The Shreemad Bhagavatam | Episode 34: Krishna Tests Brahma
Kans kept dispatching demon after demon to Braj, determined to kill Devaki’s eighth child. Among them was Aghasur, who donned the guise of a gigantic python and lay across the path with his jaws gaping wide.
Roaming nearby, the cowherd boys mistook the serpent's maw for a hidden cavern. “We never knew there was a cave here!” they marveled, eagerly stepping inside.
The python’s enormous, razor-sharp fangs looked like craggy rock formations lining the cavern. Fascinated by the sight, the boys ventured further, blithely unaware that they were walking straight into the jaws of death.
Could This Child Be God?
Knowing His sakhas could not escape the danger on their own, Krishna walked into the serpent’s mouth alongside them. Once they reached its belly, He knew the time had come to act. He tore open Aghasur’s stomach, bringing His friends to safety.
Yet, as Shukadev Goswami recounted this Pastime, a puzzling twist surfaced: not a single boy had told his parents of the episode until a full year had passed. Perplexed, Parikshit asked, “A whole year? How could the children keep such a wondrous encounter hidden for so long?”
The answer lay in what happened next.
No sooner had the boys emerged from the deadly trap than they resumed their chatter, games, and picnic.
Far above in the celestial realms, Devarshi Narad approached Brahmaji. “Pitaji, the Supreme Lord has descended to Earth in this universe. Will you not go and have His darshan?” Curiosity kindled within Brahma. He wished to witness the Lord’s Pastimes. Krishna, seated in every heart, noted his unspoken resolve at once. You wish to witness My Leela? Then behold! And so, accompanied by Narad, Brahmaji arrived in Braj.
There sat Krishna amidst His cowherd companions, bantering with them and relishing their half-eaten morsels, immersed in the simple, unvarnished joys of friendship. Not far off stood Brahma beside Narad, observing them. As the secondary creator of the universe, Brahma is the architect of cosmic laws so intricate that scientists still labor to grasp their edges. What, then, would be the measure of such an intellect? Yet the scene left Brahmaji confounded. Furrowing his brow, he turned to Narad. “Are you certain the Supreme Lord is here?”
“He is, Maharaj,” Narad replied serenely.
“Which of these little boys is He?”
“Pitaji, look at the blue-complexioned one with the peacock plume in His hair. That is Him.”
Brahma gazed at Krishna, nonplussed. “He is God? What kind of God is this? Look at Him—eating the leftovers of cowherd boys! Had He partaken of the remnants of Brahmins, one might still call Him Brahmanya Dev. But this? Preposterous! Surely, He cannot be the Supreme Lord.”
Narad had nothing more to say. “Pitaji, I have told you what I know. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.” With that, he departed. Left alone, Brahmaji began to ponder. I, too, have the capacity to discern the truth. And so, he set out to put Krishna to the test.
A Divine Tangle
Brahma gathered the cowherd boys and calves and hid them in a cave on Mount Sumeru. He thought, If Krishna is truly God, He will know their whereabouts. If not, He will wander through the groves, searching for them.
Shree Krishna, of course, knew. What could remain hidden from the Omniscient?
Assuming Brahmaji’s exact form, Krishna made His way to Brahmalok (Brahma’s abode). There, He sat upon the throne and summoned the gatekeeper. “Listen closely,” He instructed. “An impostor claiming to be Brahma will arrive shortly. Do not let him in.” The gatekeeper was bewildered. “I have heard of all sorts of artificial things being manufactured on Earth, but never an artificial Brahma!” Nevertheless, he obeyed.
Meanwhile, having hidden the children and calves, Brahmaji was satisfied with his ingenious plan. He decided to attend to a few celestial matters before journeying back to Braj to gauge Krishna’s reaction. But the moment he reached Brahmalok, the guard crossed his spear. “Halt! You cannot enter.” Taken aback, Brahmaji protested. “I am Brahma, the master of this abode!” The guard, however, refused to budge.
Shut out of his own abode, Brahmaji began to wonder. Could this have something to do with the avatar Narad spoke of? Desperate for answers, he hastened back to Earth. By then, a full year had passed as per earthy calculations.
And what had happened during that year?
Through His Yogmaya power, Shree Krishna had taken on the forms of every cowherd boy and calf. Knowing each one's distinct temperament and mannerisms, He recreated their lives flawlessly. He entered their homes, spoke in their familiar voices, and laughed as they did. Life in Braj continued as before, without a hitch or a ripple of suspicion.
But underneath this familiar rhythm, a strange sweetness began to spread through Braj.
Earlier, the mothers in the village would contrive excuses to visit Yashoda’s home to catch a glimpse of Nandalal. But now the Lord had become their own child, and they could not fathom why their little ones had suddenly become dearer to them than life itself. An inexplicable love flooded their hearts. The cows too mooed in uncontainable affection, their milk streaming from their udders at the very sight of their calves.
When Brahmaji finally reached Braj, he was stunned. Beneath the trees sat Krishna, surrounded by His boisterous companions, joking, jostling, and sharing half-eaten morsels as before. How can this be? I hid these boys on Sumeru! Frantic, he rushed back to the mountain cave. There, to his utter astonishment, the boys and calves lay in deep slumber, just as he had left them.
Moment of Truth
At last, the truth dawned upon Brahmaji. The child before him was no mere cowherd, but Bhagavan Himself. It was his own intellect that had deluded him into judging the Divine by outward appearance.
Hurrying back to Braj, Brahmaji beheld the scene once more—and froze in awe. Before his eyes, Krishna revealed His four-armed Narayan Form in every single boy and calf. Humbled and speechless, Brahma fell at the feet of Shree Krishna.
तदस्तु मे नाथ स भूरिभागो भवेऽत्र वान्यत्र तु वा तिरश्चाम् ।
येनाहमेकोऽपि भवज्जनानां भूत्वा निषेवे तव पादपल्लवम् ॥ ~ verse 10.14.30
My dear Lord, I pray to be so fortunate that in this life as Lord Brahma or in another life, wherever I take my birth, I may be counted as one of Your devotees. I pray that wherever I may be, even among the animal species, I can engage in devotional service to Your lotus feet.
He further added,
अहो भाग्यमहो भाग्यं नन्दगोपव्रजौकसाम् ।
यन्मत्रं परमानन्दं पूण ब्रह्म सनातनम् ॥ ~ verse 10.14.32
How should I describe the fortune of the residents of Braj? I am called Bhagya Vidhata, the writer of people's destinies according to their karma. But what can I write about those whose friend is the eternal Supreme Brahman? That Absolute Truth whom great scholars seek through Vedic mantras and yogis meditate upon for ages, is playing with them as their dearest companion!
Brahmaji’s heart now longed for only one thing.
तद् भू रभाग्यमह जन्म कमप्यटव्यां यद् गोकुलेऽप कतमाङ् रजोऽभषेकम् ।
यज्जीवतं तु नखलं भगवान् मुकु न्द- स्त्वद्याप यत्पदरज: श्रुतमृग्यमेव ॥ ~ verse 10.14.34
Maharaj, in my next life, do not make me a Brahma. Don't make me a human being either. In Your land of Braj, where You bestow the highest form of bhakti ras, let me be born as a blade of grass. That way, I may receive the dust of the lotus feet of Your great devotees. By virtue of their grace, my heart may become a worthy vessel for such sublime love.
Moved by Brahma’s prayer, Shree Krishna blessed him, and Brahmaji returned to his abode.
Now the riddle stood resolved. Shukadev Goswami explained to Parikshit that after a full year had passed on Earth, the sakhas awoke from their slumber in the cave on Mount Sumeru and rushed home to their mothers. Wide-eyed with excitement, they burst out, “Maiya, do you know what happened? Krishna saved us from a ferocious demon who looked just like a cave!”
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is the lesson behind Brahmaji’s attempt to test Shree Krishna?
Answer: Brahmaji, the secondary creator of the universe, lost sight of the truth that his intellectual prowess, after all, came from the Supreme Almighty. It was like a main switch of the house challenging the power station that supplied its electricity. His experience reminds us that however powerful or accomplished we may be, we must never forget the ultimate source of our abilities.
Our senses, mind, and intellect are inert; God energizes them with his power and puts them at our disposal. As a result, only with the help of the power we receive from him, are we able to work. This is why in Bhagavad Gita verse 2.47, Shree Krishna instructs Arjun to give up kartritwābhimān, or the ego of being the doer.
Question: What can we learn from Brahmaji’s realization about our ability to comprehend the Divine?
Answer: The key lesson is that God transcends the ambit of our intellect. The intellect is a material faculty, and a frail one at that. Even when dealing with worldly problems, we often find it inadequate. The senses and the mind, too, have their limitations.
The Ken Upanishad states,
यदि मन्यसे सुवेदेति दभ्रमेवापि नूनं त्वं वेत्थ ब्रह्मणो रूपम्।
यदस्य त्वं यदस्य देवेष्वथ नु मीमांस्यमेव ते मन्ये विदितम्॥ ~ Verse 2.1
If you think you can understand God, you have no understanding of Him. But if you recognize that God is beyond your comprehension, you have begun to truly understand Him.
The intellect reasons through cause and effect, but God is beyond it. So, whenever we wonder, “How could Shree Krishna do this?” or “Why did Shree Ram act this way?” pause and reflect: Can my limited intellect comprehend the Divine? Let us use the intellect to navigate the material world, but approach the divine realm with humility and surrender. For God is not buddhigrahya (comprehensible by the intellect); He is kripasadhya (attainable only through His grace).