest.

Two days later, just before the conchs were blared to announce the commencement of the battle, he asked Arjuna for his bow and an arrow. Arjuna was startled because Lord Krishna had vowed to not lift any weapon in the war. Besides, Arjuna believed that he was the best archer out there.

“Order me, Lord,” he said with conviction, “nothing is impenetrable for my arrows.”

Quietly taking the bow from Arjuna, he took aim at an elephant. But, instead of bringing the animal down, the arrow hit the bell around its neck and sparks flew off.

Arjuna couldn’t contain his chuckle seeing that Lord Krishna missed an easy mark.

“Should I?” he offered.

Again ignoring his reaction and question, Lord Krishna gave him back the bow and said that no further action was necessary.

“But, why did you shoot the elephant, Keshav?” Arjuna asked.

“Because this was the elephant that had knocked down the tree sheltering that sparrow’s nest.”

“Which sparrow?” Arjuna exclaimed. “Plus, the elephant is unhurt and alive! Only the bell is gone!”

Dismissing his questions, Lord Krishna instructed him to blow his conch.

The war began and numerous lives were lost over the next eighteen days. Pandavas won in the end.

Once again, Lord Krishna took Arjuna with him to navigate through the ruddy field. Many corpses still lay there awaiting their funeral. The battleground was littered with severed limbs and heads, lifeless steeds, and elephants.

Lord Krishna stopped at a certain spot and looked down thoughtfully at an elephant bell.

“Arjuna,” he said, “will you lift this bell for me and put it aside?”

The instruction, though simple, made little sense to Arjuna. After all, in the vast field where plenty of other things needed clearing, why would Krishna ask him to move an insignificant piece of metal out of the way? He looked at him questioningly.

“Yes, this bell,” Lord Krishna reiterated. “It’s the same bell that had come off the elephant’s neck I had shot at.”

Arjuna bent down to move the heavy bell without another question. As soon as he lifted it though, his world changed forever.

One, two, three, four, and five. Four young birds flew out one after another followed by a sparrow. The mother bird swirled in circles around Krishna, circumambulating him in great joy. The one bell Lord Krishna had cleaved eighteen days ago protected the entire family.

“Forgive me, O Krishna,” said Arjuna. “Seeing you in human body and behaving like ordinary mortals, I had forgotten who you really were.”

I’ve always held that faith doesn’t mean life will go according to you. Instead, it means that you learn to get along with life. You recognize that life must run its own course. That your individual life is a tiny, albeit an integral, part of a grand play of nature. An immensely grand play, actually.

Lord Krishna had left the sparrow on the battlefield for it was destined to be there. The bird might have wished to be at a safer place with her children. It might have argued with Lord Krishna to take it with him. She might have begged that three weeks of food be provided to her. It didn’t do any of those. She simply followed the instruction and left it in the hands of the one she believed in. She didn’t forego the effort expected from her.

Learning: Many of us see faith or surrender as a way to have our dreams come true. We believe that we’ll pray to some God and our wishes will be granted. This is not how nature operates; it can’t afford to, for we often wish for the wrong things.

We keep desiring certain outcomes without realizing or understanding the cost of those desires. We forget that our choices are intricately linked to our fate, they shape our destiny. In wanting the “good” stuff alone, we only see what we want to see.

We can grow a seedless melon but not a skinless one. Nature puts a protective covering on everything. Removing that layer can be sometimes tedious or messy, but without it, the fruit will perish before it even ripens. Some part of our life will inevitably go in laboring to peel the coconut before we can enjoy the tender inside.

Faith is not a tug-of-war between your desires and His grace (both of which are endless) hoping that one day you’ll lure God into playing unfair. On the contrary, it is letting go.

It is raising our hands in surrender without giving up on our actions. Faith is knowing that not every day out there will be sunny. And that’s okay. It is realizing that dawn will follow dusk. Faith is the awareness that a cloudy sky doesn’t mean the sun has set.

To work on everything that you can and to let go of everything beyond your control is faith in a nutshell. Such faith, made up of action and surrender, is the most potent antidote of all fears. 

Lord Krishna and his dearest friend Sudama

During their childhood days, Krishna and His elder brother, Balarama, were living with a co-student, named Sudama, in the ashram of their Guru, Sandipani.

Once Krishna and Balarama were sent to the forest for bringing fuel. Soon afterward, the wife of Sandipani sent also Sudama for the same purpose with some quantity of grams for the three.

When Krishna met Sudama in the forest, he said to him, “Dada, I want water as I am thirsty.”

Sudama replied, “No water should be drunk on an empty stomach, so it is better to rest awhile.”

He did not say that he had got grams with him and that He should take some.

As Krishna was tired, He lay down for rest on the lap of Sudama and was snoring. Seeing this, Sudama took out the grams and began to eat.

At this time, Krishna suddenly asked him, “Dada, what are you eating, whence is the sound?”

He replied, “What is there to eat? I am shivering with cold and my teeth are chattering. I can’t even repeat distinctly Vishnu-Sahastra-Nama”.

Hearing this, the omniscient Krishna said, “I just dreamt a dream, in which I saw a man, eating things of another, and when asked about this, he said ‘What earth (dust) should he eat?’ meaning thereby that he had nothing to eat. The other man said, ‘Let it be so’. Dada, this is only a dream. I know that you won’t eat anything without Me; under the influence of the dream I asked you what you were eating?”

If Sudama had known a bit of the omniscient, Shri Krishna, and His Leelas, he would not have acted, as he did. Therefore, he had to suffer for what he did. Shree Krishna despite knowing about the lie did not reveal anything and smilingly forgave Sudama in true friendship. The Guru's wife unfortunately was not that forgiving. The boys went back to the ashram and Shree Krishna being very hungry asked Guru Sandipani's wife for some food. She was puzzled as she had given enough gram for both boys. When she found out what happened, she cursed Sudama with lifelong poverty!

The time had come for Shree Krishna to execute the works for which he had incarnated on Earth. Sudama was saddened at the thought of having to leave his dear friend. They parted ways and did not meet for several years. Shree Krishna went on to become the King of Dwarka, and lived with Rukmini, Satyabhama, and several other queens in great opulence.

 Sudama on the other hand, was living out his curse - ridden with poverty. He didn't even have enough money to feed his children. His wife Susheela, though pious like him, could not bear the thought of her husband and children living in poverty. Sudama's elder brother had a job in the king's palace and he recommended Sudama for a job to the king. Susheela convinced Sudama to take this job.

Sudama reached the palace and started singing the praises of Shree Krishna. The arrogant king enraged that Sudama would not sing praises for him but for Shree Krishna, bound Sudama and ordered his staff to beat Sudama. Sudama winced in pain but did not stop chanting the Lord's name. This continued for many days and a desperate Susheela begged Sudama to ask Shree Krishna for help. Sudama stubbornly refused. Meanwhile sitting far away in Dwarka, Shree Krishna felt the pain of each blow on His own body leaving his queens puzzled! Like a true friend, the Lord experienced the pain of His dear friend as His own! He bore it silently giving no explanation to his wives.

Finally, with tearful eyes, Sudama's wife told him, "It doesn't matter if we are hungry, but we should at least be able to feed the children enough."

 Upon hearing this Sudama felt very hurt & said, "What can be done? We can't ask for favors from anybody." Sudama's wife replied, "You talk of Shree Krishna so often. You have been saying that you have a deep bond of friendship with him. He is the King of Dwarka, so why don't you go to him? There won't be any need to ask for anything there." Sudama being a selfless devotee of the Lord, did not like the idea of asking his beloved friend for any favors. Nevertheless, moved by the plight of his children, he decided to go to Dwarka. However, he wanted to take a gift along to not go empty handed to his friend. Sudama's wife borrowed flattened rice from their neighbor. She bound the food in a cloth ridden with holes and Sudama left with the cloth bundle for Dwarka on foot.

Upon seeing Dwarka, Sudama was amazed. The entire city was built with gold and the citizens were very prosperous. He asked for directions to Shree Krishna's palace. The journey from his hometown to Dwarka had left him looking like a mendicant - with tattered clothes, sunburnt skin and cracked, dusty feet, bleeding from the sharp stones on the way.

On hearing Sudama's name, every pore of Shree Krishna's body was filled with jubilant emotion. Everyone, from the queens to the palace staff, looked on in wonder as Shree Krishna ran bare-footed to meet his poor friend, also bare-footed and bruised. Shree Krishna looking at His emaciated friend embraced Sudama tightly and took him into the palace. He could not bear to see Sudama's destitute state. Filled with deep sorrow, marveling at the selfless love of his dear sakha Sudama who not once has asked Him for anything, the Lord washed His friend's feet with His own tears instead of water.

Three joyful days passed, with Shree Krishna and Sudama recounting their childhood pastimes. Shree Krishna recalled the night they had spent in the forest and the wonderful times they had spent in Guru Sandipani's ashram. Friendly banter and mischievous comments were exchanged as is usually the case with lifelong friends and bosom buddies.

It was now time for Sudama to leave and the subject he had been trying to avoid bringing up was uncomfortably close. Shree Krishna had made no mention of it in three days and he decided not to ask knowing that the Lord is omniscient.

Sudama had brought a gift for Shree Krishna. However, Sudama felt ashamed of the humble flattened rice he had brought in a tattered bundle. Shree Krishna, ever the prankster, with a twinkle in His eye, exclaimed to Sudama repeatedly, “Why don't you show me what is in this bag my dear friend, it is something for me isn't it?”  Sudama kept dodging Shree Krishna to avoid Him! But Shree Krishna, won the little duel, and snatched the bag of rice, leaving Sudama dismayed. How was he to know that though he had been cursed with lifelong poverty, it was time for his fortunes to change! - One who the Lord chooses to protect cannot be destroyed by anything else. Sudama's bad karma accrued from stealing from the Lord in childhood had been exhausted.

Smiling mischievously Shree Krishna lovingly put a handful of the flavorless flattened rice in his mouth and ate it with great relish. With this mouthful he gave Sudama riches enough for the present lifetime and the next. Fully under the sway of love He was about to take a second mouthful. With it he would have given all the three Lokas(realms) he had dominion over, to Sudama - this is when Rukmini stopped Him!

Sudama on the other hand was none the wiser of what has transpired. He felt sad as he remembered his hungry children at home, but he couldn't prepare himself to ask Shree Krishna for any favors.  Shree Krishna embraced Sudama & escorted him out as he bid him farewell. On the way back, Sudama wondered, "What shall I say when my wife asks me what I've brought back?" As Sudama approached home, he could not find his hut! Instead, his wife came out from a magnificent palace dressed in elegant clothes. She told Sudama, "Look at Shree Krishna's might; we have been rid of our poverty. Krishna has ended all our miseries."

Sudama was overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of his friend. He cried out, “But my dear, I never even told Him about our condition!". They both resolved to remain devoted to Shree Krishna all their lives and were unaffected internally by the sudden opulence of their lives.

Lord Krishna and Sage Uttanga

There once lived a pious Sage named Uttanga, who was doing penance for the benefit of mankind. By caste, he was a Brahmin and was known to Lord Krishna. He led a nomadic life free from desire, lust, hatred, and greed; he was in different world of his own.

Lord Krishna was very happy with the sage’s penance; the Lord not only showed him His Virat Swaroop but also wanted to bestow the sage with a boon. Sage Uttanga told Him that he was desire less and he did not want anything, but Lord Krishna insisted for some boon to be granted to him as a reward for his penance.

At Lord Krishna’s insistence the latter asked for a boon that whenever he was in need of water (and since that area was a desert area) & whenever he felt thirsty, water may be provided to him. Lord Krishna granted him the boon & disappeared.

One day, the Sage Uttanga after walking for a long distance in the desert area felt thirsty, but there was no trace of water. Then he remembered that the Lord Krishna had granted him a boon that he would find water. The moment this thought was within his system, he saw a hunter dressed in torn rags accompanied by furious dog, carrying water in a leather pouch and asked him, “Sir, would you like to have some water.” Looking at the apparent condition of the hunter, being a staunch Brahmin, the sage felt repelled. He politely refused “No, Thank you”. The hunter again approached him for the water, but in utter disgust & in anger the sage told the hunter to go way and that he was not interested in the water. The hunter and the dogs disappeared.

Witnessing this, he realized that it must be God, who disguised Himself and came to quench his thirst. He felt hurt and wondered how Lord Krishna could send water to him through a person of lower caste. How could He expect a Brahmin to accept and drink water from the leather pouch?

Meantime, Lord Krishna appeared, smiled and asked him, “Do you know who the hunter was? I had asked the Lord Indra to fetch the water, who instead of water, had actually brought nectar to make you immortal, but on one condition to test whether you could see the Divinity in all. Hence I allowed him to do so.”

Sage Uttanga understood how he had failed in the test. It was his Ego, which made him refuse the nectar, which came in the form of water and through Lord Indra.

When sages like Uttanga could fail when tested, what are we? Are we capable and fully equipped to understand the Leela or Maya of God? We, therefore, have to be constantly on guard and develop sharp sense to understand the real meaning of life. He always puts us to test. There cannot be any negative in His actions, whatever He does, is always good for us.

Who is more generous - Karna or Arjuna

Once Krishna and Arjuna were walking towards a village. Arjuna was pestering Krishna, asking him why Karna should be considered a role model for all Danas (donations) and not himself. Krishna, wanting to teach him a lesson snapped his fingers.

The mountains beside the path they were walking on turned into gold. Krishna said, “Arjuna, distribute these two mountains of gold among the villagers, but you must donate every last bit of gold”. Arjuna went into the village and proclaimed he was going to donate gold to every villager, and asked them to gather near the mountain.

The villagers sang his praises and Arjuna walked towards the mountain with a huffed up the chest. For two days and two continuous nights, Arjuna shoveled gold from the mountain and donated it to each villager. The mountains did not diminish in their slightest.

Most villagers came back and stood in the queue within minutes. After a while, Arjuna started feeling exhausted, but not ready to let go of his ego just yet, told Krishna he couldn’t go on any longer without rest.

Krishna called Karna. “You must donate every last bit of this mountain, Karna” he told him. Karna called two villagers. “You see those two mountains?” Karna asked, “Those two mountains of gold are yours to do with as you please” he said, and walked away.

Arjuna sat dumbfounded. Why hadn’t this thought occurred to him?

Krishna smiled mischievously and told him “Arjuna, subconsciously, you yourself were attracted to the gold, you regretfully gave it away to each villager, and giving them what you thought was a generous amount.

Thus, the size of your donation to each villager depended only on your imagination. Karna holds no such reservations. Look at him walking away after giving away a fortune, he doesn’t expect people to sing his praises, he doesn’t even care if people talk good or bad about him behind his back. That is the sign of a man already on the path of enlightenment”.

Lord Krishna says: 'True giving or loving is when something is given or done unconditionally. One must always do the right thing because it is the value we have been taught and is a trait of being human and not for gaining name, attention and praises.'

When Arjuna witnessed the munificence of Karna

Lord Krishna always used to compliment Karna and his munificence to everyone, even to Arjuna. Though it was hard for Arjuna to digest this fact. So one day Arjuna could not resist opposing Krishna regarding this.

Arjuna said: “O Krishna, My elder Yudhisthir is the greatest king in the world. He owns the title DHARMARAJ (lord of dharma) for his undisputed and unparalleled views and deeds. But you never praise and compliment him like Karna”.

Lord Krishna with a smile on his face said: “O my friend. Why don’t you yourself witness this?”

It was raining heavily that day. Lord Krishna and Arjuna disguised in the form of sage and first visited Yudhisthirs’ palace.

Krishna said:”O king. We have come all way long in need of pure dry sandal wood. Can you provide them to us?”

Yudhisthir said:”My lord. It would be my pleasure to give my service for your needs. But its raining heavily outside. I promise you once the rain stops, I will bring the best of the dry sandal woods from forest for you.

Lord Krishna said:”Oh King. But we need the sandal woods right now.”

Yudhisthir said:” Pardon me lord. It’s impossible to get the dry sandal woods right now.”

Then Lord Krishna took Arjun to Karnas’ palace.

Lord Krishna said:”O king. We have come to you in need of pure dry sandal wood.”

Karna said:”My lord. It’s my pleasure that you came here all way long to honor me to service you. Lord, its raining heavily outside. I will hardly find any dry sandal wood there. But don’t worry my palace has enough sandal wood to fulfill your purpose.”

Saying this, Karna took an axe and broke many doors and windows and articles which were carved out of sandal wood and provided them to Krishna and Arjuna.

After leaving his palace, Krishna told Arjuna that Yudhishthir also had sandal wood articles in his palace but he could not give a thought of destroying them. This was the difference I wanted to show you.

Lord Krishna - The Chit Chor and the thief

A Brahmin (Priest), whose profession was singing the glories of the Lord, was once reciting Srimad Bhagavatam in the house of a patron. A thief broke into the house and hid in the deep corner.

Perforce, he had to listen to Srimad Bhagavatam (Beautiful stories and Miracles of Lord Krishna). The singer was describing the ornaments worn by little Krishna. He described the various ornaments mother Yasodha decorated on little Krishna before sending Him out with the cows.

The thief was excited and thought that he should meet that lad and rob all the ornaments at one stroke instead of struggling every day with petty stealing. He waited till the entire chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam was recited and left the place. The thief wanted to know where this boy was. He, therefore, followed the Brahmin and waylaid him.

The Brahmin was frightened and feared that he would lose even the small amount he had received as dakshina and told the thief, “I do not have anything with me”.

The thief replied that he was not keen to have any of the brahmin’s possessions but wanted some information about that lad he claimed to have the best ornaments and who used to go out for grazing the cows. The thief beseeched him to take him to that place where the lad was grazing those cows.

The Brahmin was in a fix now. He said, “In the town of Vrindavana, on the banks of Yamuna river, in a green meadow, two boys come every morning. One is dark like the clouds with a flute, and the other fair, clad in white silk. The dark one will have all the ornaments I had described.”

The thief believed the brahmin and set out for Vrindavana immediately. He located the beautiful place, climbed up a tree, and waited for the boys to arrive.

The sun rose. The faint melody of the flute wafted along with the morning breeze. The enchanting music could then be heard closer and the thief spotted two boys coming. He got down from the tree and went near them. The moment he saw the most beautiful appearance of the little Krishna, he forgot himself, folded his hands, and shed tears of joy. The tears were from his heart. He wondered which mother had sent these radiant boys, chiseled to perfection, loaded with ornaments to the riverbank. He could not take his eyes off the divinity. And, the transformation started.

He approached the boys shouting, “Stop,” and held Krishna’s hand. The moment he touched Lord Krishna, all his previous karmas were wiped out like a ball of cotton getting burnt in fire, and with all humility, he inquired lovingly, “Who are you?”

Krishna looked at him, innocently and said, “I am frightened by your looks. Please leave my hand”. The thief, now full of remorse, said to Krishna, “It is my evil mind which is reflected in my face. If you are frightened, I shall go away. Please don’t say I must leave you”.

Then Krishna reminded the thief of the purpose of his coming there and mocked him, “Here, take these ornaments”.

Confused, the thief replied, “Will not your mother scold you if you gift away all your ornaments to me?”

Krishna with a smile said, “Do not worry about that. I have plenty of them. I am a bigger thief than you. But there is a difference between you and me – however much I steal, the owners do not complain. I am lovingly called “Chitta Chora. Though you are not aware of it, you have a previous ornament in your possession, the “Chitta (Heart). I shall steal it now and take the same with me.” So saying both the boys vanished.

To his surprise, the thief found a bag full of ornaments on his shoulder. He brought it to the Brahmin’s house and told him what had all happened. The Brahmin was now frightened and took the thief inside and opened the bag. To his utter amazement, he saw all the ornaments described by him as being worn by Krishna in the Bhagavatam, in the thief’s bag.

Shedding tears of joy, the Brahmin asked the thief to take him to the place where he saw the dark boy. The thief obliged and both of them waited in the same place where the thief accosted the boy the previous day.

Suddenly the thief exclaimed, “Look, here they come!” However, the Brahmin could not see anyone. Stricken with disappointment, he said, “Lord, you decided to give darshan to a thief, why not me?”

Lord Krishna, out of abundant compassion, replied, “You are reading Srimad Bhagavatam just as another story, whereas the thief actually believed what you told him about me. I manifest only for those who have full faith in Me and surrender to Me.”

Selfless Service - Krishna, Arjuna and the Brahmin

One day Lord Krishna and Arjuna were taking their usual walk when they came across a begging old Brahmin. Taking pity on his condition, Arjuna gave him a bag of gold coins.

The man was overjoyed. However, on his way home, he was robbed in the forest. He cursed his fate and the next day set off to beg again.

Arjuna and Krishna saw him again and got to know his story. Arjuna once again took pity and gave him a large diamond.

The man took it home and kept it in an old pot that had been unused for many years to keep it safe and went to sleep.

The next morning before he could wake up, his wife went to fetch water from the river and on her way back, she slipped and her pot broke. She immediately remembered the pot at home which lay unused and brought it to fill it with water. Just as she dipped the pot into the river the diamond escaped the pot and went into the river.

When she returned home the Brahmin was desperately searching the house for the pot and when he saw it in his wife’s hands, he got to know what had happened. Dejected with what had happened, he once again left to go begging.

Once again Arjuna and Krishna saw him. This time, when Arjuna heard of the unfortunate incident, he told Krishna,”I don’t think this man is destined to be blessed at all, I don’t think I can help him anymore”.

Krishna then gave the man two pennies and the man took them and walked away.

Arjuna then asked Krishna,” My Lord, if gold coins and diamond could not change his condition, what good can two pennies do to him?”

Krishna smiled and replied, “Let us see.”

As the man walked home he was cursing his fate when he saw a fish that had just been caught by a fisherman and was struggling for its life, he took pity on it and thought to himself,” These two pennies cannot fetch me food anyway, let me at least save the life of this creature” and he purchased the fish.

The moment he was about to throw it in the river, he saw that the breathlessness of the fish was caused due to some large obstruction in its mouth and when removed it, it was the very diamond he had lost in the river. He was overjoyed and started shouting “Look what I found! Look what I found”.

At this very time, the thief that had robbed him in the forest was passing by and heard his shouts, he recognized the man and thought that man too recognized him and was thus shouting. Fearing that the brahmin may take him to be executed, he rushed to him and begged for his forgiveness and returned all the gold coins he had stolen from him.

The Brahmin was happy and walked away joyfully with all his wealth. He went straight to Arjuna to narrate the turn of events and thanked him for all his help and went away.

 Arjuna then asked Krishna, “My Lord, how is it that my gold and diamond could not help him but your meager two pennies did?

Krishna replied, ”When he had the gold and diamonds he was only thinking of himself and his needs, but when he had the two pennies he put the needs of another creature before his and so I took care of his needs.”

“The truth is, Arjuna! When you think of the suffering of others and work to help them, you are sharing God’s work, and hence, God Himself takes care of you. Real service is to give selfless service to everyone in one form or the other.”

Lord Krishna, Arjuna and the Dove

Krishna, for me, your words are more trustworthy than evidence of my eyes”

The two are on a stroll in the garden when they see the bird hovering in the skies. Pointing to it, Krishna says,

“See that bird Arjuna… Is it a dove?”

“Yes my Lord! It is indeed a dove”, replies Arjuna.

“But wait… I think that it’s an eagle. Isn’t it an eagle?” asks Krishna

“Yes! That is definitely an eagle”, is the answer.

“No! It does not look like an eagle”, says Krishna, “it is definitely a crow.”

“Without a doubt Krishna, it is a crow”, replies Arjuna.

At this point, Krishna laughs and chides Arjuna,

“Are you blind my friend? You do not seem to have eyes of your own! You are simply agreeing to whatever I say.”

Arjuna says, “Krishna, for me, your words are far more trustworthy than the evidence of my eyes. When you say something, you have the power to make it so – be it a crow, dove or eagle. Hence, if you said it is a crow, it must be so!”

This story is oft quoted to exemplify how faith must be. This is the kind of faith one must develop on the guru and God. This is the faith on Krishna that Arjuna could win the war between good and evil.

Lord Krishna and Karna

Once Karna tells Krishna, “Lot of unfairness has happened to me. Is it my fault that I am born illegitimate? My mother left me the moment I was born.”

“I, who should have been brought up in the palace, was brought up in ‘sutha’s house. I did not get full education (in war science) from Dhronacharya because I was considered as a’ Sutha ‘.”

“Even though Parashurama taught me in full, he gave me a curse that I should forget everything since I was a Kshatriya. Is it my fault? I didn’t even know I was a Kshatriya.”

 “Even in Draupadi’s swayamvara, I was disgraced for being a ‘Sutaputra’, even though I was the ‘Suryaputra’.”

“Kunti had affection only for her other children. She never told me the truth, and when she finally did tell me, she asked me not to use any weapon on her sons. Even though she never behaved like a mother to me, I gave her whatever she asked.”

“I should have got the throne of ‘Kurukula’, but am ruling a kingdom I got because of Dhuryodhana’s charity.”

“Bhismacharya never gave me any respect as a worthy person and he also disgraced me and disallowed me to fight in the army under his Generalship.”

“I am whatever I am because of my friendship with Dhuryodhana. You all might think that he is a villain, but he has done only good to me. Even when the Gods left me, Dhuryodhana stood by me. So what is wrong with my being on his side?”

Lord Krishna replies:

“Karna, I was born in a jail. Death was waiting for me even before my birth.

“The night I was born, I was separated from my mother. At least you had some education in ‘sutha’ house.

“From childhood, you grew up hearing the noise of swords, chariots, horses, bow and arrows.

“For me, I got only cowherd’s shed. No swords, no chariots, but only cattle, cow dung, milkmaids with attempts on my life by my own uncle Kamsa.”

“I could hear people saying I am the reason for all their problems. I was also called a coward for running away. When all of you were being appreciated for your values ​​by your teacher (guru), I had not even joined a Gurukula. I joined the gurukul of Rishi Sandipani only at the age of 16.”

“No army, no education. At an young age, I was accused of killing my own uncle. In fear of Jaradandha, I had to move my whole community from the banks of Yamuna to far of seashore – a very new place.”

“You have a kingdom, but what about me? When girls whom I don’t even know, want me to protect them by marrying them, I have to rush there leaving whatever I am doing. I never got the girl I loved, but anyone who loves me, get me.”

“If Dhuryodhana wins the war, you will get lot of credit and will become more famous. I am just a Sarathi (charioteer). What do I get if Dharmaraja wins the war? Already I am being blamed for the war and all problems. This blame will not vanish if Dharmaraja wins or loses.”

“Remember one thing, Karna, “Everybody has challenges in life. Life is not fair for anybody. Dhuryodhana has lots and lots of unfairness in life. So do Yudhishtra.”

“But what is Right (Dharma) is known to your mind (conscious). How much unfairness we got? How many times we were disgraced? How many times we were denied? What is due to us, is not important. What is important is how you reacted at that time decides your personality. Stop whining, Karna. Learn to walk the path of consciousness. Life’s unfairness does not give you the license to walk the wrong path.”

Uddhava Gita

Uddhava had done a number of services to Lord Krishna from his childhood. He used to drive Krishna’s chariot also.  He never asked for any benefit or boon from Lord Krishna.

At the point of his work coming to an end in Dwapara Yuga, Lord Krishna said to Uddhava, “In this incarnation of mine, several people have sought and obtained benefits and boons. But, you have never asked for any. Ask now. I want to complete my work by doing you also some good.”

Though Uddhava did not desire anything for himself, the conduct of Lord Krishna, whom he had observed from childhood, appeared to be a riddle, with word and deed being divergent. He wished to get an explanation from him for this. “Lord, your advice how to live was one thing, and how you lived was another. In the play of Mahabharata, in the role you took, in the deeds you performed, there are things that I do not understand. I am curious to know the explanation for them. Will you be kind enough to clarify?”

“Uddhava, what I spoke to Arjuna in the battle-field then is Bhagavd Gita. What I will now speak to you is Uddhava Gita. I have created this opportunity just for that. Ask without any hesitation.”

Uddhava started, “First I need one clarification. You were an intimate friend of the Pandavas. They trusted you implicitly as a friend in need. Being aware of not only the present but also the future, should you not have prevented Dharma from engaging in the dice play as an illustration of the definition of a good friend that you have preached? Why have you not done so?

Let it be. Once the play started, you could have made Dharma win and taught a lesson to the cunning ones. You did not do that either. Dharma lost his wealth, his kingdom and himself. He could have been spared with that as a punishment for having gambled. You could have entered the assembly when he wagered his brothers. You did not do even that.

Duryodhana challenged, ‘Draupadi is lucky. Play with her as the stake. I will return all that you had lost.’ At least then, you could have swung the fortune by making the bogus dice turn in Dharma’s favour. You did not do that also. On the contrary, only when Draupadi was disrobed and she was about to lose her honour, you saved her and boasted that you had saved her honour.

When a third person seized her tresses, dragged her to the court of cunning people and touched her clothes, what honour was left? What is your pride about? Is not the one who rescues a friend at peril the friend in need? Are you a friend in need, having failed to do so? Is your action righteous?” Uddhava was in tears.

This is not merely the mental upheaval of Uddhava; they are the issues all of us raise after reading Mahabharata. Uddhava has raised them with Krishna for us close on the heels of the war.

Lord Krishna smiled.

“Uddhava, the rule of nature is that the one who is circumspect should win. Dharma did not have the wisdom which Duryodhana had. That is why Dharma lost.”

Uddhava looked nonplussed.

Krishna continued, “Duryodhana was not adept in dice play. But he had abundance of wealth to offer at stake. He said, ‘I will offer the stake, my uncle will roll the dice.’ That was a master stroke. Dharma could have said, ‘I will offer the stake. My brother-in-law, Krishna, will roll the dice.’

If Sakuni and I had played, who would have won? Could Sakuni have been able to roll the numbers I called? Or, would I not have been able to roll the ones he called?

Let it be. It might be forgiven that Dharma forgot to include me in the play. But, he made another unwise thing. He prayed, ‘Alas, I have committed to play dice by destiny. Krishna should not come to know of this. He must not by chance come into the gambling house.’ He bound me out of that place. He prayed to me that I should not go there. I stood outside waiting for someone to call me.

When Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva were staked and lost, they also indulged in berating Duryodhana and cursing their fate; they did not appeal to me.

When Dusshasana went to Draupadi and seized her tresses to comply with Duryodhana, did she at least think of me? No. She went to the assembly and argued relying on her own strength; she did not call me. Good luck, she did not fight when she was disrobed and raised her voice saying, ‘Hari, Hari, surrender to you, Krishna.’

I got a chance to save her honor only then. I went immediately when called. What fault is there on me in this episode?”

“Wonderful explanation, Krishna. I am awe-struck, but not deceived.  May I ask you a further question?”

“Ask.”

“Will you come only if called? Will you not come to rescue your friends and establish dharma?”

Krishna smiled.

“Uddhava, human life takes shape based on one’s own actions. I do not conduct it, nor interfere in it.

I am just a witness watching from close quarters all that transpires. That is the dharma of God.”

“Beautiful! You will be watching from near all our sinful deeds. We have to persist with such deeds, accumulate sins and suffer.  Is it so?” cried Uddhava.

“Uddhava, reflect on the import of what I have said carefully.

When you realize that I am watching as a witness, you cannot do wrong things or sinful deeds. Only

when you forget it, you slip into thinking that you can act unknown to me. It is only then that events with adverse consequences take place.

That Dharma thought that he could gamble unknown to me was his blind spot. If he had realized that I watch everything as witness, this dice play could have ended in a different result, is it not so?”

Uddhava was dumbstruck and absorbed in bhakti. What profound philosophy! What lofty truth!

 If one realises that God is in us, around us, below us and all knowing and all pervading we will never do anything wrong.

Lord Krishna and Duryodhana

Once, it so happened that Lord Krishna was standing in front of the mirror decorating himself. He was trying on different crowns on his head and putting on some fine jewelry while his charioteer, Dharuk waited outside with the chariot ready.

As Dharuk waited with the chariot, he thought to himself – usually, Lord Krishna comes immediately; but today he has still not come. So, out of curiosity, he went inside to find out if the program was still on, as Lord Krishna was very unpredictable, anytime anything would change.

When Dharuk went inside his chambers he saw Lord Krishna standing in front of the mirror and admiring himself. He politely asked, “My dear Lord, tell me, why are you dressing up so much today. Where are we going?”

Lord Krishna said, “O! Dharuk! I am going to meet Duryodhana.”

Dharuk asked in surprise and puzzlement, “You are dressing up so much to meet Duryodhana?”

Lord Krishna then said, “Dharuk, Duryodhana cannot see my inside, he can only appreciate my outside. So I am making the effort to be well dressed for the same reason!”

Then Dharuk said, “O! Lord! You are going to Duryodhana? He should come to you O Lord! I find it hard to accept.” Many times, drivers and assistants give you more advice than needed. He continued to say, “This is not fair. Look at your status and look at him! You are the Lord of the world. You should not go, let him come.”

Lord Krishna turned back, looked at him, smiled, and said, “Darkness does not come to light, light has to go to darkness.”

Duryodhana, who was filled with only his self, ego, and negativity, represents darkness, and the compassionate Lord Krishna, who is light Himself, goes to darkness to illuminate him.

Lord Krishna and Charan Amrit

Lord Krishna was very fond of tasty food. One day after meal, in Rukmini's palace, Lord Krishna was relaxing. He could not sleep as he was experiencing pain in his stomach. As time passed, the pain increased.

 Lord Krishna then called Rukmini and told the matter. He said to Rukmini: “Rukmini I feel severe stomach pain. If I get 'Charan Amrit' of any woman to drink, I will get relief, I am sure.”

Rukmini could not see Lord Krishna in such a pain. She said to herself: “I cannot wash my feet and offer that water to my husband.”

She then thought of taking Satyabhama's help. She called Satyabhama to come and meet her quickly. Satyabhama slowed down the oven in which she was preparing sweet pudding (Kheer) for Lord Krishna for the the evening snack as he had scheduled to take evening snack with her, and came out of her palace. She rushed to Rukmini and asked her: “You seem to be worried, Rukmini, What happened?”

Rukmini told her the matter. Satyabhama said: “For me too He is my husband. How can I give my 'Charan Amrit' to Him. I do not want to commit any sin. Let us try some other woman for this.”

They also asked Lord Krishna's other wives, but nobody was ready to give 'Charan Amrit' to Lord Krishna as they considered it as a sin. As the time was passing, Lord Krishna was still rolling in the bed. He called both of His Chief wives and asked: "What happened?"

Both simultaneously expressed their inability to get 'Charan Amrit' for him. Lord Krishna then advised them to check the possibility from any woman from Vrindavan. Soon some representatives left for Vrindavan on Lord Krishna's instructions. Radha's friends informed her about the representatives who came from Dwarka.

Radha seem to be worried and enquired about the matter: “What has brought you here?”

The representatives explained the matter that Lord Krishna has a stomach ache and is rolling on the bed in severe pain and there is nobody to give him Charan Amrit at Dwarka, so he has asked us to get it from any woman from Vrindavan.

 Hearing this Radha smiled for a moment and said:

“You have come here only for this small matter? If this Charan Amrit can cure Krishna's stomach pain, take this soon and give it to Him”.

She asked them to wait for a minute. She asked one of her friends to bring a pot of water. Radha immediately stood in that pot and made that water as Charan Amrit. She poured that water back in another pot and gave to the representative.

Soon the Charan Amrit reached Dwarka. Lord Krishna took a handful of it and drank it. Stomach pain? Who had it? Lord Krishna got fully relieved after drinking it. He started his activities as usual.

Seeing that Charan Amrit working so fast and effectively, Rukmini enquired about the person who offered Charan Amrit. Satyabhama was also curious for her name. The representative informed the woman's name was Radha.

Both rushed to Lord Krishna, and said, it was Radha who offered Him her Charan Amrit. "How could she do it?"

Lord Krishna smiled and said:

"For Radha, my problem was her problem, and not that Who I was. My treatment was more important to her. You hesitated and she did not. That is the difference between you and her."

The Call of the Flute

When Lord Krishna was a kid, he would everyday go to the garden near Yamuna River and expressed his love for all the plants and trees, saying how much he loves them.

The plants used to be very happy and responded back and said “Krishna, We Love You, too”.

Along with these plants, many bamboo plants also grew along the banks of Yamuna River. The bamboo trees were very proud that they are growing so high in the sky. But one bamboo stick was very humble he was not going up, but bending down.

One day Lord Krishna rushed quickly towards the bamboo plant and kept staring at it. The bamboo plant was surprised and asked:

My Lord, What's wrong with you?

Lord Krishna said:

“I have something to ask you, but it is very difficult.”

The bamboo said:

“Tell me, if I can, I will give it to you.”

So Lord Krishna said:

“I need your life. I need to cut you”.

The bamboo thought for a while and then said:

“Don't you have any other choice or any other way?

Lord Krishna said, “No, no other way”. And it said “OK, I surrender to you”.

So Lord Krishna cut the bamboo, made eight holes in it, and each time, while he was doing that, the bamboo was crying with pain.

Lord Krishna then made a beautiful flute out of it. And this flute was with him all the time. Twenty four hours of the day, Lord Krishna used to be with this Flute.

The Gopis of Vrindavan were now jealous of the Flute. They said, “Look, Krishna is our Lord, but yet we get to spend only some time with him. He wakes up with you, He sleeps with you, all the time you are with him”.

So one day they asked the Flute:

O Flute, What meritorious deeds did you perform that the Lord always keeps you with Him and places you on His lips? Tell us the secret of this. What secret do you have, that the Lord Krishna treasures you so much?

The Lord’s Flute replied,

Before I became a Flute, I was a bamboo rod, part of a tree rooted in the ground. As soon as I sprouted, I had to bear the heat, the sun, the rain and every other facet of nature. I practiced many other austerities. After much penance, I was uprooted and cut, and had to suffer more pain. Then, I was pierced, not once, but seven times. I bore all this silently.

And the Flute continued saying:

The secret is that I'm empty inside. And the Lord does whatever he wants with me, whenever he wants with me and however he wants with me. And for that you don’t need to be scared, you know, you have just to give yourself.

The Flute is bamboo reed with Eight holes specially carved from the main opening to the end. The Lord blows through the top hole and controls the other Seven holes as he brings out the songs of his heart. He expresses irresistible joy on his reed.

Each personality is structured with eight spots, i.e., with five organs of perception (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching) and mind, intellect and ego.

The Almighty God fills us with his breath(life) and plays upon these spots to bring out the melody He wants.

If our ego takes over and we try to sing our own songs, we may bring wrong notes to His Divine Music. If we allow an uninterrupted and faithful flow of His will, He shall ever keep us in His hand to create harmonious music that may please us, and keep us happy and content.

We too should make ourselves like the Flute, completely hollow within, devoid of blockages and obstructions so that we are able to bear all of life’s adversities and austerities.

Why Lord Krishna prayed to Lord Shiva for a son?

Jambavati was one of Lord Krishna’s wives. Jambavati was unhappy when she realized that only she had not bored any children to Krishna while all other wives were blessed with many children. She was consumed with the desire to have a son.

Krishna knew this son would herald in the destruction of Yadu clan (from the curse he got from Gandhari), and therefore needed to be a form of Shiva's destructive energy. Lord Krishna knew that if he wished to have a son like Lord Shiva, he will have to pray and please Lord Shiva.

Then Krishna went to the hermitage of the Sage Upamanyu in the Himalayas and as advised by the Sage, he started to pray to the Lord Shiva. He entered into seclusion and put ashes all over his body and clothed himself in the bark of a tree. For years and years he prayed, only to have a glimpse of Lord Shiva and to ask him for a boon.  He did penance in various postures; by surviving on water. He also did penance standing on his toes and living on air only for many years.

Parvati saw that Krishna was praying and praying all alone in the heart of the forest. She said to her husband: “My Lord, what are you doing? Why are you not responding? Lord Krishna has been worshipping you, only you, for so many years.”

“Just answer his prayers”, pleaded Parvati. “As a matter of fact, let us go together before him.” 

Both Parvati and Lord Shiva appeared before Krishna. Lord Shiva said to him: What are you doing? Why should you, of all people, pray to me? You are Narayana, You are Vishnu, You are the Avatar of this era, You pervade everything. Why then are you praying to me?

Lord Krishna responded: "Lord Shiva, its because you are the only one who can fulfill my desire."

Is there any desire which you yourself cannot fulfill?’ ‘What is your desire? asked Lord Shiva.

‘I wish to have a son like you,’ he said to Lord Shiva.

Shiva and Parvati both smiled and immediately granted Lord Krishna the boon that the son from Jambavati would be one of the eleven Rudras of Shiva who are meant for destruction. Lord Krishna accepted this boon happily.

Krishna returned home and, after some time, his wife, Jambavati, bore a son. They named him Samba. Samba grew up to be a nuisance to the Yadavas. He also abducted, Lakshmanaa, who was the daughter of Duryodhana, forcefully from her own swayamvar.

He was put in prison by Kuru elders after being caught, but later due to Balarama's intervention, he was released and then Duryodhana got his daughter married off to him. The Yadava empire was peaceful and prosperous, but the youth of Yadavas have become frivolous and hedonistic.

Once some great Sages like Vishwamitra, Durvasa, Vashista, Narada and other sages, arrived at Dwaraka for an audience with Lord Krishna. They all were sitting under a huge tree and having conversations. 

Samba and his friends noticed them and thought of pulling up a prank. Samba dresses up as a woman and playfully pretending to be a woman claims he is pregnant, and asks the rishis to predict the gender of the baby.

One Rishis knew the truth through their divine vision and realizes that the boys are mocking them. In a fit of rage, he curses Samba that he will give birth to an iron lump that will destroy his entire race. 

As per the curse, Samba next day delivered an iron lump from his thigh. He was terrified by this incident and informed King Ugrasena what has happened.

He then suggests Samba to powder the iron bolt and cast it into the Prabhas River. They were unable to grind the entire lump into fine powder. Later this powder grew up on sea shore in the form of eraká grass.

After some time a fight with iron clubs made of eraká grass, broke out between the Yadavas, at a festival, who killed each other, thus ending up the whole of the clan.

A piece to the same iron bolt which was dropped down in the sea, was swallowed by a fish which was caught by a hunter named Jara.

He took out the iron piece from the fish's stomach and applied it on the tip of his arrow. The hunter Jara, mistook Krishna's partly visible left foot for that of a deer, and shot an arrow, wounding him mortally resulting departure of Lord Krishna from the earth.

This comes exactly after, the end of Kurukshetra war, all 100 of Gandhari's sons, the Kauravas were killed by their cousins, the Pandavas, who were aided by Krishna. Pandavas also lost all of their sons. Gandhari cursed Krishna for allowing all this destruction to happen. She cursed that he, his city and all his subjects would be destroyed. Krishna accepted the curse. 

What does it mean to have a son exactly like Shiva? Shiva’s function is to destroy. From destruction comes transformation. This boy, Samba, did many unbearable things during his life. Eventually he brought about the total destruction of Krishna’s family.

So you can say that Krishna knew that transformation was needed and transformation must be preceded by destruction. That is why he prayed to have a son like Lord Shiva.

Lord Krishna's enlightenment story

One day Krishna expressed his mother Yashoda that he wanted to marry Radha. His mother said that she is not an appropriate girl for you because she is 5 years older than you and she's already betrothed to somebody else. Krishna said that I don't know all these things. From the moment she saw me she had loved me, and she has lived within me and so I want to marry this girl only.

This argument continued between mother and son and Yashoda had no words to say, so she reported to the father. Then Nanda thought it time to take him to the guru so that they can speak to him. So Gargacharya and his disciple Sandipani were there, and they said your purpose of life is different, it has been prophesied, that you are the deliverer, you are the savior of dharma in this world. Krishna said I don't wish to be a deliverer, I just love the cows, the bulls, the men and women and mountains and trees here. I don't wish to go and deliver anything. I just want to live here with all these people and don't want to deliver anything nor save anybody.

Then Gargacharya thought it's time to reveal the truth about his birth. Talked about the prophecy that Narada Muni had made. Narada has clearly identified you all signs, indicated its you and you have exhibited all the qualities that Narada talked about, and everything is right about you. You are the person the sages have talked about, and Narada has fixed the date, time and place and you fit into all that. It can't be wrong.

All this descended upon him with such force, he stood there silently and then slowly walked towards mount Govardhan. He climbed to the top of the mountain and just stood there. Looking at the setting sun, a tremendous sense of empowerment went through him. This was the moment of Krishna's enlightenment, and he stood there for many hours realizing and experiencing so much within himself. When he walked down the hill, he was a completely different person. The playful cowboy was gone suddenly. There was a new serenity about him, there was a new sense of dignity and divinity. When he walked down the mountain, all the people who used to play with him and who enjoyed dance and music with him, suddenly they started to bow down to him not knowing what they were doing.

Krishna knew he had to leave but before he left, he organized an unscheduled Rasa Leela. He wanted to just for once dance and sing with the people and with Radha specially. Krishna went near Radha, pulled her hand and gave her his flute and said that this flute is only for you and no more for me. After that Krishna never played flute in his life.