Baby Krishna in the South Indian Tanjore style
Krishna is worshipped as a child, a young man, an adult -- but he is perhaps most loved as the mischievous child who grew up in a village of cow-herders. Most of the time they were unaware that he was god, but sometimes he would reveal himself -- and then they would forget again. I wrote this poem based on a story from Krishna's childhood:
Krishna Opens Wide for Yashoda
It was only a little dirt.
The rains had failed that year,
and the child was playing in a courtyard blown with dust.
The women next door made such a fuss,
seeing him put it in his mouth,
she had to slap him, for show.
She said, "Open your mouth this minute!"
He didn't howl, just smiled at her, lips tight.
She pushed her finger between his teeth, but
instead of moist pink, and the small tongue muddied,
she saw the reeling universe.
She saw the reeling universe
instead of moist pink, and the small tongue muddied.
She pushed her finger between his teeth, but
he didn't howl, just smiled at her, lips tight.
She said, "Open your mouth this minute!"
She had to slap him, for show.
Seeing him put it in his mouth,
the women next door made such a fuss,
and the child was playing in a courtyard blown with dust --
the rains had failed that year.
It was only a little dirt.
I first experienced Krishna's birthday as a student, when Tamil friends invited me home. They had decorated the floor with small footprints made of rice flour:
In South India, Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, as it is called, is celebrated with prayers, devotional renditions and offering of fruits and special prasadams to Lord Krishna. People usually observe fast on this day. In the houses, mango leaves are tied to the doorways to mark the auspicious occasion. Colorful floral designs are drawn on the front yard. Inside the house, a small wooden mandapam is erected and decorated with flowers and plantain leaves. An icon of a crawling Krishna in a silver cradle or leaf is placed in the mandapam. In some houses, a typical setting of Gokulam is arranged with mud images of Devaki, Vasudeva with little Krishna perched in a basket on his head, a cow, besides other things related to Krishna's legends. Small foot marks produced by impressions with rice powder mixed with water are believed to symbolically recreate the coming of Krishna into peoples' homes. (from andhratoday.com)
Stories of Krishna's life from Srimad-Bhagavatam by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (not the greatest prose, but the stories of Krishna's childhood are good ones)
Translations of the Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana), the main source of Krishna's mythology here and here
(And this looks very interesting: Virtual e-Text Archive of Indic Texts)
send Janmashtami e cards here and here and here.
Gokulashtami recipes here and here. (The second link is to a recipe for shrikhand, a delicious and simple dish that can be eaten any time - try it!)
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