Periazvar kanda kannan-Gopis complain

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Gopis complain about Krishna

 

Krishna has started his mischievous activities and the gopis come and complain about him to Yasodha. These pasurams are in the form of dialogue between gopis and Yasodha who calls Krishna asking him not to go to their houses.

 

One gopi says that Krishna came and swallowed all the butter and threw the empty vessel down enjoying the sound it made. She complains that the doing of Krishna are as tormenting as adding tamarind water to a wound and asks yasodha to call him back as they were not able to check him. Krishna is described as aNnaRku aNNaan, of a contrary nature to his elder brother Balarama, which when split as aNNaR kaNNaan, means that he has the eyes indicative of his being the Lord.

 

Yasodha says to her that Krishna is dear to her and calls Krishna to come there quickly, as she could not tolerates others finding fault with him. Azvar as yasodha, refers to Krishna as Rama with black hair and red mouth and as Vamana, implying that he was the Vamana, who measured the whole world later as Thrivikrama and not a mere cowherd boy whom these women were complaining about., not knowing that he was also Rama in his former incarnation when devotees like Sabari had to wait for long to offer fruits to eat and who as Krishna had come on His own and takes butter etc. by Himself for which these people should feel blessed.

 

Another one comes and says that when she put the butter on the stove to melt it Krishna came and ate the whole thing and broke the pot also and was standing there as if he did not do anything. She asked Yasodha whether it is proper for her son of whom she has so much pride, to trouble the neighbours like this and further said that Krishna takes pride in such actions and if Yasodha does not check him, they could not live there at all.

 

Yasodha calls Krishna and he comes running telling her he came to have his milk and seeing his lovely face and smile Yasodha forgot why she called him and takes him on her hip. Azvar is wondering what could be the skill of Krishna to act like this referring to him as koyilpiLlai, the one who is in Srirangam (which is termed as kovil by viashnavas) and one who was reclining in Thirupperai ( one of the 108 vaishnava divyadesam), implying that this was not a great feat for the one who was feigning sleep, maayanidra, in Srtirangam and Thirupperai, because if he really sleeps the world could not exist as it is sustained by Him and protected by Him.

 

Another comes and tells Yasodha that her daughter put the milk freshly taken on the stove and she went to the next house to get fire to light the stove and while she was talking there for few moments Krishna came and drank the whole milk and was standing there. Azvar even as the gopi who complained, could not resist referring to Krishna as saalagramam udaiya nimbi, the one who has salgramam as his abode, meaning that he was Narayana. Yasodha calls Krishna to come and tells him not to refuse her call as she could not bear to hear others talk ill of him, especially when he is the one who held the mountain up, says Azvar as Yasodha, and who is the import of all the Vedas and the one who has the Thirumala hills as his abode.

 

There were further accusations by the gopis that Krishna ate all the sweet meats prepared as offering to the Lord on the star of ThiruvoNam, without knowing tht the Lord Himself had come and ate it for which they have to feel blessed, and after that he ate the butter also and they censure Yasodha saying, "is that the way to bring up a son?" Not only that. Krishna took the gold bangles of the daughter of another by force and gave it to a woman who sold jambu fruits and told the mother that he was not the one who took the bangles thus letting the cat out of the bag.

 

Yasodha tells Krishna not to go and play his pranks in the houses of those who do not love him and calls him to come home and when he does not come says that he should listen to his mother.

 

Most of the people in Gokulam loved Krishna and only were pleased with his pranks and felt happy when he came and ate the butter etc. But there were some who looked upon his as an ordinary mischievous boy and Yasodha means them when she tells Krishna not to got to the houses of those who do not love him. But the intention of the Lord is to attract even those who do not love Him as Andal said .'maattraarai maattrazhikkum vallaanai maayanai,' He kills the enmity and not the person who has enmity.