Thadhipandan

Krishna along with Balram and his friends was always being a bothersome for the Gopis. They would steal the butter while it’s being taken to Mathura. They will also be stealing butter from houses when the house owners are not around, at least not around the pot is more than enough for Krishna. Nothing stopped Krishna from stealing butter. Gopis complained to Yashoda and Nanda Gopa too, but Krishna would lie that the gopis are lying! 

Sometimes, in late night, when everyone is in deep sleep, Krishna, Balram and their friends will start looking for houses that churned for butter in the morning. They will steal and eat all the butter silently and return to their houses and sleep as if nothing has happened. The next day morning, Gopis will understand that it’s all Krishna’s act but when they complain to Yashoda, Krishna would respond, “Maatha! I was sleeping next to you the whole night. How could I steal the butter then? They are all lying!” His act will be so realistic like the night’s act and mother Yashoda would believe only Krishna and not the Gopis.

One evening while returning home after playing with his friends near the banks of the river Yamuna, Sudhama, Krishna’s best friend said, ”Krishna! You know what, I saw the gopi who lives three houses next to mine churning butter in the morning.”

Krishna’s eyes sparkled like diamond. “Sudhama! You are the best friend I have ever got. How nice of you to understand my hunger! Now that we are all tired, shall we have some butter to refresh our mind?” Krishna looked at Balram and his friends with the same mischievous look that he would have every time while stealing butter.

Krishna’s enthusiasm spread among the group and everyone started playing their role while they go to steal butter. With an assurance that there’s no one in the house, everyone went inside the kitchen and started having the butter. Since there was no one in the house, everyone had fun and ate all the butter. They forgot that they came for stealing and started having fun inside the house. In the meantime, the house owner returned and saw Krishna and Balram having fun with their friends. The Gopi started shouting in anger at them. “Krishna! I know it’s you who would have started this. I’m going to take you to your mother this time and make sure you get punished.”

Krishna, Balram and their friends started running towards the streets. They ran faster than the gopis. Everyone split and started running in different directions. Krishna ran and entered into a house. The hall had large drums kept in the corner. Krishna checked every single drum. They were all filled with buttermilk. Finally he got inside the one that was empty. He hid himself from the gopis. It was Thadhipandan’s house. Thadhipandan is a seller of milk products especially buttermilk and butter. Thandhipandan who was in the other room saw all this. Thadhipandan is an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. He knew that Krishna is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Thadhipandan came running and sat on the top of the drum as if like nothing happened. The gopis who came looking for Krishna saw Thadhipandan and asked him, “Oh Thadhipanda! Did you see that little thief Krishna? He came running this side. He stole butter in my house. That little thief ate all my butter.”

“Oh really! That’s so bad. I didn’t see him. I’m sitting here for a long time. I didn’t see him or any kids running this way.”- Thadhipandan lied to the gopis in order to save Krishna.

“If you see him, get hold of him. Don’t let him run away. I’m going to present him in front of Yashoda and tell her about his stealing. Every time we complaint, he makes us look like fools in front of Yashoda.”-saying so the gopis left. But Thandhipandan didn’t move. He sat on the drum’s top humming to himself.

Krishna who is inside the drum knew that the gopis had left. He was waiting for Thadhipandan to get up, but now it seemed like it’s not going to happen. He punched Thandhipandan from inside-“Oi Gopa Thandhipanda! How long are you planning to sit on the top? It’s suffocating inside. I’m not able to breathe. Get up.”

“Hey Krishna, you are struck in my hands now. If you want to get out of the pot, grant me my wish. Only then I will release you.”-Thadhipandan was sitting firmly on the top of the drum.

“What is this? I tried to escape from the gopis and now struck with this guy. That too inside a drum! Oi Gopa! Is this the way to ask for a wish? That’s not fair. This is blackmail!”- Krishna shouted from inside.

“I know. But this is the only way to get hold of you. And also you are not that easy to be caught. While you are Krishna and also while you are the Lord himself. This is my only chance! Grant me Moksha. Get me out of this cycle of birth and rebirth and the worldly life. Agree to it and then I will let you free.”- Thandhipandan was so firm on his side.

“Oh boy! What have I pulled myself into? Fine, I agree. I agree. I will grant Moksha to both you and your drum that I’m struck in. Now let me out! It’s so hard to sit inside. And suffocating!” – Krishna bellowed from inside.

Thadhipandan was so relieved to hear those words and he jumped from the top of the drum out of happiness. Krishna came outside and he brought the Pushpaga Vimanam from heaven and made sure Thadhipandan and his drum attained Moksha.

Salvation of Satakasura

Krishna was growing in Gokulam, away from Kamsa.  After the death of Boodhaki (Putana), the people of Gokulam were aware of the dangers that little Krishna might get. Since they are paying taxes to Kamsa, the king of Mathura in terms of milk products, they were conscious that Kamsa is the one who is trying to kill Krishna and is sending demons to Gokulam. So they started taking better care of Krishna. Yashoda, to keep an eye on Krishna, never sleeps when there’s no one in the house. The people of Gokulam even hid him in different houses at times and kept moving Krishna from house of house. The people were so worried that they even stayed awake at night to protect Krishna.

Three months have passed after Krishna being brought to Gokulam and the entire Gokulam was happy that there has been no threat for him in these days. But still people never left Krishna alone for a moment. Yashoda made sure Krishna is always close to her. One day, it was in the late morning and Yashoda has bathed Krishna and fed him. Nanda Gopa was not in the house and only Balram and Krishna were in the house. Yashoda was having household works to take care of and the maids were working outside the house. Worried Yashoda took Krishna in front of the house where people are working and Balram joined with the kids who were playing outside. Since there are people outside and the whole area is alive, she placed Krishna under a cart, in the shade. She made sure Krishna is safe beneath the cart and was working across the cart, doing household works.

Poor Yashoda did not know that the cart itself is a demon named Satakasura sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna. Satakasura has turned himself into a cart and tried to kill Krishna by crushing him to the ground. Now that Krishna is sleeping beneath the cart, he thought this would be the right time to kill Krishna. While he was pressing the cart to the ground, Krishna started to squeal aloud wildly with his fists clenched, as if he had a bad dream.  He was awake and still wailing, he started kicking his legs in the air like any baby would do. Kicking his legs aggressively, Krishna overturned the cart and killed Satakasura with a kick! Krishna did not do anything extraordinary. He behaved like any baby would do but only that Satakasura was caught in the aftermath of the actions.

In his previous life, Sakatasura was Utkaca, son of demon Hiranyaksha. While having fun in the forest, he trampled and destroyed the green trees and the creepers of Rishi Lomasa’s ashram. Rishi became angry and cursed him, “May you become bodiless.” Utkaca realized his fault and fell at the feet of the Rishi and begged for forgiveness. Pleased by Utkaca’s act, Rishi said, “You will be liberated from the curse by the touch of Lord Krishna’s feet.” And now, by a casual kick from Krishna, Satakasura was liberated from his curse and attained Moksha.

Worried Yashoda and others came running towards the cart and saw Krishna who has stopped crying and started smiling while the cart was broken. There was a small scratch in Krishna’s feet. Yashoda took Krishna in her hands and kept him close to her heart. People of Gokulam saw the cart being transformed into a demon. They later cremated Satakasura in the forest. Thus Satakasura was killed and he attained Moksha. The people of Gokulam rejoiced after seeing Krishna safe and secured.

Krishna in Gokulam

         Parjanya Gopa resided in a religious town called Nandagon. He had 5 sons, Upananda, Abhinanda, Nanda Gopa (also, Gopa Raja Nanda Baba), Sunand and Nandan - and 2 daughters, Sananda and Nandhini. He gave in hand his middle son, Nanda to Yashoda. Years passed by, Nanda had no offspring and so, deeply worried Parjanya Gopa worshipped Narayana in the hope that Nanda would be blessed with a child. A voice from the sky announced that Nanda would have a brave son who will bring happiness to all those around him and will uphold dharma and annihilate the demons who stand in his path of defending dharma. Hearing this Parjanya and Nanda were both happy but it implanted fear in the hearts of the demons and they caused trouble to Nanda Gopa and his tribe.

        Worried, they decided to move out of the town along with his relatives and trusted tribe members and started residing in Mahavanam. River Yamuna flows close to Mahavanam and supported to behold the green and lavishing beauty of Mahavanam and thus helping the green lavish meadows for the cows to graze in. This pleased the Brajvasi Gopis to reside there. As Nanda Gopa was the Chief of Gopas, a tribe of cowherds referred as Holy Gwals, Mahavanam also came to be known as Gokulam. “Go” refers to “cow” and “Kulam” stands for “herd”. Hence Mahavanam came to be called as Gokulam, after Nanda Gopa and his clan came and resided happily in Mahavanam. Mahavanam is located in the east of Mathura and it was under the control of Kamsa, the ruler of Mathura. The Gopis traded milk and milk products to the palace of Mathura.

     Years went on. Sri Krishna was born in Mathura at midnight, behind the bars, as the eighth son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Lord Vishnu appeared before them and said that he himself has born as their eighth child to rescue them and the people of Mathura. He asked Vasudeva to carry him to the house of his friend, the cowherd chief Nanda in the village of Gokul across the Yamuna, where Nanda's wife Yashoda had given birth to a daughter. Vishnu assured them that "nothing shall bar your path". He was to exchange his boy and bring Yashoda's baby daughter back to the prison.

  

The baby girl was an incarnation of goddess Yogmaya. Sri Nanda Gopa is also stepbrother of King Vasudeva. In order to save the child from Kamsa, Vasudeva took the child and left him in the hands of Nanda and as advised by the Lord, he hurried back to the prison of Kamsa with the baby girl. Vasudeva came back to Mathura and as he entered, the doors of the prison closed themselves. Yasoda knew that a child was born to her, but because she was tired from the childbirth, she was fast asleep. When she awoke, she could not remember whether she had given birth to a male or female child.

        
     Early in the morning, all the people at Gokula rejoiced the birth of Nanda's beautiful male child. Sri Krishna lived in this place up to his age of 3 until they moved to Vrindhavan. All the leelas of Krishna as a toddler took place here. The residence of Nanda Gopa in Gokulam was named as Nanda Bhavan. It was built by Vishwakarma. It was also called as Chaurasi Khamba, as it has got 84 pillars. Chaurasi means “84”. It was here, Lord Krishna sucked out the poison together with the life force of Boodhaki  (Putana) when she disguised herself as Yashoda. He thus liberated Bhoodhaki from the body of a demoness.      

Krishna sucking poison out of Boodhaki

Another time while Lord Krishna was sleeping in his cradle when he was 3 months old, demon Sakatasura tried killing Lord Krishna by pressing the cart to the ground with Lord Krishna beneath it. But the toddler Krishna kicked his legs like any toddler would do and killed him. 

It was here in Gokulam, demon Trnavarta assumed the form of whirlwind and seized baby Krishna who was sitting beside mother Yasoda and flew into the sky. Krishna caught his neck as any baby might do, but this chocked the demon. Trnavarta’s eyes popped out from their sockets, and he fell to the earth and died.

        Of all the leela, Lord Krishna exposed the veracity to his mom by showing her the entire Universe. While playing with Balram, Krishna mischievously ate earth. Balram ran towards Yasodha and complained to her that Krishna is eating mud. Angry Yashodha went to Krishna and asked whether the complaint was true. Krishna,the impish kid denied and told her that Balram is lying jut to make him get scoldings from their mother. But, Yashoda was not convinced and insisted that he should open his mouth and show. When Krishna opened his mouth like a flower blossoming, to her surprise she saw the whole Universe, 'Vishwa', like sun, moon, planets, oceans, mountains etc., and she also saw herself with Krishna inside the cute little space of her son's mouth. Yashoda was stunned and began to wonder whether she were dreaming or actually seeing something extraordinary. She fell on the ground, unconscious. When she recovered, she realized what had happened. It was little Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu. Yashoda took the little boy on her lap and hugged him and cried with joy.

"Millions of skies are within Me," 

   It was only here, the limitless, unattainable supreme showed the truth to his mother. The truth, the knowledge that rishis are trying to know and longing to have his dharshan by doing severe penance and performing austerity, was shown to Yashoda when he was tied to a mortar, implicating God will surrender to divine love. He whom the yogis consider as the Paramathma and the devotees call as The Supreme, succumbed to Yashoda's words and love.