The Most Expensive Fruit

 “Tasty juicy naagapalam! Come and buy my nectarine naagapalam!”

Krishna was thrilled to hear the familiar call of the fruit-seller of Gokul. Always, Father Nandagopan would buy his son’s favourite jamun fruit from this lady. Today, he was too busy with other work and so, he instructed little Krishna to handle the business himself.

“Run to the backyard, Kanna, and bring some grains to give the fruit-seller. In return, she will give you as many fruits as you want!”

Baby Krishna sped to the backyard and dipped both His tiny hands into the sack of grains. In a hurry to savour His favourite fruits, He ran with the grains in His cupped hands to the courtyard of the house, unaware that most of the grain was spilling to the ground.

Finally reaching the fruit-seller, with a huge flourish, He emptied whatever little grain was in His hands into her fruit basket.

“Give me the naagapalam, Grandma!” He demanded.

“Oh, I will, but only if You give me something in return,” said the old woman with a calculating look on her face.

“But I already gave you the grains that my father said I should give!” complained little Krishna.

Gesturing for the little boy to step closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially, the fruit-seller voiced her very specific demand.

“Grant me moksha, and I will give you the naagapalam that You so love!” she whispered.

Krishna blinked His eyes in surprise. Never in the history of His entire creation had anyone made such an outrageous demand!

“Naagapalam in exchange for moksha!! Do you think moksha comes so cheap, Grandma?” He asked, a tender smile tugging at the corners of His lips. “Besides, how do you know that I can grant you moksha?”

“Don’t think that You can fool me with Your sweet words, O Lord! When You were emptying the grains from Your tiny hands into my basket, I glanced at Your palms. You think I didn’t see the sign of the chakra on Your right palm and the shankha on Your left palm? I may be old, but I’m smart enough to know what that means!”

“Well, what does it mean, Grandma?”

“That You are the Lord Srimannarayana Himself who has descended from Srivaikuntha! Now tell me, do you think I’m foolish enough to lose this opportunity to get the coveted prize of moksha from You?”

“You have won my heart, Grandma! Ok, done! Your wish for moksha is granted!”

And so it came to pass that an unlettered, simple old fruit vendor of Gokula attained liberation from the cycle of birth and death to gain eternal service of the Lord in Srivaikuntham.

That which eludes the great jnanis poring over the Vedas and Upanishads, the great yogis engaged in arduous penance and the deities like Brahma and Indra with all their opulence, was attained by this innocent fruit-seller of Gokula. 

How? 

By the sheer force of her love for the Lord!

Can we learn to foster such love for Him in our hearts, too?

Note: This narration is based on an account of this episode in Part 378 of the Srimad Bhagavatam series of Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy. I'm assuming it is based on the Azhwars' (Tamil saints') experience of the Lord's leelas, because in the actual text of the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 10.11.11), the story is that in exchange for the fruits, Krishna filled the fruit seller's basket with jewels and gold. However, for the true bhakta, it is moksha that is the ultimate desire, and not any worldly jewel or gold!