Five Times The Opposition Underestimated Krishna

“As Yashoda was given liberation from the material world, so Putana was also given liberation. When the baby Krishna closed His eyes, Putana took Him on her lap. She did not know that she was holding death personified. If a person mistakes a snake for a rope, he dies. Similarly, Putana killed so many babies before meeting Krishna, but now she was accepting the snake that would kill her immediately.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 6)

Download this episode (right click and save)

I have my car and you have your car. Mine has a certain horsepower. It has a specific type of engine. It’s got room for a certain number of people to sit. Yours has more horsepower. The engine is different; it even requires a specific type of fuel. Your car fits less people. We can compare the two cars in so many different ways.

For the Supreme Lord, every opulence He possesses is in full. Since none of His features can be measured by blunt instruments, one name for Him is Adhokshaja. Since He actually possesses every opulence in this way, another name for Him is Bhagavan.

In the ancient history recorded in Vedic literature, we see instances of where it looked like aggressors had much more strength. Based on outside opinion, using standardized measurements, the Supreme Lord, in His transcendental body visible to the eyes of conditioned souls, should have been no match. In the end, it was the other side who realized that they really had no strength at all.

1. An infant against an adult witch

An infant is helpless, after all. They need others to do basic things for them. In Vrindavana, baby Krishna was taken care of by the foster mother, Yashoda. She did not know that Krishna actually appeared from the womb of Devaki in Mathura. She loved Krishna like He was her own son.

An adult witch one time disguised herself and entered the room where Krishna was lying down. Named Putana, she had ill intentions. She had smeared poison on her breasts and was ready to deal the lethal blow to the child through breastfeeding. An infant placed in that situation would have practically no chance of surviving. Putana was in for a deadly surprise, though, as not only was Krishna immune to the poison, but He sucked the very life out of the witch through her breast.

2. One man against fourteen thousand

In professional wrestling, two against one is referred to as a handicap match. The results are fixed beforehand, but the show is put on to display the difficulty for the person fighting alone. Imagine, then, one person against fourteen thousand. Using just a bow and arrow, going against others firing arrows and using black magic.

Of course that one was not ordinary. He is the same Krishna, appearing on earth in His incarnation of Rama. He wasn’t bothering anyone. He was living in the forest of Dandaka with His wife and His younger brother. The king of Lanka sent fourteen thousand men to fight against Rama, but the Supreme Lord easily defeated them.

3. One man’s ear against a woman’s disappearing act

In another confrontation, Rama was asked to go against a female Yaksha. She was a terror to the sages residing in the forest. Like other Rakshasa figures, she would kill her enemies and then eat their flesh. Rama went against her, aided by His younger brother Lakshmana.

Tataka could appear and disappear from sight at will. How do you fight against someone you can’t see? The monster-like lady was defeated by Rama, who used sound to locate her. Even God’s ear is incredibly powerful, more so than a gigantic terrorizing animal-like person.

4. One illusion against another

This occurred during Krishna’s adulthood on earth. He was the king of Dvaraka. We need kings because of bad people in society. You can be living peacefully in your community, but what is typically unseen is the aggression of others. Only strong force can deter others gathering together to come and steal your land and property.

Krishna had to go against several such aggressors. One of them was Shalva. In the battle between the two, Shalva showed an illusion, something like an apparition. It was Krishna’s father Vasudeva being caught and having his head cut off. The Rakshasas during Rama’s time used similar illusions, with the intent of dispiriting the opposition. That is the real objective in a military conflict; defeat the will to fight of the opposing side.

The problem for Shalva is that Krishna’s illusory energy is much stronger. Maya works at His direction. Shalva was heavily under the influence of that maya, thinking that he could defeat the person who is unconquerable, Ajita. There was no question that Krishna would emerge victorious in that conflict. Sometimes He doesn’t even need to act Himself; sometimes He acts through a proxy who later gets so much credit as a result. They become famous for their devotion to God.

5. A pinky finger against devastating rain

How are you going to save yourself from devastating rain? Imagine you are in an emergency situation. A flash flood. You don’t have a boat. There is no shelter around. What are you going to do? This was the predicament for the residents of Vrindavana a long time ago. They had just completed the inaugural Govardhana Puja; worship of a sacred hill done at the insistence of child Krishna.

The king of heaven was so upset the people skipped his worship that he retaliated with a devastating rainstorm. The quickest way to lose intelligence is anger. Indra’s anger was so great that he did not consider the impact of killing so many innocent people through the resulting flood.

Krishna saved the people using just His pinky finger. He lifted up the massive Govardhana Hill and used it as an umbrella. The people took shelter underneath, and the pinky finger on the typically non-dominant hand of a child held that hill up for seven consecutive days.

It is easy to be fooled by the beautiful image of the all-attractive one. Every aspect of Him carries tremendous strength. Audible proof is in the potency of the sound that represents Him. Those who regularly chant the holy names understand the power of Divine sound: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In Closing:

An adult witch and innocent child to see,

A contest between two shouldn’t be.

 

Or fourteen thousand against one,

Powerful illusion opposition to stun.

 

Besides of amazing attractiveness to treasure,

Supreme Lord of strength beyond measure.

 

Against powerful foes of might and sin,

Shri Krishna with little effort to win.