Krishna Story 10
A COMMON GRIEVANCE
by J.K. Sivan
He was well known for his leadership and schematic plans and held in high esteem by his friends in the village. Though he was younger to them, they all recognized his smartness, capabilities and crisis management skill!
The author can be reached at: jksivan@gmail.com
A COMMON GRIEVANCE
by J.K. Sivan
He was well known for his leadership and schematic plans and held in high esteem by his friends in the village. Though he was younger to them, they all recognized his smartness, capabilities and crisis management skill!
As
a true leader, he was instrumental for the ideas, successful execution of them,
and good team leadership. All the boys loved the black chap, who charmed
everyone with his smill and innocent looks. All he boys in the gang were
between 5 and 10 years old and no doubt the leader was the youngest.
Of
late they were after butter. In fact he liked it better than others and so devised
plans to invade houses where the pots of butter were easily accessible. He
instructed and appointed a few lads to go around every day to locate houses
which could be entered and butter looted out during unguarded moments. Though
the village had only a few streets none of them escaped the plunder.
The
Gopis were worried. Who comes every day to some selected house and steals the
butter pots? Every gopi had the same experience of stolen butter in her house
and all of them discussed. No body could catch the thief red handed. But
they gathered information slowly by threatening their kids to tell the truth
and after some investigation the cat was out of the bag. The gopis decided
unanimously henceforth to hang the butter pots high above reach so that the pilferer
would be disappointed.
A
few days there was no report of any butter stealing! But this morning
there was an incident. The house next to Yasodha was entered in the absence of
the Gopi who had gone out to Yamuna for washing and bathing. The group of
thieves entered the house in her absence. Krishna as usual
commanded and ordered the boys. They found the butter pot high above hanging
from the roof beyond their reach. He selected the bigger boys to kneel down
on their fours, another climbing upon him, and another so, thus
they devised a human pyramid. The small crafty leader Krishna was on top of the
3 boys down below and reached the pot. He could not reach the mouth of
the pot and so hit it with his flute. The moment the butter started pouring down
he collected handfuls and passed on to friends below to enjoy eating it and
consumed a lot himself. A few handfuls were passed on to the two boys
guarding the entrance to alert them when the gopi of the house would
return.
The
watch keeper alerted them that the gopi was returning. So they all sprinted out
leaving the small Krishna to fend for himself as his house was
nearer. He was the last to move out and the Gopi had seen
him running away from her house.
She
was wondering why the boy was running out of her house and was surprised to
find the pot hung above was partly broken with the contents lost. The
gopi rushed to other houses and the news spread among them identifying who was
the culprit behind the butter loss in their houses. They discussed among
themselves and unanimously decided to go and report this to Yasodha so that she
can somehow put an end to this recurring problem.
All
of them that evening entered Yasodha’s house. On seeing them
young Krishna knew the purpose of their visit in a group led by the next door
Gopi. She loved Krishna most and was hesitating how to complain
about him as she was reluctant to get him punished or beaten. She could
not bear it. The other gopis too were silent wondering who is
to bell the cat?
Yasodha
innocently asked them why all of them are together that evening and was there
anything they should all discuss and seated them on a carpet.
None initiated.
Yasodha
was standing in front of them wondering what was the purpose they all visited and
why silent without opening their mouths. She however surmised.
Is there anything you wished to tell me ? Is it anthing about this
young fellow? She meant Krishna who was hiding behind her his hands
clamped around her hips. He was uneasy and afraid and looked
pathetically at the gopis facing Yasodha. His eyes silently pleaded
them not to reveal and expose him. The moment the eys of all the gopis
met and got interlocked with Krishna’s, one of them replied Yasodha.
" Yasodha, we all were free this evening and wanted to discuss
with you whether we all can plan to go out on the coming full moon night
to Yamuna and have a get together there on the sands enjoying moonlight
dinner?" .
"Why
not? Let us all prepare different varieties of food and
really enjoy a moonlit night dinner with the children".
Krishna
silently thanked the gopis through his powerful eyes looking at them.!!!
Dear
Children, do you know why Krishna liked butter, it is the end result of
boiling the white milk, adding a spoonful of butter milk or curd to it
when lukewarm, allowed to cool curdle undisturbed for hours, then churned until
the cream of butter is brought out. What does this show. Our
disturbed mind, when a bit calmed down, should be allowed to reason out for
the cause of disturbance, followed by introspection and after churning out the
should extricate only with the purity of the mind filled with love,
selflessness, and sacrifice." This is what Krishna explains us later
in Gita also exhibited in action by preferring the butter as a child.
I
suggest you all listen the beautiful song in Tamil PAARVAI ONRE PODHUME
composed by Uthukkadu Venkata subba iyer, a great exponent of Krishna Ganam and
if you don’t know ask some one who can explain you the meaning of it
which depics the above scene. In fact it inspired me to write
this episode when I was casually listening to the song sung by late
Maharajapuram Santhanam.
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