SB 10.19.1–12 – Krishna Swallows the Forest Fire

Giriraj Swami: 

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

We read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Nineteen: “Swallowing the Forest Fire.”

SWALLOWING THE FOREST FIRE

This chapter describes how Lord Kṛṣṇa saved the cows and the cowherd boys from a great fire in the Muñjāraṇya forest.

One day the cowherd boys became absorbed in sporting and allowed the cows to wander into a dense forest. Suddenly a forest fire blazed up, and to escape its flames the cows took refuge in a grove of sharp canes. When the cowherd boys missed their animals, they went searching for them, following their hoofprints and the trail of blades of grass and other plants they had trampled or had broken with their teeth. Finally the boys found the cows and removed them from the cane forest, but by that time the forest fire had grown strong and was threatening both the boys and the cows. Thus the cowherd boys took shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystic power, who told them to close their eyes. They did so, and in a moment He swallowed up the fierce forest fire and brought them all back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree mentioned in the last chapter. Seeing this wonderful display of mystic potency, the cowherd boys thought Kṛṣṇa must be a demigod, and they began to praise Him. Then they all returned home.

COMMENT

Text One, please repeat after me.

TEXT 1

śrī-śuka uvāca

krīḍāsakteṣu gopeṣu

tad-gāvo dūra-cāriṇīḥ

svairaṁ carantyo viviśus

tṛṇa-lobhena gahvaram

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While the cowherd boys were completely absorbed in playing, their cows wandered far away. They hungered for more grass, and with no one to watch them they entered a dense forest.

COMMENT

There is no purport, but still, I will comment a little on the verse because it is the beginning of the pastime described in the Nineteenth Chapter. The direct meaning is clear, but there is a lesson for us in the pastime. It is described here that the cows, lobhena, out of greed, in this case, tṛṇa—for grass, dūra-cāriṇīḥ—wandered far away, svairam- independently. Any one of us may be influenced by hunger or greed for sense gratification, and thus, we may wander away from the association that is congenial for our Krishna consciousness, independently, svairam. We may wander away independently and enter gahvaram—a dense forest, a dark, dense forest that is very hard to find our way out of. This is an instruction in the first verse.

TEXT 2

ajā gāvo mahiṣyaś ca

nirviśantyo vanād vanam

īṣīkāṭavīṁ nirviviśuḥ

krandantyo dāva-tarṣitāḥ

TRANSLATION

Passing from one part of the great forest to another, the goats, cows and buffalo eventually entered an area overgrown with sharp canes. The heat of a nearby forest fire made them thirsty, and they cried out in distress.

COMMENT

So, they wandered away from Krishna and the cowherd boys who were meant to protect them, out of greed for fresh grass, and they wandered into a dense forest. But instead of the happiness that they were seeking, they got distress—the distress of the heat of a nearby forest fire, which caused them to become thirsty. And in their distress, they cried out.

TEXT 3

te ‘paśyantaḥ paśūn gopāḥ

kṛṣṇa-rāmādayas tadā

jātānutāpā na vidur

vicinvanto gavāṁ gatim

TRANSLATION

Not seeing the cows before them, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma and Their cowherd friends suddenly felt repentant for having neglected them. The boys searched all around, but could not discover where they had gone.

COMMENT

So, we are also meant to take care of each other, and we should be conscious of where the other devotees are; both physically and spiritually. And if someone wanders off, we should also feel responsible, we should feel repentant that we did not take sufficient care of them. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that if a devotee leaves the Matha, or the temple, we should feel that 50 percent of the fault is ours. We don’t just blame the devotee who left, but we should feel 50 percent of the responsibility is ours.

TEXT 4

tṛṇais tat-khura-dac-chinnair

goṣ-padair aṅkitair gavām

mārgam anvagaman sarve

naṣṭājīvyā vicetasaḥ

TRANSLATION

Then the boys began tracing out the cows’ path by noting their hoofprints and the blades of grass the cows had broken with their hooves and teeth. All the cowherd boys were in great anxiety because they had lost their source of livelihood.

COMMENT

So, if some devotee strays away, we should feel repentant that we did not take proper care, and then we should try to search the devotee out and bring him/her back. In one statement, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura described the purpose of the Matha, or the temple, to facilitate the process of chanting and hearing about Krishna, rendering service to Krishna in different ways together, in the association of other devotees. And he said that if someone leaves the Matha, or the temple, we should find him and speak to him like our own brother, and appeal to him to appreciate this great value of the human form of life, and to come back to the proper activity of engaging in devotional service.

TEXT 5

muñjāṭavyāṁ bhraṣṭa-mārgaṁ

krandamānaṁ sva-godhanam

samprāpya tṛṣitāḥ śrāntās

tatas te sannyavartayan

TRANSLATION

Within the Muñjā forest the cowherd boys finally found their valuable cows, who had lost their way and were crying. Then the boys, thirsty and tired, herded the cows onto the path back home.

COMMENT

So, the cowherd boys, they also took a risk by following the cows, and they also became thirsty and tired like the cows. But they felt that they couldn’t live without their herd. And we should feel that way too. As Prahlada Maharaja said, we don’t want to go back home, back to Godhead alone, but we want to take with us as many others as possible. And that requires personal sacrifice. Well, to achieve anything requires sacrifice, austerity, effort. But especially, to bring a fallen conditioned soul back to the lotus feet of Krishna requires extraordinary effort. As Srila Prabhupada said, “We have to shed gallons of blood just to make one devotee.” And so, if one devotee comes after so much collective effort of the preaching mission, and then leaves, it is a great loss. As Srila Prabhupada said, “Every soul is important in Krishna consciousness.” So, we should spare no effort.

Now, in the case of the cows, they were in distress, they were feeling pain, and they were crying out. Sometimes when a devotee leaves the association of other devotees, he/she becomes so covered that they don’t even recognize their distress. I mean, we can see that they’re in distress, but they can be so covered that they feel that they are just fine. Even then, if we reach out to them and extend our friendship, to them, it will mean a lot. Even if they are not ready to come back immediately, but the fact that you did reach out to them will certainly stay in their memory. And one day, when the time is right, they will come back, and then they will appreciate it. I’ve heard testimonies from so many devotees who strayed away for some time and then came back, and they remember one devotee who never gave up on them, who would always call and speak with them, even if they weren’t very receptive. And then, when they finally did come back, they would remember and express their appreciation for the devotee who kept in touch with them even when they were not very interested. But, the position of the cows who actually felt their distress and were crying out was good. Because by their crying out, the boys could find out where they were and come to rescue them.

TEXT 6

tā āhūtā bhagavatā
megha-gambhīrayā girā
sva-nāmnāṁ ninadaṁ śrutvā
pratineduḥ praharṣitāḥ

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead called out to the animals in a voice that resounded like a rumbling cloud. Hearing the sound of their own names, the cows were overjoyed and called out to the Lord in reply.

COMMENT

So, when we talk about the cowherd boys, Krishna is included among them, he is also a cowherd boy. Yes, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is playing the part of a cowherd boy. And especially in Vrindavan, the pastimes are human-like, nara-līlā. And so, Krishna, He plays and frolics among the cowherd boys just like one of them. But still, He’s the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He’s the Supreme object of love for all the cows, cowherd boys, gopīs, and all inhabitants of Vrindavan. And He has a very personal relationship with each and every one of them, to the extent that He knows the names of each and every cow, He can recognize each and every cow, he can recognize the sound of their voice, or moo, of each and every cow. And so, when the cows heard their names being called by Krishna, they were overjoyed. Not just because they knew they would be saved from their difficult situation, but they were overjoyed out of love, that their dearmost friend and object of love, Krishna, had come. And they called out to the Lord in reply.

TEXT 7

tataḥ samantād dava-dhūmaketur
yadṛcchayābhūt kṣaya-kṛd vanaukasām
samīritaḥ sārathinolbaṇolmukair
vilelihānaḥ sthira-jaṅgamān mahān

TRANSLATION

Suddenly a great forest fire appeared on all sides, threatening to destroy all the forest creatures. Like a chariot driver, the wind swept the fire onward, and terrible sparks shot in all directions. Indeed, the great fire extended its tongues of flame toward all moving and nonmoving creatures.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Just as Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and the cowherd boys were about to take their cows back home, the forest fire previously mentioned raged out of control and surrounded all of them.

TEXT 8

tam āpatantaṁ parito davāgniṁ

gopāś ca gāvaḥ prasamīkṣya bhītāḥ

ūcuś ca kṛṣṇaṁ sa-balaṁ prapannā

yathā hariṁ mṛtyu-bhayārditā janāḥ

TRANSLATION

As the cows and cowherd boys stared at the forest fire attacking them on all sides, they became fearful. The boys then approached Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for shelter, just as those who are disturbed by fear of death approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The boys addressed Them as follows.

COMMENT

So, there are different ways of appreciating the pastime, and in the very beginning, we mentioned the idea that the cows are like our senses that become allured, greedy, become allured by fresh grasses and lead us astray. ‘Us’ means the soul. And when we are let astray, we may end up in a dense, dark forest, we may end up in a blazing fire. And what do we do in such a precarious condition? We cry out to Krishna and Balarama. We cannot save ourselves; we do not have the strength or the intelligence to save ourselves independently. In fact, it was because we acted independently that we ended up going astray and coming into difficulty. But in our precarious situation, if we admit our utter dependence on Krishna and Balarama and cry out to Them, or Their devotees, They will help us without any doubt.

In Sri Manaḥ-śikṣā, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami says that lust and anger and greed are like robbers on the highway that want to plunder our wealth of Krishna consciousness. And in that precarious situation, we should call out to the Lord or the Lord’s devotee, he mentioned specifically the Lord’s devotees, and they will save us.

So, the boys addressed Krishna and Balarama as follows:

TEXT 9

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-vīra

he rāmāmogha vikrama

dāvāgninā dahyamānān

prapannāṁs trātum arhathaḥ

TRANSLATION

[The cowherd boys said:] O Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Most powerful one! O Rāma! You whose prowess never fails! Please save Your devotees, who are about to be burned by this forest fire and have come to take shelter of You!

TEXT 10

nūnaṁ tvad-bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṇa

na cārhanty avasāditum

vayaṁ hi sarva-dharma-jña

tvan-nāthās tvat-parāyaṇāḥ

TRANSLATION

Kṛṣṇa! Certainly Your own friends shouldn’t be destroyed. O knower of the nature of all things, we have accepted You as our Lord, and we are souls surrendered unto You!

TEXT 11

śrī-śuka uvāca

vaco niśamya kṛpaṇaṁ

bandhūnāṁ bhagavān hariḥ

nimīlayata mā bhaiṣṭa

locanānīty abhāṣata

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing these pitiful words from His friends, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa told them, “Just close your eyes and do not be afraid.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This verse clearly reveals the simple, sublime relationship between Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees. The Absolute Truth, the supreme almighty Lord, is actually a young, blissful cowherd boy named Kṛṣṇa. God is youthful, and His mentality is playful. When He saw that His beloved friends were terrified of the forest fire, He simply told them to close their eyes and not be afraid. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa acted, as described in the next verse.

COMMENT

So, I will read the next verse because it completes this section.

TEXT 12

tatheti mīlitākṣeṣu

bhagavān agnim ulbaṇam

pītvā mukhena tān kṛcchrād

yogādhīśo vyamocayat

TRANSLATION

“All right,” the boys replied, and immediately closed their eyes. Then the Supreme Lord, the master of all mystic power, opened His mouth and swallowed the terrible fire, saving His friends from danger.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The cowherd boys were suffering from extreme fatigue, hunger and thirst, and were about to be consumed by a horrible forest fire. All this is indicated here by the word kṛcchrāt.

COMMENT

Which means danger. So, this act of Krishna, of swallowing the forest fire, was certainly extraordinary. Sometimes people want to imitate Krishna, they are envious of Krishna and want to take the place of Krishna. So, when they hear of Krishna’s dancing with the gopīs, enjoying with the gopīs, they think, We will also enjoy with young ladies. And of course, that is a disastrous mentality. And Srila Prabhupada says, “If you want to imitate Krishna by enjoying with the gopīs, you should imitate Him by lifting Govardhana Hill or swallowing a forest fire.” But people cannot do that, and therefore, they should not dare to think of imitating Krishna in other ways.

Now, as HH Radhanath Swami so beautifully described in his class on Friday, why did Krishna ask the cowherd boys to close their eyes? Of course, he would have been referring to the commentaries of the previous acharyas, which all of us do, we all follow the previous acharyas. Earlier, Lord Krishna had been playing with His friends, and they had complained to Mother Yasoda. Of course, Krishna is the janmādy asya yataḥ, He is the origin of everything. But still, to reciprocate a devotee’s desire to serve Him in a particular relationship such as mother, He will accept a pure devotee in the role of His mother, and He will play the part of the perfect child. Perfect in the sense of perfect in reciprocating the devotee’s desire.

So, one day, when Krishna was playing with Balarama and the cowherd boys, He got late in coming home, He didn’t want to leave His play. And so, finally, mother Yasoda came to call Him home to take prasāda. Sometimes preachers also become absorbed in their work and they forget about their prasāda and come home late. But anyway, mother Yasoda came, and the cowherd boys complained to mother Yasoda that Krishna had eaten some dirt, some mud, and Krishna denied it, He said it’s not true. And Mother Yasoda said, “Balarama also said that you ate mud.” And Krishna said, “They are envious of Me. We were playing.”

So then, Krishna said, “But still, if you have any doubt, you can look into my mouth and see if there is any dirt.” So, He opened His little mouth and she looked in, and within His little mouth, she saw the entire cosmic manifestation; all the different planets, the different material elements, the time factor. She saw the whole of creation. She saw the mystic powers, and they were all worshiping Krishna. And she also saw herself in Krishna’s mouth, looking into His mouth, and she became totally bewildered. She thought, What is happening to me? Am I going crazy? But then, she considered, But no, I’m able to do my household duties, I’m able to do my normal activities. I don’t think I’ve gone crazy. So then, she thought maybe some demigod or some very powerful being had cast some spell on her to disrupt her normal mental functions. But then, she thought, But that can’t be. I’m just an ordinary cowherd lady. I’m just a simple wife and mother. I’m not important enough for some powerful being to attack with some bewildering power.

So, all in all, she was completely confused. She thought, Maybe I’m asleep, maybe I’m dreaming. But then, somehow, she figured out that she wasn’t asleep. So, she couldn’t understand what was happening. And finally, Krishna, wanting to relieve her of her great mental confusion, expanded His yogamāyā potency and made the whole scene disappear. He was just her small child, and He closed His mouth, and then he went back home with her.

So, Krishna in the forest, surrounded by the fire, thought Once, I ate a little dirt and the cowherd boys complained to My mother and I got into so much trouble. What if they see Me eating fire and tell My mother? How much trouble will I get into then? So then, He thought, I better have them close their eyes, so they won’t see me eating the fire. So, He said, “Just close your eyes,” and then He swallowed up the whole huge forest fire, and then He said, “Alright, now you can open your eyes.” And when they opened their eyes, they found themselves back in the Bhandirvan, under the Bhandiravat, a wonderful tree. It’s still there in Vrindavan, it’s a very special tree that’s described in the shastra.

So, this is just a glimpse into the beautiful reciprocation of Krishna and His devotees in Vrindavan. And by hearing these pastimes, we should be attracted to life with Krishna, and we should also think that if we just surrender to Krishna, he will protect us. These are not just stories for our entertainment or amusement, or the entertainment amusement of our children, but they depict the actual reality of life with Krishna in Vrindavan. And even though we’re in the material world, Krishna is the same. He is very affectionate to His devotees, and if some devotee surrenders to Him and is in difficulty, Krishna will save him or her.

So, by hearing these pastimes, we should develop faith in Krishna and eagerness to have the same type of relationship with Him as the residents of Vrindavan, and to have the same love from Him and care from Him and protection from Him that they get, and any pure devotee will get who surrenders to Krishna. So, these are very confidential pastimes. We were already in the Tenth Canto. And in general, we should begin with the First Canto. Even before that, with the Bhagavad-gītā; the First Canto, Second Canto, so that we understand Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He’s not an ordinary person, nor are these imaginary stories or myths. And by talking about Krishna, hearing about Krishna, our hearts become purified. And even if we don’t understand it, the transcendental sound vibration will act upon our hearts. And by repeating, things become clear. One of Srila Prabhupada’s last instructions in Vrindavan was, “Discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam daily as much as possible.” The more you discuss the subject matter, the more it becomes clarified. And if we don’t understand something and don’t have a way of discussing it, we can just repeat it.

Very early, one of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples heard the statement that the moon is churned from the ocean of milk, and the disciple didn’t understand, “The moon is churned from the ocean of milk?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Just repeat, ‘The moon is churned from the ocean of milk.’” So, she repeated, “The moon is churned from the ocean of milk.” So, he said, “Now, say it again.” “The moon is churned from the ocean of milk.” He said, “Okay, repeat one more time.” “The moon is churned from the ocean of milk.” Then, Srila Prabhupada asked, “Do you understand now?” She said, “Yes, the moon is churned from the ocean of milk.”

And when The Nectar of Devotion first came out, we were all very new devotees. And The Nectar of Devotion discusses some very high topics. But Srila Prabhupada said, “If you don’t understand anything, just read it again and again. Don’t speculate. Just read it again and again, and it will become clear.” And our hearts will become purified. And with a pure heart, we can understand what is Krishna, what is the goal of life, how to attain it, and even how to bring others to Krishna, which pleases Him very, very much. Hare Krishna.

Devotees: Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Are there any questions or comments? Yes?

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:48:00]

Giriraj Swami: Yes. Somehow, that reminded me of another incident. I mean, he wasn’t initiated then, but when Bhakti Charu Swami first came to the association of devotees in Mayapur, something happened. In a big organization, it can happen that there’s some conflict, or you see something that doesn’t seem right. So, he left and went home to Calcutta. And when HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja heard about it, he was so concerned and upset that he went all the way from Mayapur to Calcutta. I don’t even know how he knew how to find him. It was sort of like the calves who wandered off and where did they go? Somehow, he found Maharaja’s house, the parents’ house, but Maharaja was out. And Jayapataka Swami waited for three hours, and still, Maharaja didn’t come home, and then he just had to leave, he had to get back to Mayapur.

But when Bhakti Charu Swami returned home and found out that Jayapataka Swami had come all the way just for him, such an exalted devotee, already a sannyasi and leader of the Mayapur project, he felt so ashamed and embarrassed that by his leaving, Jayapataka Swami had to do that for his sake, and he wasn’t even there to receive him. So, he just packed his bags and went back to Mayapur. So, we never know how much our sincere effort can help another soul. Yes, Rasaraj Prabhu?

Rasaraj Prabhu: [Question summary:] It's my observation that devotees sometimes discontinue their service when, after dedicating many years to it, they don't feel appreciated. They might no longer wish to continue that particular service. Consequently, their service responsibilities are revoked, and they cease their involvement altogether. Is it acceptable for them to only do the bare minimum? And why would someone choose to discontinue active service, yet still remain devoted?

Giriraj Swami: Well, I would prefer to look at the 50 percent of it that’s with us, rather than the 50 percent that’s with them. We should be very careful when it comes to taking service away from a devotee, even if we think someone else can do it better. We should be careful in two ways. I’ll cite one example that was very instructive.

Gargamuni Swami was in charge of the library party in India and book distribution to bookstores. So, anyway, Srila Prabhupada’s son, Vrindavan Chandra De, had a little book store in North Calcutta, and Srila Prabhupada wanted to give him the distribution rights for his books, I think for Calcutta, Bengal and Bihar. So, Gargamuni became very upset, and he came to Prabhupada. I wish I could imitate him because he stuttered. But he basically said, “This Vrindavan Chandra is so small time. We’ve given him books before, he just hardly sells any books at all, he’s so small time. If you give me that area, I can distribute a hundred times more books than he will.” And Prabhupada said, “Yes, that may be true, but still, I want to engage him, I want to encourage him.” And Prabhupada stuck to his position. And after Gargamuni left the room, Prabhupada said, “He’s simply envious.”

So, in this case, Prabhupada was giving more importance to engaging that soul in devotional service than to the sales of the books, or we could say, the results of the service. So, it’s not always the case that just because someone can do a service better than another person, that the service should be given to him or her, because there may be other factors. And like we were discussing, okay, we’re doing all this service, Krishna doesn’t really need anything, we’re trying to bring people to Him, and with such great effort, one person comes. And if that one person gets discouraged. . . Well, from a certain point of view, we were trying to increase the service, but the service is ultimately meant to culminate in bringing more people. So, we want to keep whoever comes. The other aspect would be how you go about taking away the service, and a very important part of that could be giving another service to the person.

Sometimes, it happens, someone is in an important position, he’s not really functioning properly, and his improper performance of the service is affecting many other people, it’s not just himself. So, it may come to the stage where we need to replace the person. So, one part, I would say, should be to express appreciation for all that the devotee did, but then the other part is now, what service can we give the devotee? Because service is very important. And we’re not talking about people who just sit and chant and hear all day. It’s very important for them to do service and be connected with the mission of Prabhupada.

So, one approach could be to sit with the person and say, “You’ve really done a lot, you’ve worked hard, you’ve tried your best. But this is you, and this is the service. It might not be the best fit, and we have someone else who might fit better in the service. And ultimately, we want to please Prabhupada, Krishna.” And we can say either, “We think this would be a good service,” or we could ask, “What service would you like to do?” Something so that the connection is maintained because that connection is really, really important. Yes, Narottama?

Narottama: My question is more a technical one on rasa, as the cowherd boys earlier treated Krishna as equals and suddenly when fire manifests they were worshiping Him as the Supreme Lord, “Please give me shelter,” so I was wondering as it seems to me as rasābhāsa, so please if you can explain to me.

Giriraj Swami: No, they didn’t refer to Krishna or just Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the references to Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead came from Śukadeva Gosvami. They did say, “O! Krishna, powerful one,” but that doesn’t mean He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They know He is powerful. Or, “O Rama! You who is prowess is never thwarted.” But it’s Śukadeva Gosvami who is referring to Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not the cowherd boys. And for them, it’s just a fact that they’re powerful. And they love Krishna and Krishna loves them, and they know Krishna will protect them. Just like a child might call his father to help him in a difficult situation. That doesn’t mean that he thinks that his father is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Or an older brother, a stronger brother. No, it’s not like that.

Although, it is true. On rare occasions, the residents of Vrindavan can see Krishna as something extraordinary, but ultimately, their sweet mood of intimate relationship with Him prevails. I mean, it’s a whole topic, and we don’t have time to discuss it right now because we have to leave for the retreat, but under certain circumstances, that awareness of Krishna being the Supreme Personality may be there. And one of the circumstances is separation. And Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives the example that when you boil milk, there may be some little bits of grass, in that rural setting, there might be a little piece of grass or straw in the milk. But you don’t see it, it’s at the bottom of the pot. But when you boil the milk, those little pieces may come to the surface, and then again, they go down. And then, when you take the milk off the fire, they go down. So, in the same way, in the fire of separation, with the gopīs, that awareness that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead may come to the surface, but then it disappears again.

I mean, Krishna lifted the Govardhana Hill. Everyone saw it, but they didn’t conclude He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In fact, the cowherd boys were holding their sticks up because they thought, Krishna might get tired, so they wanted to help Him by putting up their sticks to hold the mountain. But still, in most cases, Krishna didn’t do things like that, that everyone could see, and that too, for one week. So, afterwards, there was a big discussion about Krishna, and some of the cowherd men approached Nanda Maharaja, “Your Krishna is not an ordinary boy. He may be some demigod, and He may even be an expansion of the Supreme Lord, Narayana. So, you’re chastising Him and punishing Him. We don’t think you should do that. We don’t know who He is, He could be some demigod.”

So, Nanda Maharaja said, “O! You think you know Krishna! I know my Krishna very well. If He gets a little hungry, He screams and cries. And if we don’t feed Him, He goes to the neighbors and steals butter and yogurt. Is that the activity of a demigod? And if His mother approaches Him with a stick, He becomes so afraid that He starts to cry and He runs away. Is that the activity of a demigod? He cannot control His senses. He cannot control His mind, His emotion.”

And then, hearing these charming talks about Krishna’s childlike activities, all the elders became overwhelmed in that mood of vatsalya bhava, and they forgot all about Krishna being a demigod, or maybe even an expansion of Lord Narayana Himself.

And it can even go to the extent that they may actually accept Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because every day, the demigods would come. It would happen, demigods would come and offer prayers to Krishna. It happened after the govardhana-līlā, it happened after the brahma-vimohana-līlā. But it just increases the parental affection, or the affection of the cowherd friends. Just like a mother will feel proud, “My son is a High Court judge.” But he’s still her son, and her affection for him as her son is much more prominent than her appreciation of him being a High Court judge.

And same with the cowherd boys. They see the demigods come, they shower flowers, they offer prayers, they sing Krishna’s glories. It just makes them proud, “We have such a friend that even demigods come and worship Him, but He is still our friend.” It does not change their relationship with Him, it just becomes another element in the same relationship. It just enhances their appreciation for Him as their friend, or son.