A Lesson to Remember

“This baby, as he was crying, pushed this cart to fall with his legs; there is surely no doubt about it”- some children playing around the handcart announced to the people of Vrindavan, when they gathered to find out how a cart, beneath which mother Yashoda placed baby Shri Krishna, had broken into pieces. There were no takers for this version. Instead, people used logic and guesswork to reach a conjecture far away from the truth.

The children were eyewitnesses to the events that led to the cart’s destruction. There was no reason for them to lie. They witnessed how the baby shook his legs as he cried, striking a portion of the cart and causing it to disintegrate. No one bothered to listen to them, no one even glanced at them.

We frequently look for reasons elsewhere, ignoring simple facts that are right in front of us. The sense of ‘knowing everything’ closes our eyes and confines our thoughts. We conclude our findings to be correct. Even if someone tells us the truth, we dismiss it when it comes from children, or from the ones we consider are not mature enough to give us advice. These types of situations do occur in our daily lives.

For those who are not aware of this story- the breaking up of the cart by baby Shri Krishna, I will illustrate it briefly.

Shri Krishna was around three to four months of age when mother Yashoda thought of performing the auspicious bathing ceremony known as ‘Autthanika’ for baby Shri Krishna. This ceremony is conducted for the welfare of the baby at a stage of development when the baby can hold its neck firmly, and it endeavors to turn around its body, raising its head. Fortunately, when mother Yashoda fixed a date for this ceremony, it coincided with Shri Krishna’s birth star, Rohini, as well.

Any celebration for Shri Krishna was, and will always be an event of great festivity. All the women of Gokul assembled at the home of Nandagopal to partake in this auspicious ceremony. They brought with them professional singers as well. The atmosphere reverberated with the playing of musical instruments accompanied by enchanting musical compositions.

Mother Yashoda was the most blissful of all. She was busy with the arrangements of the festivities and caring for the guests. She bathed baby Shri Krishna for auspiciousness, honored the Brahmins by serving rich food and presenting gifts like clothes, garlands, cows, and other materials. They handed over some protective threads after chanting Vedic hymns to mother Yashoda who tied them on baby Shri Krishna’s hands for his safety and good health. She clothed baby Shri Krishna and held him in her arms, but understood from the expressions in his eyes that he was sleepy. So, she gently placed the baby underneath the handcart, in the cradle in such a way that his sleep wouldn’t be disturbed, and he would also be in the shade amid natural air at that place.

Being too absorbed with the ceremonial rituals and also concerned about the comfort of the people assembled there, mother Yashoda did not listen to the cries of the baby- hungry, crying for milk, kicking both his legs up and down finally hitting one of the wheels of the cart. The cart crumbled with the force from baby Shri Krishna’s kicking soft and tender legs. As the cart fell, it broke apart in its components- the wheels, the axle, the pole of the cart, and other parts scattered into pieces. The big noise generated in the process caused a grave alarm around- the vessels and utensils in different forms and shapes, made of superior bronze and other metals containing milk, curd and butter suddenly tumbled one over the other.

What really had happened was that Sakatasura, (also known as Utkacha), who was a demon in his previous birth had lost his physical form after he was cursed by a saint. He entered into the cart under which mother Yashoda placed baby Shri Krishna. No one noticed his presence since he had lost his physical body. With the touch of the lotus feet of Shri Krishna, Sakatasura gained deliverance.

To return to the ‘we know everything’ attitude, many of us tend to overlook simple facts. This attitude distorts our thinking to the point where we are adamant about our positions. Anything done without considering the facts will always be a miscalculation, resulting in erroneous results. The built-in contents of these stories convey important messages for us to follow in our daily lives!

SANDIP KARANGIYA