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Canto 10

Guru Puja

 

 

Chapter 9: Mother Yas'odâ Binds Lord Krishna

(1-2) S'rî S'uka said: 'One day, when the maidservants were otherwise engaged, mother Yas'odâ, Nanda's queen, was churning and making her curd. During the time she was churning the butter, she sang songs about everything she could remember her son had done. (3) Clad in linen held together by a belt around her shaking hips, her breasts, which at the nipples were wet because of her love  for her son, moved as she was churning. And with that movement the bangles on her wrists and her earrings moved along in harmony. Meanwhile the perspiration, because of the labor of pulling the churning rope, ran down her face and fell down together with the jasmine flowers from her hair. (4) The Lord, desirous to drink milk, approached her as she was churning and then stopped, being sweet to His mother, the churning rod by taking hold of it. (5) She sweetly allowed Him on her lap to drink from her overflowing, loving breasts and watched with a smile how happy He was. When she saw how a pan of milk was boiling over, she had to put Him aside quickly and left, but He was not yet satisfied. (6) Having gotten angry He, biting His full red lips and with false tears, with a stone broke the pot in which the butter was churned and began, hidden from sight in an adjacent room, to eat from everything that was churned. (7) The gopî rescued the boiling hot milk from the stove and returned to her workplace, where she discovered that the churning pot was broken. Not seeing her child she with a smile concluded that it had been His work. (8) Standing on top of a mortar He had turned over, He, anxiously looking around, from a hanging [storage] pot to His pleasure handed a share of the milk goodies out to a monkey. From behind watching these activities, she very slowly approached her son. (9) Seeing her approaching with a stick in her hand He quickly climbed down and fled away, like He was afraid, with the gopî after Him - He who could not even be reached by the greatest yogis of penance who try to get access in their meditation [see also B.G. 18: 55]. (10) Even though the quickly chasing mother, with the flowers falling from her hair and with her heavy breasts to her thin waist, had to slow down, she nevertheless finally managed to capture Him. (11) Catching the little scoundrel by the hand, she chastised Him with a threatening pose, and then saw Him with fearful eyes remorsefully crying and with His hands rubbing the black ointment of His eyes all over His face. (12) With a good heart for her son understanding His fear, she threw away the stick though and wanted to bind Him with a rope. But she had no clue what kind of power she dealt with.

(13-14) He to whom there is neither an inside nor an outside, neither a beginning nor an end, is both the beginning ànd the end, both the inside ànd the outside of the universe. He constitutes the complete of the universe. And He, the One Unmanifest, the One Unseen present in the form of a mortal being, was by the gopî taken for her son and bound to a mortar, like one does with a normal child. (15) When the rope she used to bind her naughty child fell short with a length of an inch, the gopî tied another rope to it. (16) When even that one fell short she tried another one that, joining and joining, would not suffice either to bind Him staying short with [again] an inch. (17) Yas'odâ thus proceeded with all the ropes in the household, but failing that way she, being struck with wonder, had to laugh, together with all the gopîs taking part in the fun. (18) Seeing His mother sweating and getting tired, and all the flowers falling from her loosened hair, Krishna was so gracious to allow her to bind Him. (19) My best one, the Lord factually thus exhibited how He, Krishna, despite being the controller of the entire universe with all its demigods, is controlled by the servant of His own command [His devotees. Compare 7.3: 14-21]. (20) Neither Lord Brahmâ, Lord S'iva, nor the Goddess of Fortune, albeit residing at His side, received from the Giver of Final Liberation the mercy the gopî obtained. (21) They who adhere to the physical concept of life [the karmis], as also the jñânis [the book people, the transcendentalists] and they who go for the soul only [the escapists, the impersonalists], cannot win as easily the Supreme Lord, the Son of the Gopî who delivers this world, as those can who are convinced of bhakti [of devotional service, see also B.G. 11: 54 and 18: 16].

(22) While His mother was very busily engaged in her household, the Lord observed two arjuna trees outside who had been demigods [Guhyakas]. They once were the sons of the bestower of riches [Kuvera]. (23) They were back then known as the very prosperous Nalakûvara and Manigrîva, but because of their conceit they had been cursed by Nârada to become trees.'

 

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Third revised edition, loaded June 3, 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

Previous Aadhar edition and Vedabase links:

Text 1-2

S'rî S'uka said: 'One day, when the maidservants were otherwise engaged, mother Yas'odâ, Nanda's queen, was churning and making her curd. During the time she was churning the butter, she sang songs about everything she could remember her son had done.
S'rî S'uka said: 'One day, when the maidservants were engaged with other things, churned and made mother Yas'odâ, Nanda's queen, all the thick of milk [yogurt and butter] personally. For the time she was churning the butter sang she songs about what she remembered of all that her son had done. (Vedabase)

 

Text 3

Clad in linen held together by a belt around her shaking hips, her breasts, which at the nipples were wet because of her love for her son, moved as she was churning. And with that movement the bangles on her wrists and her earrings moved along in harmony. Meanwhile the perspiration, because of the labor of pulling the churning rope, ran down her face and fell down together with the jasmine flowers from her hair.

Being dressed in linen that was held by a belt around her shaking hips moved, as she was churning, her breasts, which at the nipples were wet because of her affection for her son, and along with that movement moved in harmony the bangles on her wrists and her earrings while, of the labor of pulling the churning rope, the perspiration ran down her face and fell down together with the jasmine flowers in her hair.  (Vedabase)

    

Text 4

The Lord, desirous to drink milk, approached her as she was churning and then stopped, being sweet to His mother, the churning rod by taking hold of it.

Desiring to drink approached the Lord her as she was churning and stopped He, getting affectionate with His mother, the churning rod by catching it. (Vedabase)

 

Text 5

She sweetly allowed Him on her lap to drink from her overflowing, loving breasts and watched with a smile how happy He was. When she saw how a pan of milk was boiling over, she had to put Him aside quickly and left, but He was not yet satisfied.

She sweetly allowed Him on her lap to drink from her overflowing, loving breasts and watched with a smile how happy He was, but with Him not yet satisfied had she to put Him aside quickly and leave when she saw how a pan of milk was boiling over. (Vedabase)

 

Text 6

Having gotten angry He, biting His full red lips and with false tears, with a stone broke the pot in which the butter was churned and began, hidden from sight in an adjacent room, to eat from everything that was churned.

Thrown into a fit biting His full red lips broke He, in vain tears, with a stone the pot in which the butter was churned and began He hidden from sight in an adjacent room to eat from what all was churned.  (Vedabase)


Text 7

The gopî rescued the boiling hot milk from the stove and returned to her workplace, where she discovered that the churning pot was broken. Not seeing her child she with a smile concluded that it had been His work.

The gopî putting the hot milk from the stove returned to her workplace and saw the churning pot broken. Not finding Him present concluded she with a smile that it had been the work of her child. (Vedabase)

 

Text 8

Standing on top of a mortar He had turned over, He, anxiously looking around, from a hanging [storage] pot to His pleasure handed a share of the milk goodies out to a monkey. From behind watching these activities, she very slowly approached her son.

Standing on top of a turned up mortar was He, apprehensive as a thief, to His like handing out to a monkey a share of the milk goodies from a hanging pot, while from behind watching these activities she very slowly approached her son. (Vedabase)

 

Text 9

Seeing her approaching with a stick in her hand He quickly climbed down and fled away, like He was afraid, with the gopî after Him - He who could not even be reached by the greatest yogis of penance who try to get access in their meditation [see also B.G. 18: 55].

Seeing her approaching with a stick in her hand He quickly got down from there and fled like He was afraid with the gopî after Him, He who not even by the greatest yogis of penance trying to get access in meditation could be reached [see also B.G. 18: 55]. (Vedabase)

    

Text 10

Even though the quickly chasing mother, with the flowers falling from her hair and with her heavy breasts to her thin waist, had to slow down, she nevertheless finally managed to capture Him.

Though the chasing mother, in her great speed with the flowers falling from her hair, heavy-breasted as she was to her thin waist had to slow down, managed she nevertheless finally to capture Him. (Vedabase)

 

Text 11

Catching the little scoundrel by the hand, she chastised Him with a threatening pose, and then saw Him with fearful eyes remorsefully crying and with His hands rubbing the black ointment of His eyes all over His face.

When she saw Him as the offender remorsefully crying, rubbing the black of His eyes all over His face with His hands, was she with Him, whom she with His distressed eyes had caught by the hand, just of a mild reproof. (Vedabase)

 

Text 12

With a good heart for her son understanding His fear, she threw away the stick though and wanted to bind Him with a rope. But she had no clue what kind of power she dealt with.

Considerate of her son's fright she heartful with her kid threw away the stick and decided to bind Him with a rope, not realizing what kind of power she was dealing with. (Vedabase)

 

Text 13-14

He to whom there is neither an inside nor an outside, neither a beginning nor an end, is both the beginning ànd the end, both the inside ànd the outside of the universe. He constitutes the complete of the universe. And He, the One Unmanifest, the One Unseen present in the form of a mortal being, was by the gopî taken for her son and bound to a mortar, like one does with a normal child.

There is no inside nor an outside to Him, a beginning nor an end. He, as the end as well as the beginning, the internal as well as the external of the entire creation, is the One Totality of that creation. Taking Him, the Unmanifest in the form of a mortal, for her own son she bound Him to a mortar like one does with a normal child. (Vedabase)

 

Text 15

When the rope she used to bind her naughty child fell short with a length of an inch, the gopî tied another rope to it.

When the rope she used to bind her naughty child fell short with a length of two fingers joined the gopî it with another one. (Vedabase)

 

Text 16

When even that one fell short she tried another one that, joining and joining, would not suffice either to bind Him staying short with [again] an inch.

When even that one fell short she then tried another one which also, with the joining and joining, would not suffice to bind staying short with two fingers. (Vedabase)

   

Text 17

Yas'odâ thus proceeded with all the ropes in the household, but failing that way she, being struck with wonder, had to laugh, together with all the gopîs taking part in the fun.

Yas'odâ in this manner unsuccessfully proceeding with all the ropes in the household, was, with all the gopîs taking part in the fun, laughing, being struck with wonder. (Vedabase)

  

Text 18

Seeing His mother sweating and getting tired, and all the flowers falling from her loosened hair, Krishna was so gracious to allow her to bind Him.

When He saw how much His mother was sweating with all flowers fallen from her hair and how tired she got, was Krishna so gracious as to agree in His being bound. (Vedabase)

 

Text 19

My best one, the Lord factually thus exhibited how He, Krishna, despite being the controller of the entire universe with all its demigods, is controlled by the servant of His own command [His devotees. Compare 7.3: 14-21]. 

My best, in this was factually by the Lord exhibited how He, Krishna, by whom indeed the whole universe with all its demigods is controlled, is won over by those [devotees] who submit to His wishes [compare 7.3: 14-21]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 20

Neither Lord Brahmâ, Lord S'iva, nor the Goddess of Fortune, albeit residing at His side, received from the Giver of Final Liberation the mercy the gopî obtained.

Nor Lord Brahmâ, nor Lord S'iva nor the Goddess of Fortune despite of her residing at His side, can achieve from the Giver of Final Liberation the like of the mercy that the gopî obtained. (Vedabase)

  

Text 21

They who adhere to the physical concept of life [the karmis], as also the jñânis [the book people, the transcendentalists] and they who go for the soul only [the escapists, the impersonalists], cannot win as easily the Supreme Lord, the Son of the Gopî who delivers this world, as those can who are convinced of bhakti [of devotional service, see also B.G. 11: 54 and 18: 16].

The Supreme Lord, the Son of the Gopî, is not as easily won by those bound to the body [those who are after the money, the profit], by jñânis [book people, transcendentalists] or mere soul-seekers [escapists, impersonalists] as by those who in this world are of bhakti [of devotional service] [see also B.G. 11: 54 and 18: 16]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 22

While His mother was very busily engaged in her household, the Lord observed two arjuna trees outside who had been demigods [Guhyakas]. They once were the sons of the bestower of riches [Kuvera].

Meanwhile, with His mother very busy engaged in her household, observed the Lord two arjuna trees outside who, as the sons of the bestower of riches [Kuvera], had been demigods [Guhyakas]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 23

They were back then known as the very prosperous Nalakûvara and Manigrîva, but because of their conceit they had been cursed by Nârada to become trees.'

They formerly were known as the very opulent Nalakûvara and Manigrîva, but had for their conceit been cursed by Nârada to become trees.' (Vedabase)

 

 

 

 

 


Creative Commons License
The text and audio are offered under the conditions of the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The first painting is a Rajastani painting of Krishna Lila, source:
The second painting is titled: 'The Infant Krishna tied to a mortar '.
Manuscript page, late 15th century (painted)
©
Victoria & Albert Museum
Production:
Filognostic Association of The Order of Time.

 

 

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