Lord Krishna was born in Kansa prison in Mathura, but he was raised in Gokul under the protection of Nand Baba and Yashoda Mata from childhood. It is said in the Puranas that the real parents of Shri Krishna were Devaki and Vasudev, but according to the divine play of God, he spent his childhood in the company of Yashoda and Nandbaba. His childhood in Gokul was very wonderful and full of miracles.
Manu-Shatarupa’s Penance
These stories are based on folklore and do not have a clear mythological mention. However, the birth of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna is described in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. According to the Vishnu Purana, Manu and Shatarupa performed penance for thousands of years. Through this penance, they had received the blessing of Lord Vishnu to be born from her womb in every incarnation. Manu wished to be the father of the Lord in every birth. Thus, in the Treta Yuga, Manu-Shatarupa took birth as Dasharatha and Kaushalya.
Kaikeyi’s love for Shri Ram
In the Ram avatar, Kaikeyi raised and loved Shri Ram. But she was saddened that, being a mother, she had sent Shri Ram to exile. She expressed her wish to Shri Ram that she wanted to erase this stain on her motherly love by becoming his mother once again.
Shri Ram told her that he had already blessed Mata Kaushalya to be born from his womb. But in Dwapar Yuga, when you are born, I will come to you immediately after birth and thus be called your son. Shri Krishna kept his promise and became famous as Yashoda’s son.
Mother Yashoda’s affection
For mother Yashoda, Lord Krishna was not only her son but the center of her life. Yashoda Mata’s affection, concern, and love for him were unlimited. When Shri Krishna started stealing butter as his leela, for Yashoda Mata it was a simple childhood prank, but she accepted it with great love. Shri Krishna’s love for butter was also a symbol of Yashoda Mata’s affection and her care.
Yashoda Ties Krishna to the Mortar
There is a famous incident described in Shrimad Bhagwat Puran when Yashoda Mata tried to tie Shri Krishna to the mortar. This incident is of the time when Yashoda caught Shri Krishna stealing butter and decided to tie him to the mortar. She got busy with household chores. During this, Krishna used force to drop the mortar and drag it and stick it between two trees planted at the entrance. He applied so much force that both the trees broke, thereby liberating the long-cursed Yakshas.
The unique miracles of Lord Krishna
It is said that the miracles of Lord Krishna were unique. As soon as the Yamala Arjuna trees were touched by the Lord, two of the Yakshas, Manigreeva and Nalakuvar, were liberated. They expressed their gratitude to Lord Krishna and said that they had been waiting for him for years. They were liberated by the grace of the Lord. When the Yakshas disappeared into the sky, people rushed there, and out of fear, Mother Yashoda took Krishna in her lap. Nandaji, upset with the mischief of child Krishna, went to Vrindavan with his cows.
There too, the Lord performed countless Leelas. He defeated the poisonous Kaliya Naag who lived in the Yamuna and freed everyone from fear. While living in Vrindavan, Shri Krishna performed Raas Leelas with the Gopis, which teaches us that true love destroys desires.
Brahmand Darshan
Another amazing incident happened when Kanha used to eat mud along with butter and sugar in his childhood. One day, someone complained to Yashoda Maiyya that her Lalla was eating mud. Hearing this, Yashoda Maiyya immediately went to Kanha and scolded him and asked, “Lalla, have you eaten mud?”
Due to the mud in his mouth, Kanha shook his head and replied ‘no’. Yashoda Maiyya suspected that Kanha was lying, so she forcibly asked Kanha to open his mouth. As soon as Kanha opened his mouth, Maiyya Yashoda saw the entire universe. This scene was extremely shocking for Yashoda Mata. At that moment, they realized that their child was no ordinary child but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself.
The purpose of Shri Krishna showing the entire universe to Mother Yashoda was to instill the belief in Yashoda’s mind that he was not only her son but also the creator of the entire universe.
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