Eating Clay

(From Madhurya-Tattva-Vijnana, by Sri Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja)

Sripada Sukamuni has described Sri Krishna's sweet, mischievous (yet filled with inconceivable power) childhood pastime of eating clay as follows:

ekadA krIDamAnAs te rAmAdyA gopa-dArakAH |
kRSNo mRdaM bhakSitavAn iti mAtre nyavedayan ||
sA gRhItvA kare kRSNam upAlabhya hitaiSiNI |
yazodA bhaya-sambhrAnta-prekSaNAkSam abhASata ||
kasmAn mRdam adAntAtman bhavAn bhakSitavAn rahaH |
vadanti tAvakA hy ete kumArAs te'grajo'py ayam ||
nAhaM bhakSitavAn amba sarve mithyAbhizaMsinaH |
yadi satya-giras tarhi samakSaM pazya me mukham ||
yady evaM tarhi vyAdehIty uktaH sa bhagavAn hariH |
vyAdattAvyAhataizvaryaH krIDA-manuja-bAlakaH ||

“One day, while playing, Balarama and the other sons of the cowherds told Mother Yasoda, ‘Krishna has eaten clay!’ Concerned for Krishna's welfare and looking fearful that he might develop diarrhea from having eaten clay, Yasoda grabbed Krishna's hand and reprimanded him, saying, ‘O you restless boy! Why have you secretly eaten clay? Your friends and even your elder brother Balarama have said so!’ Sri Krishna replied, ‘No Mom; I haven't eaten clay. They're all lying. If you don't believe me, then just look in my mouth.’ Hearing this, Yasoda said, ‘OK, open your mouth and let me see.’ The all-enchanting Sri Yasodanandana, the abode of all power and unchallenged authority who had assumed the form of a human child for the sake of pastime, then widely opened his mouth.” (BhAg. 10.8.32-36) In his commentary on the words krIDA-manuja-bAlakaH in the above-mentioned verse, Srila Gosvamipada has written briefly that for enacting the childlike pastimes that were ideal for tasting vatsalya-rasa, Sri Krishna had assumed the form of an ordinary human child. But he was not an ordinary human child who was subject to the results of his previous actions. Or krIDA-manuja could also mean that Krishna is the child of Sri Nanda-Yasoda, who, bearing limitless parental love for him, always appear as part of his retinue in his childhood pastimes. He is not the son of some humans who are bound by their previous actions and blinded by maya. He is forever known and worshipped universally as the maintainer of the entire world. In the Agamas and other scriptures also we find him absorbed in his eternal childhood lilas. In both of the above interpretations, Sri Krishna is always absorbed in lila-rasa that is of his own choosing and is suitable for the advent of his particular nature and form. For this reason there is so much madhurya in his humanlike pastimes. When Sri Krishna opened his mouth to show Yasoda Ma whether there was clay inside or not, it appeared as though the lotus of his mouth was forced to bloom by the heat of the sun of his mother's anger. To alter his mother's mental state, Sri Krishna's powerful sakti (energy) caused the entire universe to be visible within that little mouth. In one great devotee's song, this incident is described within the crawling pastime:

bAla-gopAla raGge sama-vaya-veza saGge
hAmAguDi AGginA khelAya |
tejiyA mAkhana sare tuliyA komala kare
mRttikA manera sukhe khAya ||
balarAma tA dekhiyA yazodA nikaTe yAJA
kahilA bhAiyera ei kathA |
zuni tabe yazomatI AilA turita gati
gopAla khAiche mATI yathA ||
mAye dekhe mATI phele nA khAi nA khAi bole
Adha Adha vadana DhulAya |
mukha nirakhaye rANI dhariyA yugala pANi
mana-dukhe kare hAya hAya ||
e kSIra navanI sara kibA nAhi mora ghara
mRttikA khAicha kibA sukhe |
pitA yAGra vrajarAja tAra ki emana kAja
zunile haibe mane dukhe ||
eteka baliyA rANI kole kari nIlamaNi
chalachala bhela du'nayAna |
e uddhava dAsa gIte yazomatI haraSite
animikhe nehAre vayAna ||

“The child Gopala was having fun playing and crawling around the courtyard with his friends, who were all of a similar age and dress. Putting aside the butter he was eating, with his soft hands he dug up some clay and happily ate it. Seeing this, Balarama went to Yasoda and told her what his brother was doing. As soon as she heard the news, she quickly went there, arriving just as Gopala was eating more clay. Seeing his mother, he dropped the clay and cried out, ‘I not eat it! I not eat it!’ and shook his head from side to side. Taking hold of both his hands and looking at his mouth, she scolded him, saying, ‘O dear! O my goodness! Is there no condensed milk, butter or cream in my house? Instead, you blissfully eat clay? When your father, the king of Vraja, hears about this, he’s going to be very unhappy.’ In this song of Uddhava Dasa, Yasomati then takes Nilamani Krishna onto her lap and, with tearful eyes, gazes joyfully at his lotus face.”

badana meliyA gopAla rANI pAne cAya | mukha mAjhe aparUpa dekhibAre pAya ||
e bhUmi AkAza Adi caudda bhuvana | suraloka nAgaloka naraloka-gaNa ||
ananta brahmANDa goloka Adi yata dhAma | mukhera bhitara saba dekhe niramANa ||
zeSa maheza brahmA Adi stuti kare | nanda-yazomatI Ara mukhera bhitare ||
dekhi nanda brajezvarI bacana nA sphure | svapna-prAya ki dekhinu hena mane kare ||
nija preme paripUrNa kichui nA mAne | Apana tanaya kRSNa prANa mAtra jAne ||
DAkiyA kahaye nande Azcarya bidhAna | putrera maGgala lAgi bipre kare dAna ||
e dAsa uddhave kahe braje zuddha prema | kichu nA mizAya yena jAmbU-nada hema ||

“Gopala opened his mouth and looked at his mother. Inside his mouth, she saw something amazing. She saw the fourteen worlds including the earth and the sky; endless universes comprising the abodes of the gods, the snakes and the humans, as well as the sacred abodes like Goloka and so on. She saw the entire creation within his mouth! She saw Sesa, Mahesa, Brahma and others offering prayers. She even saw herself and Nanda within Krishna’s mouth. Looking at Nanda, she was unable to speak a word; it all seemed like a dream to her. Filled with love, she couldn't believe what she'd seen. She only knew Krishna as her beloved son. Astonished, she called out to Nanda, asking him to give charity to the brahmanas for the welfare of their son. This Uddhava Dasa says, ‘Love in Vraja is pure, like gold from the Jambu River.’”