Krishna learns to walk and steals curds
When Krishna was learning to walk, his mother would release his hand and then cheer him on as he took a few steps. Then, when he started to fall, she would come quickly to catch him. All glories to Mother Yashoda's haste in doing so!! (Gopāla-campū 6.59)
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हस्त-त्याग-मये नव्ये संस्तव्ये गति-शिक्षणे ।
पुत्रे स्खलति सा जीयान् मातुः पुत्रस्य च त्वरा ॥५९॥
When Krishna was learning to walk, his mother would release his hand and then cheer him on as he took a few steps. Then when he started to fall she would come quickly to catch him. All glories to Mother Yashoda's haste in doing so!! (Gopāla-campu 6.59)
Yashoda praised Krishna's effort when he let go of her helping hand while learning to walk. All glories to both her and her son's haste when he fell.
द्वित्र-क्रमं गतः कृष्णश्चलितः स्खलने रुदन् ।
पुत्र पुत्रेति चुम्बन्तीमम्बामालोकयन् मुहुः ॥
किञ्चिद् दूरं यदानञ्च स्वक-तेजः-प्रपञ्चकः ।
स्थिरीभूय प्रसू-वक्त्रं स-स्मितं स व्यलोकत ॥
दूरं मातुर्यदा याति तदासौ मन्थरायते ।
समीपं तु यदा तर्हि स्मयमानो द्रुतायते ॥
After Krishna had taken two or three steps, he would fall and begin to cry, looking fixedly at his mother as she kissed him and repeated, "My child, my child!"
When he had managed to walk a little way, Krishna would stand still, showing off his great achievement, staring at his mother's face with a big smile.
As Krishna walked further away from his mother, he would begin to slow down. But as he came closer to her, he would break into a smile and quicken his pace.
एतदपूर्ववर्णनं शिशुकृष्णस्य गतिशिक्षणम् । यदा स पद्भ्यां चलितुं इच्छति, तस्य माता यशोदा तत्पाणिं त्यजति यथा स निरालम्बनो भूत्वा स्वतन्त्रभावेन स्वशक्त्या अटेत् । द्वित्रिपादान् तीर्त्वा प्रस्खलिष्यन्तं दृष्ट्वा तं धर्तुं सत्वरं धावति । संभ्रान्तः शिशुकः च तस्या उत्सङ्गं प्राप्तुं तथैव त्वरयति । अहं तयोः परस्परालिङ्गनाय जवाय पुनः पुनः जयजयकारं ददामि ।
I was actually working on this verse from Prīti Sandarbha 147:
वत्सान् मुञ्चन् क्वचिदसमये क्रोशसञ्जातहासः
स्तेयं स्वाद्वत्त्यथ दधिपयः कल्पितैः स्तेययोगैः ।
मर्कान् भोक्ष्यन् विभजति स चेन् नात्ति भाण्डं भिनत्ति
द्रव्यालाभे स गृहकुपितो यात्युपक्रोश्य तोकान् ॥
This is the gopis complaining to Yashoda about Krishna's behavior. They appear to be angry, but their conversation is meant to show their love for Krishna and their desire to enjoy exchanging their love with Yashoda:
He releases the calves untimely and if scolded He laughs at us. He drinks our tasty curds and milk stolen through various stealing techniques invented by Him. He distributes all this to the monkeys and if they do not eat it, He smashes our pots. And if He finds nothing to steal, He gets angry and leaves after making our babies cry. (SB 10.8.29)
I will summarize the commentaries. In the Prīti Sandarbha, the subject under discussion is Krishna's qualities as uddīpanas of love. JG started by citing 84 qualities of Krishna using the verses by Bhumi in the First Canto (16) as a base. But then he says that Krishna often shows contrary qualities that go against these rather noble characteristics that are there described, and he goes through them one by one. Not all, I don't think, but many.
So now the subject here is sthairya and its contrarian cāpalya. Krishna's aiśvarya features sthairya, but in the madhura lila he behaves in ways that often contradict those, such as the activities described in this verse.
The commentaries have had a field day with this one, the best points of which are summarized by Vishwanath. Here is Vaishnava Toshani:
तत्र प्रथमोपद्रवमाहुः—वत्सान् मुञ्चन् बहुत्वं स्वेषां वैयाग्र्यविशेषबोधकम् ।
They recount the first of his outrages. "He releases the calves." Here the use of the plural (calves) indicates the extent of their agitation.
ननु प्रत्युत वत्सपलायमानत्वं खल्विदं को नु दोषः ?
Yashoda: "What's wrong with letting the calves go free?"
तत्राहुः—असमये दोहनकाले ।
The gopis: "He does it at an inconvenient time, i.e. when it is time for milking.
Babaji's comment: As a naughty child Krishna would go to the neighboring houses and cause trouble. In India, cows are milked manually in the morning and evening. The suckling calves are kept separate from their mothers so that they do not drink all their milk during the day. But Kṛṣṇa would sneak into the cowsheds of the neighboring gopīs and release the calves just when the cowherds were milking, which would distract the mother cows and make milking impossible.
ननु, बालकेनाज्ञानतः खल्विदं कृतम्, कथमनुशोचथ ? प्रतिगृहं विद्यमाना बहवो लोका रुन्धीरन् ?
Yashoda: He is just a child and he just doesn't know better. But there are so many people in your houses who can catch the runaway calves, aren't there?
तत्राहुः—क्वचित् कृत्यान्तरव्यग्रतया यदा ते रोद्धुं न शक्नुवन्ति तदैवेत्यर्थः ।
The gopis answer: He does it just when everyone is busy and are unable to catch them.
एवं चेत् तर्हि कथं न भीषयध्वे ?
Y: "So why don't you frighten him?"
तत्राहुः--क्रोशे सम्यग् जातहासः । अक्रोशनार्थम् इति परममोहनतोक्ता ।
"At our anger he gives a loud laugh!" [Here JG says that there is a missing अ due to the vowel sandhi rule so it should be akrośa not krośa. "He laughs because he sees we don't get angry" this shows how the gopis are enchanted by Krishna's behavior and his charm.
बत किमर्थं वत्सान् मुञ्चन् ?
Yashoda: "Why does he release the calves then?"
तत्र हसन्त्यः सानुकरणम् आहुः—दधिपयोऽत्ति इति । तदर्थम् एव गृहजनान् इतस्ततो धावयितुं वत्सान् मुञ्चतीत्यर्थः ।
They laugh in the way that Krishna laughs at them and say, "He eats the curds and milk." He releases the calves so that everyone has to leave the house and run after them this way and that."
"अहो कठिनाः ! तर्हि कथं स्वयम् एव पूर्वं न दत्थ ?" इति ।
Yashoda: "Oh you hard-hearted women! He is hungry, so why don't you give him something to eat before he causes all this trouble?"
अत्र सस्मितभ्रूविलासेन शनैरिवाहुः—स्तेयम् एवात्ति, न तु दत्तम् । अस्मद्दत्तम् अपि तादृशं न भुङ्क्ते इति भावः ।
To this the gopis slowly answer smiling and moving their eyebrows in amusement: "He eats only stolen things, not that which is given." The idea is that he does not have the same appetite for the things we give.
"अपि का वो हानिः, यतः ततः पतितभाण्डस्य गोरसमात्रस्यात्यल्पप्रमाणपाने ?"
Y: "So what's the problem ? He only drinks a small amount of milk that is contained in the pot that falls."
तत्राहुः—गृहस्वाम्याद्यर्थं पर्यन्तस्थापितं स्वाद्वेवात्ति, तत्रापि अथ कार्त्स्न्येनैवात्ति ।
The gopis: "He eats the tasty things that we have set aside for our husbands and children. And he eats it all." (The word atha is meant to indicate that he eats it in its entirety.)
"अहो परमचतुराणां वो गोरसम् असावशिक्षितचातुर्यश्चोरयेद् इति न सम्भावयामः ।"
Y: "Well I cannot believe that this innocent child could steal your milk when you are intelligent and know how to keep it secure."
तत्राहुः—कल्पितैः पूर्वमदृष्टाश्रुतैरधुना स्वबुद्ध्यैव रचितैः स्तेयोपायैः ।
They answer: "He has invented all these ways of stealing that we have never before seen or heard, using only his own intelligence."
"अये ! युष्मत्पितृपितामहादीनां पुण्यफलमेवेदं यदयं परमकृपणानाम् अदत्तम् अपि भूङ्क्ते, तर्हि कथम् इव पश्चाद् अपि नानुमोदध्वे ?"
Y: "Ayayay! It is the great pious merit of your fathers and forefathers that today Krishna comes and enjoys the things that you won't give him, miserly as you are. So why don't you approve and relish his good deed?"
तत्राहुः—मर्कान् इति । वरं सखिगणान्वितः स्वयमत्तु, अहो भोक्ष्यन् स्वभोजनात् पूर्वमेव मर्कटान् सर्वान् प्रति विभज्य ददाति । किं च, तेषां वनात् फलादि-तृप्तत्वेन यद्येकोऽपि नात्ति, तर्हि स्वयमपि नात्ति, भाण्डं च भिनत्ति इत्यर्थः ।
They answer: "The monkeys. We wouldn't mind so much if it was just he and his friends who ate everything, but before he even starts eating himself he wants to feed the monkeys and he shares everything with them. And what is more, if any of the monkeys already have their bellies full from eating fruits and so on in the forest and don't want to eat, then he himself refuses to eat and just breaks the pots."
एतत् तु पूर्वं तासां द्वारागतवानरवृन्दाय नवनीतं दातुं निजोपदेशस्याकरणकोपेनेति लक्ष्यते ।
This indicates furthermore that he was angry at the gopis because he instructed them to feed the freshly churned butter to the monkeys who were gathered at the doorway and they refused to do it.
यद् वा, स परमदुलालः कदाचित् त्वया यत् तेन बहुभोजितस्त्वेतत् स्वयं नात्ति, तर्हि भाण्डं भिनत्ति तद्दोषमारोप्येति शेषः ।
Or, "Your child is so spoiled and you have fed him so much that he doesn't eat and breaks the pot, blaming it (or us) for his lack of hunger."
ननु, "कथम् एव ज्ञानेऽपि भाण्डानि न गोपायथ ? तस्माद् यूयम् एव तथा क्रीडयन्त्यो मम बालकं चपलीकृतवत्यः ।" इति ।
Y: "Well you know all this so why don't you hide the pots? It is your fault because you tease him in this way and get him all excited."
अत्राहुः—द्रव्य- इति । "स" इति परोक्षनिर्देशो दर्शनेऽप्यदर्शनं सूचयन्ति । सम्प्रति सौम्यप्रकृतिदर्शनादन्यत्वं वा
They answer: "If he doesn't find anything..." They say "he" as though he were not present, though at the present moment they are seeing him. Or it is because the sweet little face they see before them is someone different from the naughty boy they are describing.
सर्वं गृहस्थितजनं प्रत्यपि कुपितः सन् तोकान् तोकानि बालापत्यान्यपि रोदयित्वा याति द्रवति । तानि च राधाचन्द्रावल्यादीनि तल्लघुभ्रातादीनि च ज्ञेयानि ।
"Not finding anything to steal, he gets angry with all the members of the household and leaves after making the little ones, i.e. the babies cry." It should be known that the babies referred to here are the younger brothers of Radha and Chandravali, etc.
सगृहशब्देनैव वा गृहस्थितजना उच्यन्ते ॥२९॥
Another way of reading सगृह- is as स-गृह- (instead of स गृह-) which would mean those residing in the house. [basically the same]
And there are a second and third verse in the series in BhP, namely 10.8.30-31 :
रचयति विधिं पीठकोलूखलाद्यैश्
छिद्रं ह्यन्तर्निहितवयुनः शिक्यभाण्डेषु तद्वित् ।
ध्वान्तागारे धृतमणिगणं स्वाङ्गम् अर्थप्रदीपं
काले गोप्यो यर्हि गृहकृत्येषु सुव्यग्रचित्ताः ॥
Now the gopis describe some of the methods Krishna used :
When something is out of reach he finds a way to climb up on the mortars and sitting stools, then knowing what is inside the pots that are hanging from the ceiling beams he makes holes in them. His lustrous body covered in jewels is like a lamp that reveals edibles in the rooms that are dark and also the times when the gopis are busily engaged in their household duties.
एवं धार्ष्ट्यान्युशति कुरुते मेहनादीनि वास्तौ
स्तेयोपायैर्विरचितकृतिः सुप्रतीको यथास्ते ।
इत्थं स्त्रीभिः सभयनयनश्रीमुखालोकिनीभि-
र्व्याख्यातार्था प्रहसितमुखी न ह्युपालब्धुमैच्छत् ॥
"When we gopis chastise him and call him a thief he urinates and otherwise pollutes our clean homes. These are all the deeds that this son of yours who you think is so saintly is engaged in." When the women, who were all the while looking at Krishna's frightened face, recounted all these things to Yashoda, she still laughed and did not want to tell him off.
From Gopāla-campū{
[66] तदा च कदाचिन् निजतनूजलभ्यप्रागल्भ्यस्पृहिणी व्रजेशगृहिणी तदानन्दबृंहिणीभिर्विवदमानाभिरिव दीयमानतदीयमानसमानाभिरुपालम्भसमाधानलम्भनवाकोवाक्यव्यङ्गमव्यङ्गमभ्यधायि ।
Then one day, the wife of Vraja’s king, who desired to see her son grow in boldness, was spoken to in detail by the seemingly argumentative women who increased her happiness and gave her pride, by making statements of complaint about Krishna’s behaviour and Yashoda’s responses to them.
[६७] तत्र सभायां सा यथा—
[67] In that assembly Yashoda appeared as follows:
आसीना कनकासने सुतयुता श्रीमद्व्रजाधीश्वरी
पीठश्रेणिमुपाश्रिता व्रजवधूर्नानात्मभावश्रियः ।
कृष्णप्रेमसुधामहोमयगिरामास्वादनाद्धिन्वती
ताभिश्च प्रतिधिन्विताखिलसभा शोभाङ्गयष्टिर्बभौ ॥४६॥
[v46] On a golden seat with her son sat the slim and beautiful figure of the queen of Vraja, while the other wives of the settlement took their seats -- all of them beautiful in their various individual ways. She delighted them with her excuses, which were filled with the festive ambrosia of love for Krishna, and they also charmed the entire gathering with their words.
[६८] वाकोवाक्यं यथा—
[68] Their verbal thrusting and parrying went on as follows [This is given in the form of a song, the first verse is the refrain.
तव सूनुर्मुहुरनयं कुरुते । अकुरुत किं वा व्यञ्जितकुरुते ॥ध्रु॥
[v47] "Your son is always misbehaving."
. "What's he done, you maker of ugly sounds?" [refrain]
ku "ugly" + ruta = any cry or noise, roar, yell, neigh (of horses), song, note (of birds), hum (of bees) --> one who makes such a sound
मुञ्चति वत्सान् भ्रामं भ्रामम् । साचिव्यं वः कुरुते कामम् ॥
“He wanders about releasing the calves.”
“Then surely he is helping you in your duties.”
असमयमोचनमसुखनिधानम् । कः किं कुरुते न यदि निदानम् ॥
”If the calves are released at the wrong time it causes problems.”
“Whyever would anyone do this without a valid reason?”
विना निदानं कुरुते स्वामिनि । क्रोशं न किमिव कुरुषे भामिनि ॥
"But madame, he does it for no reason at all.”
“Then dear lady, do you not scold him?”
क्रोशे हसति प्रत्युत सोऽयम् । दत्त्वा वशय स्फुटमपि तोयम् ॥
”If we scold him, he just laughs at us.”
“Then give him some milk; that will pacify him.”
अत्ति स्तेयं परमिह रुचितम् । अज्ञे भानं कथमिदमुचितम् ॥
“He prefers stolen things; he won't eat anything else.”
“Ignorant woman, what a ridiculous notion!”
स्तेयोपाये गुरुरयमखिले । नार्हति सर्वं मिथ्या निखिले ॥
“He teaches the other children all his thieving tricks.”
“He is not capable of such things-- all these are false accusations!”
रचयति पीठादिकमारोहम् । तदगम्यं कुरु सर्वं दोहम् ॥
“He climbs on the wooden benches.”
“Then put your milk products out of his reach.”
दूराच्छिद्रं कलयति पात्रे । अस्य कथं धीः सति तन्मात्रे ॥
“He punctures the milkpots from a distance.”
“Don't you cover them? How can he know what's inside?”
अन्तर्धियमनु स इह विशालः । वक्षि यथासौ न तथा बालः ॥
“He is expert at knowing what is hidden within.”
“My little boy is not as you say he is.”
वेत्ति स कृत्स्नं गोपनरीतिम् । गेहगुहा नहि दवयति भीतिम् ॥
“He knows all our secret hiding-places.”
“Do your houses’ dark corners not frighten him?”
गेहगुहात्र वृथा तनुदीपे । तनुरनुलिप्ता कलय समीपे ॥
“Our hiding places are useless on account of his effulgent body.”
“That can't be. Look closer, his body has been dimmed with sandalwood.”
मणिगणमहसा गणयति न तमः । भूषणरहितस्तिष्ठेत् कतमः ॥
"He does not mind the dark because of all his shining ornaments."
"Well, what child goes without ornaments?"
अपि चाशयति बलादपि कीशम् । मनुषे कियदमुमत्तुमधीशम् ॥
"Moreover, he forces the monkeys to eat our food."
"Oh, how much can a monkey eat?"
तदशक्तौ पात्रं भेदयते । तस्याशौचं वा वेदयते ॥
"If he can't do that, he breaks the pots."
"Maybe he's just letting you know they're dirty.”
गमसमये रोदयति च बालाम् । प्रक्ष्यामो वरमहिलामालाम् ॥
“When he leaves, he makes the little babies cry.”
“I don’t believe you; have any of the older women seen this?”
अपि बालान् मेहयते गेहे । नहि नहि चूर्णं पतितं स्नेहे ॥
“Then he makes the other boys urinate in the house.”
“No, no, that must be tumeric and oil on the floor.”
तव पुरतोऽयं स्थिरवन्मूर्तिः । आश्चर्येयं तव वाक्पूर्तिः ॥ इति ।
“Look at him standing here, frozen with fear of being punished.”
“But I can't believe any of these outlandish accusations.”
[69] पुनश्च प्रतीतिमासादयन्त्य इवेदं वदन्ति स्म, नाश्चर्यमत्राचर्यताम् । यतः,
[69] Then again, as if to make the Queen believe them they said, “Don’t be shocked by these (accusations). For,
इन्द्रियकुलमतिगूढं नेत्राद्यन्तनिगूढमेवास्ति ।
तन्मध्यादपि चित्तं हरतो नृहरेर्न हार्यं किम्? ॥४८॥
[v48] “The inner senses are well hidden away,
concealed behind the eyes and other external organs;
of them all, the mind is the most cleverly hidden--
yet Krishna steals even that.
So what is he not capable of stealing?”
[७०] तदेवमभीषङ्गभङ्गीभिर्वरवर्णिनीभिर्वर्ण्यमानमाकर्ण्य चपलदृष्टिपरामृष्टिकर्णं झटिति जातविलक्षणवर्णं श्रीकृष्णमुखश्रीपर्णं निर्वर्ण्य विहसन्तीं तामनु विहसन्तीभिस्ताभिः शपन्तीभिरिव भणितम्—यदि च वयं साधुचरिताचरितार्थतां गतास्तदा भवत्या भवनेऽपि शीघ्रमेतत्पतिष्यति ।
[70] Thus as Krishna heard the testimony presented by the good women of Vraja in their teasing imprecations against him, his nervous eyes seemed to touch his ears. Yashoda saw his beautiful lotus face suddenly turn a (pale) color unusual to him which made her laugh, and after her the others also laughed. Then, as if cursing her they said, “And if we have become dissatisfied as to the good behaviour (of this child), then the very same fate will soon befall you here in your very own home.”
[71] hasantī sā covāca—bhadraṁ bhadram, tadaiva vo bhadratvam anubhaviṣyāmaḥ iti |
[71] Laughing she answered, “Very well, very well. When that happens I will be able to recognize that you indeed have been right.”
[72] In fact, however, they had behaved in such a way when they saw how tender she was {toward Krishna), in the hope that Krishna would come again and again to their houses.
[73] atha samāpanam idaṁ madhukaṇṭha-vacanam,
adbhutaṁ bālya-caritaṁ tava sūnor vrajeśvara |
kva tṛṇāvarta-dalanaṁ kva mātur bhaya-bhāvanam? ||49|| [anuṣṭubh]
[73] Then Madhukantha made the following conclusion,
[v49] The childhood activities of your son,
O Lord of Vraja, are all astonishing;
whether it is the demon Trinavarta he destroys
or the fearful thoughts he produces in his mother.
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