you have to face it

जनो हि यत्कर्म करोति यादृशं स सर्वदा तादृशं अश्नुते फलं I

बलिः पुरा अबध्यत येन दानवः स लोकनाथोपि तदाप बन्धनम्II

jano hi yat karma karoti yaadrusham sa sarvadaa taadrusham asnute phalam

baliH pura abadhyata yean dhaanavaH sa lokanaathopi tadaapa bandhanam

ജനോ ഹി യത് കര്‍മ കരോതി യാദൃശം സ സര്‍വദാ താദൃശം ആശ്നുതെ ഫലം

ബലിഃ പുരാ അബധ്യത യേന ദാനവഃ സ ലോകനാഥോപി തദാപ ബന്ധനം

We have read the story of the naughty boy Krishna being tied to a mortar by His mother Yasodha...

In Sreekrishnavilasam, Sukumarakavi tries to ponder as to why the Lord had to undergo that punishment..

His mind goes back to the era of Mahabali.. Prodded by Indra and his company, the Lord approached the yajnabhoomi of Mahabali and begs for three foot-measures of land..in his shape as a small boy, and just manifests himself as Trivikrama and measures the whole universe in two feet and places the third feet on the head of Bali.. A fight follows and Bali is tied by the Varuna paasham.. the rope of Varuna and is sent to Rasathalam.

The retribution for tying up the just king Bali with a rope cannot be avoided even by the Lord of the World.. So He had to submit himself to be tied by a rope by his beloved mother Yashoda..

The sloka when translated reads

People would definitely beget results according to the actions embarked upon by them.. The demon king Mahabali was tied up by the Lord (in his Vamana Avataram), Even though He is the Lord of the Universe, he has to receive the fruits of his action, and hence he also accepted captivity of a rope at the hands of His mother (in Krishna avatara)

By getting tied up by the Lord, Bali gained immortality.. and we celebrate Onam in his honour today.

By using the rope to tie up the Lord, Mother Yasodha also attained immortallity

Krishna the best actor....

Krishna the best actor....

निपीडयन्नग्रपदेन पृथ्वीं उन्नम्य देहं भृशमूर्ध्वबाहुः।

पयोघटस्पर्शमनश्नुवानः त्रिविक्रमोऽभूत्परिहासपात्रम्॥

सुकुमारकविविरचितौ श्रीकृष्णविलासकाव्ये ३-८८

nipīḍayannagrapadena pṛthvīṁ unnamya dehaṁ bhṛśamūrdhvabāhuḥ|

payoghaṭasparśamanaśnuvānaḥ trivikramo'bhūtparihāsapātram||

sukumārakaviviracitau śrīkṛṣṇavilāsakāvye 3-88

Krishna is going around Gokulam stealing milk and butter..

He stands underneath a pot of milk and butter suspended from the ceiling of a house.

He tries to increase his height by standing on tiptoe

Still unable to reach the pot, he raises up his hands to full height.

Still he is not able to reach anywhere near the pot..

And thus the inimitable Thrivikrama who once measured the entire expanse of the universe with two feet and was looking for a space to place the third step became the butt of jokes about his puny self..

"placing his big toe firm on the ground and attempting to increase his height and the stretching his body and raising his hands as much as possible and still unable to reach pot containing milk, that Trivikrama became the laughing stock of all who witnessed such attempt."

Just see how that black rogue shows off!

We humans try to show off parading our own prowess mostly existing only in our imagination..

Here that playful urchin who measured the whole universe in two steps as Thrivikrama is standing there on tiptoes holding up his hands and feigning despair at his being unable to touch a pot of milk just suspended a few feet up..

What a pretension!

How many Oscars would He deserve?

നിപീഡയന്നഗ്രപദേന പൃഥ്വീം ഉന്നമ്യ ദേഹം ഭൃശമൂര്‍ധ്വബാഹുഃ।

പയോഘടസ്പര്‍ശമനശ്നുവാനഃ ത്രിവിക്രമോഽഭൂത്പരിഹാസപാത്രം॥

സുകുമാരകവിവിരചിതേ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണവിലാസകാവ്യേ ൩-൮൮

ബാലനായ കൃഷ്ണന്‍ ഗോകുലത്തിലെ ഓരോ വീട്ടിലും ഒളിച്ചു പതുങ്ങി കയറുകയാണ്.. പാലും വെണ്ണയും കട്ടുതിന്നാന്‍.

ഒരു വീട്ടില്‍ പതുങ്ങിക്കയറി പാലും വെണ്ണയും നിറച്ച, ഉയരത്തില്‍ തൂക്കിയിട്ടിരിക്കുന്ന, ഒരു ഉറിയുടെ ചുവട്ടില്‍ കൊതിയോടെ മുകളില്‍ നോട്ടമിട്ടു അവന്‍ നില്‍ക്കുകയാണ്.

കൊച്ചു കുഞ്ഞല്ലേ. ഉയരം ഒട്ടും പോര.

കാല്‍വിരലുകള്‍ മാത്രം ഭൂമിയില്‍ അമര്‍ത്തി അവന്‍ ഉയരത്തിലുള്ള ഉറി എത്തിപ്പിടിക്കാന്‍ ശ്രമിക്കുകയാണ്.

എന്നിട്ടും ഉറിയില്‍ തൊടാന്‍ കഴിയാതെ അവന്‍ രണ്ടു കൈയും കഴിയാവുന്നത്ര ഉയര്‍ത്തിപ്പിടിച്ച് വലിഞ്ഞു നില്‍ക്കുകയാണ്..

സര്‍വവ്യാപിയായ സമാനതകള്‍ ഒന്നുമില്ലാത്ത ആ ഭഗവാന്‍, രണ്ടു കാലടികള്‍ കൊണ്ട് പ്രപഞ്ചം മുഴുവന്‍ അളന്നെടുത്ത ശേഷം മൂന്നാമത്തെ അടി എവിടെ വയ്ക്കും എന്നറിയാതെ ലോകം നിറഞ്ഞു നിന്ന ത്രിവിക്രമന്‍, ഇപ്പോള്‍ തന്‍റെ ശരീരത്തിന്‍റെ ഹ്രസ്വത പ്രകടിപ്പിച്ചു എല്ലാവരുടെയും പരിഹാസപാത്രം ആയിരിക്കുന്നു.

“ തള്ളവിരല്‍ ഭൂമിയില്‍ അമര്‍ത്തി, കൈകള്‍ മുകളിലോട്ടു ഉയര്‍ത്തി, ശരീരം വലിഞ്ഞുയര്‍ത്തിയിട്ടും ഉയരെ തൂങ്ങുന്ന പാല്‍ നിറച്ച കുടങ്ങള്‍ എത്തിപ്പിടിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയാതെ ആ ത്രിവിക്രമന്‍ ആ ശ്രമം കണ്ടുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന എല്ലാവരുടെയും പരിഹാസങ്ങള്‍ ഏറ്റുവാങ്ങി.”മുഴുവന്‍

കുസൃതിയായ കരുമാടിക്കുട്ടനായ ആ കൊച്ചുകള്ളന്‍റെ അഭിനയം കണ്ടില്ലേ ?

നാം സാധാരണ മനുഷ്യര്‍ നമുക്ക് ഒട്ടും ഇല്ലാത്തതും പക്ഷെ നമുക്ക് ഉണ്ടെന്നു നാം ധരിച്ചുവച്ചിരിക്കുന്നതും ആയ നേട്ടങ്ങള്‍ പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കാനും ജാഡ കാണിക്കാനും എപ്പോഴും കിണഞ്ഞു പരിശ്രമിക്കുന്നു.

പക്ഷെ ആ മായാവി, ആ കുസൃതിച്ചെറുക്കന്‍, താന്‍ ഒരിക്കല്‍ രണ്ടു കാലടികള്‍ കൊണ്ട് പ്രപഞ്ചം മുഴുവന്‍ അളന്നെടുത്ത ത്രിവിക്രമന്‍ ആണെന്ന കാര്യം മറച്ചുവച്ച് തള്ളവിരലില്‍ ഊന്നി നിന്നും കൈകള്‍ രണ്ടും ഉയര്‍ത്തിയും കുറച്ചു അടികള്‍ മാത്രം ഉയരത്തില്‍ തൂങ്ങിക്കിടക്കുന്ന പാല്‍ക്കുടത്തെ എത്തിപ്പിടിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയുന്നില്ല എന്ന് തോന്നിച്ച് നിരാശയും നടിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്‌ അങ്ങനെ നില്‍ക്കുകയാണ്.

എന്തൊരു അഭിനയം

അവനു എത്ര ഓസ്കാര്‍ കൊടുത്താല്‍ മതിയാവും.?

birthday wishes, my lovely Krishna

birthday wishes, my lovely Krishna

सहैव हर्षेण सुधाशनानां सहैव पुण्येन वसुन्धरायाः।

भयेन भोजाधिपतेश्च देवः सहेव गर्भे ववृधे मुकुन्दः॥३४

इति प्रवृत्ते समये घनानां मासे नभस्ये निशि मध्यमायाम्। 

मणे शुभाख्यायिनि च ग्रहाणां देवक्युवाह प्रसवाभिमुख्यम्॥४९

हरत्सु बाह्यं भुवनस्य तापं प्रावृट्प्रसूतेषु वलाहकेषु।

असूत तस्यान्तरतापशान्त्यै कृष्णांबुवाहं कृपयेव देवी॥५०

दिशः प्रसेदुः सह निम्नगाभिः जहर्ष लोकेन सहांबुराशिः।

जाते मुकुन्दे मुमुचुश्च सद्यः भयेन देवाः सह पुष्पवृष्टिम्॥५१

मनोभिरामेण मधुव्रतानां नादेन शंसन्निव दिष्टवृद्धिम्।

चचार वायुः सुमनोऽम्शुकानि सम्प्राप्य सम्प्राप्य महीरुहेभ्यः॥५२

sahaiva harṣeṇa sudhāśanānāṁ sahaiva puṇyena vasundharāyāḥ|

bhayena bhojādhipateśca devaḥ saheva garbhe vavṛdhe mukundaḥ||34

iti pravṛtte samaye ghanānāṁ māse nabhasye niśi madhyamāyām| 

maṇe śubhākhyāyini ca grahāṇāṁ devakyuvāha prasavābhimukhyam||49

haratsu bāhyaṁ bhuvanasya tāpaṁ prāvṛṭprasūteṣu valāhakeṣu|

asūta tasyāntaratāpaśāntyai kṛṣṇāṁbuvāhaṁ kṛpayeva devī||50

diśaḥ praseduḥ saha nimnagābhiḥ jaharṣa lokena sahāṁburāśiḥ|

jāte mukunde mumucuśca sadyaḥ bhayena devāḥ saha puṣpavṛṣṭim||51

manobhirāmeṇa madhuvratānāṁ nādena śaṁsanniva diṣṭavṛddhim|

cacāra vāyuḥ sumano'mśukāni samprāpya samprāpya mahīruhebhyaḥ||52

The birth of that Immortal Krishna is described in great vividity by Sukumarakavi in his Sreekrishnavilasakavyam.. Canto 2

First the glorious news that Devaki has conceived the Lord in her blessed womb is announced like this..

That Mukunda grew to full health in the womb of Devaki, and along with that,

The jubilation of the Gods who partook in ambrosia started to grow,

The good fortune of the Mother earth who contains in her all living beings was on the increase.

The nightmarish terror in the mind of Kamsa the ruler of Bhoja Kingdom started to swell to diabolic terror..

Krishna is born.

It was the rainy season. 

The black clouds roared in the sky. During a midnight in the Proshtapada Month.. ( Kannya) the planets led by the Sun were all vying with one another to position themselves most favourably, mother Devaki started to feel the delivery pain.

And

Just as the black clouds were pouring their waters in abundance to give relief to the earth from the scorching heat of the sun, 

Devi Devaki Gave birth to the black Cloud by name Krishna,

the black cloud that has come to shower its mercy on the earth and its beings 

and relieve them of all inner and outer sufferings

.

When Krishna was born the whole earth with all the four cardinal points rejoiced, and the water reservoirs threw up their waters which showered down upon Him as cool rains.. 

The celestial beings threw down their fears and inhibition and also showered fragrant flowers from heaven on the Lord of Lords Keshava

The cool gentle breeze hovered around everywhere in jubilation carrying the sweet droning of the bees as if announcing the sweet tiding that Mukunda is born, and carrying with it the aroma of the flowers which were blooming in the the night..

He is the most efficient thief in the universe.

He is the most efficient thief in the universe.
पुत्रं कुलस्य भुवनस्य च रक्षितारंअभ्यर्थितोऽपि भगवानरविन्दनाभः।

त्वां मे ददौ विधिवशात् भुवनैकचोरंइत्याह कोपमभिनीय सुतं यशोदा॥श्रीकृष्णविलासकाव्ये ३-९९
putraṁ kulasya bhuvanasya ca rakṣitāraṁabhyarthito'pi bhagavānaravindanābhaḥ|tvāṁ me dadau vidhivaśāt bhuvanaikacoraṁityāha kopamabhinīya sutaṁ yaśodā||śrīkṛṣṇavilāsakāvye 3-99

പുത്രം കുലസ്യ ഭുവനസ്യ ച രക്ഷിതാരം അഭ്യര്‍ഥിതോപി ഭഗവാന്‍ അരവിന്ദനാഭഃത്വാം മേ ദദൌ വിധിവശാത് ഭുവനൈകചോരം ഇത്യാഹ കോപമാഭിനീയ സുതം യശോദാ

ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണവിലാസകാവ്യം 

The boy Krishna is very active in his nocturnal forays into the households of the gopas and his activity of stealing milk and butter is going unhampered.
 Mother 
Yashoda is flooded with complaints about the little fellow's stealthy deeds.. 
She knows these are only pranks..

She tries to pretend that she is  angry with the boy, but anger eludes her.
With mock indignation, the luckiest mother ever  tells her son that she had been praying to Lord Padmanabha that she should be blessed with a son who will be the protector of her clan and the whole world, but as her luck would have it she is having a boy who is the most efficient thief in the whole of the world.

" Feigning anger, Mother Yashoda tells her son,
 " the Lord with Lotus sprouting from his navel ( Padmanabha) was being entreated by me  that a son who is the protector of our clan and the whole world may be born to me, but the Lord has, perhaps by a quirk of fate, given me a son who is the foremost among the thieves in the whole world"

Funny is it not.?.
Yasodha prayed for a son who is the protector of the world and The God himself has come to Gokulam as her son..But through His pranks, He has made her so desperate that she ends up confessing that she has been blessed with a hard-boiled thief for a son..
True, He is the most efficient thief in the universe..
Who else can rob the three worlds of its misfortunes and misery?

How lucky are the deer!

How lucky are the deer!

न भीतिरन्तर्न दृशश्चलत्वं नास्था तृणे नोत्सुकताऽपि शाबे।

रूपेण दामोदर मोहितास्ते तिष्ठन्त्यमी काष्ठकृता इवैणाः॥

श्रीकृष्णविलासकाव्ये ५-३३

na bhītirantarna dṛśaścalatvaṁ nāsthā tṛṇe notsukatā'pi śābe|

rūpeṇa dāmodara mohitāste tiṣṭhantyamī kāṣṭhakṛtā ivaiṇāḥ||

śrīkṛṣṇavilāsakāvye 5-33

That attractive cowherd Krishna, in the company of his friends, was leading the cows of Gokulam for grazing in the forest.. Simply dazzled by the beauty of the son of Nanda, herds of deer, who are very timid by nature, simply forget everything and stand like logs bereft of any movement.

Balarama is just telling his younger brother,

“ Look lovely Damodara, the deer are standing there motionless in front of you, without the mind to take their eyes off you, like logs of wood, being enthralled by your heavenly form.

The deer are very timid by nature and would prefer to bolt on seing humans but on seeing you, they have forgotten their inherent fear and stand motionless devouring your beauty...

The beautiful eyes of the deer would darting hither and thither by habit, but they have just fixed themselve on your form..

Though they are voracious eaters by nature, they have simply forgotten the grass growing in front of them.

Though habitually possessive about their small ones, they are neglecting their little ones on seeing you.

In His heavenly presence, even beings bereft of the sixth sense and discrimination, simply forget themselves.. How lucky are the deer!

The Story of Prabhakara

The Story of Prabhakara

Prabhakara was a bright boy, spending his childhood and early youth under the tutelage of a very leaned guru, in his gurukulam.. By any yardstick, this boy was head and shoulder above all other inmates. Even as it took hours and hours for the guru to explain and teach the meaning, grammar and etymology of Kavyas, to other students, the guru would ask Prabhakara to read the material once, and leave the matter to be grasped by him in his own way.. The boy would have doubts on rare occasions alone, and he would get clarifications from the guru only on rare occasions.. He would have to learn everything almost by himself, but the guru would put to him the most difficult questions and would not condone even the slightest slip.. While the guru was patience personified while dealing with the other disciples, he was always angry and savvy with his cane when it came to Prabhakara.. But the boy knew the guru was learned, and loved and worshiped him.. And never felt bad about the open insults and incessant thrashing he received at the hands of the teacher.
But human flesh has its own ways. One day, the guru gave him a thorough tongue lash and also severe thrashing which made the boy bleed all over the body. Earlier, the boy used to stand receiving all the admonitions and play of cane with great patience and forbearance.. But this time the pain was too severe and he ran away.
Much against his own will, he started to think by himself. “ The master knows that I am doing very well in my studies. He knows that I am better than all other boys around here. Still he has never uttered a word of praise or encouragement for me.. When it comes to me, he knows how to administer his cane alone in the most efficient manner.. He is prejudiced against me and he hates me. How lucky I would be if I get an opportunity to kill this cruel person”
With intended murder in his mind, Prabhakaran hid himself in the attic of the room occupied by the Guru and his wife..
That day, the guru was feeling tired and drained out, and did not have any appetite. He retired to bed without taking any food.. His wife came and enquired about his lack of enthusiasm..
The guru said. “I beat up and insulted that boy Prabhakaran too cruelly today, and he was bleeding all about and ran away in great pain. Usually he would take all punishment without a murmur.”
The wife said.. “ I was observing for years that you treat that boy unfairly.. I have never seen a more studious, more obedient and more intelligent child in my life.. I was feeling very sorry for him, but I never asked you about it because I did not want to make you angry further.. But your action today was beyond all limits..”
The guru replied.. “ I know that.. My heart is broken only because I punished that child so brutally.. Right from the day one he came to my school, I knew that he was the best among my students, and that great fame and glory is awaiting him.. I made him study things for himself because he had the potential to do that.. I never praised him, nay, I insulted and thrashed him always only because he should never get arrogant of his knowledge and lose his thirst for excellence.. My love for him was more than my own children. Today, the boy has run away, and I am not able to bear that sorrow”Prabhakaran was overhearing the conversation and was stricken with remorse.. He was planning to murder his beloved guru who loved him so much.. He knew how great a sin he has committed.
He jumped down and fell on the feet of the master and his wife.. He was honest enough to confess that he had hidden there with murderous intentions. But the Guru took the matter very lightly..He said that the disciple had been tortured beyond endurance limits, although with noble intentions, and his rebellion was understandable. The guru and his wife readily pardoned him.
But Prabhakaran would not forgive himself.. He approached the assembly of learned Brahmins and confessed that he had intended to murder his Guru and the appropriate punishment should be pronounced.. The learned sadas decreed that disrespect and rebellion against guru with murderous intention would have to be expiated by burning one’s own body gradually in the slow fire caused by burning husk of paddy..Accordingly, Prabhakaran dug up a deep pit and lighted husk and entered it with his whole body submerged with only his head showing out. The fire started to burn from the bottom and his body was being consumed by slow fire from the region of his feet and upaward..
While so burning, the thought came over him that all his learning over the years would go waste and therefore he should create a Kavyam before he was fully burnt out.
Thus he started uttering the stanzas of the Kavyam scribes recorded it.. The Kavyam related to the birth and playful activities of Krishna.. SreeKrishnavilaasaKavyam..
But while he was giving words to the twelfth chapter, the fire burnt him upto his neck and his head also collapsed into the fire.. The kavyam stopped abruptly.
Legend goes that Kalidasa heard about the greatness of this Kavyam and was thinking of completing it. But then it is said that he heard a voice for heaven, pattucharadinodu vaazhanaaru cherkkan nokkanda..(പട്ടുചരടിനോടു വാഴനാര് ചേര്ക്കാന്‍ നോക്കണ്ട) you do not attempt to add a string made of the stem of a plantain tree to a thread of pure silk existing already..
Therefore Kalidasa abandoned the idea.
Prabhakara, who earned the name of Sukumara for his beautiful form as also the beautiful Kavyam, burnt himself to ashes to expiate the sin of showing disrespect to his guru but he has attained immortality through his great work.. Sreekrishnavilaasakavyam..