Krishna Balram Kirtan with Mission Butter Stealing (melodious voice) ~ Rasaraj Krishna Dasa

Vrindavan Lila: Krishna Balram - The Butter Thief

All the gopi friends of Yasoda and Rohini enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Krishna and Balarama in Vrindavana.

Formerly, in every household, yogurt and butter were kept for use in emergencies.

But Krishna and Balarama would pile up planks so that They could reach the pots and would then pick holes in the pots with Their hands so that the contents would leak out and They could drink it.

This was another means for stealing butter and milk.

When the butter and milk were kept in a dark room, Krishna and Balarama would go there and make the place bright with the valuable jewels on Their bodies.

On the whole, Krishna and Balarama engaged in stealing butter and milk from the neighborhood houses in many ways.

All the gopi friends of Yasoda and Rohini enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Krishna and Balarama in Vrindavana.

In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to mother Yasoda to lodge complaints against the restless boys.

When Krishna was sitting before mother Yasoda, all the elder gopis began to lodge complaints against Him so that Krishna could hear.

They said, “Dear Yasoda, why don’t you restrict your naughty Krishna?

He comes to our houses along with Balarama every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows.

They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows.

So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots.

If we warn Krishna and Balarama about doing this, They simply smile so charmingly that we cannot do anything.

Also, your Krishna and Balarama find great pleasure in stealing our stock of yogurt and butter from wherever we keep it.

When Krishna and Balarama are caught stealing the yogurt and butter, They say, ‘Why do you charge Us with stealing? Do you think that butter and yogurt are in scarcity in Our house?’

Sometimes They steal butter, yogurt and milk and distribute them to the monkeys. When the monkeys are well fed and do not take any more, then your boys chide, ‘This milk and butter and yogurt are useless—even the monkeys won’t take it.’

And They break the pots and throw them hither and thither. If we keep our stock of yogurt, butter and milk in a solitary dark place, your Krishna and Balarama find it in the darkness by the glaring effulgence of the ornaments and jewels on Their bodies. If by chance They cannot find the hidden butter and yogurt, They go to our little babies and pinch their bodies so that they cry, and then They go away. If out of fear of these naughty boys we keep our stock of butter and yogurt high on the ceiling, hanging on a swing, although it is beyond Their reach They arrange to reach it by piling all kinds of wooden planks over the grinding machine.

And if They cannot reach, They make a hole in the pot. We think therefore that you’d better take all the jeweled ornaments from the bodies of your children.”

On hearing this, Yasoda would say, “All right, I will take all the jewels from Krishna so that He cannot see the butter hidden in the darkness.”

Then the gopis would say, “No, no, don’t do this. What good will you do by taking away the jewels? We do not know what kind of boys these are, but even without ornaments They spread some kind of effulgence so that even in darkness They can see everything.”

Then mother Yasoda would inform them, “All right, keep your butter and yogurt carefully so that They may not reach it.”

In reply to this, the gopis said, “Yes, actually we do so, but because we are sometimes engaged in our household duties, these naughty boys enter our house somehow or other and spoil everything.

Sometimes, being unable to steal our butter and yogurt, out of anger They pass urine on the clean floor and sometimes spit on it. Now just see how your boy is hearing these complaints. All day He simply makes arrangements to steal our butter and yogurt, and now He is sitting just like a very silent good boy. Just see His face.”

When mother Yasoda thought to chastise her boy after hearing all the complaints, she saw His pitiable face, and smiling, she did not chastise Him.

In this way, Nanda Maharaja and his wife, mother Yasoda, developed their unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having gotten Him as their son.

And all the gopis and cowherd men who were associates of Krishna naturally developed their own different feelings of love for Krishna.

The Lord's fame as a butter thief is not reproachable, for by stealing butter the Lord gave pleasure to His pure devotees.