Yasoda chased Krishna, but Krishna could not be caught. She began to tire and to pant. Krishna could not bear to see Yasoda panting and so allowed her to catch Him. There is a lesson here for us. We cannot reach Him through our efforts. He must make it possible for us to reach Him, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse.
Vedanta Desika, in his Gopala Vimsati, said that tasty butter wanted to be stolen by Krishna. If we seek Him in this spirit, He will come to us. When Krishna hid in a pot to escape Yasoda, He granted moksha to the pot too.
Pillai Perumal Iyengar marvels at this episode. Did the pot have a mind to think of Him? Did it have legs to go to the temple? Did it have hands to serve Him? But He had given it moksha.
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How lucky was that pot! Vedanta Desika, in his Yadavabhyudaya, says that the grind stone to which Yasoda tied Him up was lucky to have been touched by Him.
When Yasoda caught Krishna, He cried! The Supreme One pretended to be afraid of Yasoda to keep her happy. He gave her the impression that she was in charge and in control of the situation. Even the Vedas cannot comprehend His greatness.
He lifted the Govardana hill so easily. How can a mere mortal catch Him? The answer is that Yasoda did not catch Him. He allowed her to catch Him. Yasoda knew nothing about the Sastras.
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But she had bhakti and this drew the Lord to her. Bhakti is the only thing that can bring Him towards us. Parasara Bhatta said that if one were looking for Krishna, one would find Him tied to the garments of the Gopikas, because of their bhakti.