The Mastery of the Three Monkeys: From Sense Control to the Higher Taste

 

We are all familiar with the timeless image of the Three Wise Monkeys—one covering its eyes, another its ears, and the third its mouth.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

At first glance, it seems like a simple moral instruction. Avoid what is bad. Do not listen to what is harmful. Do not speak words that cause harm.

But there is a much deeper spiritual idea hidden behind these three little figures.

The journey of the Three Monkeys takes us from controlling what enters through the senses, to understanding what happens inside the mind, and finally to something far more profound: transforming what the senses are actually used for.

And this is where the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita and the prayers of the great Vaishnava saint Kulasekhara Alvar take the idea to another level.

1. Gandhi and His Three Gurus

The image of the Three Wise Monkeys has its roots in Japan, where the familiar figures became associated with the principle of seeing no evil, hearing no evil and speaking no evil.

But it was Mahatma Gandhi who gave the symbol a particularly personal significance.

In 1933, the Japanese Buddhist monk Nichidatsu Fujii met Gandhi at Wardha and presented him with a small statue of the three monkeys. Gandhi became deeply attached to it and referred to the monkeys as his “three gurus” or preceptors.

For Gandhi, they were not merely decorative figures.

He saw in them a practical lesson for daily life: do not see the faults of others, do not listen to malicious talk, and do not speak about the defects of others.

There is an important distinction here.

Seeing no evil does not mean becoming blind to injustice.
Hearing no evil does not mean refusing to hear uncomfortable truths.
Speaking no evil does not mean remaining silent when truth needs to be spoken.

Rather, the deeper lesson is about what we choose to allow into our consciousness and what we choose to release from it.

The eyes, ears and tongue are constantly feeding the mind.

Every image we look at, every conversation we listen to and every word we speak leaves some impression within us.

This is what the ancient Indian tradition calls indriya-nigraha—the disciplined regulation of the senses.

But that raises a more difficult question.

Is controlling the senses enough?

2. The Problem Is Not Just Outside Us

Suppose we cover our eyes. We are no longer looking at the object. But can we stop thinking about it?

Suppose we close our ears. Can we stop replaying the conversation we just heard?

Suppose we remain silent. Can we prevent the mind from continuing the argument internally?

This is where the Bhagavad Gita takes us much deeper.

Krishna explains the mechanics of desire in a remarkable sequence:

dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ
saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ
kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment to them; from attachment, desire arises; and from desire, when frustrated, anger arises.”

The important word here is dhyāyato—contemplation.

The problem does not begin when we physically encounter something.

It begins when the mind starts dwelling upon it.

This is why mere physical restraint can sometimes become a struggle.

We may remove the object from our sight, but continue to carry it in our thoughts.

We may stop speaking, while conducting an entire argument inside our head.

We may walk away from temptation, while mentally walking back towards it again and again.

The senses may be restrained, but the mind may still be attached.

And this is why spiritual life cannot stop at suppression.

This is where something deeper is required.

3. The Higher Taste

Krishna gives us the key in the very next teaching.

In Bhagavad Gita 2.59, He says:

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

“The embodied soul may abstain from sensory enjoyment, but the taste for it remains. However, that taste also disappears when one experiences a higher taste.”

This is one of the most practical insights in the Gita.

You cannot simply tell the mind:

“Do not want this.”

The mind will ask:

“Then what should I want?”

If we merely remove pleasure without discovering something deeper, the old attraction remains underneath the surface.

But when we experience something higher, the lower attraction gradually loses its power.

This is param dṛṣṭvā—seeing something higher.

A person who discovers the joy of meaningful work may lose interest in wasting hours in trivial pursuits.

A person who discovers genuine friendship may no longer crave shallow social approval.

A person who discovers meditation may begin to experience a peace that constant stimulation cannot provide.

And a person who discovers devotion may gradually find that the pleasures that once seemed irresistible are no longer quite so important.

This is not forced renunciation.

It is outgrowing.

You don't always have to fight the lower taste. Sometimes you simply have to discover a higher one.

4. From Restraining the Senses to Purifying Them

And here the Three Monkeys undergo a remarkable transformation.

At the beginning, their message is:

Do not see evil. Do not hear evil. Do not speak evil.

The Gita takes us one step further:

Control what you allow the senses to consume.

But the Vaishnava tradition takes us further still.

The goal is not merely to stop the senses from doing something harmful.

The goal is to give them something higher to do.

Kulasekhara Alvar expresses this beautifully in the Mukundamala Stotra.

In one celebrated verse, he describes what happens when our faculties become centred upon Krishna:

yat kṛṣṇa-praṇipāta-dhūli-dhavalaṁ tad varṣma tad vai śiraḥ
te netre tamasojjhite su-rucire yābhyāṁ harir dṛśyate
sā buddhir vimalendu-śaṅkha-dhavalā yā mādhava-dhyāyinī
sā jihvāmṛta-varṣiṇī prati-padaṁ yā stauti nārāyaṇam

The verse describes the head sanctified by bowing to Krishna, the eyes that behold Hari, the intellect that meditates upon Madhava, and the tongue that praises Narayana.

Notice the progression.

The eyes are not simply told what not to see.

They are given something wonderful to behold.

The tongue is not merely told what not to say.

It becomes a tongue that pours nectar by glorifying the Lord.

The intellect is not emptied of thought.

It becomes absorbed in contemplation of Madhava.

And this is the real transformation.

The senses are not destroyed. They are redirected.

And, one more verse from same Stotra.

jihve kīrtaya keśavaṁ muraripuṁ cetaḥ bhaja śrīdharaṁ
pāṇidvandva samarcayācyuta-kathāḥ śrotradvaya tvaṁ śṛṇu
kṛṣṇaṁ loka-naya-dvayena kalayann āghrāya nāsāpuṭair
mūrdhan viṣṇupadābja-yugma-tulasī-mālyaṁ samākarṣaya

The beauty of the verse is that Kulasekhara Alvar doesn't merely tell us to restrain our senses; he tells each sense what it should positively do — let the tongue glorify Keshava, the mind worship Sridhara, the hands serve Achyuta, the ears hear His stories, the eyes behold Krishna, the nose smell the Tulasi offered to Vishnu, and the head bow to His lotus feet.

That is exactly the “higher taste” of Bhagavad Gita 2.59 brought into practical life.

5. The Three Monkeys Become Three Teachers

Perhaps this is the deeper lesson hidden within those three familiar figures.

The first stage is restraint.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

The second stage is awareness.

Ask yourself:

What am I allowing my eyes to consume?
What am I allowing my ears to absorb?
What kind of thoughts am I repeatedly feeding my mind?

And the third stage is transformation.

Instead of merely asking: “What should I stop seeing?”

ask: “What is worthy of seeing?”

Instead of:

“What should I stop listening to?” ask: “What is worthy of hearing?”

Instead of:

“What should I stop saying?” ask: “What words can bring truth, comfort and remembrance of God?”

This is where sense control becomes spiritual practice.

The eyes can behold the beauty of the Deity.

The ears can hear the Bhagavad Gita, the Srimad Bhagavatam or the chanting of the holy name.

The tongue can speak words that heal rather than wound.

And the mind, instead of endlessly wandering among thousands of objects, can gradually find a home in remembrance of Krishna.

6. The Real Meaning of “See No Evil”

Perhaps, then, the Three Wise Monkeys are not asking us to withdraw from the world.

They are asking us to become selective about what we allow to shape us.

We cannot control everything we see, hear and prevent every unpleasant thought from entering the mind.

But we can become increasingly conscious of what we repeatedly dwell upon.

That is where our freedom begins.

The spiritual journey is therefore not simply:

See less. Hear less. Speak less.

It is:

See better. Hear better. Speak better.

And eventually:

See Krishna. Hear about Krishna. Speak about Krishna.

That is the journey from sense control to the higher taste.

The Three Monkeys may have begun as a reminder of what not to see, hear and speak.

But spiritual wisdom reveals something much more beautiful.

The goal is not to close the eyes, ears and mouth forever.

The goal is to make them worthy instruments of the soul.

When the higher taste awakens, restraint no longer feels like deprivation.

It becomes freedom.

And what began as “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” finally becomes something far more positive:

See the Divine. Hear the Divine. Speak of the Divine.

7. A Higher Taste for Everyone

Of course, not everyone reading this will be thinking about Krishna, practising Krishna consciousness, or even considering themselves spiritually inclined, and that is perfectly fine, because the principle of the higher taste does not require us to begin at the highest level; it simply asks us to recognise that there is always something better we can move towards from where we are today.

If someone is trying to give up anger, perhaps the higher alternative is patience.

If someone is trying to overcome gossip, perhaps the higher alternative is meaningful conversation.

If someone spends too much time scrolling endlessly through social media, perhaps the higher alternative is reading, walking, creating something, learning something new or simply spending undistracted time with family.

If someone is struggling with an unhealthy habit, the answer may not be to leave an empty space where the habit once existed, but to consciously fill that space with a better habit.

This is the same principle that Krishna describes as the higher taste.

We do not always have to make a dramatic transformation overnight; sometimes spiritual and personal growth begins with something much simpler—giving up one lower desire and cultivating a slightly higher one, replacing one harmful habit with a healthier one, replacing one negative form of entertainment with something enriching, replacing one angry reaction with a moment of patience, or replacing empty consumption with meaningful engagement.

The important thing is the direction in which we are moving.

Perhaps today the higher taste is simply choosing health over excess.

Tomorrow it may be choosing knowledge over distraction.

Later it may become choosing compassion over criticism, service over selfishness, peace over constant stimulation, and wisdom over impulse.

And for someone walking the path of devotion, that journey may eventually culminate in offering the senses themselves to Krishna.

We do not all have to begin at the same place.

What matters is that we do not remain satisfied with our lower tendencies simply because they are familiar.

The Three Monkeys therefore offer a lesson that can meet each of us exactly where we are.

See a little better. Hear a little better. Speak a little better. Think a little better. Live a little better.

And as we gradually replace the lower with the higher, we may discover something beautiful: what once required great willpower eventually becomes natural, because the mind has found something more satisfying to pursue.

That is the essence of the higher taste—not merely giving something up, but finding something better to live for. Wherever you are, there is always a higher step you can take.

Radhastami Meditation – When Srimati Radharani Opened Her Eyes

What if the first thing you ever saw in this world was the only thing you had ever wanted to see? Imagine a new-born child opening her eyes for the first time—not to the face of her mother, not to the bright sunlight or the curious faces gathered around her, but to Krishna. This is one of the most beautiful traditions surrounding the appearance of Srimati Radharani. When Radharani appeared in the lives of Maharaja Vrishabhanu and Kirtida, there was great joy throughout Vraja, yet there was also a mystery. The beautiful child kept Her eyes closed, and Her parents wondered why. Was something wrong with their precious daughter? According to devotional traditions preserved in texts such as the Garga Samhita and Brahma Vaivarta Purana, the sage Narada eventually came to Vrishabhanu's home and understood that this was no ordinary child. He advised the family to celebrate Her appearance and invite the people of Vraja, including Nanda Maharaja, Mother Yashoda and little Krishna.
And then came the moment devotees have remembered for centuries. When baby Krishna came near Radharani, She opened Her eyes. Her first sight was Krishna. There is something almost impossible to express in that simple image. She had not been waiting to see the world; She had been waiting to see Him.

The Eyes That Were Closed to the World
We normally think of spiritual life as opening our eyes, but perhaps sometimes spiritual life begins by learning what not to look at. Our eyes are rarely still. We look at possessions, achievements, people, recognition, success, failures, pleasures and problems. One desire leads to another, and one object of attraction is replaced by the next. The Bhagavad-gita describes the restless movement of the senses and mind, but Krishna's solution is not to destroy our capacity to love; it is to redirect it toward Him.

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

"Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your obeisances to Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, you will surely come to Me." — Bhagavad-gita 9.34

Radharani seems to embody this verse completely. Her mind is Krishna, Her love is Krishna, and Her life is Krishna. There is no separate calculation of, "What will I get from Krishna?" Her concern is Krishna's happiness, and that is where the story of Radharani becomes much more than a beautiful tale of divine childhood. It becomes a lesson about what pure love actually means.
Who Is Radharani?

To understand Radharani, we have to go beyond the ordinary meaning of the word "love." The Chaitanya-charitamrita gives us one of the deepest descriptions of Her identity. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami writes:

rādhikā hayena kṛṣṇera praṇaya-vikāra
svarūpa-śakti — ‘hlādinī’ nāma yāṅhāra

"Srimati Radhika is the transformation of Krishna's love. She is His internal energy called hladini." — Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 4.59.

This is not ordinary romantic love. Radharani is described as Krishna's hladini-shakti, His internal pleasure-giving potency. The same chapter explains the progression:

hlādinīra sāra ‘prema’, prema-sāra ‘bhāva’
bhāvera parama-kāṣṭhā, nāma ‘mahā-bhāva’

"The essence of hladini is love; the essence of love is bhava; and the highest development of bhava is called mahabhava."

And then comes the extraordinary conclusion:

mahābhāva-svarūpā śrī-rādhā-ṭhākurāṇī

"Srimati Radharani is the very embodiment of mahabhava."

Now the closed eyes begin to mean something deeper. The world was not enough for those eyes. Only Krishna was.

The Bhagavatam's Hidden Radha
There is an interesting mystery in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam's account of the Rasa-lila does not explicitly use the name "Radha" in the way later devotional literature does. Yet, at a crucial moment, the gopis discover that Krishna has disappeared with one particular gopi, and they say:

anayārādhito nūnaṁ
bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ

"Certainly, this particular gopi must have worshipped the Supreme Lord perfectly." — Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.30.28

Gaudiya Vaishnava commentators understand the word ārādhita, meaning "perfectly worshipped," as pointing toward Radharani. The Bhagavatam therefore does something beautiful: it does not simply announce, "Here is Radha." It reveals Her through the quality of Her devotion. She is the one who worships Krishna perfectly, the one whose love is so complete that Krishna Himself becomes captivated by it.

The Bhagavatam later gives the gopis an extraordinary position. Uddhava, who had come to Vraja as a highly learned devotee and messenger of Krishna, becomes overwhelmed by the love of the residents of Vrindavan. Their devotion is presented as something extraordinarily exalted, and Uddhava longs to become even a blade of grass in Vrindavan so that he might receive the dust of their feet.

This is the secret of Vrindavan. Knowledge is wonderful, austerity is wonderful, power is wonderful, but pure love conquers Krishna.

When Krishna Wanted to Understand Radha
There is an even greater mystery. If Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why would He need to understand anyone else's love for Him? The answer given by the Gaudiya tradition is astonishing: Krishna wanted to experience the greatness of Radharani's love for Himself.

The opening verses of the fourth chapter of Chaitanya-charitamrita explain that Radha and Krishna are one in identity but appear as two, and that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as Krishna adorned with the mood and complexion of Radharani.

Think about the depth of this. Krishna is the object of love, while Radharani is the supreme lover, and Krishna Himself wanted to understand what it feels like to love Krishna as Radharani loves Him. So He appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—the worshipper and the worshipped, the lover and the beloved, one divine reality experiencing both sides of divine love.

This is why Radhastami is not simply a celebration of another personality in the Krishna tradition. It is a celebration of the highest possibility of love.

The Mystery of Bhandiravan
There is another beautiful tradition associated with Radharani and Krishna. In the sacred forest of Bhandiravan, the Garga Samhita describes a divine wedding between Radha and Krishna, with Lord Brahma performing the ceremony. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana also contains a tradition of their divine marriage.

Different Vaishnava traditions interpret Radha and Krishna's relationship differently, and the Gaudiya tradition gives particular theological importance to their Vrindavan love beyond ordinary social conventions. Therefore, the Bhandiravan wedding should not be reduced to an ordinary question of marital status. The deeper message is that their relationship is eternal; the ceremony does not create their love but reveals, within the pastime, something that already exists eternally.

And perhaps that is why the story of Radha and Krishna cannot be understood through ordinary worldly categories. We ask, "Who belongs to whom?" Radha and Krishna reveal a different question: "Who exists for whom?" Radharani's answer is simple: "I exist for Krishna."

Love That Has No Self in It
This is perhaps the greatest lesson Radharani offers us. Most of what we call love contains a hidden transaction. "I love you because you make me happy. I love you because you care for me. I love you because you belong to me." But Radharani's love is different. Her happiness is Krishna's happiness. If Krishna is happy, She is happy; if Krishna is pleased, She is pleased; if Krishna wants something, Her only desire is to fulfil it. That is why the Chaitanya-charitamrita calls Her mahabhava, the highest perfection of divine love.

Perhaps this is what Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted us to understand. We often approach God with a list: "Please give me this. Please solve that. Please protect my family. Please give me success." There is nothing wrong with approaching Krishna in difficulty; Krishna Himself welcomes the sincere devotee. But Radharani takes us beyond asking, "What can Krishna do for me?" and toward the much higher question, "What can I do for Krishna?"
That is the journey from faith to devotion.

The Eyes of the Heart
And so I return to that little child in Vrindavan. Radharani's eyes remained closed. Narada understood. Her parents worried. Vraja celebrated. And then Krishna came, and Her eyes opened.

Perhaps that ancient story contains a message for us living thousands of years later. We cannot control everything our eyes see, but we can choose what our heart learns to seek. The world constantly tells us, "Look here. Look at what you are missing. Look at what others have. Look at your achievements. Look at your failures. Look at what people think about you." And Krishna quietly says:

"man-manā bhava mad-bhakto"

"Fix your mind upon Me. Become My devotee."

Radharani shows us what that looks like when love becomes complete. Her eyes open for Krishna, Her heart belongs to Krishna, and Her joy is Krishna's joy. Her identity is inseparable from loving Him. Perhaps this is why devotees pray not merely to know Krishna, but to receive the mercy of Srimati Radharani.

Because Krishna may be approached through knowledge, meditation, duty and devotion, but Radharani teaches us the deepest secret: how to love Him without asking what we will receive in return.

On this Radhastami, perhaps we can offer a very simple prayer: "Srimati Radharani, please teach me to turn my eyes away from the temporary and toward Krishna. Teach me to love without bargaining, serve without seeking recognition, and remember Krishna not only when I need Him, but because He is worthy of being remembered."

And perhaps, one day, the eyes of our own heart will open—not because the world has finally given us everything we wanted, but because we have finally found the One we were searching for all along.

Jaya Srimati Radharani!

Radhe Radhe!

Hare Krishna.

Why Did Baby Krishna Close His Eyes When Putana Approached Him?

 

A few thoughts on one of the most intriguing moments in Krishna's childhood pastimes.

I was recently reading the pastime of Putana in the Srimad Bhagavatam and one small detail caught my attention.

Putana comes to Gokula disguised as a beautiful woman. She looks like a loving mother, but her real intention is to kill baby Krishna. She has even smeared poison on her breast.

And then Krishna closes His eyes.

I started wondering: Why?

The Srimad Bhagavatam, in Canto 10, Chapter 6, Verse 8, simply says nimīlitekṣaṇaḥ — He closed His eyes.

It does not give one straightforward reason.

As I looked into the commentaries and various Vaishnava explanations, I found that there are several interesting ways of looking at this. Some have a clear basis in the traditional commentaries, while others are beautiful devotional interpretations that have been passed down through later discussions and lectures.

So, rather than claiming that all of these were given by one particular acharya, I thought I would put them together and share them as I understand them.

To me, that is part of the beauty of Krishna-lila. One small action can make us think about so many different aspects of the Lord.

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1. Krishna and Lord Shiva — The Poison Bearer

Putana had covered her breast with deadly poison.

A devotional interpretation connects this moment with another famous episode: when the ocean was churned and the terrible Halahala poison emerged, Lord Shiva accepted it and held it in his throat, becoming known as Nilakantha, the blue-throated Lord.

One later devotional explanation imagines Krishna remembering Lord Shiva, the great bearer of poison.

Krishna would drink the milk, while the poison would ultimately be harmless to Him.

The image is delightful: the Supreme Lord encounters poison, and the devotee most famous for accepting poison is remembered.

I find this explanation quite amusing. Of course, Krishna does not need anyone's help to deal with poison, but the connection with Lord Shiva and the Halahala poison makes for a beautiful devotional meditation.

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2. The Forgotten Desire of Ratnavali

Another well-known devotional tradition connects Putana with Ratnavali, the daughter of King Bali.

When Ratnavali saw Lord Vamana, she was captivated by His beauty and thought:

"How wonderful it would be if this beautiful child were my son, and I could nurse Him."

Later, when Vamana deprived her father of his kingdom, her affection allegedly turned into anger, and she desired to kill Him.

In Krishna's pastime, both desires are mysteriously fulfilled.

She gets to hold the Lord like a mother and offer Him her breast—but Krishna also destroys her demonic existence.

Thus Putana receives something she never expected:

the Lord accepts the maternal aspect of her offering even while destroying her murderous intention.

Whether or not we take this as the literal reason for Krishna closing His eyes, the story gives us another beautiful way of understanding Putana's strange relationship with Krishna.

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3. Krishna Did Not Wish to Look Upon Her Sinful Form

One traditional line of interpretation considers Krishna's closed eyes in relation to Putana's terrible deeds.

She had already been killing innocent newborn children.

Although she appeared beautiful and motherly, her heart was filled with murderous intent.

Krishna therefore did not need to look upon her face.

His eyes, after all, are not ordinary eyes. His glance is auspicious and spiritually powerful.

There is a very interesting contrast here:

Putana came pretending to be a mother, while Krishna already knew what was actually within her.

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4. The Modesty of Killing a Woman

One of the traditional explanations connects Krishna's closed eyes with the fact that Putana was externally presenting herself as a woman and, more specifically, as a mother.

The Lord was about to kill her.

Closing His eyes can therefore be understood as an expression of divine modesty or reluctance in carrying out an act that, under ordinary circumstances, would be considered deeply improper.

Krishna does not kill Putana casually.

Even in destroying a demon, He maintains the atmosphere of His childhood pastime.

There is something beautiful in this explanation:

Even when Krishna is destroying a demon, the sweetness and sensitivity of His lila remain.

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5. Making Putana Feel Safe

Putana herself seems to have experienced some hesitation.

She was approaching an extraordinary child whose very presence was unlike anything she had encountered.

What if the child resisted?

What if His parents discovered her intention?

Krishna therefore appears completely helpless.

He closes His eyes.

He behaves like an ordinary infant.

Putana becomes confident enough to pick Him up and place Him on her lap.

The Supreme Lord allows the demoness to believe that she is in control.

And this is one of the great ironies of the pastime.

She thinks she has come to kill Him. In reality, Krishna has already decided what is going to happen.

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6. Neither the Glance of Mercy Nor the Glance of Wrath

A particularly beautiful devotional explanation considers the extraordinary power of Krishna's glance.

If Krishna looked upon Putana with complete mercy, His compassionate glance might immediately transform her destiny.

But if He looked upon her with His full destructive power, she could be destroyed before the intended sequence of the pastime unfolded.

So Krishna closes His eyes.

Neither His full merciful glance nor His destructive glance is outwardly displayed.

He simply accepts her.

Then He performs His pastime.

I particularly like this explanation because it brings together mercy, justice and lila in one simple idea.

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7. What Destination Should Putana Receive?

For me, this is perhaps the most interesting way of contemplating the scene.

Putana has come as a murderer.

Yet she has also approached Krishna in the external role of a mother.

She offers Him her breast.

What should Krishna do with such a contradictory offering?

The answer is astonishing.

He accepts the maternal aspect of her service.

Later, the Bhagavatam reveals the extraordinary mercy granted to Putana.

She came intending to kill God.

Yet God treated her as though she had approached Him as a mother.

Perhaps Krishna's closed eyes can be imagined as the Lord contemplating the unimaginable question:

"What spiritual destination should I give this soul?"

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8. The Sun and Moon Close Their Doors

There is also a more symbolic devotional interpretation.

Krishna's two eyes are sometimes poetically associated with the Sun and Moon.

Putana, a notorious child-killer, was not fit for ordinary celestial elevation.

Thus, in this imaginative reading, Krishna closes His eyes and symbolically closes the doors of the Sun and Moon.

Her destination will not be determined by ordinary heavenly rewards.

Krishna Himself will decide her destiny.

I would take this as devotional symbolism rather than a literal explanation from the Bhagavatam.

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9. The Lord Turns Away from Hypocrisy

Putana is the very embodiment of external beauty hiding internal poison.

Her appearance says:

"I am a loving mother."

Her heart says:

"I have come to kill this child."

Krishna therefore closes His eyes.

The symbolism here is powerful.

The Lord is not attracted by artificial appearances.

He does not judge people merely by external beauty, social position or outward behaviour.

He knows the heart.

And yet, astonishingly, He can also find the smallest positive element in someone who appears completely demonic.

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10. Maybe Krishna Is Simply Behaving Like a Baby

There is also a wonderfully simple possibility.

Perhaps Krishna is simply behaving like a baby.

His childhood pastimes are called nara-lila—pastimes in which the Supreme Lord behaves like an ordinary human child.

A baby closes his eyes.

A baby becomes sleepy.

A baby reacts to unfamiliar tastes and sensations.

Perhaps Krishna's closed eyes are simply part of the sweetness of His childhood appearance.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is lying in Yashoda's house behaving exactly like her little baby.

The Infinite has become delightfully ordinary.

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11. Concealing the Power of His Eyes

Krishna's eyes are not ordinary.

His glance can create, sustain and destroy.

If He displayed His full divine majesty at that moment, Putana's disguise would be meaningless and the residents of Vraja might immediately recognize that the child in their midst was the Supreme Lord.

By closing His eyes, Krishna conceals His extraordinary potency.

He allows the sweetness of His childhood form to remain intact.

This is one of the recurring themes of Krishna's Vrindavana pastimes:

God deliberately hides His greatness so that His devotees can love Him as their child, friend or beloved.

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12. The Arrangement of Yogamaya

Krishna's childhood pastimes are governed by His internal spiritual potency, Yogamaya.

Yogamaya allows the residents of Vraja to experience Krishna according to their particular loving relationship with Him.

Yashoda does not constantly think:

"This is the Supreme Absolute Truth."

She thinks:

"This is my little boy."

That is the sweetness of Vraja.

So Krishna closing His eyes can also be contemplated as part of the divine arrangement that preserves the intimate, human-like atmosphere of the pastime.

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13. Krishna Looks Beyond the External Body

Putana's body is frightening.

Her intentions are worse.

Yet Krishna does something extraordinary.

He does not merely see the demoness.

He sees the soul.

The closed eyes can therefore be contemplated as turning away from external appearances and toward the deeper reality.

Putana's body is temporary.

Her demonic mentality is temporary.

But the soul within her is eternal.

And Krishna's mercy ultimately reaches that soul.

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14. Respect for the Motherly Role

Putana does something deeply significant.

She picks Krishna up and assumes the position of a mother.

She offers her breast.

Although her intention is wicked, the external action resembles one of the most intimate acts of maternal service.

Krishna accepts that role seriously.

In Vraja, relationships with Krishna are not abstract philosophical concepts.

They are lived relationships.

Mother.

Father.

Friend.

Beloved.

Servant.

So Krishna's closed eyes can also be contemplated as an expression of modesty before someone who has temporarily assumed the position of a mother.

---

15. A Silent Divine Wink

There is also a more poetic way to look at the closed eyes.

Perhaps Krishna is silently saying:

"I know exactly who you are."

Putana believes that her disguise has succeeded.

But nothing is hidden from Krishna.

He knows her intention.

He knows her past.

He knows her future.

And still He allows her to approach.

The closed eyes become almost like a divine wink:

"I know your game—but come closer."

Of course, this is a poetic meditation, not a claim about the literal meaning of the Sanskrit.

---

16. The Darkness of Avidya Meets the Light of Krishna

In a symbolic reading, Putana can represent avidya — spiritual ignorance.

She is beautiful externally but poisonous internally.

That is precisely how ignorance operates.

It promises happiness while carrying suffering within it.

Krishna, the source of spiritual knowledge, confronts that darkness.

His closed eyes can therefore be contemplated as the temporary withdrawal of divine light before the darkness is completely destroyed.

When Krishna drinks the poison and takes Putana's life air, both the literal demoness and the symbolic ignorance are overcome.

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17. Krishna's Mercy Does Not Depend on His Glance

Here I would be a little careful. I would not interpret Krishna's closed eyes to mean that He had to purify Putana first before He could bless her.

In fact, the opposite is closer to the theological wonder of the pastime.

Krishna's mercy is already operating.

Putana's liberation comes through contact with Krishna.

The point is not that Krishna withholds mercy from her.

The point is that His mercy is so extraordinary that even someone who comes with murderous intentions can receive an exalted spiritual result through contact with Him.

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18. The Moment of Complete Contact

Putana has to bring the breast to Krishna's mouth.

The act of nursing must actually occur.

Only then can the extraordinary exchange take place.

Krishna accepts the milk, but He does much more than drink milk.

He sucks out her life air.

He removes the poison.

He destroys her demonic power.

And ultimately He transforms her destiny.

The closed eyes can therefore be seen as part of the dramatic preparation for that moment of complete contact.

---

19. Protecting the Peace of Vraja

Imagine Yashoda suddenly seeing her baby engaged in a terrifying confrontation with a gigantic demon.

The peaceful atmosphere of Gokula would immediately disappear.

But Krishna allows the scene to unfold quietly, appearing completely helpless.

He appears to be an innocent child.

Only after Putana's true form is revealed does everyone understand the magnitude of what has happened.

This preserves the special atmosphere of Vraja:

Krishna performs the greatest deeds while appearing to perform the smallest ones.

---

20. The Sweetness of Bal-lila

Perhaps this is the simplest and sweetest meditation of all.

Krishna is playing the role of a baby.

He closes His eyes.

He allows Himself to be carried.

He allows Putana to believe that she has power over Him.

He behaves like an ordinary infant.

But this ordinary-looking baby is simultaneously the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The contrast is the essence of bal-lila.

The One who contains millions of universes lies helplessly in His mother's house.

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21. Krishna's Touch Becomes the Instrument of Liberation

Finally, we can contemplate the difference between drishti, the Lord's glance, and sparsha, His touch.

Krishna does not need to destroy Putana from a distance.

He allows her to come close.

She touches Him.

She holds Him.

She offers Him her breast.

And through that contact, Krishna transforms the entire situation.

He takes the poison.

He takes her life air.

And He grants her an extraordinary spiritual destination.

Thus the closed eyes may symbolically shift our attention away from Krishna's vision and toward His personal contact.

Putana came intending to kill Him through physical contact.

Instead, that very contact became the means of her liberation.

---

So, Why Did Krishna Close His Eyes?

After considering all these explanations, I don't think we necessarily need to choose only one.

The genius of the Srimad Bhagavatam is that a single gesture can contain many layers of meaning.

Krishna closes His eyes.

Is He avoiding Putana?

Is He displaying modesty?

Is He pretending to be an ordinary infant?

Is He concealing His divine power?

Is He contemplating her destiny?

Is He responding to the poison?

Is He simply performing His childhood pastime?

Perhaps, in the world of Krishna-lila, all of these dimensions can coexist.

The classical commentaries themselves show us that this verse invites contemplation rather than a simplistic answer.

But for me, there is an even deeper lesson.

Putana comes to Krishna with poison.

But Krishna sees something else.

She offers her breast in the external mood of a mother.

Her intention is evil, but her action resembles maternal service.

Krishna does not ignore her wickedness.

He destroys it.

But He also does not ignore the tiny trace of maternal service.

He accepts it.

That, to me, is the astonishing nature of Krishna's mercy.

---

The Demoness Who Received the Mercy of Krishna

Putana came to Gokula as a killer.

She expected to leave victorious.

Instead, she lost everything:

Her poison.

Her power.

Her life.

Her demonic identity.

And yet she gained something she could never have imagined.

Yet she received the mercy of Krishna.

This is why I find the Putana pastime so important in Vaishnava theology.

It demonstrates that Krishna does not merely judge the external appearance of an offering. He sees everything—and yet He is capable of finding even the smallest connection with Him and magnifying it through His mercy.

Putana offered poison.

Krishna accepted the maternal gesture.

Putana tried to take His life.

Krishna gave her spiritual life.

And perhaps that is why His eyes were closed.

Because sometimes the greatest mysteries of divine mercy cannot be understood simply by looking at the surface of what happens.

Krishna closed His eyes—and opened the door to Putana's liberation.

---

A final thought

When we read this pastime, it is easy to focus on Putana's wickedness.

But the Bhagavatam ultimately invites us to focus on Krishna's mercy.

If the Lord can find something worthy of acceptance in Putana's terrible offering, what might He find in the imperfect offerings of an ordinary devotee?

We may approach Krishna with mixed motives.

Our minds may be distracted.

Our devotion may be incomplete.

Our hearts may still carry poison.

Yet Krishna sees beyond our imperfections.

For me, the story of Putana therefore leaves us with a very hopeful message:

Come closer to Krishna. Offer whatever devotion you can. Let Him decide what to do with it.

Because Krishna's mercy is often far greater than anything we think we deserve.

If You Don't Know How to Withdraw, Don't Release the Weapon

We have all done it.

A heated argument, a spike in adrenaline, a moment of pure frustration—and we launch a verbal hand grenade. We say that one thing we know will hurt the other person.

But once the words leave our mouth, the room goes quiet. The damage is done. We look at the wreckage and realize: we have absolutely no idea how to take it back.

There is a powerful lesson about this hidden in the ancient pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Mahabharata. It’s a lesson about power, restraint, and the ultimate danger of starting a fire you don't know how to put out.

The Panic of Ashvatthama

In the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.7.29–30), a warrior named Ashvatthama finds himself cornered by Arjuna. Driven by pure panic and fear for his life, he does something incredibly reckless: he invokes the Brahmastra—a mantra-guided weapon equivalent to a modern nuclear bomb.

The sky lights up with a blinding, scorching heat. But there was a massive catch.

While Ashvatthama had the technical knowledge to release the weapon, he lacked the spiritual maturity and training to withdraw it. He knew how to start the destruction, but he didn't know how to stop it. He became a prisoner of his own desperate choice.

How many of us do this in real life? We fire off a toxic email because we’re angry, but we can't "un-send" the damage to our professional reputation. We let our anger rip through a relationship, and then wonder why we can't just slide back to normal the next morning.


The Rule of Ashvatthama: If you don’t know how to heal the wound, don’t slash the blade. If you don't know how to de-escalate, don't ignite the fight.

The Restraint of Arjuna

Contrast this with Arjuna. Before the Great War even began, Arjuna confided in his brother Yudhisthira. He revealed that he possessed the Pashupatastra, a weapon capable of wiping out the entire Kaurava army in a single stroke.

By all accounts, using it would have made the war short, easy, and safe for his family.

But Arjuna refused to use it. Why? Because when Lord Shiva gifted him the weapon, he gave him a strict caution: it must never be used against an ordinary enemy or on earthly planets, because its residual energy would devastate the environment and innocent life.

Arjuna had the ultimate "easy button," but he chose the long, grueling path of a conventional war instead. Why? Because he cared more about the aftermath than the immediate victory. He understood that just because you can destroy something, doesn't mean you should.
Protocol vs. Panic: Pulling Back the Weapon

The true test of a warrior—and a human being—is what they do when the stakes are at their highest.

When the heat of Ashvatthama's rogue Brahmastra threatened the cosmos, Arjuna didn't just panic and throw a weapon back in a blind rage. Instead, he strictly followed the spiritual protocol given by Lord Krishna.

Arjuna listened to Krishna's instructions, touched water for purification (acamana), and respectfully circumambulated (parikrama) Krishna. Because his heart was anchored in discipline and devotion, Arjuna was able to release his own counter-weapon and successfully retrace and withdraw both devastating forces, neutralizing the crisis.

But how did Ashvatthama respond to being spared? Deprived of his weapons and consumed by bitter malice, he broke the rules of engagement yet again.

He released another Brahmastra, intentionally directing it at the womb of Uttara (Arjuna's daughter-in-law) to wipe out the final heir of the Pandava lineage.

The Ultimate Protection

What happens when a weapon is unleashed that you have absolutely no power to stop?

Uttara ran to Krishna, crying out for shelter. And the Supreme Lord responded with an act of inconceivable mercy.

Krishna personally took on a form the size of a thumb, entered Uttara’s womb, and stood as a shield between the blinding, atomic heat of the Brahmastra and the unborn child—who would grow up to be the great Emperor Maharaj Pariksit.

When we are victims of someone else's unguided "weapons," or when a crisis is completely out of our control, the text reminds us that surrender to the Divine brings a shield that no material force can penetrate.

The Takeaway for Our Daily Lives

We live in a culture that celebrates "releasing weapons." We celebrate the sharpest comeback, the loudest voice, and the most aggressive stance. We are quick to flame people online and quick to burn bridges in person.

But true strength isn’t measured by how much damage you can inflict. True strength is measured by your restraint, your willingness to follow a higher protocol, and your ability to pull back before you destroy everything around you.

Next time you feel the urge to unleash your own personal "Brahmastra"—whether it's a harsh word, a reckless decision, or a bridge-burning text—ask yourself two questions:

Do I know how to withdraw this if it goes too far?

What will the "earthly planet" of my life look like once the dust settles?

If you don't like the answers, keep the weapon in its holster.

Real strength is the ability to pause.

To restrain.

To think about consequences before action.

To know when not to press the button.

Before releasing your own “Brahmastra” — whether it is a harsh message, a public insult, an impulsive decision, or words spoken in anger — ask yourself:Do I know how to withdraw this if it goes too far?
What will remain after the dust settles?
Is winning this moment worth damaging the world around me?

Because once certain weapons are released, they do not return easily.

And wisdom is not proven by how much destruction we can cause, but by how much destruction we can prevent.

Gopastami Festival

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Today, (yesterday in India) is Gopastami, a festival that is dedicated to Lord Krishna and cows. This was the day when Nanda Maharaja seeing that Krishna had become sufficiently grown up, gave him the responsibility of taking care of the cows. A big festival and a ceremony was arranged by Nanda Maharaj father of Lord Krishna, which included cleaning, decorating and worshipping of Cows and their calves. That’s why, today is also celebrated as a Go Puja day, where even today, the cows are beautifully decorated and worshipped. So, this was the day Krishna and his cowherd friends are looking forward to. Go to the forests of Vrindavan and Govardhan Mountain by themselves without any adult supervision. They are all thinking of all the fun they can have playing in the forest while looking after the cows. And, this is the day when Srimati Radharani is dressed as a cowherd boy. 

Here is an interesting pastime of why Radha Rani is dressed as a cowherd boy. While, Krishna and his friends are going to the forest with cows, Radha Rani also wanted to join the fun. And, those days as girls are not allowed to go for grazing the cows, she joined the group of cowherd boys incognito. She requested and borrow a Gopa - Cowherd boy dress from Subala, a friend of Krishna and along with her girlfriends similarly disguised as boys joined the group of cowherd boys.

The above photo of Srimari Radha Rani is from ISKCON - Vrindavan and you can see her dressed as a Cowherd boy. Also, today is the only special day on which the Lotus feet of Radha Rani are not covered and can be seen.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In this Mantra, Krishna and Rama are the names of Lord and Hare refers to Radha Rani. The mantra is most commonly translated as, "O Lord, O Energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service."

Wishing you all a Happy Gopastami.              

Bahulastami, appearance of Radha Kunda

Srimathi Radha Rani - ISKCON Melbourne

Today is Bahulastami, appearance of Radha Kunda.

The eighth day of the waning moon of Karttik month, or Karttika Krishna ashtami, is also known popularly as Ahoi Ashtami or Bahulashtami. Its significance for the community of Radha-Krishna devotees is that it marks the appearance of Shri Radha Kund, which is said to be the holiest of holy spots and the special scene of Radha and Krishna’s divine pastimes.

After Krishna had killed Arishta, Krishna came as usual to meet Radha and her sakhis to enjoy his pastimes with them. However, being provoked by Lalita and the others, she said she could have nothing to do with him, as he had become impure from the act of killing a bull. The bull, after all, is the very symbol of dharma. When Krishna asked what he could do to be free of his sin, she said that nothing short of bathing in all the seven sacred rivers would be effective.

Yogeshwar Krishna, showing off for his beloved, pushed his heel into the ground and made a large hole. Then he called all the sacred river, who appeared in their personified forms and filled the hole to make a beautiful bathing pond. And so Krishna took his purifying dip and the pond was given the name Shyama Kund.

After bathing, Krishna began to tease the gopis, “Now that I have bathed in the holy waters of Shyama Kund, I am free from any fault, but I am afraid that because you sided with Arishtasura, you have become too impure for me to touch. You are going to have to do something to counteract your fault.”

With that, the Radha and the gopis became a little arrogant and said, “You have your kund, so we will have ours. Our Radha is no less powerful than you!” Then, remarking the huge cavity created by the bull’s hooves on the western side of Shyam Kund, they decided to make her kund there. They broke their bangles to make tools for digging and began to make their own hole.

Within 48 minutes, Radha and her friends were finished; the hole was ready but there was no water in it. Krishna and his friends watched and laughed at the gopis predicament. Nevertheless, Krishna generously offered to fill Radha’s kund with water from his tank, but Radha and the gopis, still proud, refused.

Lalita then said, “Why don’t we form a bucket chain to the Manasa Ganga and fill it up with water from there?” Krishna jeered at them on seeing the dry hole in the earth. Radha defiantly said they would fetch water from the Manasi Ganga not far from there to fill the pond. This, however, was a daunting task.

Then, on Krishna’s order, all the holy tirthas who had come to fill Shyam Kund appeared and offered choice praises and obeisances unto Sri Radhika. All the personified holy rivers prayed before Radha to allow them to fill her pond. She consented, and Radha Kund was born. And so, Krishna broke the dam that separated the two ponds and their waters merged.

Hearing about the appearance of Radha Kund, Yogamaya Paurnamasi Devi called Vrinda Devi and instructed her to plant various trees and vines on all four banks of the kundas. According to her own wish, Vrinda Devi also constructed jewelled ghats, i.e., steps leading down to the water, in order to facilitate Radha and Krishna’s pastimes. She arranged for beautiful kunjas to be laid out with different kinds of trees, vines and flowers. These kunjas were assigned to Srimati Radharani’s eight principal sakhis. On both sides of each ghat she had charming wish-yielding kalpa vriksha trees planted. Singing male and female parrots, pigeons, cuckoos and peacocks are always sitting on the branches of these trees, and the kundas are filled with golden, yellow, green, red, blue and white lotus flowers.

This Sri Radha Kund is the place where Sri Sri Radha Madhava have their most confidential eternal midday pastimes, as described at great length in the Govinda Lilamrita and other such texts. Besides playing their water sports here, they swing, play at pash khela, drink mead and have their noontime meal, visiting the kunjas of the sakhis which encircle the kund.

For years Radha Kunda and Syama Kunda were lost and no one knew exactly where they were located. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Vrindavana in 1515, he saw two fields under a shallow covering of water near Arit village, which were known as Kali Khet and Gauri Khet (black field and white field). Recognizing them as Krishn’s dearest place of pastimes, he bathed there and experienced the ecstasy of divine prema.

When Raghunatha Das Goswami first came to do bhajan at Radha Kund, the two tanks were only four meters by four meters in size.

Legend has it that one day Moghal emperor Akbar was passing by Arit village with his army. The soldiers and their animals and horses, camels and elephants–were very thirsty. Although all the soldiers and beasts slaked their thirst by drinking from the kunds, Akbar was amazed to see that the water level did not descend.

Another legend recounts that a rich man named Sampanna went to Badrinath to offer Lord Narayana a large donation. In a dream, Krishna told him to go to Radha Kund and give the money to Raghunath Das to renovate the kundas. Jiva Gosvami purchased the land and supervised the project in around 1554.

Gopastami Festival

Lord Krishna and Radha Rani on Gopastami

Two days ago, was the day on which, about 5000 years ago lord Sri Krishna became a qualified cowherd man, which was marked by a ceremonial festival and worship of Cows. Nanda Maharaj, father of Lord Krishna organised a festive celabrations which included decorating, worshipping  the cows and confer Lord Krishna and Balarama, the honor of herding or looking after the cows. Up until then, Lord Krishna was looking after the calves and Nanda Maharaj decided that his son reached the right age of six years and is able to look after the cows.

As stated in the Karttika-mahatmya section of the Padma Purana:

suklastami karttike tu
smrtagopasṭami budhaih
tad-dinad vasudevo bhud
gopaḥ purvam tu vatsapaḥ

"The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Karttika is known by authorities as Gopasṭami. From that day, Lord Vasudeva served as a cowherd, whereas previously He had tended the calves."

Gopastami - Worshiping the Holy Cow

Some of my friends shared these beautiful photos from Krishna Balaram temple and Goshala in Vrindan.The speciality of Gopastami is that Radharani is dressed as a Cowherd boy. Again, an interesting pastime is that, on Gopastami where it was only a Boys and men only event, Srimathi Radha Rani wanted attend the event. So, she and her girl friends dressed as boys, wearing Dhoti, Kurta and silently joined the group to have some fun.

There is one more story that Mother Yashoda was concerned about Krishna going to the forest with the cows and getting his tender feet hurt. She offered Krishna, a nice pair of footwear. But, Krishna refused to wear them saying that, Mother I will wear these only when you give footwear to all my cows.

Thus Gopastami is the day, the Cows are given a bath and beautifully decorated and are worshipped. Krsna said that the cows are worshiped even by the demigods, and He practically demonstrated how to protect the cows. That’s why he is called Gopal and the well wisher of Cows. A Cow is also considered as one of the Mothers. As per Vedic literature,

atma-mata guroḥ patni

brahmani raja-patnika

dhenur dhatri tathaprthvi

saptaita matarah smrtah

Gopastami - Worshiping the Holy Cow

The seven mothers are - the original mother, the wife of the teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a brahmaṇa, the king's wife, the cow, the nurse and the earth.

Not only the Milk of Cow is so nourishing and so many milk products can be prepared from it, its dung is used for fire, when sprinkled with water acts as an antiseptic, its urine has numerous benefits to the health and it is used in Ayurveda medicines and it is said that all the demi-gods reside in the body of a Cow. That is why, Cow is considered as the most holiest of animals and respected in the Hindu culture.