In the path of Bhakti Yog, few stories shine brighter than the playful and loving pastimes of Shree Krishna as a child. These divine episodes are more than mere stories, they are deep spiritual teachings wrapped in joy, laughter, and love.
Let’s explore the five Bhavas (moods or devotional sentiments) that connect us to God, and relive one of the sweetest Bal Leelas (childhood pastimes) of Shree Krishna, as beautifully narrated in the Bhagavatam and echoed by spiritual masters like Swami Mukundananda.
The Five Bhavas: Our Relationship With the Divine
The scriptures describe five primary Bhavas through which devotees relate to the Supreme:
- Shant Bhav: He is my King.
A quiet, peaceful reverence—a distant yet respectful relationship with the Lord. - Dasya Bhav: He is my Master; I am His servant.
Like Hanuman’s unwavering service to Ram, this bhav is rooted in discipline and loyalty. - Sakhya Bhav: He is my Friend.
The Gopas of Braj, including Sudama, loved Shree Krishna with friendly affection and camaraderie. - Vatsalya Bhav: He is my Child.
Yashoda and Nanda Baba adored Shree Krishna with parental love, seeing the Lord as their innocent boy. - Madhurya Bhav: He is my Beloved.
Radha and the Gopis epitomize this deepest, most intimate form of divine love.
The highest quality of God, says Naradji, is Bhakta Vatsal: He who loves His devotees. But as Jagadguru Shri Kripaluji Maharaj points out, there is an even higher quality of the Supreme Divine Personality. God even Bhakta Vashya: He becomes enslaved by their love. That is why the all-powerful Lord chose to become a tiny child, toddling around in Gokul, bringing joy and mischief into every heart.
The Butter Thief and the Test of Love
One morning, Shree Krishna, a little over two years old, awoke to the smell of butter churning. It was the morning of Diwali Mother Yashoda was in the kitchen, lovingly preparing food and thinking, “Today I will feed my Lala. He will enjoy it so much.”
Shree Krishna, eager and playful, climbed into her lap as she churned yogurt and nursed Him. This scene glowed with maternal affection: a divine mother feeding the Lord of the universe.
Unbeknown to Mother Yashoda, even the highest devotees are tested. In the next room, some milk which she had set to boil began to spill over. She rushed to save it, momentarily placing Shree Krishna down.
In that instant, Shree Krishna felt slighted and thought “So, the milk is more important than me?"
With divine mischief, He grabbed the churning rod and began creating chaos, by breaking pots and splashing yogurt. Then, in a loving rebellion, He took the butter and fed it to the monkeys.
Caught in the Act
Returning from the stove, Yashoda was stunned to see the mess. The kitchen looked like a battlefield. Realizing her darling Shree Krishna was the cause, she grabbed a stick and ran after Him.This very moment is remembered by Kunti Mata in her prayers: “He, whom fear itself fears, Kalātmā, is trembling before His mother’s stick.”
The Rope That Wouldn’t Fit
Shree Krishna dropped the butter and ran. Yashoda, though larger, could barely catch up with the tiny toddler, who swerved this way and that. But seeing her breathless, Shree Krishna thought, “I have not come to trouble my mother—I have come to give her joy.” And so, He slowed down and let Himself be caught.
Yashoda, still upset, decided to tie Him to a mortar as punishment. She called the Gopis to bring rope and tried to tie Shree Krishna. But no matter how much they added, the rope remained two fingers short. This puzzled everyone. During his narration, Sukhadev Goswami tells King Parikshit, “How can the Lord, in whom the whole universe resides, be tied? He is without beginning or end, within and beyond everything.”
After much struggle by Mother Yashoda and the gopis, Radha Rani heard about this and smiled. She handed a soft silken thread and said, “Try this.” With it, Shree Krishna finally allowed Himself to be tied. And from that day, He was lovingly called Damodar: He who was bound by a rope around the belly.
The Redemption of Kuber’s Sons
Mother Yashoda left Shree Krishna in the courtyard and attended to her kitchen duties. Still tied to the mortar, Shree Krishna crawled towards two large trees. These tress were actually the cursed sons of Kuber, the god of wealth. Once arrogant and intoxicated by luxury, they had mocked sages and were cursed by Narad Muni to become trees.
But Narad’s curse was a blessing in disguise. He had arranged for them to be liberated by the Lord Himself. Shree Krishna dragged the heavy mortar between the trees. With a crash, the trees fell. From them emerged the two souls, Nalakuvara and Manigriva, who offered their gratitude and departed, freed at last.
The Move to Vrindavan
The noise startled the villagers. They rushed to the spot. Seeing yet another supernatural event, Nanda Baba gathered the Brajwasis. “One after another, strange things are happening in Gokul,” he said. “Let us move to Vrindavan, where it may be safer.”
And so, Shree Krishna’s childhood pastimes would continue in the forests of Vrindavan; filled with more Leelas, more love, and more divine delight.
Shree Krishna’s boundless mercy
Through these stories, we glimpse a profound truth: God becomes what His devotees desire: a friend, a child, a beloved. In Braj, He chose to be bound, not by rope, but by love.
These pastimes are not merely tales of the past. They are mirrors reflecting the boundless mercy of God and the limitless power of Bhakti. When we approach Him not with fear, but with love, we too can experience a personal relationship with the Divine, one in which God becomes ours, and we become His.
The Bhagavad Gita's teachings on divine love
Shree Krishna shows us the beauty of divine love not only through his leelas, but through his words in the Bhagavad Gita. Let us relish some verses with Swami Mukundananda’s commentary.
वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया मामुपाश्रिता: ।
बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भावमागता: ॥ 10॥
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśhritāḥ
bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ
BG 4.10: Being free from attachment, fear, and anger, becoming fully absorbed in Me, and taking refuge in Me, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me, and thus attained My divine love.
Shree Krishna confirms that legions of human beings in all ages became God-realized by this means. They achieved this goal by purifying their minds through devotion. Shree Aurobindo put it very nicely: “You must keep the temple of the heart clean, if you wish to install therein the living presence.” The Bible also states: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Now, how does the mind get purified? By giving up attachment, fear, and anger, and absorbing the mind in God. Actually, attachment is the cause of both fear and anger. Fear arises out of apprehension that the object of our attachment will be snatched away from us. And anger arises when there is an obstruction in attaining the object of our attachment. Attachment is thus the root cause of the mind getting dirty.
This world of Maya consists of the three modes of material nature: sattva, rajas, and tamas (goodness, passion, and ignorance). All objects and personalities in the world come within the realm of these three modes. When we attach our mind to a material object or person, our mind too becomes affected by the three modes. Instead, when we absorb the same mind in God, who is beyond the three modes of material nature, such devotion purifies the mind. Thus, the sovereign recipe to cleanse the mind from the defects of lust, anger, greed, envy, and illusion, is to detach it from the world and attach it to the Supreme Lord.
Hence, the Ramayan states:
Prema bhagati jala binu raghurāī, abhiantara mala kabahuñ na jāī.
“Without devotion to God, the dirt of the mind will not be washed away.”
Shree Krishna further elaborates the characteristics of His devotees who are very dear to Him:
उदारा: सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम् ।
आस्थित: स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम् ॥ 18॥
udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tvātmaiva me matam
āsthitaḥ sa hi yuktātmā mām evānuttamāṁ gatim
BG 7.18: All those who are devoted to Me are indeed noble. But those in knowledge, who are of steadfast mind, whose intellect is merged in Me, and who have made Me alone as their supreme goal, I consider as My very self.
Shree Krishna clarifies in this verse that whatever may be the reason for their devotion, all His devotees are privileged; even the other three kinds are blessed souls. But the devotees seated in knowledge worship God selflessly, without expecting any material gains in return. Hence, the unconditional love of such selfless devotees even binds God.
Worldly love; is driven by the desire for self-gratification. There is a give and take attitude, and there is an expectation of receiving something in return from the beloved. However, Parā bhakti or divine love is totally different. It is filled with the desire for the happiness of the Divine Beloved and sacrifice in His service. Divine love fosters a giving attitude without expecting anything in return.
brahma lok paryanta sukh, aru muktihuñ sukh tyāg,
tabai dharahu paga prema patha, nahiṅ lagi jaiheñ dāg.
(Bhakti Śhatak verse 45)
“Give up the desires for worldly pleasures and that of liberation if you wish to walk the path of devotion. Else the pure waters of divine love will get tainted with selfishness.”
Later in the Bhagavad Gita, Shree Krishna goes to the extent of saying that bound by the devotion and love of His selfless devotees, He looks upon them as Himself.
यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ् क्षति ।
शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्य: स मे प्रिय: ॥ 17॥
yo na hṛiṣhyati na dveṣhṭi na śhochati na kāṅkṣhati
śhubhāśhubha-parityāgī bhaktimān yaḥ sa me priyaḥ
BG 12.17: Those who neither rejoice in mundane pleasures nor despair in worldly sorrows, who neither lament for any loss nor hanker for any gain, who renounce both good and evil deeds, such persons who are full of devotion are very dear to Me.
They neither rejoice in mundane pleasures nor despair in worldly sorrows. If we are in the dark and someone offers help by showing a lamp, we naturally rejoice. Then, if someone blows out the flame, we feel annoyed. But if we are standing under the noonday sun, we feel indifferent whether someone shows us a lamp or another blows it out. Similarly, the devotees of the Lord, being gratified with the divine love bliss of the God, rise above pleasure and despair.
Neither lament for any loss nor hanker for any gain. Such devotees neither hanker after pleasant worldly situations nor grieve in unpleasant ones. On attaining divine love for God, the devotees neither yearn for pleasant things nor grieve on losing them. They are not hateful of those who harm them. They have no liking for worldly enjoyments. They are not anxious for the enhancement of their worldly position.” Devotees relish the bliss of God, so the bliss of all material objects seems insignificant in comparison.
Renounce both good and evil actions. Devotees obviously renounce evil actions (vikarm), for they are against their nature and displeasing to God. The good actions Shree Krishna refers to are prescribed ritualistic duties (karm) mentioned in the scriptures. All actions performed by the devotees become akarm (inaction) because they are not performed with any selfish motive and are dedicated to God.
Full of devotion. Bhaktimān means “filled with devotion.” The nature of divine love is such that it keeps increasing for eternity. Bhakti poets have said: prem meñ pūrṇimā nahīñ “Unlike the moon which waxes to a limit and then wanes, divine love keeps growing without limit.” So, the heart of the devotee contains an ocean of love for God. Shree Krishna says that such devotees are very dear to Him.
Bound by Love: The Eternal Message of Janmashtami
The Damodara Leela is one of the most tender and profound revelations of the Supreme Divine Personality. The Lord who contains countless universes within Himself allowed a simple village mother to chase Him, scold Him, and lovingly bind Him with a rope. He was never conquered by strength, scholarship, wealth, or power. He surrendered only to pure, selfless love.
The Bhagavad Gita reveals the very same truth. Shree Krishna repeatedly invites us to purify the heart, detach it from worldly attachments, and fill it with loving devotion. As Swami Mukundananda explains, the goal of spiritual life is not merely to understand God intellectually but to develop a relationship with Him that is free from selfish desire. Such devotion transforms the heart and draws the soul ever closer to the Divine.
Janmashtami reminds us that every devotee can cultivate one of the five bhavas according to their natural inclination. Some may serve Him as their Master, others may befriend Him as the Gopas did, cherish Him as Mother Yashoda did, or adore Him as the Gopis and Radha Rani did. Whatever the relationship, Shree Krishna lovingly reciprocates. The Infinite becomes intimate, and the Almighty becomes accessible to the devotee whose heart is filled with love.
The beautiful message of the Damodara Leela is that God does not seek perfection before offering His grace. He looks for sincerity, humility, and wholehearted devotion. When we strive to remember Him, hear His glories, chant His names, and dedicate our actions to His pleasure, our hearts gradually become purified. As attachment to the world weakens, our attachment to Shree Krishna naturally deepens, allowing us to experience the joy, peace, and fulfilment that only divine love can bestow.
This Janmashtami 2026, let us celebrate not only the birth of Shree Krishna in Mathura but also His birth within our own hearts. May we learn from Mother Yashoda's unconditional love, from the Gopis' unwavering devotion, and from the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita. For in the end, the greatest miracle of the Damodara Leela is not that the Lord was bound with a rope—it is that the Supreme Divine Personality willingly allowed Himself to be bound forever by the love of His devotees.
"The Lord who cannot be contained by the universe can always be contained within a heart filled with pure devotion."
Call to Action
This Janmashtami 2026, go beyond simply celebrating the birth of Shree Krishna; begin living His teachings.
- Visit the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas for one of their many offerings, or to offer some seva
- Study the Bhagavad Gita with Swami Mukundananda's authentic commentary.
- Download the JKYog Bhagavad Gita & Krishna Bhakti App for daily inspiration, guided meditations, bhajans, lectures, and spiritual resources.
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FAQs:
1. What is the significance of the butter thief story in Shree Krishna's life?
It highlights how God, though all-powerful, lovingly submits to His devotees' affection, symbolizing the depth of divine love and Bhakti.
2. Why couldn’t Mother Yashoda tie Shree Krishna with the rope?
Despite adding more rope, it was always two fingers short, symbolizing effort and grace, until Shree Krishna allowed Himself to be bound by love.
3. What are the five Bhavas in Bhakti Yog?
Shant (peaceful reverence), Dasya (servant), Sakhya (friendship), Vatsalya (parental), and Madhurya (beloved), each a unique way to relate to God.
4. Who were Nalakuvara and Manigriva in the Damodar Leela?
They were sons of Kuber cursed into trees and later redeemed by Shree Krishna's grace, symbolizing liberation through divine contact.
5. What does “Damodar” mean and why is Shree Krishna called this?
“Damodar” means “one who is tied with a rope around the belly,” a loving name given to Shree Krishna when He was bound by Yashoda’s devotion.
