A Brahmin named Sridhar comes to Gokul

Illustrated by Khushboo

Three weeks had passed since Putana had tried to kill Nanda’s son. Anxious about his son’s safety, Nanda hadn’t stepped out of his palace in so many days. A smile passed his lips ever so often when he saw his child’s blissful countenance. Consumed by thoughts of his son’s safety had made him forget his daily ritual of doing sewa to Lord Narayan, though he kept chanting “Narayan, Narayan” involuntarily as was his habit.

        Conscious of having neglected his duties and observing no untoward incident in the past weeks, he decided to venture out and attend to his role as the head of cowherds. He had long ignored his cows, who were very dear to him. He loved feeding them with his own hands, caressing them lovingly as they responded by wagging their tails.

       Kamsa was convinced, after Putana’s mysterious death, that it was indeed Nanda’s son who was born as his doom. He dispatched a Brahmin named Sridhar, who finding that Nanda no longer stood guard personally around his son, arrived at Nanda’s palace. Brahmins arriving at Nanda’s palace was a routine affair, so the guards didn’t stop him. Yashoda was familiar with the etiquette of serving Brahmins. She first offered him arghya to wash his feet and then, seating him comfortably, went into the kitchen to prepare food for him, leaving him to watch over her son sleeping in the cradle. How could she suspect a Brahmin of all people to be a spy deployed by Kamsa to kill her son?

The Lord has declared himself that he’s indebted to the Brahmins. Brahmins are his soul, and all other ‘varnas’ are required to serve them. It must be noted here, though, that in the age of Kali, all men belong to the same ‘varna’ as the scriptures announce because the caste system initially created by the Lord himself was not a class-based division but temperament and work-based. In Kali age, hardly anyone acts as per their prescribed duties.

In this age of Kali, practically everyone is a śūdra, and finding anyone who is a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya is very difficult.

Bhagwatam Canto 7, Chapter 11, Shlok 18

         Both Nanda and Yashoda, being deeply religious, followed the dictates of the scriptures and considered Brahmins as divine beings worthy of being served properly. Though he was sent to kill him, the Lord could not kill a Brahmin and falsify his own dictum, but the Brahmin needed to be taught a lesson. The Lord’s Yogmaya came into action as soon as the Brahmin reached out to grab the baby. He had barely touched the Lord when he received a big shock that threw him onto the ground.  He felt an invisible force pinning his limbs down. Before he could shout for help, an unseen hand reached into his mouth and caught hold of his tongue. All he could do was move his head and look around with his fearful eyes. Sridhar was horripilate to see the baby, only a few days old, get out of his cradle, and walk towards the store room, full of milk and butter pots. The baby smashed the pots and smeared butter on Sridhar’s face, leaving no trace on his own fingers, and he did all this with his signature world-bewitching smile on his lips.

        Nanda reached home to find his storeroom ransacked and the Brahmin lying on the floor with butter on his face. The Brahmin realizing he was now free to move, got up and related the horrific story of his victimization at the hands of a few days old baby. Nanda was not amused. Yashoda, too was befuddled.  Nanda concluded that the Brahmin was not of a sound mind and courteously led him out of his palace. Yasoda hid her face in her saree and laughed sheepishly. How could she know that her son was indeed the chief mischief-monger of the three worlds? Maybe someday she would believe the Brahmin but not today.