The Whole Universe in Kanha's Mouth

One day, little Kanha was playing outside the courtyard with his elder brother Balram and his cowherd friends. While they played, Kanha quietly picked up a little mud and put it in his mouth.

His friends saw him. They ran to Yashoda Maiya and said, "Maiya, Maiya! Kanha has eaten mud!" Balram also said, "Yes, Maiya, I saw it too."

Yashoda Maiya was worried. She was afraid that eating mud might upset her little one's tummy. She came outside, took Kanha by the hand and, with a loving kind of anger, said, "You naughty boy, why did you secretly eat mud? Your friends say so, and even your elder brother says so."

Kanha opened his eyes wide and innocently said, "No, Maiya, I didn't eat any mud. They are all telling lies. If you don't believe me, look inside my mouth."

Maiya said, "Is that so? Then open your mouth!"

Kanha opened his little mouth. Yashoda Maiya peeped in, and she could not stop staring. There was no mud in Kanha's mouth. There was the whole universe! She saw the open sky, twinkling stars, the sun and the moon. She saw tall mountains, deep oceans, rivers and forests. She saw creatures of every kind. Inside that universe was the whole village of Vraj too, and in that village stood Yashoda Maiya herself, with her little Kanha!

Maiya was amazed. She thought, "What is this? Am I dreaming? Or is my tiny child really Bhagwan himself?" In her heart, she bowed to God.

Kanha saw that his mother had become a little frightened. He did not want her to see him as God and worship him from far away. All he wanted was his mother's love. So, with his Yogmaya, he made her forget everything.

In a moment, the same naughty, lovable Kanha stood before Yashoda Maiya again. She lifted him into her lap, hugged him tightly and loved him even more than before.

Just think: the Bhagwan who holds the whole world inside him wanted to play in Yashoda Maiya's lap like a little child. What he loved most of all was a mother's love.

And yes, children, we should not eat mud. That was only Kanha's leela!