The First Prank – The Meeting in the Box
Early one morning, at Nandagrama , Yasoda was busy placing some very enjoyable things, like clothes and various ornaments, in a large box.
As she was busy in this matter, Krishna 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 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? ”
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 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.”
Krishna:
“Mother, who is this young girl?
Whose daughter is She?
Where does She live?
Why are you showering so much love and affection upon Her?
Please tell Me everything!”
Yasoda:
“Listen, my son.
I have a friend named Kirtida , and it was from her womb that this priceless and unequalled jewel of young girls manifested.
This young girl’s father is Vrishabhanu Maharaja, the King of the cowherds, and She is truly the personified result of the austerities he has performed. Her effulgence illuminates even the sun in the hottest summer month of Jeshtha . This girl thus manifests Her father’s fame everywhere.
Yasoda continued:
“Dear child, Lord Brahma has created numerous elevated feminine qualities in this world, including extreme beauty, sweetness in nature, devotion to elders, shyness, simplicity and humility.
Usually, a person becomes great upon attaining such noble qualities; but these qualities have themselves attained greatness by taking shelter of this young girl.
This is the amazing truth, and it is why I have a natural affection for Her. Her name is Radha .”
When Sri Yasoda glorified Sri Radha’s qualities and then spoke Her name, Sri Krishna’s immeasurable delight caused the hairs of His body to stand on end, but He managed to conceal these symptoms of ecstasy with His cloth .
Yasoda continued:
“This young bride is married to Abhimanyu . At the moment She is in Her husband’s house in Yavata, but Abhimanyu himself is here. He is just outside in the assembly hall, seeking advice about household affairs from Nandaraya , the King of the pasturing lands.
When he enters the inner chambers to greet me, I will say affectionately,
” Oh, Abhimanyu! Please take this box yourself and, carrying it back to your home, kindly offer it to your good wife, Radha.”
While Yasoda was thus conversing with Kishna, a maidservant named Lavanga-lata comes into the room. Approaching mother Yasoda, she announces:
“O Vrajesvari , O Queen of the pasture lands, the two expert goldsmiths you summoned, Rangana and Tangana , have arrived.”
Yasoda was happy to hear this and told Dhanistha :
“Oh Dhanistha! I am going outside now for a few minutes in order to arrange for the manufacture of Krishna’s ornaments, crowns, earrings and bracelets.
Please stay here and keep an eye on this box until I return .”
After Yasoda had gone to talk to the goldsmiths, Subala and some of Sri Krishna’s other nearest and dearest cowherd boy friends came in. Krishna was overjoyed to see them.
After some discussion, He and His friends took the box to a lonely place.
There they opened it, took out the jewels, decorations and clothes, and handed them all to Dhanistha.
Then Sri Krishna Himself climbed into the box and, with the help of His friends, closed the lid.
After a little while, Yasoda returned.
Then the dull-witted Abhimanyu comes in to offer his respects to Yasoda before he returns home to Yavata.
Seeing Abhimanyu bowing down, Yasoda inquires of his welfare, and then instructs him,
Yasoda:
“Abhimanyu, I have prepared this box, full of jewelled ornaments, for your wife.
This box is full of many enchanting articles, such as valuable jewels, golden necklaces, lovely clothes and musk. You must take it home, and personally present it to Radhika in a private place. I do not trust anyone to do this except you.
You should also give Her this message from me:
“O Madakshi-sukhada , O Kirtida-kirtida !
O Radha, I am sending You this most effulgent box, which contains ornamentation that is very dear to You.
It consists of ornaments just befitting Your body, and I am sure that You will cherish them to the utmost.
By all of these dear things, may You become radiantly decorated every day.
Thus achieving great fortune and happiness, may You become enthused with newer life forever and ever .”
Abhimanyu replied:
“O Queen of Vraja, I will faithfully carry out your orders.”
He immediately lifted the box on his head, and full of bliss, set off for home.
Krishna, being carried upon Abhimanyu’s head, thus traveled on for a rendezvous with Abhimanyu’s own wife, Who is Krishna’s own dearmost Radhika.
Thus throwing Himself into an ocean of novel prankish fun, He breaks into a sweet, mischievous grin within the box.
The foolish cowherd boy Abhimanyu thought:
“Today I am blessed and successful!
From the weight of this box, I can tell it must be filled with extremely rare jewels.
I will use them to buy thousands of cows, and then I will become as wealthy as Govardhana Malla .
Our home will become the very residence of Lakshmi, the supreme Goddess of Fortune herself .”
Thinking in this way, Abhimanyu started his journey from Nanda-grama, the abode of Nanda Maharaja , the King of the pasturing grounds.
He walked home in total ecstasy. His whole body was filled with happiness, and tears flowed from his eyes due to great bliss.
Although he was carrying such a heavy load upon his head, he felt no more fatigue than if he had lifted it for only an instant.
Who for a moment would feel the burden of carrying an object that is brimming with such delight?
As soon as Abhimanyu arrived home, he told his mother Jatila :
“My dear mother, today I must have left home at an auspicious moment.
Just see!
By some good fortune I have received this box of gold, jewels and other valuables.
Out of her incomparable kindness, Vrajesvari herself has sent this gift, solely to decorate your daughter-in-law. She also composed a verse and told me,
Please listen to this verse, and then recite it to Radha.
“Oh You Who gives pleasure to my eyes! Oh You Who bestows fame and glory upon Kirtida! Oh Radhe! Within this box, I have sent You an extremely brilliant aura. It consists of ornaments just befitting Your body, and I am sure that You will cherish them to the utmost. By all of these dear things, may You become radiantly decorated day after day; thus achieving great fortune and happiness, may You become enthused with newer life forever and ever.”
Hearing these blessings, Jatila became most pleased and thought,:
“By good fortune, we have attained great auspiciousness today. Our daughter-in-law will be exceedingly delighted with Abhimanyu when She receives this gift.”
Jatila smiled somewhat, and said aloud:
“O son, neither your wife, nor your sister, nor I myself can lift this heavy box.
You will have to take it to Vrishabhanu-kumari’s bedroom yourself.
She can then open it straight away and behold these most dear ornaments and decorations.”
Following the order of his mother, Abhimanyu then carried the box toward Sri Radhika’s bedroom.
Seeing the large box upon Abhimanyu’s head as he carried it in, Lalita and all the other girlfriends and maidservants perked up and felt supreme bliss. Radhika’s left eyelid, arm, breast and thigh begun to vibrate and twitch . Because of that, Sri Radha gleefully addressed Lalita :
“My friend, why is it that today My left breast, left arm, left eye and left thigh are all trembling in delight? Considering the time and place, such auspicious signs would seem unlikely.
Please explain this to Me!”
Lalita replied:
“O Radhe! I can only guess that within this box is a most fascinating Manohara-ornament .
Your limbs twitched as an auspicious indication of obtaining such a rare gift.
My dearest girlfriend!
This type of twitching is only indicative of obtaining the absolute zenith of good fortune!”
Srimati Radharani replied:
“Oh, Lalita, merely by My seeing this box an indescribably mischievous playfulness is welling up and overflowing within Me.
Open it quickly, and let us see the treasure of jewelled ornaments inside.”
All the Sakhis wondered:
“What’s inside the box? What’s inside the box?!”
They completely surrounded the box in the most extemely eager curiosity as Radha Herself left Her other ornaments aside and quickly begun to open it.
The very second she opened the lid, the moon-like Krishna suddenly came out of the box and stood upright.
Seeing Him there instead of valuable clothing, ornaments and cosmetics, all the girls who were surrounding the box exclaim,
“Aaah! What is this?”
and clapped their hands, joyfully laughing and giggling.
The crocodile-like mood of Cupid’s invisible presence within the room suddenly manifested and begun to swallow up all the bodily limbs of the girls, who were not fully covered with cloth in the privacy of Sri Radha’s bedroom.
The maidservants, who were lying about resting got up very quickly in shy embarrassment.
Topmost divine bliss flew in hundreds and thousands of churning waves, which swelled and flourished about the room.
Astonishingly, just before this, He who is the abode of all arts, Kalanidhi Sri Krishna, had suddenly sprung out of the box and then simultaneously kissed the face of each and every young girl.
Lalita said to Radha:
“Sakhi, this decoration and clothing is most glorious!
Your husband, who delivered it, is glorious!
The house into which this box has come to perform pastimes is glorious! Gostha-mahesvari Sri Yasoda, who sent it with so much love and affection, is glorious!
And her message:
“O Radha, may You always be adorned with this decoration sent by me,”
is also glorious!”
Lalita continued:
“Oh, Sakhi, Gosthesvari Sri Yasoda affectionately told You,
“May You be beautifully adorned with this gift.”
Moreover, Your husband and mother-in-law have also approved of it.
Gandharvika , You should therefore act in full obedience to the order of these three superiors .”
When Sri Radha heard Lalita’s words, shyness overwhelmed Her.
Radha:
“My friend, Vrajesvari must certainly have put a collection of jewelled ornaments for Me in this box.
But a cunning thief has stolen them and hidden them somewhere, and then He has crawled into the box Himself!
Quickly go and tell My mother-in-law what has happened !”
Lalita said to Krishna:
“O You who desire to meet Sri Radha!
You rode on Abhimanyu’s head in order to rendezvous with his own wife, Radhika!
By doing this, are You desirous of seeing the earth become completely bereft of all chaste women?
Well, all right, what’s done is done, but now You should immediately return all the cloth and jewels that You stole from inside the box; if not, then by bringing Jatila here I will expose the real truth of Your fame and glory.”
Hearing this Krishna said:
“Listen, Lalita, this friend of yours, Radha, is cunning and skilled in getting Her own way.
I got into this box merely out of curiosity, and then She sent Her husband to bring Me here by force.
Now She is concealing this truth from all of you .”
Then, laughing and laughing, He said to Radhika:
“My dear Radha!
I became fascinated by smelling the natural wooden fragrance of this box; sending all of the items it contained to You via Dhanistha, I then climbed into the box just to make Myself nicely scented.
Right at that moment, Your husband happened to come along by chance, grabbed the box and brought Me here.”
After saying this to Radha, He said to all of Radha’s assembled girlfriends:
“Oh assembly of girls!
I now place the topic of this accusation before you all.
Just think it over carefully and then decide, if Sri Radhika is at fault, then I will rightfully punish Her; or if I’m at fault, then I will allow Myself to be tied up in the binding-noose of each and every one of your arms.
In this way I will voluntarily spend three nights of miserable imprisonment here. ”
We offer our obeisances to that eternally youthful couple of Vraja, Sri Radha-Krishna, who are constantly absorbed in playful pastimes.
Through Their majestic influence, the sakhis have completely fulfilled the desire of their cakora bird-like eyes; Cupid has made his arrows fully successful; the devotees have made their meditation completely fruitful; rasa has made enjoyment complete; the poets have made their amazing verses successful; and the fame and glory of this earthly Vrindavana has been broadcast throughout the fourteen worlds .
Thus end the first prank of Sri Camatkara Candrika entitled “The meeting in the box”.
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