Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, Contents

It is said of Sri Purandaradasa, that while he went along the villages and towns of the country, all the way composing poems in praise of the Lord, he would lure the children on the streets with these words--'Come children, I will sweeten your mouths with sugar' and when these guileless tiny ones assembled around him, he made them repeat the name 'Sri Krishna'! The tiny tots would smile heartily at the mischievous trick of the man! May be the Lord Himself enjoyed this. Ah! What wonderful purport is carried by his name! What can be sweeter, tastier than His very name! Mere mention of this great Incarnation fills the soul with a thrill and a joyful tear bursts forth. This personality called Sri Krishna has enriched and enhanced the beauty and loftiness of this unique spiritual tradition--the hoary Sanatana Dharma.

There in the gravest of darkness in the dead of night, in the prison house in Mathura--the Lord appeared before the much bereaved parents, they who witnessed before their very eyes the innocent cries of their new born babies as they were put to death one by one by the fiend Kamsa. What a phase of sorrow they passed through and here He was in all His Glory, revealing that there was nothing to worry about. And what a grand spectacle that was which followed--the ever vigilant guards of the prison losing consciousness, the gates of the dark dungeons opening one by one--as if offering salutation to the Ruler of the world! How testing were the times for Vasudeva. He carried the Lord--lying there with an innocent look, seemingly helpless--upon his head outside, and lo! there was heavy rain that lashed the land. Earth was swamped by water everywhere but he walked on across the sleeping city across the outskirts into the forest and beyond--all along with none less than the Great serpent, Vasuki, serving for an umbrella. The river Yamuna was in spate, full of fury like a wild fire, waiting to consume anything that crossed its path; but it too like a meek lamb had to part, to give way to the Lord. It must have been a spectacle to cherish even for the celestials, to see Vasudeva, fired with an unknown zeal, and fearlessness, walk across the dry bed, of a river in merciless floods! And across the thinly wooded regions on the other bank unto Nanda's cowherd settlement. All were asleep except the Nanda's household who were expecting a child from Yashoda. It must be experienced to feel how Vasudeva felt when he handed over his beloved son, the darling of his heart, a few hours old, into the hands of someone else! Still he had to do it, for the child's own safety and return with Mahamaya in exchange. As the trickle of rainwater hummed a rhythm and as the calves bleated in the cold the child smiled and the whole earth blossomed with freshness, with youth and a new charm. The earth witnessed never a period of such joy, such plenty and such serene calm.