The Leelas of Krishna are beyond the comprehension of anyone, however, scholarly or wise. His movement, His walk, His talk, His smile, His laughter, His gesture, His speech, His song – each is charming with a unique artistry. Wherever He went, He created some strange mischief or other. Like a typhoon sweeping over the land, He left behind in every home that He visited a series of upheavals, quarrels, wailings and tears! There was no need to invite Him ceremoniously into any house. He would enter, uninvited, unannounced. Every house belonged to Him. He would get in and take whatever He desired from wherever it was hidden, and eat to His heart’s content.
- “Krishna Avatara”, Bhagavatha Vahini
Krishna was only a few weeks old, when a certain ascetic came into the house of Nanda; Yashoda was having the baby in her lap. Of course this is an incident not found in any book – I have Myself to tell you this. The maids ran in, for, they were afraid the child might start weeping at the sight of the uncouth individual. He walked in nevertheless, and Yashoda found that when he was sent away, the baby raised a cry; not when he was approaching! The Muni also announced himself as having come to see Krishna Paramatma (Krishna, the Supreme Self), a name that was new to the entire family. No wonder, the baby cried when that distinguished visitor was asked to go!
Devaki had been given the vision of Krishna being the Lord Himself, but, this Muni had discovered the arrival of the Avatar, by the Grace of the Almighty. It was the baby who had invited the Muni for His Darshan.
- “The Love of the Gopis”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 03, August 12, 1963, Prasanthi Nilayam
When Krishna was three years old He saw an old lady carrying a basket of fruits from the jungle. Krishna told her He would like to have some fruits. The old woman said He could get them only if He paid the price. Krishna innocently asked the meaning of the word price. The woman said that something should be given in return for the fruit. Krishna went in and brought a palmful of rice. The woman placed the rice in her basket and gave Krishna some fruits. She was charmed by the beauty of the child. As she was returning to her cottage, she felt that the basket was getting heavier. When she placed it down in her hut, she was amazed to find that all the rice grains had turned into precious gems! She thought the child must be Divine. Otherwise how could the rice turn into gems?
- “The Glory of Krishna Avatar”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 27, August 28, 1994, Brindavan
When Balarama and Satyaki came and complained to Yashoda that Krishna was eating mud, she was very confused and asked Krishna to open His mouth. When the mouth was opened, she found that the mouth smelled of butter instead of mud. She was in confusion that she did not know what the truth was. Although Krishna was a tiny little boy, His greatness was being seen in His own mouth. He asked, “Am I a child? Or am I so foolish as to eat dust?” When a small baby asks such a question, we must see here that He is expressing His own greatness in a remarkable manner. The greatness in Krishna can be seen in this answer itself. “When the whole universe is within Me, is it possible for you to feed Me with some little sweet? While I am present in every Jiva, is it possible for you to give Me an appropriate name? While I am present in all the oceans of this world, is it possible for you to give Me a bath with water?”
- “The Path of Love is the Quickest to Reach God”, Summer Roses on the Blue Mountains, 1976, Ooty
Krishna was pleading with Yashoda that He should be allowed to go to the forest with other cowherd boys. Thinking that if He was put to sleep He would forget His desire to go to the forest, Yashoda gave Him milk. Krishna was no ordinary child. While drinking the milk, He pretended as if He was sleepy. He made a pretence of yawning to indicate His drowsiness. In that wide open mouth of Krishna, Yashoda saw all kinds of things – all the worlds in motion and many deities. She could not make out what it meant. “Is it a dream or Vishnu’s Maya (illustrious power)? Or is it some fantasy of mine? Or is it real? Am I Yashoda? Have I gone somewhere?” These thoughts racked her mind. “My son is an infant. How can all the worlds appear in His tiny mouth? It must be my imagination”. Such doubts arise in the minds of those who are caught up in the delusions of the body complex.
- “The Glory of Krishna Avatar”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 27, August 28, 1994, Brindavan
Once it happened that Krishna, Balarama and Satyaki who were quite little boys at that time, scarcely four or five years old, strayed into a thick jungle, all alone, when darkness fell, and there was no way of reaching Gokulam! They decided to spend the night, just where they were; Krishna put fright into them, with His descriptions of ghosts, ghouls and demons roaming in search of human prey. He proposed that two shall sleep for three hours at a stretch while the other one kept watch.
It was Satyaki’s duty to keep awake and be on the lookout, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Balarama was to be vigilant from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Krishna was to start His part of the duty at 1 a.m. and keep on till 4 a.m. Satyaki sat up to 10 p.m. and Balarama and Krishna laid themselves on beds of dried leaves and slept soundly. Meanwhile a demon did actually present himself, before the little Satyaki. He fell upon the boy, who resisted heroically dealing and receiving hammer-strokes with fists, with a good number of clawing and biting in between. The demon had to retreat at last, leaving Satyaki badly mauled, but, happy. The two brothers were sound asleep; they had not been disturbed in the least by the noise of the encounter. Satyaki had met blow with blow, and dealt injury for injury. At 10 p.m., he awakened Balarama and stretched his body on the heap of leaves, as if nothing had happened. The demon invited Balarama too for combat and had to retreat humiliated, because Balarama too was as fierce as he, and his blows were even more terrible than Satyaki’s. Balarama too curled himself into the bed at 1 a.m. after waking up Krishna who was to keep watch until Brahmamuhurta, the auspicious hour when Gods are to be propitiated, that is, 4 a.m.
The demon came roaring like a wounded tiger, and advanced ferociously at the little Divine boy. Krishna turned His sweet charming face at him, and rewarded him with a lovely smile. That smile disarmed the demon; the longer he came under its influence, the weaker became his vengeance and venom. At last, the demon became as docile as a lamb; when the other two woke, they were surprised at the victory that Krishna had won by the weaponry of Love.
You cannot destroy anger by anger, cruelty by cruelty, hatred by hatred. Anger can be subdued only by forbearance; cruelty can be overcome only by non-violence, hatred yields only charity and compassion.
- “The Sea-Saw”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 11, September 26, 1972, Prasanthi Nilayam
Once, Krishna and His comrades stole into a house and brought down the vessel of curds. When the mistress of the house came in, “Why did You come in?” she asked. “My mother had a stick in her hand; so, I ran in here out of fear,” Krishna replied. “Who are these boys?” she asked. “I brought them to bear witness to what I say,” replied Krishna. “Why have You placed that vessel between Your legs?” she asked in feigned anger. “So that these fellows may not get hold of the butter,” was the answer! “Why do You go from house to house and eat the butter from their stores?” asked Yashoda. “I like only things I select and choose; I do not like to be fed,” replied the boy Krishna. Krishna could not be confined to one house or to one routine. He is All-pervading (Sarvavyapi); He loves the devotees (Bhakta Vatsala). Make your heart the Seat of the Lord; then it will have value.
- “Names Do Not Matter”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 04, January 14, 1964, Prasanthi Nilayam
When Krishna danced on the head of Kaliya, (incidentally I might add, you should make your hearts as smooth and soft as the hood of the snake), the poison was all vomited! And the serpent was subdued. When God is revered, the world and all its poisonous fumes recede and you are restored to original health. Make the Name and Form of the Lord dance upon the hood of your heart. Krishna had no Vishaya-Vaasana (attachment to sense objects) and so, He could plunge into the pool and call out to Kaliya and jump on to his hood and trample on it and squeeze the poison out.
Krishna never parted from Balarama in those days; but, that day, He came alone, without him. He was wearing a necklace of green beads, a nose-ring of pearl and in His right ear, a ring of pearls. He wore no shirt or coat, just yellow silk round His waist and a kerchief wound round the head, or rather thrown carelessly round one end this way and another end that way! The peacock feather which is described by poets and sages was not always worn. It was struck up only off and on. Of course, peacocks abounded in Brindavan then and they are found in plenty even today. On His bare chest, there was a mole which could be clearly seen, an inevitable mark of all Avatars, including the Sais.
Krishna saw the carcasses of animals which had died when they inhaled the poisoned air, near the Kaliya pool; birds had fallen dead on the ground. Nothing green could survive in the neighbourhood. As soon as Krishna jumped into the pool to save the region from the serpent’s havoc, His companions ran home to bring the parents, so that they could intercede and stop the foolish pranks of their mischievous son. They were in great panic; only Radha was calm and collected. She knew that for Him, it was a minute’s fun, a moment’s Sankalpa (resolve). He had no Vishaya (objective desires) and so Visha (poison) could not affect Him.
- “Vishaya: The Visha”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 03, September 06, 1963,
Prasanthi Nilayam
When Krishna knew that Brahma had taken away and hidden the cows and calves and the cowherds and boys, the whole lot of them that had gone out of their homes into the pastures, He created anew, the same number, the same types, the same persons, cattle and all, and nobody suspected for one full year that the genuine was hidden and that it was the duplicate that was in the village everywhere. All that was thus created was Krishna Tatwa (true nature of Krishna), just as all that was hidden by Brahma was also Krishna Tatwa. You too are Krishna Tatwa; what other Tatwa is there, really?
- “Tat-Twam”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 03,
October 25, 1963, Prasanthi Nilayam
Continued in Part 2...
Source: Krishna, Chapter 5, Sai Vani: Avatar on Avatar Purushas
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