Upanayana Samskara of Krishna

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As Krsna weeps in separation for the Vrajabasis, Devaki, Vasudeva, Ugrasena

and the entire council of Mathura try to devise a plan so to convince Him

that He is the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, and that He is from Mathura. They

want to create an impression in His mind and heart so that He will forget

Nanda and Yasoda. They quickly arranged an upanayana (sacred thread)

ceremony and invited all of their relatives from here and there and from

very far away.

 

No invitation was sent to Nanda Baba or any of the Vrajabasis, and there was

a secret reason for that. Vasudeva and Devaki feared that if someone would

come from Vraja, Krsna would remember them and at once go to Vrndavana. No

one would be able to check Him, and therefore this ceremony was performed in

a stealthy way.

 

Krsna and Baladeva were both brought for the upanayana ceremony to create an

impression (samskara) of Their relation with the Mathuravasis. Their father

and mother, Vasudeva and Devaki, were present, thinking, "They are our sons.

Krsna is not the son of Mother Yasoda and Nanda Baba." Krsna and Baladeva

were shaved, given wooden sandals, palm leaf umbrellas, and sacred threads.

All this was done according to the rules and regulations of Vedic culture,

and thus both boys became brahmacaris.

 

Wearing reddish cloth and wooden sandals like brahmacaris, Krsna and

Baladeva looked very beautiful. When the ceremony was complete, Gargacarya

told Them, "Now You will have to go to Your mother and Your father to beg

something for me, Your Gurudeva. You should tell Your mother, 'O mother,

please give me a donation,' and the same to Your father. In addition, You

will have to go to at least five houses and beg some donations." He then

held out his cloth as a jholi, for begging, to show Krsna and Baladeva how

to go out and beg alms.

 

Krsna thought, "I will have to go to mother. Where is mother?" At once

remembering His father and mother, He became like a wooden statue. He cried

out, "Mother! Mother! Where is mother? My mother promised to give Me so many

jewels to fill up My jholi, but where is she? Mother! Mother!" Calling out

in this way, He at once fainted.

 

Everyone present ran over to Krsna, wondering, "Why did He faint now,

calling out, "mother, mother"? They gave Him water to bring Him back to

consciousness, and the ceremony was quickly completed. Then they began to

think what else to do. They considered, "Mother Yasoda or any messenger from

Vraja may come; so we must quickly arrange to send Krsna far away from here.

Then, when He forgets Vraja, having received a new impression, He should

return here."

 

Vasudeva and Devaki quickly sent Krsna away to the gurukula of Sandipani

Muni which was very far away from Mathura, and Baladeva was sent with Him.

He was there for sixty-four days, and in that time He completed His whole

course of learning the Vedas, Upanisads, other sastras and all kinds of

arts. There are sixty-four kinds of arts, and He learned everything,

especially the Vedas and Upanisads.

 

After that, Krsna and His classmate Sudama Vipra served their gurudeva.

Krsna gave daksina to His gurudeva by bringing his son from Yamaloka and

returning him to His guru-mother, and after this episode, He went back to

Mathura. But the Mathuravasis, Krsna's father and mother, failed in their

purpose. They did not achieve the result they wanted.

 

Krsna could not forget His real father and mother. One or two days after His

return, He went up to the roof of the royal palace and, grieving piteously,

He looked towards Vrndavana. At that time Uddhava came searching for Krsna.

He saw that Krsna was weeping bitterly and could not speak, His voice being

choked. As tears fell from His eyes, Krsna glanced toward Uddhava, placed

his hand in His own, and said:

 

"My dear Uddhava, you are My student, you are My helper, you are My general,

you are My minister, and you are My adviser. You are also My heartfelt bosom

friend, and therefore I want you to go to Vrndavana, Vraja, and pacify My

father and mother. They are feeling so much separation and are always

lamenting. They have stopped taking their meals. They are no longer walking,

cooking or doing anything at all. Perhaps they will die.

 

"I have heard that My many cows have stopped grazing and they don't eat

anything. There are so many calves also. Please go and pacify My father, and

tell him that I am coming very soon. He should not lament. He should take

care of My cows and calves; otherwise they will die. All the cows and calves

are simply remembering, 'Krsna Krsna Krsna.' Please pacify them. Please

pacify My gopis who have accepted Me as their life and soul They feel even

more separation than the others.

 

"Sometimes Nanda Baba wants to forget Me, but he cannot do so while staying

in his house. Everything in his house reminds him of Me. He thinks, 'Oh, the

grinding mortar is there, and His footprints are everywhere in the

courtyard. All the paraphernalia is crying, 'Oh, where is Krsna? Where is

Krsna?' Nanda Baba goes out to the bank of the Yamuna, to forget Me, but he

sees Me everywhere because I played so many sweet pastimes there. All the

gopis used to meet Me there, and therefore that place creates still more

remembrance for him.

 

"Weeping even more now, Nanda Baba then goes to Govardhana and thinks, 'O

Govardhana, I will be alone and I will forget Krsna.' But wherever he goes,

he sees that all the kunds are crying without Me, and all the sakhas and

everyone else are all crying. All the trees, feeling separation, are crying

and looking dry now. Everything is weeping for Me there. Wherever Nanda Baba

goes he remembers Me, and therefore, not knowing what to do, he again

returns home."

 

Krsna continued, "Please go and pacify My father and mother, and especially

My beloved gopis. When you reach there, I don't know if you will find them

or not. By the time you arrive, they may have died. Please go

quickly.quickly. Don't go by foot. You can go very swiftly by chariot."

 

Krsna then gave the order to bring Kamsa's golden chariot, which, now that

Kamsa was dead, was only for His use.

 

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