Yadhavabhyudhaya-chapter4-Infant Krishna

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CHAPTER-4

 

Kamsa having heard about the birth of Krishna became

overwhelmed with fear and anger and decided to send evil forces to

kill him. Poothana, who has power of maya, was sent by him to gokula

and she entered while everyone was asleep, taking the form of

Yasodha, and started breastfeeding Krishna who sucked her life along

with milk In Bhagavatha we find detailed description of the Poothana

episode which mentions her killing newborn babies everywhere and

assuming the form of a high born woman which impressed everyone in

gokula including Rohini and she is said to have offered her poisonous

breast to Krishna. But in the work of Desika the devotional element

reigns supreme rather than the narrative details.

 

Hearing the shouts of Poothana and the crying of Krishna

Yasodha came running and grasped Krishna, 'sasambhramaavegamupethya

bheethaathamagrheeth durgraham aagammaanaam.' He is durgraha not

easily graspable even by aagamaas, ie.vedas and Yasodha grasped Him

so easily.

 

Nanda also came there and was relieved to see that no harm

was done to the child. Poothana fell down dead assuming her real

form and the the gopas cut her large body into pieces and threw them

at the outskirts of the city to be eaten by carnivorous animals. Then

they put on Krishna, the goptha,the protector of all, an ornament, to

ward off the evil effects of the planets, consisting of the

miniatures of Panchaayudha of Narayana, namely sudarsana, the disc,

paanchajanya, the conch, saarnga, the bow,koumodhaki, the mace and

nandhaki, the sword, which in tamil is called aimpadaithaali

 

Desika while describimg the Poothana episode says, 'Sthanyena

krishnah saha poothanaayaah praanaan papau lupthapunarbhvaayaah.'

Krishna drank her life along with milk as a result of which she

attained the state of immortality, lupthapunarbhava. It itself is a

wonder, that to one who gave poison, the Lord repaid with the

purushaarthapradhaana, that is moksha, which is attainable only

through bhakthi.

 

Yet there is another wonder mentioned by Desika,'yadhadbutham

bhaavayathaam janaanaam sthanandhayathvam na punarbabhoova.' Those

who contemplate on Krishna sucking the breast of Poothana never again

lapse back into the state of shanadhyaithva, suckling infant. That is

they are not born again. Appayya dikshitha commenting on this says

that it is against thatkrathunyaya, the principle called thatkrathu ,

mentioned in the aaranyaka portion of the vedas that by thinking of

something one becomes that. This is further elaborated in a later

chapter which we shall see when we come to it.

One more leela of Krishna as an infant is described by

Desika. Once Yasodha placed him near a cart and he started crying

and His feet hit the cart and the moutaunous cart fell into pieces

with a great sound. The sakatasura who came to kill Krishna was

destroyed. Bhagavatha does not mention sakatasura but simply desribes

the cart overladen with food toppling over when Krishna kicked at it

and Yasodha and others hazened there hearing the great sound and didi

not believe the words of the children that Krishna did it. But in

Yadhvaabhyudhaya and Narayaneeyam we find Sakatasura mentioned and in

Narayaneeyam the poet describes how even the dust of the sakatasura

in the form of cartwheel was not to be found and ascribes it to the

effect of the sarirasambandha of tha Lord. Desika says that Yasodha

touched the lotus like foot of Krishna to see whether it was

hurt.'Yadhrcchayothkshipthapadhe kumaare sailopalakshye

sakatenirasthe sarojagarbhopamasoukumaaryam pasparsa

thathpaadhathalam yasodha.'