Krishna Leela - Kuvalayapeeda

 Kamsa arranged a rogue elephant Kuvalayapeeda to kill Balarama and Krishna when they enter the wrestling arena. Krishna with his manoeuvres outwitted the elephant and killed it.

Krishna Leela - Grace to Kubja

 Walking on the Mathura streets, krishna spots a hunchback, Sairandhri carrying sandal paste and other ointments meant for kamsa. He asks her for some sandal paste and she immediately gives it. 

 

Krishna decides to remove her deformities. Pressing her toes with his, and supporting her face with his two fingers, he straightens her up, making her very beautiful.

Krishna Leela - Grace to Garland Maker

 Balarama and Krishna, while entering Mathura, visit the house of a garland maker.  The florist family prostrates, provides them with a pedestal, washes their feet and worships them with choicest of the fragrant garlands, sandal paste, betel nuts, etc., The garland maker extolls Krishna.  As boons, garland maker asks for unflinching devotion to Krishna, friendship to all bhaktas and compassion to all living beings. Krishna adorned with garlands, grants the boons and proceeds to Kamsa's palace.

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Krishna Leela - Kamsa

When Kamsa was about to kill Devaki's child, she slips from his hand and appears as Kali: "O' foolish one,  what would you gain by killing me?! The one who will kill you is already born in some other place. Don't kill other children in vain".

This prophecy haunts kamsa. He fears Krishna.  He thinks about Krishna all the time and sees krishna in everything. The prophecy of Yogamaya turns out to be a blessing for Kamsa.

Krishna Leela - Darshan to Akrura

On the way to Mathura, Akrura stops for his evening prayers. When he takes a dip in the Yamuna, he beholds Balarama and Krishna inside the water.  He checks the chariot again, but Balarama and Krishna are seated there.  When he takes a dip again, he has the darshan of Vishnu lying on Adisesha, with Lakshmi, the divine sages and other divine attendants. 

 

Akrura is overwhelmed and extols Balarama and Krishna.

Krishna Leela - Mathura Gamanam

 Kamsa gets to know that krishna is Vasudeva's eighth child. He instructs Akrura (a devotee of Krishna) to bring Krishna  to Mathura. Akrura gets the blessings of Krishna. The brothers, Krishna and Balarama, leave for Mathura.

 

The Gopikas are devastated by the separation. They lament, not knowing Krishna is always with them.

Raas Leela

The Gopikas realise their folly and dissolve their individual identities. They sing the glories of krishna. They enact and recollect his divine deeds in Vraja. Krishna appears and gives them the ultimate Ananda. The oneness with Him....

Raas Leela

 When the Raas begins, the Gopikas become proud that they can make Krishna dance to their tunes. With pride, they cannot experience the Ananda of the Raas. Krishna disappears.

Krishna Premi

Krishnapremi: O Krishna!  let the rhythm of the raas dance, tinkling in your anklets, give happiness and solace to my mind.

Inspired by poondanam : Manjeera samghoshaNam.

Raas Leela

 When the satellites dance and the moon plays the tambourine.

Govinda Pattabhishekam

After the rain stops, Krishna puts back the Goverdhana in its place.

 

Indra realises his folly and surrenders to krishna. He bathes Krishna with the Ganges brought by Airavatha.

 

Kamadhenu is sent by Brahma. She showers milk on Krishna and anoints him as Govinda.

Goverdhana

To protect Vraja from Indra's onslaught, Krishna uproots and lifts Mount Goverdhana with one hand just as a child would pull out a mushroom. 

"Dear folks, Don't fear ! Come under the umbrella of Goverdhana," he says. The village folk along with their cattle enter the crater for protection.  Krishna holds the mountain undeterred for seven days.  

Indra, realising his folly, stops the rain and surrenders to Krishna.  Krishna places the Goverdhana back in its place. 

The people of Vraja celebrate Krishna.

Goverdhana - The wrath of Indra

 Vraja is busy preparing for Indra’s worship. 

 

 Krishna questions Indra's worship.

 

Nanda, the Vraja chieftain, says that they worship Indra, as he benevolently showers rains, the lifeline of all. 

 

Krishna refutes it saying it is Goverdhan which provides them all the necessities and is a visible benefactor, just as the cows, the fire and the sages. So he suggests that the offerings should be directed towards them instead. 

 

 Indra is angered. Riding on his mighty Airavata and armed with vajra (thunderbolt), he unleashes powerful clouds with an intent to create havoc on the people of Vraja.  

 

 The frightened Gopas seek refuge in Krishna's feet. 

 

(Here, Krishna playfully closes his ears, as though irked by the thundering Indra. -- This is based on. a bronze sculpture from Therezhundur, in Tamil Nadu.)

Bala Leela

 Grace to the wives of Sages: The cowherds led by Krishna wander too far into the forest. They are hungry. Krishna says, “There is a Yaga being conducted nearby. Go and tell the sages that Balarama and Krishna are here and they have sent us to seek food.”

 

The boys go and convey Krishna’s message to the sages. The sages are busy with the yagna and pay no heed.

 

The cowherds return empty handed.  An amused Krishna sends them back again, this time makes them approach the wives of the sages.

 

The sages wives are overwhelmed that their Lord is here.  In an instant, they pick up lunch that was ready for the yagna and rush to Krishna ignoring the sages' protests.

 

They find Krishna standing in style, bedecked with flowers, with random mineral designs on his body, twirling a lotus in his hand. 

 

The sages are remorseful and lament that their rituals prevented them from welcoming Krishna, the very Lord of those rituals, even when he came in person. And their wives happily fed Krishna and his friends out of love for him. 

Vraj Mala

The natives of all Gokula fear there will be more threats to Krishna from Kamsa, and they move to a safe place nearby, Brindavan.

Balarama and Krishna

Balarama and Krishna are playing with kunrimani (Manjiradikkuru/Red Lucky Seeds) and coconut shells. Krishna says, "Isn't the coconut shell and Manjiradikkuru more valuable than gold?"

Balarama and Krishna

Balarama and Krishna have a mock fight and Balarama falls to the ground. Krishna lies over him comfortably giving his mother Yashoda, the darshan as Madhusudhana lying on Adisesha in Ksheerasagara. 

Srinivasa

 

Kalia - The footstep of Grace

 

Bala Leela - Brahma Surrenders

Brahma Mohanam (illusion) : Brahma is agonised seeing  common folk like the cowherd boys are close to the Supreme. He kidnaps the cows and cowherds to his own world (Brahmaloka).  In Gokula, the absence of the cows and cowherds is not missed. They carry on with their lives as usual, as Krishna takes the form of each one of the missing cows, cowherds, with identical characteristics, including the objects they carried. This goes on for a full year. Brahma is perplexed. He comes to verify in Gokula and for a moment, everyone and everything in Gokula is in the form of Krishna, as the Supreme with four arms.  Brahma falls to the ground like a golden stick, surrendering to Krishna.

Damodara - Bhakta Paradeena

 Krishna is bound by the bhakti of his devotees

Damodara - Grace to the sons of Kubera

 Grace to the sons of Kubera

Damodara

Yashoda tries to tie Krishna to the mortar. She finds the rope always short by just two inches.

Bala Leela

Trembling like a sapling caught in a storm.

Srimad Bhagavatam

Bala Leela - Getting Caught

Krishna smashes the churning pot and runs away stealing more butter. Yashoda laughs at the mess in the kitchen. Then she spots him sitting on the mortar. She tries to sneak from behind with a stick.  Krishna runs away and Yashoda tries to catch him.  She finally succeeds.

- Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto - 10

Bala Leela - Vishwaroopam

 Yashoda asks Krishna , "Have you eaten mud?"

Krishna opens his mouth and says, "I have not eaten any mud. All are lying"

- Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10