I guess nobody will write about my grandmother. Here is my humble prostration at her feet who taught me devotion as a young kid. She told us many many stories of Krishna and inculcated faith and devotion in us.
In our family, the deity worshipped is Bhagavathi, the mother goddess. And in our village the protector deity is RajaRajeshwara, Shiva. But my favorite hero deity became Krishna which on the most part is due to her.
She told about Krishna ’s consummate life-
As a baby he was the cutest and the most mischievous one stealing the hearts of all Gopis.
As an adolescent, the strongest, taming Kuvalaya (elephant), defeating Chanura and Mushtika (great wrestlers) and killing Kansa (Krishna ’s Uncle and the dreaded Asura (demon) King).
As a romantic hero he abducted princess Rukmini from her kingdom!
As a great scholar, the most noble and knowledgeable expounding Holy Gita to Arjuna.
As the shrewdest diplomat dealing with the war of Dharma (righteousness) at Kurukshethra.
Also when old, the most dispassionate, comforting Arjuna and Udhava before his final departure.
One common theme underlying all these roles is the irresistible charm he displayed enacting all of these roles.
I was introduced to Krishna by my angel Grandmother. She was a person who knew only to love; I haven’t heard her uttering any word against anyone. When she used to come home for weekends, it becomes a celebration for us. We spent most of our time with her; sleeping beside her bedside how many stories had been told and re-told. The whole of Ramayana, Mahabharatha, some from Bhagavatha and other Puranas (epics). She didn’t have any formal education, but had memorized all these stories and described them with great clarity and devotion.
She spent most part of her old age near Thrichambaram ShriKrishna temple. She once told that in this temple any celebration/procession will not involve elephants because the Krishna was installed in that Bhava (mood) after taming Kuvalaya. I have also heard from people that once when they tried to take one elephant there, it didn’t agree to cross the small stream adjacent to temple and ran away!
But her love was always taken for granted and I doubted that her opinions are not given due consideration and always brushed aside by her loved ones as something from an ignorant person. Towards her final days she was always lost in thought and became extremely happy whenever we told we are returning after praying in
She expressed only simple desires and the one which I really felt bitter for her sons is when she asked for a white rubber sandal and nobody paid any attention. Because she was not traveling outside her home, nobody heeded to that request. And couple of days later she passed away. More than for her separation I was very sad that none of her children could fulfill this simplest of her request.
I am sure at our family cremation ground near ancestral home where we all get cremated after death, her benign presence will always comfort us and none of us feel scared to go there in life or death.
Time for a beautiful song:-D
You can see the charming Krishna ’s in this song. In this movie, “Nandanam”, the story takes a beautiful turn when Krishna appears. All songs in this movie (except one) are about him and one can see the enigma and mysticism in this song. How easily he cheers up this crestfallen gopika and how fast he steals her heart and how enigmatically he vanishes and appears at times. I was enchanted with the story of this movie, one of the best that I have seen in recent times. She could only wonder as to what’s really happening as Krishna seems so close one moment and, very far, the next moment!
Guruji said that even the staunchest renunciates were charmed by Krishna ’s beauty.
Let all consciousness be filled with the beauty of Krishna ’s love.
Hari OM!
JaiGurudev!
PS: This is about my paternal grandmother whom we all called Valliamma.
