Srimad Bhagavatam – day 626
Through games, Srikrishna removed the negative tendencies from his playmates.
Narayana
“Along with the other cowherd boys, little Krishna and Balarama would take the calves for grazing into the forests adjacent to Brindavana. At times Krishna and Balarama would play the flute. At other times, they would fix the mud ball in a rope, swing it rapidly and then hurl it. All the boys would playfully throw mud upon one another”.
Krishna and Balarama thus played with all other cowherd boys, who in reality were Devatas. There was no end to their games.
“On other occasions, they would wear anklets and dance merrily”.
Kids of this generation do not understand these games as they are only addicted to computer games. They forever sit in front of the monitor playing games.
“Some mornings, the cowherd boys would wrap themselves with blankets and pretending to be cows or bulls, they would, while mooing like these animals and imitating their behaviour, compete with one another in the running race”.
Krishna would organize costumes for the children. He would distribute costumes based on the child’s ability to imitate a particular type of animal. A child who had in him the traits of a bull, he would give the costume of a bull. To the boy who had in him some subtle impressions of monkey, he would give monkey costume. Thus he distributed the costumes of deer, bull, monkey, bird, cow or donkey, based on the traits exhibited by the child. He would then engage in playful fights with those children and in the process, destroy the animal tendencies that inherently existed in them. The children were not aware of this transcendental sport of the Lord. They considered the Lord was playing with them, that’s all. Although it is explained everywhere that the Lord played with them for fun, I believe the Lord engaged in these games with the children to destroy the animal tendencies that existed in them. This is my opinion and I believe it is true.
For hours at a stretch the boys would play such games. The child had to imitate the behaviour of the animal whose costume he had donned. He also had to mimic that particular animal. After all, the child had in him those tendencies which came from a past birth wherein he was born as that particular animal. These latent tendencies needed to be destroyed. Even if the cowherd boys were all described as Devatas, to reach the position of a Devata, the living entity would have had to pass through all the insect, animal, bird and human births, isn’t it?
After beginning life as insects and worms, the living entity gradually progresses to animal and bird births. After innumerable births as animals and birds, the living entity graduates into a human birth. In this human birth only after undertaking endless penance, he/ she can obtain births such as those of Yakshas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas and other celestials. Those who, even after obtaining a celestial birth, continue endless sadhana, get promoted as Devatas. Those who, through their rigorous penance, had achieved the position as Devatas, now once again came back to Earth solely because the Supreme Lord had incarnated therein.
The boy who had donned the costume of a donkey brayed like one. The boy who donned the costume of a buffalo, mooed like it. This Devata who was in human form, would bring back to memory that birth in which he was born as a buffalo and then, recollecting those deeds, would behave like a buffalo. Krishna was the busiest among them all. He would beat, scold, tie them and thus in the guise of playing he would reform them and ensure that the animal tendencies would never recur in them again.
Deep hidden meaning and very valuable spiritual lessons are contained in every game played by the Lord. Every step He walked contained deep spiritual lessons. Even blinking of His eyelid has a significance. If He moved his hand from left to right, it was for a reason. His talking, walking, looking, blinking, laughter -all have a deep significance. He had a lovely row of teeth which resembled tender pomegranate seeds. Contrary to this, our teeth are so irregular. The reflections of the varied animal births that we have experienced in the past are perhaps indicated through our irregular teeth.
“Thus, Krishna and Balarama mingled with the cowherd boys playing with them as if they too were human kids”.
In fact, all these games which He played with cowherd children are also part of Rasa-kreeda. Do not assume that Rasa-kreeda was an occasional event when He danced with all the Gopikas. Rasa means the form which takes us towards the Supreme Lord and helps merge into Him. When He danced with the Gopikas, He manifested into many. Beside each Gopika, there was one Krishna who was playing the flute.