The Story of Lord Krishna & a Thief

From childhood, Sri Krishna has been my Ishta Devata. Every story related to Bhagawan Sri Krishna fills my heart with nectarine sweetness and love. Can one ever have enough of Krishna Leelas? Every story from Krishna's life holds a valuable lesson for us and fills us with joy.

Long, long ago, when robbery and burglary were harmless, respectable professions (no thanks to Robin Hood) that did not involve beheading or killing innocent people, there lived a good thief. Now, don’t misunderstand, we call him good because he had a good heart and well, being a thief was just a temporary situation of sorts, if you know what I mean.

The thief hid in a house where a scholar was expounding on the MahaBhagawatham, the story of Lord Krishna. The scholar was describing the enchanting beauty of Krishna and Balaram and listing details of the jewelry and clothes that they wore. The thief could think of nothingelse. He had to find the two kids and grab their ornaments. He jumped out of his hiding place and demanded to know the address of the two children.

The poor scholar, who feared for his life more than anythingelse, told the thief that the kids lived in Mathura. The thief set off to find them.

Day and night, he searched for them, their beautiful forms were in his mind and heart. All he could think was of finding them. He ate no food and drank no water, such was his determination to find them. Days passed like this and he was ready to collapse.

Just then, the two boys appeared before him in all their splendor. Seeing Krishna, the thief was completely enchanted by His ethereal beauty and smile. The thief said, “I wanted your jewels but seeing you, I realize all I ever wanted was to continue gazing at you. I no longer want your jewels.”

Krishna blessed the thief and said, “You have been truly seeking me. I am pleased by your relentless love and concentration, so I have come.” Krishna and Balaram put their jewels in a bundle and gave it to the thief. They vanished.

The thief went to the scholar and gave him the jewels, stating, “I no longer want the jewels. You can have them.”

The scholar said, “I too don’t want the jewels. But I have a request – can you take me to Brindavan and show me a glimpse of Krishna? I’ve never seen Krishna.”

Do you see the irony of it?

The thief was the real seeker – he could not rest or eat without seeing Krishna, whereas the scholar spent his life around preaching about Krishna, not feeling or experiencing the same longing to see Krishna as the thief did.

Read these posts to strengthen your sadhana:

Comments

LIFE_REFACTORED said…

Its true that Hindu Mythology has such wonderful contradictions. Bhagavatam starts of saying that one does not even have to say wonderful prayers and love god to win him. It says even if you hate god all your life and that's the only thing you do night and day, you will still attain moksha.. Can you believe it?? Apparently all the super start Rakshasha who were slain by gods attained moksha for the very same reason!!!

February 21, 2011 at 2:36 PM

Most LOVED Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences. [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste. You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being bor...

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v...

Power of Hanuman's Work

As you start work - here's a question for you - are you disciplined about how you work and what you do every day? From dawn to dusk, we work - all of us are engaged in some task or another. Many tend to work almost on autopilot. Happens, doesn't it? Sometimes, we engage in activities that may not be of use to us and results in waste of time. Distractions trouble us - it could be a colleague talking loudly in the phone, and we may do the same too, without realising we are distracting others at work. ( Source: Radio Sai.org) Often, we are not conscious of how this impacts the quality of our work and time, not to mention our energy and attitude to work. The way we work reflects in the minds of our children. They watch us and we barely realise what they imbibe. Now life wasn't easy for our elders - in fact, they had none of the comforts that we do today...

The Secret Wishlist by Preeti Shenoy

Have you ever been banished from your parents' good books because of a secret kiss when you were just sixteen? [READ: Why Japanese Fiction is Becoming my Favourite] Did you spend nearly all your life trying to win back the trust and approval of your parents for that one mistake you made? Have you regretted your marriage that your parents rushed you into and you agreed out of sheer guilt? Have you ever made a secret wishlist with something like "have sex with someone other than husband" on it? Yes or no, don't miss reading Preeti Shenoy 's recently released novel titled 'The Secret Wishlist.' From page one, you are bound to get pulled into Diksha's loveless marriage, her constant adjustments to Sandeep, a husband who expects everything to be done to suit his preference at all times and her need to feel valued as a person. There are so many instances when you would simply grit your teeth and wish that her boor of a husba...

Significance of Vidyarambham: What is the literal translation of Ezhuthiniruthu?

Vidyarambham 2019 will forever remain one of my happiest moments of the year. Growing up, the festival of Vijayadashami is linked to my happiest memories with my cousins and parents, a remembrance of piping hot prasadam and books that are carefully wrapped and labelled and then, placed in the puja room. [READ: How and Why Malayalis celebrate Vidyarambham] [Image: Pixabay] Believe it or not, three times a day, a puja would be conducted at home. Those were the days when we didn't have domestic help as an integral part of inside kitchen chores. This meant that everyone pitched in. Yes, it seems almost unthinkable nowadays. Back then, all family members would gather and pitch in for cooking and cleaning and so on. A sense of togetherness is what made the festival so special. ...

Petals!

Search This Blog