Learnings from Damodar Leela

Mother Yashoda was a bit stout and always used to wonder how little Krishna, a small boy, managed to break so many milk pots himself. One day, little Krishna became annoyed as Yashoda put him down while feeding him her own milk. In anger, Krishna stood on a mortar, and broke all the pots with a stick without making much noise. Later he became engaged in eating yogurt and butter, also feeding them to his friends and monkeys. When Yashoda came back, she noticed the extent of the damage Krishna had done. Her anger grew manifold when she saw Krishna feeding the precious food even to the monkeys. She then decided to reprimand Krishna so that he never repeats such a mistake again. In anger, she took a stick and ran behind Krishna, determined to catch and punish him. But little Gopal ran very fast and as the chase ensued Mother Yashoda started sweating and her hair began to loosen. Meanwhile, all the residents of Gokul started gathering to view this pastime. Looking at Yashoda, all the Vrajwasi women started to cry out, pleading forgiveness for Krishna. Seeing mother`s determination, Lord Krishna reduced his speed and allowed himself to get caught. As a punishment Mother Yashoda then decided to tie Krishna to a mortar using a rope. Even after her multiple attempts, the rope was two fingers too short. In the endeavour to bind her son, she became very tired and exhausted. Lord Krishna appreciating the hard labour of his mother, and being compassionate upon her, agreed to be bound by the rope.

In this pastime it is seen that the Lord is getting punished. But it is not punishment; it is Prema,  Vatsalya Prem of mother Yashoda. It is not possible to catch the Supreme Lord unless He desires to come into the control of His devotee. The Lord comes into control only when the devotee is determined to catch him. And this is possible only when a devotee has “nishematva bhav”. It is like the firm determination of the devotee that will attract the Lord. So the Lord also reciprocates accordingly. If a person makes an effort to love Lord Krishna, to get Him, His mercy will always be there. Both together, i.e., the effort of the Jeeva and mercy of the Lord, will bind him. In contrast, it is seen in this material world, that a person cannot bind anyone. A person struggles all his life to look after his family and kids and once they grow up, they become more concerned about their own welfare. That is the nature of this material world.