In the village of Vrindavan, Mother Yashoda was busy churning butter when young Krishna, hungry and mischievous, broke her pots to steal the cream. Upon discovering the mess, Yashoda decided to teach her son a lesson. She took a silk rope to tie Krishna to a heavy wooden grinding mortar. However, a miracle occurred: every time she tried to knot the rope, it was exactly two fingers too short. She joined more ropes together, but they remained insufficient. Seeing His mother's exhaustion and sincere effort, the Lord finally allowed Himself to be bound by her love. Krishna then dragged the heavy mortar between two giant Yamala-Arjuna trees. As the mortar wedged between them, the trees uprooted and transformed into two celestial beings, Nalakubara and Manigriva. Having been cursed to stand as trees for their arrogance, they were finally liberated by Krishna’s touch, bowing in gratitude before ascending to the heavens.
The Divine cannot be captured by force or intellect, but can be easily bound by the ropes of pure, selfless love.
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Questions about this story
What is the moral of Krishna Tied to the Mortar?
The moral is that God, though infinite and uncontrollable, voluntarily submits to the love and devotion of His devotees. It illustrates that spiritual connection is achieved through affection rather than ritualistic force.
Why is Krishna called 'Damodara' after this incident?
The word 'Dama' means rope and 'Udara' means belly. Krishna is called Damodara because His mother tied a rope around His waist to the grinding mortar.
Who were the two trees Krishna uprooted?
The trees were Nalakubara and Manigriva, the sons of Kubera, the treasurer of the gods. They had been cursed by the sage Narada to stand as trees due to their pride and misconduct.
Why was the rope always two fingers too short?
The two fingers represented the two requirements for reaching God: the devotee's intense effort and God's unnecessary mercy. Until Krishna chose to show mercy, Yashoda's effort alone was not enough.
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