Category:Krsna's Fear
Theme Analysis
The concept of Kṛṣṇa experiencing fear is a profound theological paradox that distinguishes the personalism of Vaiṣṇava philosophy from impersonal conceptions of the Divine. While Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth and the source of all power, He voluntarily accepts the emotion of fear to facilitate intimate relationships with His pure devotees. This fear is not a product of material ignorance or weakness but is a transcendental manifestation of His internal energy, allowing Him to reciprocate with the specific moods of parental, fraternal, and conjugal love.
- Divine Subjugation to Parental Affection: The Supreme Lord, although the master of all existence, chooses to become fearful of Mother Yaśodā and her stick. This submission demonstrates the supremacy of vatsalya rasa, or parental love, over the Lord's majesty, proving that He is conquered by the unalloyed affection of His devotees.
- Mischievous Pastimes and Social Reciprocation: Within the setting of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa engages in playful and naughty behavior, such as stealing butter or breaking pots. His subsequent fear of being caught by the gopīs or scolded by His elder brother Balarāma enhances the sweetness of His human-like pastimes and allows His associates to relate to Him as a friend or child rather than the Almighty.
- Strategic Retreat and Protective Compassion: Kṛṣṇa's apparent fear of worldly enemies like Jarāsandha is a calculated pastime designed to protect His family and devotees. By fleeing the battlefield and taking shelter in Dvārakā, the Lord demonstrates that His primary concern is the safety of those surrendered to Him, while simultaneously confusing the demonic who judge Him by material standards.
- The Paradox of the Supreme Controller: Great souls like Queen Kuntī find themselves bewildered and enchanted by the sight of Kṛṣṇa in fear. Since Yamarāja and even fear personified are afraid of the Lord, His display of fear before a devotee remains one of the most confidential and beautiful aspects of His character, understandable only through the eyes of devotion.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Fear Personified Fearing His Devotees - Understanding Kṛṣṇa's Fear.
Pages in category "Krsna's Fear"
The following 39 pages are in this category, out of 39 total.
A
- After seeing her son so engaged, she very silently approached Him from behind. Krsna, however, saw her coming toward Him with a stick in her hand, and He immediately got down from the grinding mortar and began to flee in fear
- As soon as Krsna saw all the gopis, He was struck with emotion. Thus He could not hide Himself, and out of fear He became motionless
- At that time, Krsna became very much afraid of Jarati and went to His elder brother Baladeva. He said, "My dear brother, I have stolen yogurt! Just see - Jarati is coming hurriedly to catch Me!"
H
- He was taking butter from a pot which was hanging from the ceiling on a swing, and He was feeding it to the monkeys. She saw Krsna looking this way and that way in fear of her because He was conscious of His naughty behavior
- His playmates then threatened not to allow Him to play with them again. Krsna became afraid, and instead of going back home, He went back again to play with the boys. At that time, mother Yasoda scolded the children
J
- Jarasandha said, "Krsna, I know that You are a coward. I refuse to fight with You because You become very confused when You face me in fighting. Out of fear of me You left Mathura & now You have taken shelter within the sea"
- Jarasandha took it for granted that the two brothers (Krsna and Balarama) were afraid of his military power and had hidden Themselves at the top of the mountain
K
- Krsna continued, "First of all, you (Rukmini) may know that I was so much afraid of Jarasandha that I could not dare live on the land, and thus I have constructed this house within the water of the sea"
- Krsna continued, "It is not My business to disclose this secret to others, but you (Rukmini) must know that I am not very heroic; I am a coward and am afraid of My enemies. Still I am not safe, because all the great kings of the land are inimical to Me"
- Krsna has become fearful to Yasoda: "My dear mother, kindly do not bind Me. I shall obey your orders." So Yasoda has become more than God, more than Krsna
- Krsna is unlimited, no one can catch Him, but if someone follows the parampara, he agrees to be captured. Everyone is afraid of Krsna, but Krsna is afraid of Mother Yasoda. That is Krsna's special mercy
- Krsna knows no loss, He knows no defamation, He has no fear, He has no anxiety, and He does not know calamity. He is simply encircled by the dancers of Vraja and is enjoying their company in the rasa dance
- Krsna was even afraid of mother Yasoda's stick. This was mentioned by Queen Kunti in her prayers: bhaya-bhavanaya sthitasya (SB 1.8.31). Krsna is afraid of mother Yasoda, and yogis are afraid of Krsna
L
- Lord Krsna is fear personified for everyone, but He voluntarily agreed to fear the stick of mother Yasoda
- Lord Sri Krsna, the all-pervading Supersoul, lying on the bed, understood that Putana, a witch who was expert in killing small children, had come to kill Him. Therefore, as if afraid of her, Krsna closed His eyes - SB 10.6.8
M
- Mother Yasoda could understand that Krsna was unnecessarily afraid, and for His benefit she wanted to allay His fears. Being the topmost well-wisher of her child, Yasoda thought, "If the child is too fearful of me, I don’t know what will happen to Him"
- Mother Yasoda wanted to bind Krsna not in order to chastise Him but because she thought that the child was so restless that He might leave the house in fear. That would be another disturbance
- Mother Yasoda wanted to impress upon Krsna that since He was afraid merely to see her stick, He should not perform such disturbing activities as breaking the container of yogurt and butter and distributing its contents to the monkeys
- My Lord, even the learned sages become disturbed in their intelligence when they see that Your Greatness engages in fruitive work although You are free from all desires, that You take birth although You are unborn, that You flee out of fear of the enemy
R
- Rukmini continued, "My dear all-powerful son of Vasudeva (Krsna), Your statement that You have taken shelter within the water of the ocean, being afraid of all the great princes, is quite unsuitable, for my experience with You contradicts this"
- Rukmini continued, "My dear husband, You (Krsna) have rightly said that You have taken shelter in the water of the sea as if You were afraid of the kings. But who are the kings of this material world"
S
T
- There was no necessity of the Lord's being dispatched to the house of Nanda Maharaja out of fear of Kamsa's determination to kill Him (Krsna) as soon as He appeared
- This time, Jarasandha thought that Krsna and Balarama were very much afraid of his military strength and were fleeing the battlefield. He followed Them with all his chariots, horses and infantry
W
- When caught by mother Yasoda, Krsna became more and more afraid and admitted to being an offender. As she looked upon Him, she saw that He was crying - SB 10.9.11
- When He was caught, Krsna was almost on the point of crying. He smeared His hands over His eyes, which were anointed with black eye cosmetics. The child saw His mother’s face while she stood over Him, and His eyes became restless from fear
- When I think of Krsna - how He went away from His father's protection to Vraja and lived there incognito out of fear of the enemy, and how, although unlimitedly powerful, He fled from Mathura in fear - all these bewildering incidents give me distress
- When Lord Sri Krsna saw His mother (Yasoda), stick in hand, He very quickly got down from the top of the mortar and began to flee as if very much afraid - SB 10.9.9
- When she (mother Yasoda) saw that her son (Krsna) had become excessively afraid, she threw the stick away and desired to bind Him so that He would not commit any further naughty activities - SB 10.9.12
Y
- Yamaraja, the controller of all living entities, fears the order of Krsna, yet Krsna is afraid of His mother's stick. These contradictions cannot be understood by one who is not a devotee
- Yasoda said, "I want to enjoy the sight of His (Krsna) eyebrows moving in this cunning way, and I want to see His fearful eyes and beautiful face"
- Yogis try to reach Krsna by jnana-yoga and other yogas, but fail. Yet although mother Yasoda was a woman, Krsna was afraid of her, as clearly described in this verse - SB 10.9.9
- Yogis, mystics, want to catch Krsna as Paramatma, and with great austerities and penances they try to approach Him, yet they cannot. Here (in SB 10.9.9) we see, however, that Krsna is going to be caught by Yasoda and is running away in fear