Bhagwat Puran Tenth Skandh: The Complete Krishna Leela

The tenth skandh is the heart of the Bhagwat, with ninety chapters on its own. In a Bhagwat Saptah it fills the fourth to sixth days. It has two halves: the first (chapters 1 to 49) from birth to Mathura, the second (chapters 50 to 90) the leelas of Dwarka.

First half, chapters 1 to 4: the birth

As Kamsa drove his sister Devaki away in her wedding chariot, a voice from the sky said her eighth son would kill him. Kamsa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva and killed six sons. Yogamaya moved the seventh (Balarama) to Rohini's womb. At midnight on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, under the Rohini nakshatra, the Lord appeared in His four-armed form, then at His mother's request became an ordinary infant. The prison locks opened and the guards slept; Vasudeva carried the baby in a basket across the flooded Yamuna to Gokul, Shesha shielding them from the rain and the river making way. He brought back Yashoda's daughter, Yogamaya, who slipped from Kamsa's grip and rose into the sky with a warning.

Chapters 5 to 11: childhood in Gokul

• Nandotsav: celebration of the birth of a son in Nanda's home.
• The slaying of Putana, Shakatasura and Trinavarta, the whirlwind demon.
• Naming: Gargacharya secretly named him Krishna and his brother Balarama.
• Stealing butter: from the gopis' homes, feeding it to monkeys; the gopis complained but were secretly delighted.
• Eating earth and the universe in his mouth: when Yashoda made him open his mouth she saw the whole universe in it, then forgot by his maya.
• Damodara leela: when he broke the butter pot Yashoda tried to tie him to a mortar; the rope was always two fingers short, until, seeing his mother's effort, Krishna let himself be bound. Dragging the mortar he felled the twin arjuna trees and freed Nalakubara and Manigriva.
• Because of the disturbances all moved to Vrindavan. Vatsasura and Bakasura.

Chapters 12 to 22: the leelas of Vrindavan

• The python Aghasura.
• Brahma's bewilderment: Brahma stole the cowherd boys and calves; Krishna himself became all the boys and calves and lived in every home for a year. Brahma begged forgiveness and praised him.
• Dhenukasura (by Balarama), subduing Kaliya, swallowing the forest fire, Pralambasura.
• Venu Gita: the cows, birds, rivers and gopis enchanted by Krishna's flute.
• The vow to Katyayani: the gopis kept a vow to have Krishna as their beloved.
• The wives of the Brahmins: proud Brahmins refused food, but their wives came with food out of love.

Chapters 24 to 28: Govardhan

Krishna had the people worship Govardhan, the cows and the Brahmins instead of Indra. Enraged, Indra sent deluge-like rain. Seven-year-old Krishna held Govardhan on his little finger for seven days. Indra admitted defeat; Kamadhenu anointed Krishna, and he was named Govinda. (Govardhan Puja and Annakut the day after Diwali remember this.) Then he freed Nanda from Varuna's realm.

Chapters 29 to 33: the five chapters of the rasa

On the night of Sharad Purnima Krishna played his flute, and the gopis left everything and ran to him. He first told them to go home; they said he was their all. The rasa began, but pride entered the gopis' hearts and Krishna vanished.

In their longing the gopis asked the trees and vines for him, acted out his leelas, and sitting on the Yamuna's bank sang the Gopi Geet: "Jayati te 'dhikam janmana vrajah shrayata indira shashvad atra hi...": "Beloved, by your birth Braj is glorified, and Lakshmi dwells here for ever; we search only for you, show yourself." Krishna appeared, and the great rasa followed, a Krishna beside every gopi. The leela is seen as the selfless love of the soul and God; Shukadeva says that hearing it with faith frees the heart from lust.

Chapters 34 to 45: Mathura and the end of Kamsa

The freeing of Sudarshana the vidyadhara, Shankhachuda, Arishta (the bull), Keshi (the horse), Vyomasura. Kamsa sent Akrura; the gopis wept at the parting. Bathing in the Yamuna, Akrura saw Krishna and Balarama and Vishnu reclining on Shesha in the water. In Mathura the washerman, the tailor, the gardener Sudama, Kubja; the breaking of the bow; Kuvalayapida; Chanura and Mushtika; and the slaying of Kamsa. Ugrasena became king and Devaki and Vasudeva were freed. Then the sacred-thread ceremony and study with Sandipani, and as the teacher's fee, bringing back his son.

Chapters 46 and 47: Uddhava in Braj (the Bhramara Gita)

Krishna sent his learned friend Uddhava to Braj with a message. Uddhava taught the gopis knowledge and yoga, but the gopis, addressing a bee (bhramara), reproached Krishna and said: "We had only one mind, and it went with Krishna; with what mind shall we do yoga?" Seeing their love, Uddhava's pride in knowledge broke, and he said: "May I be a creeper or blade of grass in Vrindavan, so that the dust of the gopis' feet may fall on me."

Second half, chapters 50 to 70: Dwarka

• Jarasandha's seventeen attacks, Kalayavana and Muchukunda, the building of Dwarka.
• Rukmini's letter and her carrying off, the marriage; the birth of Pradyumna and the slaying of Shambara.
• The Syamantaka jewel, Jambavati and Satyabhama; marriages to Kalindi, Mitravinda, Satya, Bhadra and Lakshmana.
• The slaying of Narakasura and the freeing of sixteen thousand princesses; bringing the parijata.
• Usha, Aniruddha and Banasura; the battle of Shiva and Krishna and Bana's life spared at Shiva's word.
• The freeing of King Nriga, who had become a lizard through one mistake.
• Narada seeing Krishna doing a different task in every palace of Dwarka.
• The slaying of Jarasandha (by Bhima), Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice, the slaying of Shishupala.

Chapters 80 and 81: Sudama

Sudama, Krishna's friend from the gurukul, was very poor. At his wife's urging he tied four handfuls of flattened rice, borrowed from neighbours, in a bundle and went to Dwarka. The guards stopped him, but Krishna ran barefoot to embrace him, seated him on his own seat and washed his feet with tears. Krishna snatched the bundle Sudama shyly hid, ate one handful and reached for a second, when Rukmini held his hand, for with one handful he had already given everything. Sudama returned without asking for anything, and at home found a palace in place of his hut. Yet his heart stayed as humble as before.

Chapters 82 to 90: Kurukshetra and more

At a solar eclipse at Kurukshetra Krishna met Nanda, Yashoda and the gopis after many years and taught the gopis the truth of the self. Vasudeva's sacrifice; bringing back Devaki's six dead sons; the marriage of Arjuna and Subhadra; Shrutadeva and Bahulashva; the hymn of the Vedas; Bhrigu's test of the three gods (Vishnu the most forbearing); and finally Krishna's daily life and the splendour of Dwarka.

What this skandh teaches

• God is bound by love, not force: Yashoda's rope reached only when her effort showed.
• Worship of nature (Govardhan) is practical dharma: honour what sustains you.
• When pride enters love, God goes away; humility brings Him close again.
• Knowledge is great, but love is greater still (Uddhava and the gopis).
• True friendship knows no rich and poor (Krishna and Sudama).