Shreemad Bhagavat Mahapuran- Canto: 10, Chapters: 8-9
In just a matter of days, Shyam and Balram began taking the cowherd boys of Their age along and roaming around Braj to play, delighting the Gopis with various games. The restlessness of Their childhood was uniquely charming. To the Gopis, it felt irresistibly sweet. One day, all of them gathered together, came to Nand Baba’s house, and began narrating Kanhaiya’s mischiefs to Mother Yashoda.
“O Yashoda! Your Kanha has become very naughty. Even when it is not time to milk the cows, He unties the calves, and when we scold Him, He bursts into loud laughter. He comes up with clever tricks to steal our sweet curd and milk, eats it all, and if only He ate it Himself, we would still tolerate it, but He distributes everything to the monkeys! And when even they are full and cannot eat anymore, He breaks our pots. If He doesn’t find anything at home, He gets annoyed with the house and the family, makes our children cry, and then runs away.
“When we keep the curd and milk high up on the hanging shelves, beyond His tiny hands, He invents new strategies. Sometimes He stacks two or three stools one above the other. Sometimes He climbs onto the mortar, or places a stool over the mortar, and occasionally climbs onto a friend’s shoulders. And if even that doesn’t work, He pierces the pots from below!
“He knows exactly which pot on which shelf contains what. And He makes holes so expertly that no one even realises it. When we hide our things in darkness, O Nandarani, the many jewelled ornaments you have made Him wear shine so brightly that He sees everything anyway. His very body radiates a light by which He can see all.
“He is so clever that He always knows where everyone is. And when we are busy with household chores, He gets His work done. After doing all this, He still shamelessly argues, calls us the thieves and Himself the owner of the house! Not just that, He even urinates in our freshly cleaned and decorated homes. Just look at Him now, after using a hundred tricks for stealing, He is standing there like a stone idol! Such an innocent little saint, isn’t He?”
The Gopis kept talking, all the while watching Krishna’s sweet face, filled with fear and wonder. Seeing their expressions, Mother Yashoda immediately understood what was going on in their hearts. Her own heart overflowed with affection and joy. She laughed so hard that she couldn’t say anything to her beloved Kanhaiya. Scolding Him was out of the question. Even the thought of reproaching Him didn’t arise.
Shree Krishna’s Divine Leela of Eating Mud
One day, Balram and the cowherd boys were playing with Shree Krishna. Suddenly, they ran to Yashoda Maiya and said, “Maiya! Kanhaiya has eaten mud!”
Yashoda Maiya immediately caught hold of Shree Krishna’s hand. His eyes were dancing with fear. Scolding Him gently, she said, “You naughty One! You have become so stubborn. Why did You secretly eat mud when no one was watching? Look at what Your playmates are saying! Even Your elder brother Baldaau is supporting them.”
Shree Krishna replied, “Maiya, I didn’t eat mud. They are all lying. If you believe them, My mouth is right here, see with your own eyes.”
Yashoda Maiya said, “Fine. If that’s so, open Your mouth.”
As soon as she spoke, Bhagwan Shree Krishna opened His mouth.
Shukadevji tells Parikshit that Shree Krishna’s divine opulence is endless. He has taken the form of a human child only for His Leela. When Yashoda Maiya looked inside His mouth, she saw the entire moving and non-moving universe present within it. She saw the sky, that vast emptiness where nothing can move; the directions; mountains, islands, oceans; the whole Earth; flowing wind, lightning, fire; the moon, stars, and the entire cosmic sphere. She saw water, heat, air, space, the presiding devatas of senses, mind, senses, the five subtle elements, and the three gunas, everything inside Shree Krishna’s mouth.
She saw living beings, Kaal, Prakriti, karm, desires, bodies, and the entire astonishing world spread in countless forms. She saw all of Braj and even her own form standing there. Overwhelmed, she was terrified.
Questions arose in her heart, “Is this a dream? Or the work of Bhagwan’s Maya? Has my mind become deluded? Or does my child possess some divine yogic power since birth?”
Then, silently within, she reflected, “That Supreme Being whom mind, intellect, action, and speech can never fully comprehend… upon whom this entire universe rests, who sustains it, and by whose power we perceive the world I bow to that limitless Lord.”
“The thought ‘This is me, this is my husband, this is my child, I am the queen of Braj, the cows, cowherds, and Gopis belong to me’ this itself is Bhagwan’s Maya. In truth, He alone is my eternal refuge. I exist fully in His shelter.”
The moment Yashoda Maiya realised who her beloved Kanhaiya truly is, the all-powerful, all-pervading Supreme God used His divine Vaishnavi Yogamaya to fill her heart once again with motherly affection. Instantly, she forgot everything she had seen. She lifted her precious child into her arms. The same boundless ocean of love surged within her heart once more.
Who Were Nand Baba and Yashoda Maiya in Their Previous Birth?
The very Bhagwan whose glory the Vedas, Upanishads, Sankhya, Yog, and devotees eternally sing, whose divine greatness remains inexhaustible, that same Bhagwan was seen, loved, and accepted by Yashoda Maiya as her own child.
King Parikshit asked, “O revered one! What extraordinary pious deeds did Nand Baba perform? And what austerity did the supremely fortunate Yashoda Maiya undertake, that Bhagwan Himself drank milk from her sacred breasts?”
The childhood Leelas of Shree Krishna, where He conceals His divinity and plays freely with the cowherd boys, are so pure that whoever hears or sings them becomes free from sorrow and sin. Even today, enlightened saints and seers who know past, present, and future continue to glorify them. Yet the wonder is this, even His biological parents, Devaki and Vasudev, did not witness these Leelas, while Nand Baba and Yashoda Maiya experienced them completely. Why so?
Shree Shukadevji told Parikshit that in their previous birth, Nand Baba was a great Vasu named Dron, and his wife was Dhara. Both prayed to Brahmaji, “O Lord! When we take birth on Earth, bless us with such exclusive, love-filled devotion toward Shree Krishna that through it, people may effortlessly cross worldly sorrows.”
Brahmaji replied, “So be it.” Thus, Dron was born in Braj as Nand, becoming Nand Baba, and Dhara was born as Yashoda, becoming Yashoda Maiya.
Parikshit, in this very lifetime, Bhagwan Himself appeared as their son so He could liberate them from the cycle of birth and death. Among all the Gopas and Gopis of Braj, the deepest love for Bhagwan resided in the hearts of Nand Baba and Yashoda Maiya. To fulfil Brahmaji’s promise, Shree Krishna, along with Balram, chose to live in Braj and bless all Brajvasis through His enchanting childhood Leelas.
Shree Krishna’s Divine Leela of Being Tied to the Mortar
Shree Shukadevji continues telling Parikshit that once, Yashoda Maiya assigned the household maids to other chores and herself began churning curd to feed butter to her beloved Kanhaiya. While churning, she kept recalling all the divine childhood Leelas that had occurred so far and hummed softly to herself.
She was dressed in a silk lehenga. Continuous churning had tired her arms. The bangles on her wrists and the earrings in her ears trembled gently. Drops of sweat shone on her face, and the jasmine flowers tucked into her braid were loosening and falling. With graceful eyebrows and motherly affection, Yashoda Maiya continued churning curd.
Just then, Shree Krishna came to His Mother wanting milk. With loving impatience, He caught the churning rod and stopped her. Then He climbed into her lap. Out of pure motherly love, her breasts were already overflowing with milk, so she began feeding Him while smiling and gazing at His beautiful face.
At that very moment, milk boiling on the stove began to spill over. Seeing this, Yashoda Maiya gently set Kanhaiya down, still only half-fed, and hurried to save the milk.
This made Kanhaiya angry. His red lips twitched, and He clenched His tiny teeth. In annoyance, He picked up a wooden pestle, broke the pot of curd, filled His eyes with fake tears, and ran to another room to eat stored butter.
When Yashoda Maiya returned after removing the boiling milk, she saw the pot broken. At once, she understood, “This is surely the mischief of my playful little One.” Not finding Him there, she couldn’t help but smile. After searching, she saw Shree Krishna standing on an overturned mortar, reaching into a hanging pot of butter, taking it out, and feeding it to monkeys, all while looking around cautiously so no one would catch Him.
Watching this scene, Yashoda Maiya slowly approached Him from behind.
Kanhaiya saw His Mother coming toward Him with a stick and immediately jumped off the mortar, running in fear. The very Bhagwan whom great yogis fail to realise even after long austerities and complete purification of mind, that same Bhagwan was now running away, and Yashoda Maiya was chasing Him to catch Him!
While running, Yashoda Maiya’s speed gradually slowed. Her braid loosened, flowers kept falling, yet somehow she managed to catch Him. She held Kanhaiya’s tiny hand and began scolding Him. Though He tried hard not to cry, tears still streamed down. From rubbing His eyes, His kajal had spread across His face, making it look dark, and fear had widened His eyes upward in helpless innocence.
Ag jag sab jag sanhaaraka jei,
Darapat Yashumati ke saantin tei,
Dhanee leela ‘Kripalu’ sarkaar, prema ke bandhan mein.
The One who creates, sustains, and destroys the entire universe, the Almighty Himself, now trembles in fear of Yashoda Maiya’s little stick. Such is the wondrous play of the merciful Lord, willingly bound by the loving devotion of His Mother.
When Yashoda Maiya noticed that Kanhaiya was extremely frightened, her heart melted with love once again. She threw the stick away and thought, “Let me tie Him up a little, otherwise He will run away again.”
She had no idea that this was the very Bhagwan who is neither inside nor outside, neither beginning nor end, the One who existed before creation and will remain even after its dissolution, the One who resides within everything and also beyond everything. That same Bhagwan had taken human form as her son, yet she began tying Him like an ordinary child.
When she tried to tie Him with a rope, it fell short by two fingers. She added another rope, but it was still short. No matter how many ropes she tied together, they always remained two fingers too small. She gathered every rope in the house, yet even then, Kanhaiya could not be bound. The Gopis watching began laughing, and Yashoda Maiya herself smiled in astonishment.
Then Bhagwan Shree Krishna saw that His Mother was exhausted, her body drenched in sweat, and the flowers from her braid had fallen. Out of compassion, He allowed Himself to be tied.
Parikshit, Bhagwan Shree Krishna is completely independent. Brahma, Indra, and the entire universe remain under His command. Yet He revealed that He willingly becomes bound by the love of His devotees.
Nita khojat Ved richaana jei,
Bani Yashumati ke sut Kaanha tei,
Bandhe ookhal mein lehu nihaar, prema ke bandhan mein.
The very One whom the Vedas constantly search for through countless hymns, that Supreme Truth, has become Yashoda Maiya’s little Kanhaiya. Look at Him, tied to a mortar, bound not by rope but by the power of pure love.
The unique grace that Yashoda Maiya received was not attained even by Brahmaji, nor by Shivji, nor by Lakshmiji, who resides in His very heart. Shree Krishna is easily accessible to those who love Him with exclusive devotion, not to those attached merely to rituals, austerities, or dry intellectual knowledge.
After this, Yashoda Maiya returned to her household duties. Meanwhile, still tied to the mortar, Shree Krishna thought, “Now I shall liberate those two Arjun trees, who were once Kubera’s sons Nalakuvara and Manigriva and who, due to Naradji’s curse, were born as trees.”
Summary: JKYog India Online Class- Shreemad Bhagavat Katha [Hindi]- 24.11.2025
