Yasoda had warned Krishna to keep away from butter, but Krishna did not pay heed. So, Yasoda wanted to teach Him a lesson. She decided to tie Him up to the mortar. But no matter how many pieces of rope she put together, she could not tie Him. Finally, Krishna made it possible for her. The rope suddenly became the right length to tie Him. Yasoda did not wonder about this, for Krishna made her forget the details.
He can show His Paratva when He pleases and just as quickly, hide it through His saulabhya, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. Krishna avatara was to show the world His saulabhya. Rama had the quality of sauseelya. Although He was a king’s son, He made friends with Guha, Sugreeva and Vibhishana. But saulabhya goes beyond sauseelya. Saulabhya means that a person in a superior position lowers Himself for the sake of those who can never be His equals in any way. Krishna was the Supreme One, and He chose to be scolded and tied up by a mere mortal. He was not only tied by a rope, but also tied up by Yasoda’s words. Yasoda challenged Him to break free. Krishna could easily have done so. But His aim was not to demonstrate His Supremacy, but His simplicity. And so He remained tied by the rope and by Yasoda’s words.
Elephants, despite their extraordinary strength, obey the mahout’s orders. Kishna obeying Yasoda was akin to this. Both Paratva and saulabhya are important. The Meru mountain dazzles because it is made of gold. But human beings cannot see it. Of what use is such a mountain? A man may be anxious to give generously to others, but he may be a pauper. Of what use is his desire to be generous? Both the power to give and the ability to give are necessary. The Lord has power and the willingness to use it for our welfare.
