The Loving Churner

It had been decided. The ksheera sagara (ocean of milk) was to be churned by the devas and asuras to obtain amruta (nectar).

Vasuki, the king of serpents coiled around Mandara mountain and the churning began at a rapid pace.

But soon Mandara began sinking into the ocean.

The Lord incarnated as a huge tortoise, Kurma, and slipped below Mandara to provide base support and the churning resumed.

But as the churning intensified, Mandara began to sway unsteadily, threatening to jump off the back of the tortoise.

Lord Vishnu now took a 1000-handed form called Ajitha and held the mountain firmly in place so that the churning could proceed.

Cut to the Lord’s incarnation as Krishna.

A young gopi is arranging her pot filled with curd and setting up the churning rod and rope. As she settles in place, and begins to churn, that notorious maakhan chor (butter thief) rushes in. With a sweet smile, he begs the gopi, “Please, can I help you churn the butter?”

She knows He is there to rob the butter and yet, she has no defense against that charming twinkle in His eyes. Her heart melts. She lets Krishna join in the churning. Singing, swaying, huffing and puffing, and laughing, together, they churn the curd in the pot.

Kulasekhara Azhwar marvels, comparing these two leelas of the Lord in two different avataras.

He took a 1000-armed form as Ajitha and single-handedly churned the ksheera sagara to bring forth amruta. He needed no help from anyone then!

Yet, during Krishnavatara He chose to sit with an ordinary gopi, helping her to churn butter!

What is it that motivated the Lord to do this? 

Wasn’t it the unconditional love of the gopi, who rejoiced in His mere presence, seeking nothing from Him?

The devas sought the Lord to acquire amruta, so that they could gain immortality. The gopis sought the Lord not to gain anything from Him but instead, to offer Him their affection with overwhelming devotion.

The Lord provided the amruta for the devas, but whose actions do you think pleased Him the most?

Can we learn to cultivate the innocent bhakti of the Vrajavaasis?

In the Bhagavad Geeta (4.9), Krishna says:

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वत: |
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन ||

janma karma cha me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

Those who understand the divine nature of My birth and activities, O Arjuna, upon leaving the body, do not have to take birth again, but come to My eternal abode.

As we prepare for Krishna Janmashthami that’s coming up on September 6, 2023 let us contemplate on this and other leelas of the Lord and drown ourselves in the experience of His divine glory!

What Can We Offer Him?

Vidura couldn’t believe his eyes! His joy knew no bounds! 

Krishna, the Lord Himself, had come to Vidura’s hut! 

After finishing His task as ‘Pandava-doota’ – the messenger from the Pandavas, seeking to avert war, Krishna had rejected the invitations of everyone right from the young Duryodhana to the grandsire Bheeshma. He had chosen to come to his, Vidura’s humble abode!

Ushering in Krishna, Vidura ran to ready the asana for the Lord to sit. Krishna looked on in amusement as Vidura kept on critically examining the seat, blocking Him from actually sitting down.

“You seem to be searching for something, Vidura?” He smiled.

“Yes, my Lord! After having served under Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana for all these years, I’m worried that their habits may have rubbed off on me. Who knows if I may have placed a pin or a needle in this chair to hurt you?” sighed Vidura as he shamefully remembered how just a few hours ago, Duryodhana’s plans to capture Krishna had been foiled by the Omniscient Lord.

Finally, Vidura let the Lord sit down. Kneeling in front of Krishna, he picked up a banana from the fruit bowl on the side table, to offer it to the Lord. Lost in this magical moment of being in the Lord’s presence and having the rare opportunity of serving Him, Vidura began peeling the fruit to offer to the Lord.

The Lord too happily accepted and ate what Vidura offered Him, a sweet smile playing on His lips all the time.

“What are you doing?” came the shocked voice of Vidura’s wife, jarring him out of his happy contemplation of Krishna’s divine face.

“Why, I’m offering fruits to the Lord,” he turned to say to his wife, wondering why she was asking such a foolish question.

“Just look at what you have offered Him,” she whispered.

Image courtesy:Chinnajeeyar.org

Lying in a pile on the floor were all the fruits Vidura had discarded even as he had lovingly offered the banana peels to the Lord!

Vidura was aghast! “Oh, what a sin I have committed! How did I come to err like this? O Lord, please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me to commit such a sacrilege,” cried Vidura.

Now he picked up the next banana carefully, peeled it and made sure he was handing over the fruit and not the peel to the Lord.

“Enough, Vidura! I can’t eat any more. I’m full,” exclaimed Krishna.

“But I only gave You the peels,” cried Vidura, ashamed of his crime.

“How innocent you are Vidura!” declared the Lord. “I’m the One who ate the entire universe at the time of pralaya (the great deluge). Do you think you can appease my hunger by giving me fruits or their peels? Nay – it’s your bhakti, your sincere heartfelt devotion that has filled my hungry stomach!”

In the Bhagavad Geeta (9.26), the Lord says

“पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: ||”

patraṁ puṣhpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayachchhati
tadahaṁ bhaktyupahṛitam aśhnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

"If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, 

a fruit, or even water, 

I delightfully partake of that item 

offered with love 

by My devotee in pure consciousness."

The Lord is the Prabhu – the master and owner of all in the Universe. Is there anything He doesn’t have? 

Nothing! 

Except perhaps one thing – the ability to offer bhakti to Himself!

That, then, is probably the only edge we have – we can offer Him our whole-hearted, single-minded devotion. 

And that is exactly why the Lord cherished the banana peels offered by the devout Vidura.

Can we start working to develop the devotion of Vidura?

His Bondage and Our Liberation

It was time for Lord Ranganathar’s thirumanjanam or holy bath. The curtains were firmly closed as the temple priest went about the ritual. Suddenly, he noticed a movement near one end of the drapes. The most respected acharyar of the Srivaishnavas, Sri Nanjeeyar, was peering at the Lord’s unclothed form with undisguised curiosity!

Shocked, the priest questioned this irreverent behaviour.

Pat came Sri Nanjeeyar’s reply, “I’m searching for the mark of the rope with which Mother Yashoda tied baby Krishna to the grinding stone, which gave Him the name of ‘Damodara’!”

The priest was perplexed. Mother Yashoda had tied up the naughty baby Krishna to the grinding stone in Dwaparayuga. How could the acharyar hope to find it on the holy form of Lord Ranganatha in this Kaliyuga? Probably Sri Nanjeeyar was so steeped in devotion that he got the two mixed up?

“But why are you seeking that rope-mark with such desperation? How does it matter whether you find it or not?”

Engrossed in his vision of the Lord, Sri Nanjeeyar replied, “If that mark is there – it means that for all His supremacy, the Lord is certainly within our grasp! If Mother Yashoda could tie Him up, then even we can do the same!”

“What rope will you use?” asked the priest indulgently

“Rope?” laughed Sri Nanjeeyar. “Do you think Mother Yashoda tied baby Krishna with a physical rope? Why, it was her love that tied Him up! When she struggled at first for so long to get the rope to go around Him, how was it that within an instant she had Him tied to the stone? Wasn’t it His willingness to be tied that made the impossible, possible? And what was it that made Him willing? Wasn’t it the infinite love of Mother Yashoda?”

Even as the baffled priest looked on, Sri Nanjeeyar walked away with a smile, leaving us with a valuable lesson.

In this world we find that anyone who has great power is often not accessible and one who may be very accessible to us does not have any great power. 

But the Lord is an exception.

He has a unique combination of two qualities – Paratvam and Saulabhyam – Supremacy and Accessibility. He, the Supreme Lord, the One who destroys the bondages of jeevas in this samsara, allowed the love of Mother Yashoda, to bind Him to a grinding stone! 

In His bondage, then, lies the secret to our liberation!

In this world we find that people don’t like to exhibit their weaknesses. The Lord is exactly opposite – He proudly took the name “Damodara” that openly proclaims His punishment at the hands of His mother! He sports the mark of the ‘damam’ or rope around His ‘udara’ or stomach, as an abharanam, an adornment!

Let this nature of the Lord give us eternal hope like it did to Sri Nanjeeyar – if we try to bind Him with unconditional love, wanting nothing in return, won’t He release us from the bondages of samsara?




Reference: Srimad Bhagavatam (Tamil) series of Sri. U. Ve. Velukudi Krishnan Swamy, Part 374

Amazing is Her Karuna!

“Hey Monkey!” She blurted in angst.

He was shocked!

Different names had been used over the years to describe his qualities – he was Vayuputra, AnjaneyA, SankatamochanA, Dheera, DaityakulAntaka, HanumAn, the Nava-vyAkarana-Pandita, master of the 9 grammars – and here was someone he revered as his Mother, addressing him by such a lowly name!

Yet, respectful as ever, Hanuman paused to let Mother Seeta finish what She was saying.

पापानां वl शुभानां वl वधार्हाणां प्लवङ्गम
कार्यं कारुण्यं आर्येण न कश्चिन् नापराध्यति

pApAnAM vA shubhAnAM vA vadhArhANAM plava~Ngama ||
kAryaM kAruNyamAryeNa na kashchinnAparAdhyati |

Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, 113-46

"Hey Monkey! Whether someone is a sinner or a virtuous person or even a person who deserves death, the noble person will show mercy on them, for, there is none who never commits a wrong."

Why did Mother Seeta call Hanuman a monkey?

They were in the Ashoka vana after the Rama-Ravana yuddha was over.

Ravana had been killed, and Hanuman had come to give Her the good news. She was thrilled and wanted to reward him, but right then, had nothing to give.

Understanding Her dilemma, Hanuman said there was one thing She could grant him – permission to destroy the rakshasis who had been torturing Her day in and out for all these months.

It was in reply to this request that Mother Seeta chastised Hanuman with that pejorative term ‘monkey’, for wanting to punish the rakshasis. She went on to explain Her stance:

“The rakshasis were only obeying the instructions of their king Ravana. Now, when Vibhishana becomes king and orders them to show me respect, they will act accordingly. Why punish them for obeying orders? The truly noble person is the one who shows karuna or compassion on all – whether a virtuous person or a sinner or even someone who has acted in a manner that deserves death as punishment.”

“There is no one who has never committed a wrong!” She proclaimed.

Hanuman was intrigued. “What wrong have you committed, Mother? Or Lord Rama?” he asked.

“When I had Lord Rama with me, I desired the golden deer – that was my mistake. Then I spoke harsh and undeserving words to Lakshmana – that was also my mistake. Lord Rama should have known the golden deer was a ploy, and yet He went chasing it, giving in to my request, that was His mistake!”

“Even you Hanuman, for all your devotion, have also committed a wrong,”

Again, Hanuman was shocked. What now?

“You have stood here with me, talking about the wrongs done by all, that is your flaw!” She smiled.

Thus, with a patient firmness, Mother Seeta, the very epitome of karuna or compassion, gave the entire world an ideal to live up to.

Could we try to practice even an iota of such kindness in our lives?

Gurupournima Series: Day 5: Considering Everything as Guru’s Property: Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi

Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress.

Quality 5: Considering Everything as Guru’s Property: Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi

Dhanurdaasa was one of Swami Ramanujar’s dearest disciples so much so that the Guru would lean on him as he came out of the Kaveri river after finishing his bath. Some of the other disciples resented this because Dhanurdaasa who was a wrestler was not a Brahmin by birth. The Swami understood this and wanted to teach them what are the true merits that adorn a shishya and render him, dear, to the Guru.

Swami Ramanujar arranged for the clothes of these disciples to go missing from the clothesline during the night. The next morning, the shishyas were furious and soon got around to blaming one another for the robbery. The Guru called them and told them to go that night to the home of Dhanurdaasa and steal the jewelry worn by his wife Ponnachi to have the means to procure new clothes.

Swami Ramanujar summoned Dhanurdaasa and engaged him in a deep discussion through the night.

Image courtesy:  https://www.tamilibrary.com/ramanuja-comic/

The disciples carefully removed the ornaments on one side of her body. Suddenly Ponnachi moved in her sleep, turning over to the other side. Not wanting to be caught red-handed, the ‘robbers’ ran away from that house and back to the matham. Learning of their arrival, Swami Ramanujar then dismissed Dhanurdaasa for the night. He called the disciples and told them to follow him and watch the proceedings at Dhanurdaasa’s house.

Dhanurdaasa’s wife received him when he reached home.

“What is this strange way of dressing? Why do you have ornaments on only one side of your body? Where are the other side ornaments?” he asked.

“Oh, when I was fast asleep, some poor Srivaishnavaas came in and began removing my ornaments. I became awake but lay still and let them take the jewels because I thought that they must be in grave financial distress to do something like this. Then I thought that I should make it easy for them to take the jewels from the other side of my body too, so I turned, but they ran away.”

Dhanurdaasa was furious.

“Foolish woman! You lost a great opportunity to serve the Srivaishnavaas! Why did you have to move? If you had lain still, they would have found a way to remove the other ornaments, too!”

“But, I was only trying to help them take the rest of my jewels too!” cried Ponnachi.

“What a sense of ego you have! You thought the jewels were your’s! Isn’t everything we have belongs to the Guru? Did you forget that all things we have don’t belong to us, but have only been entrusted to us to take care of them as the Guru’s property?”

In tears, the couple ran to the matham of Swami Ramanujar and threw themselves upon his feet, begging forgiveness. The other disciples were stunned at the sight. The Guru lovingly raised Dhanurdaasa and his wife and asked them to explain what the problem was.

“Acharya! We both have committed a great sin! We are unfit to be your disciples! When you sent your disciples to take your things from our house, Ponnachi should have let them take whatever they wanted, without interfering in the process. But we have failed to do so. Please pronounce a curse on us for this grave offence!!”

Swami Ramanujar turned to the other disciples.

Image courtesy:  https://www.tamilibrary.com/ramanuja-comic/

“Do you now understand why I lean on this man after my morning bath in the river? Even River Kaveri cannot purify me as completely as the touch of this pure man Dhanurdaasa!”

Points to ponder

How complete was the surrender of Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi that they had absolutely no attachment to their belongings! All they focused on was the desire to serve even those who resented them. Can we aspire to develop such a vairagya (detachment) and seva (service) that can accelerate our spiritual progress?

Let us pray for divine grace to develop such a spirit like Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi!

To know more, read here:

https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/pillai-uranga-villi-dhasar/

https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2017/01/04/pillai-urangavilli-dasar-the-disciple-of-swamy-ramanuja-whose-wisdom-was-blinded-with-deep-love-for-the-supreme-lord-a-divine-pastime/

https://vidsvur.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/dhanurdasa-the-ramanuja-series/

Gurupournima Series: Day 4: Patience and Openness to Correction: Jiva Goswami

Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress.

Quality 4: Patience and Openness to Correction

Jiva was a loving disciple of Srila Rupa Goswami, one of the revered 6 goswamis of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaay (sect). Jiva was well versed in Samskrita, philosophy and logic and yet, served his Guru with humility and dedication and fierce loyalty.

Once, the senior Vaishnava Vallabhacharya visited Srila Rupa Goswami in Vrindaavan as he was writing the text called Bhakti Rasaamrita Sindhu. Jiva was fanning his Guru and therefore, privy to their conversation. Vallabhacharya pointed out what he considered as some errors in the writing, and Srila Rupa Goswami happily handed over his text to the senior Vaishnava, asking him to go through the entire writing and make all corrections as he saw fit.

When Vallabhacharya left for a dip in the Yamuna river, Jiva followed him and engaged in a discussion with the venerable Acharya, pointing out how the verses penned by his Guru were actually correct. For each flaw that Vallabhacharya pointed out, Jiva had the perfect answer to counter the objection and the senior Vaishnava was thoroughly impressed by the young shishya’s learning as well as his loyalty to his Guru.

Vallabhacharya returned to Srila Rupa Goswami, and handed back the text to him, recounting the entire episode. Hearing this, the Guru’s face turned dark, and with a cold voice, he turned to Jiva.

“You sought to correct the great senior Vaishnava? He was kind enough to edit the writing for my benefit, but you have hurt him! You have no control over your anger. If you must get angry, let it be on your own impatience instead of on others! There is no place for such an upstart in a holy place like Vrindaavan! Go away from here and go back to wherever you came from and return only when you have learned patience!”

Image courtesy: https://www.brajrasik.org/articles/588e423558f4ac271a08b951/when-roop-goswami-personally-graced-jiva-goswami-control-his-anger-and-to-be-more-patient

Jiva was in tears because it was to support the Guru that he had sought to correct what he believed to be the arrogant proposals of Vallabhacharya. Now, hearing the same Guru’s words, he felt shocked to realize that he had committed the great sin of interfering in a way that displeased his Guru! He realized that he had to yet develop the patience and willingness to listen that his Guru expected of him.

Jiva immediately went away from Srila Rupa Goswami’s ashram and took up residence in a crocodile hole in a place called Nanda Ghat. He would fast most of the time, and occasionally obtain wheat flour by bhiksha (begging alms), mix it with little water from the Yamuna, and drink the gruel. All his time was taken up in praying to Lord Krishna, singing bhajans, chanting the Lord’s name, and in crying out loud to his Guru Srila Rupa Goswami, begging for forgiveness for his mistakes.

One day, another of the 6 goswamis, Sanatan Goswami passed that way. He was Rupa Goswami’s elder brother. He brought Jiva back to Vrindaavan, negotiated on his behalf, and engineered the reunion of the repentant, now wiser shishya with his dear Guru. Srila Rupa Goswami forgave the errant Jiva and blessed him and the latter went on to become one of the future goswamis who himself authored several treatises of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaay.

Points to ponder

If we put ourselves into the shoes of Jiva as he was being banished from Vrindaavan by his Guru, we would probably think that the Guru’s action was extremely unjust. Reading this story, we are probably wondering if it was fair of the Guru to give such a harsh punishment to the disciple who was correct in principle regarding the philosophical points, more so when he was trying to support you!

However, in spiritual practice, being correct on a matter of philosophy is not as important as having the attitude of humility and being open to correction. Srila Rupa Goswami, the Guru himself, was willing to let his writing be scrutinized by his senior Vallabhacharya and it is exactly this spirit he wanted the young Jiva to cultivate. 

An egoistic seeker (saadhaka) and equally, an egoistic Guru, are probably the most dangerous type of oxymoron!

In his famous work, the Upadeshaamritaa, Srila Rupa Goswami writes:



Let us pray for divine grace to meet a Guru like Srila Rupa Goswami who will point out our faults and help us achieve perfection as a shishya!

To know more about the goswamis and this incident, read here:

https://gaudiyahistory.iskcondesiretree.com/sri-jiva-goswami/

https://www.vcm.org.in/blog/jivagosvami-a-brief-sketch/

https://www.brajrasik.org/articles/588e423558f4ac271a08b951/when-roop-goswami-personally-graced-jiva-goswami-control-his-anger-and-to-be-more-patient

Gurupournima Series: Part 3: Willingness to Face Even Danger to Serve Guru: Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress.

Quality 3: Willingness to Face Even Danger to Serve Guru

Samartha Ramdas Swami had several disciples, of whom the most prominent was Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great ruler of the Maratha Empire. One day, the Guru was traveling with his disciples through a forest when suddenly, he clutched his stomach and began to groan with pain. The disciples quickly took him into a cave to rest and asked him of the medicine that would help to get rid of his ailment. Samartha Ramdas Swami responded that it was too difficult to obtain the remedy and that they should not bother to obtain it.

In the meantime, Shivaji had come to the ashram to seek blessings from Samartha Ramdas and hearing that he was traveling, decided to meet him at whichever place he was. He arrived at the cave to find the Guru in great distress.

“Is there any medicine for this pain, Gurudev?” he questioned.

“No Shiva, there is no easy remedy for this rare illness. The only one medicine is too difficult to obtain, so it’s okay, please don’t worry about it,” replied Samartha Ramdas.

“Gurudev, please tell me what the remedy is. I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. I will try my very best to get the medicine for you,” insisted Shivaji.

“Only the fresh milk of a tigress can cure my pain,” said the Guru.

Shivaji Maharaj picked up a kamandalu (ascetic’s water pot) and bowed down to his Guru and left immediately. After going deep into the forest, he saw two tiger cubs and soon the tigress herself appeared, and began to growl seeing the intruder. Shivaji bowed down respectfully to the tigress and spoke softly to her, “Mother, I have not come to harm you or your cubs. I need your milk to cure the stomach ache of my Guru. Please grant it to me and after I have given it to my Guru, I will come back to you, and you can eat me if you wish.”

Sensing the kindness of his words, the mute tigress stood quietly purring, and let Shivaji milk her and fill his kamandalu. He returned to the cave and offered the milk to his Guru who blessed him, and then, threw a pointed look at all the other disciples standing there.

The entire episode of the stomach pain had been faked by the Guru! The other disciples thought that Samartha Ramdas doted on Shivaji because he was a king unlike them commoners. However, the Guru wished to show them that it was some particular qualities of Shivaji he held dear.

Points to ponder

Even when the task appeared to be impossible, Shivaji Maharaj did not quit. He was willing to go to any length – and to even sacrifice his very life – to render service to the Guru. This quality of being willing to face anything, even danger, to serve him, is what endears the shishya to the Guru.

In fact, a famous saint Shri Bhaktaraj Maharaj of Indore, has proclaimed that “Guru sets the question paper for the shishya, inspires and guides him to answer the questions, and then declares him as having passed the exam! Such is the grace of the everloving Guru!”

Let us pray for divine grace to develop a spirit of Guruseva like Shivaji Maharaj! May the Guru bless us to keep away from the jealous attitude of the other shishyas!

To know more about this incident, read here:

https://www.myculturestory.com/story/story-of-guru-and-disciple/story-of-chatrapati-shivajis-obedience

https://powerfulvlog.wordpress.com/2019/12/24/have-you-know-this-beautiful-story-the-tigress-allows-shivaji-milk-her/