Kanhaland

Krishna storybook · Chapter 2:The little butter thief

Naming day

The great sage Garga Muni came to Gokula to name the two little boys.

Balarama means the strong one, and Krishna means the one who attracts everyone.

Tell me more

He named them in a quiet cowshed. Balarama was Rohini’s son, and Krishna was Yashoda’s. Garga Muni held the ceremony secretly, so that King Kamsa would not hear about it. He told Nanda Baba that in other ages this boy had appeared in white, red and yellow, and now He had come with a dark complexion. He would have many names, and He would protect Gokula from every danger.

Crawling with the calves

Soon Krishna and Balarama were crawling all over Gokula, their little ankle bells jingling.

They grabbed the calves’ tails and got pulled through the mud, while their mothers laughed!

The little butter thief

Krishna and His friends climbed on mortars to reach the butter pots hanging from the ceiling!

Krishna always shared the butter, even with the monkeys.

Tell me more

Is stealing okay? No! For us, taking what isn’t ours is wrong. But this was a special game of love. The gopis secretly hoped Krishna would come to their homes, and they hung their best butter where He could find it. Being “robbed” by Krishna was their greatest joy.

Share the butter

Help Krishna’s friends stack the mortars under the pot.

Then share the butter with everyone, even the monkey!

The gopis complain

The gopis came to Mother Yashoda. “Your son steals our butter, feeds the monkeys and breaks our pots!”

But when they looked at Krishna, He seemed so innocent that everyone just smiled.

Tell me more

The gopis also told Yashoda that when they hung the butter out of reach, Krishna piled up mortars and stools to climb, and made holes in the pots to let the butter drip into His friends’ mouths. In dark rooms, they said, the jewels He wore lit His way. Yashoda only smiled. She could not bring herself to scold Him.

A mouthful of clay

One day the boys ran to Yashoda. “Mother, Krishna has eaten mud!”

“Did you eat mud?” she asked. “No, Mother!” said Krishna. “Look inside my mouth!”

The universe in His mouth

When Krishna opened His mouth, Yashoda saw the whole universe inside, even Vrindavan and herself!

Then she saw her darling boy again, and hugged Him tight.

Tell me more

The sky and stars, the sun and moon, the mountains and oceans were all there. Amazed, she wondered if she was dreaming. For a moment Yashoda understood that her son was the Lord of everything. But Krishna’s own power, Yogamaya, gently made her forget, so that she could go on loving Him as her child. Krishna enjoys this pure love, which isn’t afraid of His greatness, more than anything else.

What we learn

  • Sharing makes everyone happy, like Krishna’s butter.
  • Even as a playful little boy, Krishna is God.
  • Krishna loves pure, simple love, like Yashoda’s.

Did you like this story? Say “Hare Krishna!” out loud.

Tip: use the ← → arrow keys to turn the pages.Tip: swipe to turn the page.

Retold from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 10, chapter 8. Placeholder pictures only.

All chapters of the Krishna storybook