Kṛṣṇa & Balarāma, the Cowherd Boys

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_accordion class=”” id=””][fusion_toggle title=”What is this? The God has become a cowherd boy?” open=”yes”]So these rascals’ prayer is like that. He does not know what is the name of the Supreme. “O my dear, You have no legs, You have no hands, You have…” This is not prayer. This is not prayer. Prayer must be description of the Lord about His activities. Just like Brahmā is offering prayer, surabhīr abhipālayantam [Bs. 5.29]. “Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, You are so fond of Your surabhi cows, surabhi, that You are always engaged in taking them to the forest and enjoy with Your cowherd boys.” The Māyāvādī will think, “What is this? The God has become a cowherd boy? How it is? He must be very exalted. How it is that He is cowherd boy?” But he does not know the nature of the Lord. He’s free. He loves everyone. He loves His great devotee, He loves the cows, He loves the calves, He loves the trees, fruits, flowers, water, everything, because everything is manifestation of His energy. Just like you love any part of your body. Not that if there is some pain on your head, you take very much care, and when there is pain on your toe, you do not take care. No. You spend as much money for the pain of headache. Similarly, you can spend as much money when there is some pain on the toe. So Kṛṣṇa, being Absolute, there is no such distinction that, “Here is head, important, and here is leg, nonimportant.” No.

Reference: Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.44 – Los Angeles, May 6, 1973[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Lord Krsna was a Cowherd” open=”no”]Srila Jiva Gosvami explains that in the afternoon Sri Krsna dressed Himself in new clothing and then went out to call the cows home. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti gives the following information about the transcendental cows of Vrindavana: For each of the four colors of cows – white, red, black and yellow – there are twenty five subdivisions, making a total of one hundred colors. And such qualities as being colored like sandalwood-pulp tilaka (speckled) or having a head shaped like a mrdanga drum created eight further groups. To count these 108 groups of cows, distinguished by color and form, Krsna is using a string of 108 jewel-beads… (gems) …..”Those in the group with tilak marks on their foreheads are called Citrita, Citra-tilaka, Dirgha-tilaka and Tiryak-tilaka, and there are groups known as Mrdanga-mukhi (having a head shaped like a mrdanga drum), Simha-mukhi (lion head) and so on. “Thus being called by name, the cows are coming forward, and Krsna, thinking that when it is time to bring them back from the forest none should be forgotten, is counting them on His jewel-beads.”

Reference: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.35.21 – Purport[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Not that the cows and the calves will be taken care of by some hired servant. No. They would take care himself” open=”no”]So actually, human opulence means not these tin cars. Once it is dashed with another car, it is finished, no value. Human opulence means the society must have enough gold, enough jewelry, enough silk, enough grains, enough milk, enough vegetables, like that. That is opulent. That is opulence. Formerly a person was considered rich by two things: dhānyena dhanavān. How much grain stock he has got at his home. A big, big barn, filled with grains. Still in India, if I am going to give my daughter to some family, to see the family’s opulence, I go to see the house, and if I see there are many, many barns’ stock of grains and many cows, then it is very good. It is opulent. Dhānyena dhanavān, gavyaṁ dhanavān. A man is considered to be rich when he has got enough quantity of grains, enough quantity of, I mean to say, number, enough number of cows. Just like Mahārāja, Nanda Mahārāja, the foster father of Kṛṣṇa. He was keeping 900,000 cows. And He was rich man. He was mahārāja, king. But see the behavior. His beloved son, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, he has entrusted to take care of the calves or cows: “Go in the forest.” He is well dressed with ornament, and nice dress, everything. All the cowherds boys, they are very rich. They have got enough grains and enough milk. Naturally they will be rich. But not that the cows and the calves will be taken care of by some hired servant. No. They would take care himself.

Reference: Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.2 — Los Angeles, May 16, 1973[/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]