Description of the Yoghurt-Thief -- From Garga Samhita

krsna · July 15, 2004

Description of the Yoghurt-Thief

From Garga Samhita

Canto One, Chapter Seventeen

Spoken By Garga Muni

Delighting the cowherd men and women with His childhood pastimes, with His friends Lord Hari stole butter and ghee. One day Prabhavati-gopi, who was Upananda’s wife, came to Nanda’s palace and spoke to Yasoda: "O Yasoda, for the two of us there is no separate property in butter, ghee, milk, yoghurt, and buttermilk. By your kindness what is yours is also mine. I don’t say you taught Him to steal. I know You didn’t teach Him. But I have to tell you that your son steals butter on His own. When I try to give Him good instructions, your arrogant son gives me bad words and runs from my courtyard. He is the son of Vraja’s king. He should not steal. O Yasoda, there are some other things also that, out of respect for you, I have not told."

After hearing Prabhavati’s words, Yasoda, the wife of Nanda, rebuked her son, and with great love gently spoke to Prabhavati: "I have ten million cows. There is so much yoghurt in the house I cannot move. I do not know why my little boy never drinks any of the yoghurt here. Bring this yoghurt-thief to me. O Prabhavati, there is no difference between your son and my son. You bring that boy here with butter in His mouth and I will give Him a lesson. I will scold Him and tie Him up."

Hearing these words, the gopi became happy and went home. Then one day Krishna went to her home to steal yoghurt. Grasping it with one hand after another, Krishna and His boy friends gradually scaled the outer wall and entered the courtyard. Seeing the yoghurt was in a jug hanging on ropes beyond His hand’s reach, by arranging a footstool, a grinding mortar, and the cowherd boys, Lord Hari climbed up to it. When even from that height the yoghurt-jar hanging from the ropes could not be reached, Sridama and Subala hit the jar with sticks. As all the beautiful yoghurt flowed from the broken jug to the ground. Krishna, Subala, the boys, and some monkeys, all ate it. Hearing the sound of the jug breaking, the gopi Prabhavati came. As the boys fled, she grabbed Lord Hari’s beautiful hand.

As frightened Krishna shed false tears, she brought Him to Nanda’s palace. Seeing Nanda Maharaja standing there she became nervous and covered Krishna’s face with the edge of His garment. Lord Hari thought, "My mother will hit me with a stick." The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can do whatever He likes, then manifested the form of Prabhavati’s son. Yasoda quickly came. The angry Prabhavati said, "He broke a jug and stole all the yoghurt in it." Seeing that it was Prabhavati’s son, Yasoda smiled and said to the gopi, "O gopi, take the edge of the garment from His face and tell the mischief He has done. When it may be said my son has done some mischief, you may throw Him out of your house. Your son did the theft you say my son did." Ashamed of what people might think, Prabhavati gopi took the cloth from His face. Seeing her own son, she was surprised at heart and said:

"How did you come here without walking? I have the treasure of Vraja in my hand!" Saying this, and taking him with her, she left Nanda’s palace. Yasoda, Rohini, Nanda, Balarama, and the gopas and gopis all laughed, and said, "Today we saw a great injustice in Vraja."

On the path outside, again becoming Nanda’s son, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiling, confident, and His eyes restless, spoke to the gopi Prabhavati. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: "O gopi, if you capture Me again, I will take the form of your husband. There is no doubt of it."

When she heard this, the astonished gopi went home. From then on, in every home, impelled by fear of embarrassment, the gopis would not capture Krishna.