Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Līlās – Mother Yaśodā Ties Dāmodara Kṛṣṇa

Kṛṣṇa's Playful Mischief

One morning, little Kṛṣṇa was feeling especially naughty. When his mother Yaśodā was busy with her tasks and wouldn't give him her full attention, little Kṛṣṇa became upset. His red lips trembled, His eyes filled with pretend tears—and in that playful anger, He broke the pot of yogurt with a stone. Then, proudly, He walked to another room, climbed onto an upside-down mortar, and began eating freshly churned butter. Not only did He eat it - He shared it with monkeys, laughing softly as they licked His hands.

When Yaśodā returned, she found the broken pot, the trail of butter footprints, and finally her son on the mortar, feeding monkeys as if he were their king. As soon as Kṛṣṇa saw her, stick in hand, He leapt down and ran away. His anklets jingled, His curls bounced, and His eyes sparkled with mischief and fear of being caught. When Yaśodā chased and caught Him, Kṛṣṇa sobbed with adorable fear. To punish his mischief, Yaśodā decided to tie Him to the wooden mortar to keep Him from more mischief.

Two Fingers Short

Yaśodā brought a rope. It was too short by two fingers. She brought another. Still two fingers short. She tied rope after rope and every rope failed by the same distance. Seeing His mother exhausted and full of love, Kṛṣṇa allowed Himself to be bound. The Lord of the universe, whom yogīs cannot capture with years of meditation, allowed Himself to be tied by the simple affection of a loving mother. From that day, He became known as Dāmodara—"the Lord whose belly is bound with rope."

The Twin Trees

Bound to the mortar, Kṛṣṇa crawled toward two tall arjuna trees in the courtyard. These were not ordinary trees—they were Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, sons of Kubera, cursed by Nārada Muni to stand as trees until they could see the Supreme Lord face to face.

Kṛṣṇa squeezed between the trees, dragging the mortar behind Him. With a great crash—louder than thunder—the trees fell. Two radiant beings emerged from the fallen trunks, bowing with folded hands. "O Kṛṣṇa," they said, "Your mercy is beyond all words. By Nārada's kindness and Your grace, we are freed from pride and reborn in devotion."

Kṛṣṇa blessed them, granting them bhakti for Him forever. The two returned to their celestial home, purified by the Lord's touch.

When Nanda and the villagers arrived, shocked by the fallen trees, the children told them exactly what had happened—but the adults could not understand how their little Kṛṣṇa could perform such wonders. Nanda simply untied Him and held Him close.