When Krishna Taught Brahma the Lesson of Self-Realization

During the era when Lord Krishna dwelled upon the earthly realm within the land of Braj, he engaged in daily play alongside his companions, guiding his cows and calves to graze. A simple and unassuming child, Krishna’s existence was devoid of grandeur and displays of his divine prowess.

One day, news reached Lord Brahma, the cosmic creator, that Krishna had recently vanquished a formidable demon, a colossal serpent named Aghasur. Lord Brahma was aware of Aghasur’s immense might, leading him to doubt that a mere mortal could have defeated such a fearsome entity. This skepticism led him to conclude that Krishna had deceived the innocent inhabitants of Braj, misleading them with his antics. Fueled by this misconception, Brahma resolved to test Krishna and impart him a lesson, inadvertently revealing the extent of his own ignorance and arrogance.

With this in mind, Lord Brahma descended to Earth, where he observed Krishna engaging in merriment with his companions. The sight of Krishna sharing food and play with the village children reinforced Brahma’s conviction that divinity could not engage in such ordinary activities. Brahma, convinced that Krishna’s actions belied his divine nature, aimed to instill a lesson by causing a disruption.

In a daring move, Brahma absconded with the cowherd boys and their calves after lulling them into a deep sleep through his divine power, taking them to his celestial abode, the Brahma Lok. Meanwhile, Krishna noticed that the calves and friends had wandered far and assured his companions that he would retrieve them. However, upon his return, Krishna encountered the absence of both the calves and the children.

Krishna wasn’t bothered by the situation. He quickly understood what was happening and who was causing it because he knows everything. To fix the problem, Krishna easily created copies of the cowherd boys and calves from his own body. It’s important to note that Brahma’s notion of time differed significantly from that of humans; one day in Brahma’s realm equated to billions of years on Earth. This temporal discrepancy played a pivotal role in the unfolding events.

Krishna stayed with his divine friends on Earth for a whole year. During this time, the mothers of the boys who took care of the cows and the baby cows themselves enjoyed spending time together with a lot of love. They were happy not only because they were united again but also because they saw the boys and baby cows as a part of Krishna himself. The mothers’ deep love and devotion made them even happier, even though the children and calves were actually forms of Krishna’s divine nature.

Eventually, Brahma returned to Earth. He was surprised to see Krishna having lunch in the forest with the friends Brahma had previously taken away. The young cows were also nearby, acting like everything was normal. Brahma was very confused, so he used his special power to see things clearly. Then, he saw something amazing: Krishna had a divine glow, and the friends and cows transformed into Lord Vishnu, looking majestic with four arms.

In a moment when he understood his mistake, Brahma humbled himself in front of Krishna. He admitted that he had been wrong and foolish. He felt sorry and asked for forgiveness, and Krishna kindly granted it. Many different versions of Brahma appeared, each with a different number of heads, representing the countless universes that exist. Krishna helped Brahma realize that he was not the only creator and that there are many others like him. This realization made the group of Brahmas go back to their own parts of the universe.

The Brahma of Krishna’s universe expressed regret and was pardoned by Krishna. Then, Brahma returned the original cowherd boys and calves, while those created by Krishna merged back into his essence. Brahma offered his reverence to Krishna’s lotus feet, extolling his majesty, compassion, and boundless power.