“Gundu
mallige, shaavantige, roja hoovu,” calls out the flower vendor who passes by my
house every morning. I pause in the middle of preparing my sweet offering for
Krishna Jayanthi and hurry out to purchase some jasmine flowers from him. As he
measures and hands over the length of flower I have requested, he says, “Wait,
I will give you some roses too.” I reflexively say I don’t need them because I
already have a few at home. He smiles at me and says ever so sweetly, “Madam,
take them as a gift from me for Krishna’s pooja.”
I finish
preparing my sweet and savouries and reach my in-laws place by the late
afternoon. I’ve been very busy the past few days and this means there has been
no time to prepare the usual number of items I do every Janmaashthami. I
console myself with the thought that I will try to make up for it next time. Time
flies as my mother in law and I work together to get everything ready for the
final pooja to be offered to Krishna and dinner that will follow.
Once
the ritualistic worship begins, I find my mind begin to center on my usual
prayer asking Krishna to bless me with Jnana, Bhakti and Vairagya. I remember a
story I once heard narrated in a satsang. Arjuna wanted to know how Krishna
answers prayers and so, Krishna took him in invisible form to a village. There
was a rich merchant who was praying to Krishna asking for more wealth. Krishna said,
“Tathastu,” and he was blessed with even greater wealth. A little distance
away, there was a poor milkman who was eking out a living by selling milk from
the sole cow he owned who was tethered to a post outside the house. This milkman
was praying to Krishna saying, “Teach me to surrender to you and grant me
liberation.” Krishna said, “Tathastu,” and the cow outside the house fell down
dead.
Arjuna
was shocked and angry at Krishna’s actions and demanded to know why He gave
wealth to an already rich man and took away the only source of livelihood of
the poor milkman. Krishna smilingly explained, “I give everyone what they ask
for. The rich man wanted only wealth; I gave it to him. The milkman wanted Me –
so, I took away that which was the final obstacle preventing him from surrendering
to and attaining Me!”
Even
as I remember this story, I look at the flowers adorning the idols and pictures
of Krishna. And for just a few moments, the handful of roses offered by my
flower vendor seem to glow a bit brighter and Krishna seems to send a radiant
smile my way.
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