Sai Krishna – The Enigmatic Enchanter

By Sri Jagdish Chandra,
A current student in Bhagavan’s University

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This is the transcript of the talk delivered by Sri Jagdish Chandra, a Ph. D scholar in Sri Sathya Sai University, in the divine presence of Bhagavan during Dasara celebrations on October 12, 2005.

With humility I offer myself at the Lotus Feet of my Beloved Bhagavan, respected elders, dear sisters and brothers, Sai Ram to one and all.

Let me take you all back in time to the Dwapara yuga (the time of Lord Krishna) - in the village of Brindavan. The door of a house slowly opens and there enters the little Krishna with His playmates! And what does He see? He sees a pot hanging from the ceiling – quite high! He makes a pyramid and breaks the pot. In that process, the curds, the butter fall down. He distributes it to everyone and then tramples on it! As soon as the owner of the house comes to know that somebody has entered he rushes to catch the thief, the maakhana chora (stealer of butter) – Lord Krishna runs away! He runs away to His own house and there all these gopikas and other people go to complain to Mother Yashoda: “He has stolen our butter!” Now Mother Yashoda wanted to search where Krishna is hiding? How could she do that? She had to resort to the footprints of the Lord to find the Lord! So slowly and steadily she followed the footprints for they were smeared by the butter which the Lord had trampled; and there, in one corner behind the sack was hiding the Lord!

And the moment Mother Yashoda saw Him; she even forgot to chide Him! She forgot to shout at Him. She only acted upset a little but the best part comes now. She took back Krishna; and for the butter for which He was supposed to be chided, He was offered the very same butter by Mother Yashoda!

Understanding Lord Krishna’s Playfulness How similar is our life? Our own worldliness, our mind full of ego, our own achievements, and our own ideals - we hang them high from a ceiling! So high that sometimes we don’t even want God to come and touch it! But when God is with His playmates He may decide to break the pot! He breaks the pot and then spills all that has filled our mind – our ego, our pride – He tramples on them and then He runs away. When a person affected is disturbed, he knows not where to go, where to search. At that time he sees the footprints of the Lord and slowly and steadily he decides that whosoever He is, He will be chided – just like Mother Yashoda. But finally when he finds the Lord, what can he do? He has found the Ultimate! He was in search of the thief who stole his butter but he found the Lord! He was in search of the maakhana chora (stealer of butter) but he found the chitta chora (stealer of hearts)! And then can he do anything but surrender? Just as the way Mother Yashoda offered the same butter for which she wanted to chide Krishna; the same achievements, the same pride, the same ego – for which man wanted to chide God and wanted to find Him; he offers them at His Lotus Feet and surrenders!

God Breaks Our Mould

Let me begin with the first part – breaking of the pot. When God decides to enter our life, He does so in a magnificent fashion, whosoever it may be! Let us consider the case of the highway robber Ratnakara. He was so proud of his achievements. He felt that people would support him – his mother, his father, his wife, and his children. To an extent that even the things that he knew were wrong; he did not believe in them; he thought that his family would support him; but then God decided to break the pot! And at that moment He used Narada as His Instrument.

When the question was put forth as to who would stand testimony to his actions; nobody was ready! Each of them showed a clean chit and said: “We are not responsible for the deeds that you do!”

The pot was broken! Ratnakara became the great Valmiki (who penned the epic “Ramayana”)! But sometimes this is not enough. God spills the butter and tramples on it! The process might sometimes be very painful.

The Guru Enlightens

I would like to quote my own experience. It was the year 2000 – the first grama-seva. I was sitting right next to this pillar in the first line. And that day we were supposed to go to a particular village. A brother sitting next to me asked: “Which village are you going?” I just nodded and said: “I don’t know. I only know the truck number. I just go in the truck and which ever village it takes me to, I do my service”. He said: “If Swami asks you, what are you going to say?” I thought, “Swami? Will He ask me?”

But anyhow, curiosity got the better of me. I ran all the way to the old boy’s hostel; saw the list and there the name of the village was displayed. I will never forget that village! It read – Guruvayur Reddy Palli. I quickly ran back and took my place in the Mandir.

Swami came for Darshan. As He walked and came near the pillar, my expectation grew! All the while, the boy who did not bother to find out the name of the village he was going to, was now expecting that Swami will come and ask him! Each step that Swami took towards me was a new expectation. Swami came right in front of me and then turned away. He looked at the boy who was sitting exactly opposite me and asked: “Bangaru, which village are you going?” It was a big hammer on my head! The boy smiled and here came the thunder bolt when he replied: “Swami, Guruvayur Reddy Palli.” I thought: “Bhagavan, it was my chance! I ran all the way back to the hostel to find out the name; I came back and he gets this opportunity of speaking to You!” Each and every question that Bhagavan put him: “How many members are there in the village? How many people are there? How many houses? How much food stock you are carrying?” was a hammer on my ego! And every time I felt miserable. Huffing and puffing in my own pride, my own ego, I could do nothing but bend my head! I was feeling miserable. But the Lord is ever merciful. Immediately He turned back, looked at me and said: “You are also going to the same village – isn’t it?” I just nodded in the affirmative and said: “Yes, Bhagavan.” Swami walked on.

It seemed such a small thing that Swami speaking to somebody turns back and speaks to somebody else – a few words – and just walks away. But what an experience it was to me – my heart knows!

The Perfection of His Creation

Once there were disciples around a Master and he was saying: “God looks at each and every one of His creation as perfection!” Then suddenly one disciple rose and said: “Master, what about the gardener who is working in the monastery?” People looked out and saw that the gardener was a hunch-back. In that pin-drop silence, the master replied: “God looks at that gardener as the perfect hunch-back He ever made and He loves him most!”

Each and everyone with our own draw-backs; with our own faults – God accepts us. Swami loves us! People say that He uses many as instruments to work on us – No! He uses only Love!

There may be a hundred people around us who may tell us: “You are bad. You need to change…you need to do this…you need to do that.” But Bhagavan says: “I love you as you are!” That one statement makes us change! Why? Because He loves us!

The next stage – the curds are spilt and there the person searches for the footsteps of the Lord. Many a times there are situations in our lives – we know not what is happening! We are in utter chaos. We don’t know where to search for and what to search for. The only person who can come to our rescue is Bhagavan.

He Writes the Programme

I would like to narrate here an experience of a student. He finished his MBA and he was working in a very reputed company. As part of his work, he was asked by some other company to write a computer program that could enable the printing of codes on the various cargoes that were placed on a conveyor belt. So the moment the button was pressed, things had to be printed onto the cargoes and this program was responsible for all the work.

Now somewhere there was a fault and this program was a big flop. Now the boss of this company calls up the Chairperson of the other company and says: “Where is this boy? He has written this program and it is not working! It is not a joke; for all the trucks are waiting to receive the cargo! Who is responsible for all this?” Immediately this brother was summoned and was sent to this company. As he was sitting, there were big officials breathing down his neck. Each one was shouting at him trying to find a fault and ridiculing him. He did not know what to do. At that situation he just told them: “Gentlemen, could you please give me five minutes? I want to drink a cup of coffee.” Coffee? Really? No! It was to have a sip of the Divine! When everyone had left the room, he just broke down and prayed: “Bhagavan, other than You, there is no one who can rescue me! If not You; who else?” He was in this field for more than twelve years and felt he knew everything about the subject, but it seemed like all his experience and knowledge was useless. He had never felt so helpless anytime in his life before As tears trickled down his cheeks, he heard a voice from within: “Bangaru!” It was Bhagavan speaking, he was convinced beyond doubt.   Swami said: “Bangaru! What are you doing? What is the code that you have written? Open the third window on the tab!”

And immediately the boy opened the third window. Bhagavan said: “Scroll up! Scroll up! See at the top of the page! The parameters that you have fed in the program are nonsense! Change them!”

Each and every parameter was as if dictated by Bhagavan! Each and every parameter was changed. And then the moment he pressed ‘Enter’ he doubted! He thought whether it was true or hallucination? Within three seconds, the phone rang and then there was a call from the company boss. He said: “Stop! Stop! The conveyor belt is running too fast! I think all the cargo will get exhausted this day itself!”

They say it beautifully: “Bhagavan jab deta hai toh chappar phaad kar deta hai!” that is, “When He decides to give; He showers in all bounty!” The receiver is not even able to receive the Love that the Lord showers! But then there are occasions in life when we search for God. We try to find Him but we are unable. We cry out and then in some way; in a miraculous way the Lord responds and He shows what it means to surrender!

The same butter for which the maakhana chora was to be chided turns out to be the chitta chora!

Divine Intervention for Emancipation

A fortnight back I got news from my house that my aunt was to be operated at Raipur. And I was asked that if possible, please pray to Bhagavan. I said: “I will try to do my best.” And suddenly two days later when I was working in the lab, I received a message: “The condition is very critical; please do something. At least write a letter to Bhagavan!”

Immediately, I came running directly to the Mandir from the lab. It was three o’clock. I waited and waited. Bhagavan came at four. But there was a small tragedy. I waited until 3:55 and I decided that as I was coming directly from the lab at least let me have a wash and come back again. The moment I stepped out at 3:55, Bhagavan came to the Mandir at four! I missed the occasion; I missed the chance to communicate!

As I went back to the room, I was feeling very depressed. If the phone call came again, what reply can I give? I was worried. And then next day morning at six o’clock, I received a phone call from my uncle and what he narrated is something which is left for each one of you to judge. When the operation was being performed the condition became very critical because one of the arteries inside was cut by mistake and the doctors did not observe it! They put the stitches back and they left the patient – my aunt – and each and every minute her condition was deteriorating. The blood pressure was falling terribly to an extent that the doctors themselves started crying and they gave only four minutes! They said: “If the problem is not sorted out within four minutes; and if enough blood is not bought to be fed back inside the body, the patient is sure to die.” My aunt was immediately taken to the operation theatre and there three minutes had already passed. And then something phenomenal happened. As my aunt explained; she saw herself coming out and there she prayed: “Swami, what is this happening? Has my end arrived? Is this the end of this life?”

And then from nowhere Bhagavan appeared in the operation theater with a mask and just made one statement. He said: “I am there.”

And then the operation began. The best part was that the doctors could not locate where the artery was! And my aunt could see that Bhagavan was mysteriously guiding the doctors in locating the place where the artery was cut. Though the surgeons could not see Him, they could feel Him.

The chief surgeon could not believe what was happening. All she could remember was there were tears in her eyes and she did not even know how the operation was performed!

Needless to say, the operation was a success. And within those remaining few minutes blood was organized. People came on their own to donate blood. And I think that it was yesterday that my aunt was discharged. She is hale and hearty and she is recovering.

And then when I had a chance to speak to her, I asked her: “How do you feel about it?” She made only one statement. She said: “This life has been given to me by Bhagavan; what can I do other than surrendering it at His Lotus Feet?”

The very life; the very achievements which are so dear to us – at the end we surrender it back. There might be our qualities – our ego, our problems - we might like to surrender and offer it at His Lotus Feet so that He can burn them. But the greatest surrender is to surrender one’s own life! Can there be anything greater?

Sometimes looking at all these events I feel what a predicament it is to be God! When He breaks the pot and steals the butter, we call Him maakhana chora (stealer of butter)! When He runs away from the place, we call Him runn chor; (thief on a run) when He hides somewhere, again we call Him a thief and when we know that He is the Lord of our hearts, we still call Him chitta chora (stealer of our heart)! At each and every place the Lord is called a thief!

And at the end it is the Lord who has this to say. Let me narrate here the beautiful poem composed by Sri Surdas describing the enchanting childhood pranks of Lord Krishna:

Maiya mori, main nahin maakhana khaayo! Bhor bhayo gaiyan ke paache; madhuban mohe pathayo; Chaar pahar bansi dhar bhatkyo saanjh chaley ghar aayo Main baalak bhaiyan ke choto cheekey keh vidhi paayo; Gvaal baal sab bair karey hain barbas mukh lipatayo Tu janani mann ki ati bholi unkey kaih pati aayo; Yeh ley apni lapati kamariya bahut naach nachayo! Maiya bahut naach nachayo!

“O my mother, I did not eat the butter. As soon as it is dawn you send me to the Madhuban forest with the cows for grazing. After hanging around in the forest, looking after the cows day along, I return home in the evening. Moreover, I am smaller in height than my elder brother, how, then, can I ever reach the butter pot hanging so high? All the young cowherds are on bad terms with me, they catch hold of me and forcefully put butter into my mouth! O Mother, you are so simple and innocent-hearted, therefore, you believe what they say. Take away this waist cloth of yours. I am fed up with all this now.”

Everything is done for our own good. And in the end it is the Lord who is blamed! Lord! There is only one prayer. We know not what we can offer but a beautiful poem that You so often sing out: Lord! Our hearts are dry out of ignorance. You shower Your Love! Let that Brindavan grow there; let a Yamuna flow there. And You establish Yourself as the One who plays the melodious flute and fills our hearts, for it is each one of us who has to make the journey from gross ignorance to ultimate surrender – that is - Atma Nivedanam! A journey from whom we call the maakhana chora to the one who is the chitta chora! Jai Sai Ram.

 

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