Early one morning, at Nandagrama[1], Yasoda[2] was busy placing some very enjoyable things, like clothes and various ornaments, in a large box.
As she was busy in this matter, Krishna[3] came and begun questioning her:
“Mother, what are you doing at this time of the morning?”
Yasoda replied:
My dear son, I am filling this box.”
Krishna:
“And what is it that you are so meticulously putting in this box?”
Yasoda:
“O son! Why do you want to know? Just go outside and play with Your dear boyfriends.”
Krishna:
“But mother, I really want to know what you are doing. If you don’t tell me I will not go out to play.”
Yasoda:
“My dear son, I am placing in this box sandalwood sticks, camphor, lotus-pollen, musk and kumkuma[4] to apply to the limbs.
I am also packing ornate belts, earrings, bracelets and unparallelled jewelled ornaments of lazuli, pearls, emeralds and other precious gems; and fine, valuable garments.”
Krishna:
“Mother, all this things you are packing in this box are for Me or are they for My brother Balarama?[5]”
Yasoda:
“My delightful son, I will tell You if you listen!
There is another even bigger box of exquisite garments and precious ornaments for You.
That box is actually much bigger than this one, and I have prepared a similar box for Your brother Balarama as well.”
Krishna:
“But Mother, if you are not preparing this box for My elder brother or for Me, who is it for?
Who is such a dear object of your love?”
Yasoda:
“O son, O ornament of Vraja!
You are the protector of our lives. Providence has kindly bestowed You upon us as the result of some virtue of ours, or some austerities that we have performed.
In the same way, here in Gokula[6] lives a young girl who is our very life.
She is like an incomparable camphor ointment that soothes our distressed and burning eyes. It is for Her that I am preparing this box by filling it with clothing and ornaments.”
[1] Nandagrama, or Nandagaon, is the place of the palace of Nanda Maharaj. Nanda Maharaj was staying here before moving to Gokula-Mahavan where Krishna-Balarama appeared. For about three years and four months they remained in Gokula and then because of the attack of so many demons they decided to move to more favorable places near Govardhan hill. In the forest of Vrindavan, they went to Chatikara and Kamyavana and some other places and ultimately came back to Nandagaon. It was here in Nandagrama that Krishna along with Lord Balaram were first given charge of herding the cows.
[2] The queen of Vraja and mother of Krishna. She is named Yasoda because she bestows (da) fame (yasah) on the cowherd residents of Vraja. She is like the personification of parental love for Krishna. Her complexion is dark and her garments are like a rainbow. Mother Yasoda’s body is of a medium size, neither large nor small. She has long black hair.
[3] Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared in this world to perform wonderful transcendental pastimes, like the ones told in this book. At the time of narration He was living in Nanda-grama.
[4] It’s a powder widely used in India during religious cerimonies or just for making nice scented body-ointments
[5] Krishna’s elder brother who took no part in the pastimes Visvanatha Cakravarti is recounting.
[6] The transcendental realm on earth has many names. One of these is Gokula, or the place of the cows.
This is a section of the book “Camatkara Candrika”.
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