Krishna’s Naughty Childhood Pastimes

Translations and Purports by
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT

Our dear friend Yasoda, your son sometimes comes to our houses before the milking of the cows and releases the calves, and when the master of the house becomes angry, your son merely smiles. Sometimes He devises some process by which He steals palatable curd, butter and milk, which He then eats and drinks. When the monkeys assemble, He divides it with them, and when the monkeys have their bellies so full that they won’t take more, He breaks the pots. Sometimes, if He gets no opportunity to steal butter or milk from a house, He will be angry at the householders, and for His revenge He will agitate the small children by pinching them. Then, when the children begin crying, Krishna will go away.

PURPORT

The narration of Krishna’s naughty childhood activities would be presented to mother Yasoda in the form of complaints. Sometimes Krishna would enter the house of a neighbor, and if He found no one there, He would release the calves before the time for the cows to be milked. The calves are actually supposed to be released when their mothers are milked, but Krishna would release them before that time, and naturally the calves would drink all the milk from their mothers. When the cowherd men saw this, they would chase Krishna and try to catch Him, saying, “Here is Krishna doing mischief,” but He would flee and enter another house, where He would again devise some means to steal butter and curd. Then the cowherd men would again try to capture Him, saying, “Here is the butter thief. Better capture Him!” And they would be angry. But Krishna would simply smile, and they would forget everything. Sometimes, in their presence, He would begin eating the curd and butter. There was no need for Krishna to eat butter, since His belly was always full, but He would try to eat it, or else He would break the pots and distribute the contents to the monkeys. In this way, Krishna was always engaged in mischief-making. If in any house He could not find any butter or curd to steal, He would go into a room and agitate the small children sleeping there by pinching them, and when they cried He would go away. - Bhag. 10.8.29

TEXT

When Krishna is caught in His naughty activities, the master of the house will say to Him, ‘Oh, You are a thief,’ and artificially express anger at Krishna. Krishna will then reply, ‘I am not a thief. You are a thief.’ Sometimes, being angry, Krishna passes urine and stool in a neat, clean place in our houses. But now, our dear friend Yasoda, this expert thief is sitting before you like a very good boy.” Sometimes all the gopis would look at Krishna sitting there, His eyes fearful so that His mother would not chastise Him, and when they saw Krishna’s beautiful face, instead of chastising Him they would simply look upon His face and enjoy transcendental bliss. Mother Yasoda would mildly smile at all this fun, and she would not want to chastise her blessed transcendental child.

PURPORT

Krishna’s business in the neighborhood was not only to steal but sometimes to pass stool and urine in a neat, clean house. When caught by the master of the house, Krishna would chastise him, saying, “You are a thief.” Aside from being a thief in His childhood affairs, Krishna acted as an expert thief when He was young by attracting young girls and enjoying them in the rasa dance. This is Krishna’s business. He is also violent, as the killer of many demons. Although mundane people like nonviolence and other such brilliant qualities, God, the Absolute Truth, being always the same, is good in any activities, even so-called immoral activities like stealing, killing and violence. Krishna is always pure, and He is always the Supreme Absolute Truth. Krishna may do anything supposedly abominable in material life, yet still He is attractive. Therefore His name is Krishna, meaning “all-attractive.” This is the platform on which transcendental loving affairs and service are exchanged. Because of the features of Krishna’s face, the mothers were so attracted that they could not chastise Him. Instead of chastising Him, they smiled and enjoyed hearing of Krishna’s activities. Thus the gopis remained satisfied, and Krishna enjoyed their happiness. Therefore another name of Krishna is Gopi-jana-vallabha because He invented such activities to please the gopis. – Bhag. 10.8.31

Rules For the Temple
By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur

we who have come to Sri Chaitanya Math are all surrendered to Sri Chaitanya Dev, therefore we do not have any other goal besides servicing the Supreme Lord. If we lack in our devotional service, then our mentality will become like that of a materialistic person and devour us. In order to protect the math we have to abide by some rules.

Delighting the cowherd men and women with His childhood pastimes, with His friends Lord Hari stole butter and ghee. One day Prabhavati-gopi, who was Upananda’s wife, came to Nanda’s palace and spoke to Yasoda: "O Yasoda, for the two of us there is no separate property in butter, ghee, milk, yoghurt, and buttermilk. By your kindness what is yours is also mine. I don’t say you taught Him to steal. I know You didn’t teach Him. But I have to tell you that your son steals butter on His own. When I try to give Him good instructions, your arrogant son gives me bad words and runs from my courtyard. He is the son of Vraja’s king. He should not steal. O Yasoda, there are some other things also that, out of respect for you, I have not told."

After hearing Prabhavati’s words, Yasoda, the wife of Nanda, rebuked her son, and with great love gently spoke to Prabhavati: "I have ten million cows. There is so much yoghurt in the house I cannot move. I do not know why my little boy never drinks any of the yoghurt here. Bring this yoghurt-thief to me. O Prabhavati, there is no difference between your son and my son. You bring that boy here with butter in His mouth and I will give Him a lesson. I will scold Him and tie Him up."

Hearing these words, the gopi became happy and went home. Then one day Krishna went to her home to steal yoghurt. Grasping it with one hand after another, Krishna and His boy friends gradually scaled the outer wall and entered the courtyard. Seeing the yoghurt was in a jug hanging on ropes beyond His hand’s reach, by arranging a footstool, a grinding mortar, and the cowherd boys, Lord Hari climbed up to it. When even from that height the yoghurt-jar hanging from the ropes could not be reached, Sridama and Subala hit the jar with sticks. As all the beautiful yoghurt flowed from the broken jug to the ground. Krishna, Subala, the boys, and some monkeys, all ate it. Hearing the sound of the jug breaking, the gopi Prabhavati came. As the boys fled, she grabbed Lord Hari’s beautiful hand.

As frightened Krishna shed false tears, she brought Him to Nanda’s palace. Seeing Nanda Maharaja standing there she became nervous and covered Krishna’s face with the edge of His garment. Lord Hari thought, "My mother will hit me with a stick." The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can do whatever He likes, then manifested the form of Prabhavati’s son. Yasoda quickly came. The angry Prabhavati said, "He broke a jug and stole all the yoghurt in it." Seeing that it was Prabhavati’s son, Yasoda smiled and said to the gopi, "O gopi, take the edge of the garment from His face and tell the mischief He has done. When it may be said my son has done some mischief, you may throw Him out of your house. Your son did the theft you say my son did." Ashamed of what people might think, Prabhavati gopi took the cloth from His face. Seeing her own son, she was surprised at heart and said:

"How did you come here without walking? I have the treasure of Vraja in my hand!" Saying this, and taking him with her, she left Nanda’s palace. Yasoda, Rohini, Nanda, Balarama, and the gopas and gopis all laughed, and said, "Today we saw a great injustice in Vraja."

On the path outside, again becoming Nanda’s son, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiling, confident, and His eyes restless, spoke to the gopi Prabhavati. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: "O gopi, if you capture Me again, I will take the form of your husband. There is no doubt of it."

When she heard this, the astonished gopi went home. From then on, in every home, impelled by fear of embarrassment, the gopis would not capture Krishna.