Krishna’s Love for His Cows
When Krishna was about to leave for his first day of cow herding, Mother Yashoda, concerned for her son’s well-being, approached him with a pair of shoes. “My dear Krishna,” she said, “please take this pair of shoes. The forest is full of stones, and walking there will hurt your soft feet.”
Krishna, however, smiled and gently refused. “Mother Yashoda, that’s very thoughtful of you, but I cannot wear these shoes. The cows don’t have shoes. If you insist that I wear shoes, then you must first provide shoes for all the cows.” Krishna continued, “We have 900,000 cows, and each cow has four legs. How many shoes would we need?”
Mother Yashoda realized the impossibility of such a task and gave up on the idea of insisting Krishna wear the shoes.
The Umbrella Request
Determined to protect her son, Mother Yashoda then offered an alternative. “Oh, but at least take this umbrella. It’s hot out there in the sun!”
Krishna, however, responded with the same condition. “If you want me to take an umbrella, then we must first get umbrellas for all the cows. But cows have feet, not hands, so we would need someone to carry the umbrellas for them. We would require 900,000 people walking beside the cows, holding umbrellas.”
Realizing that this, too, was impossible, Mother Yashoda had to abandon the idea.
The Cows’ Special Gift to Krishna
Hearing Krishna’s conversation with his mother, the cows felt a deep sense of love and gratitude towards him. That night, they went everywhere around Vrindavana, crushing the stones with their own legs. The cows turned the hard stones into beautiful, soft sand. The next morning, when Krishna set out for cow herding, he walked on this soft sand, sparing his feet from the pain of the hard stones.
Even today, if you go on Vraja Mandala Parikrama, you will find this soft, beautiful sand, a testament to the cows’ devotion to Krishna.
Moral of the Story
This story beautifully illustrates Krishna’s deep love and care for his cows, as well as the reciprocation of that love from the cows. The cows’ devotion to Krishna was so profound that they took it upon themselves to ensure his comfort, turning the harsh forest paths into soft sand for his tender feet.
Prayer
“O Lord Krishna, may we develop the same love and devotion towards You as the cows of Vrindavana. Just as You care for every living being with such tenderness, help us to cultivate compassion and selflessness in our hearts. May we always remember Your divine pastimes and strive to serve You with pure love. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”
