Krsna steals butter for the first time

Krsna, the grandest and most flamboyant thief, was now old enough to start harassing the Braj maidens. Till now, his mother, Yashoda, seemed to be the target of his shenanigans. From this day onwards, started the leela of stealing the butter. It was a usual day in Gokul when a Braj maiden looked at Yashoda with a longing to be assigned another task for her, and she would get to ogle at Yashoda’s son for some more time. Yashoda was unaware of the effect her child had on the maidens and how they yearned to be invited into Nanda’s palace on any pretext, only to get a chance to slurp through their eyes the bliss that was Krsna. They could beg, lie, and cheat to get anywhere near Krsna, the supreme bliss congealed.

“There is no time to churn the curd and get the butter out. If there is any more delay, the curd will go bad. I also have to take care of my husband’s pooja preparations. Rohini is busy elsewhere. Krsna is waiting to be fed.” Thinking thus, Yashoda asked the maiden to finish churning the curd. The maiden couldn’t believe her luck. In a dazed state, she ambled towards the pot but was not able to see it. How could she? Her head was turned towards Krsna, lying in his mother’s lap. Without looking where she was headed, she collided with the pot and knocked it over. Most of the curd spilled over. She saw what had happened, but a sense of urgency to remedy the situation was not to be found in her. Swooned in bliss, she couldn’t care less. She somehow managed to put the pot upright and started churning the curd, which had already flowed out.

Krsna was watching the maiden as intently as she was looking at him. He started laughing as she knocked over the pot and was now rotating the churning rod without purpose. This got Yashoda to also look in the general direction of the pot and realize that the curd, along with remnants of butter, was flowing on the floor. She yelled at the maiden, “Pay attention. What are you doing?” This brought the maiden back to her senses; she surveyed the mess she had created and looked abashedly and apologetically at Yashoda.

The maiden found another chance to come to Nanda’s palace and found Yashoda cajoling her son to drink milk. Krsna was nodding his head in negation. After many failed entreaties, Yashoda found a way to make Krsna drink milk. She said, “Krsna, this milk is from a rare black cow. If you drink it, your hair will grow long fast.” Krsna agreed, and as he drank the milk, he ran his hands through his hair and realized it wasn’t really growing any longer. A mix of emotions ranging from anger to a look of determination to eschew milk forever flashed across his face. The maiden watching this pastime forgot herself once more and stood like a log. Krsna came near and touched her. She lost all outward consciousness and entered into samadhi, which lasted for eight hours. No one knew how she managed to reach her home in such a state.

She came on the third day and saw Yashoda again cajoling her son to eat the variety of sweets she had prepared for him, but Krsna wasn’t even looking at them. He was stomping his foot, asking for fresh butter. The maiden suddenly felt a desire welling up in her bosom. She thought, ” Oh, how wonderful it would be if Krsna ever ate butter churned by me at my home.” Of course, she also realized the impossibility of this dream coming true and berated herself to stop daydreaming. Krsna became aware of her unalloyed love for him and her desire to see him partake of butter at her home. He decided to enact the pastime of stealing of the butter, which soon became a big leela on its own and developed into a permanent headache for the residents of Braj.

The maiden, in her haste to attract Krsna, ran home and churned out some fresh butter. She waited impatiently, not knowing that the Lord had, in his mercy, pulled by strings of love, had already started for her home. She would run to the main door and peek out, hoping to see the Lord, and suddenly, she saw him lurking around, waiting for a chance to enter. She went inside and hid herself behind a pillar from where she could see the churning pot with the fresh butter, which she knew was Krsna’s target.

She saw Krsna enter surreptitiously and found the pot of freshly churned butter. He took a handful, and as he was about to devour the giant ball of butter in his hands, he saw his reflection in the mirrored pillar next to him. The maiden was behind this pillar, waiting to see the divine vision of Krsna eating butter, but Krsna’s hands stopped midway. He was not aware that he was watching his own reflection and mistook it for another kid who he thought would tell on him to his mother. Krsna decided to split the booty with this kid and buy his silence on the matter.

He approached his reflection, offered it the butter, and said. “Here, take some. Let’s eat together and enjoy this butter.” The butter he offered to his reflection in the pillar fell down, making Krsna think that the other kid was angry or wanted the entire booty for himself. This Krsna was not ready for, so he pleaded to his reflection to eat the butter and let him have it and keep it all a secret.

The gopika was out of her mind. She was swimming in the loveliness of this pastime. She could not hold back her mirth, and Krsna realized she was behind the pillar. He realized it was a setup and quickly ran out of the house.

How lovely is this leela of the Lord of being charmed by his own reflection? He who is the underlying reality of the grand illusion and is never charmed by it. He who is never bewildered by Maya. He who is alone when the maya wraps up the creation. That Supreme Lord being captivated by himself of himself. How extraordinary and how enchanting?