Natvarlalji’s swaroop is around 2 inches tall and represents Krishna when he was one year old. Natvarlalji’s kohl-lined eyes are open and He stands on an inverted lotus. He adorns himself with bracelets, anklets, armlets, necklaces, a topi and nose ring too. Natvarlalji stands in a classic dance pose, holds a ball of butter in his right hand and a fried sweet in his left hand which is turned slightly backwards. Natvarlalji’s legs are bent at the knees. His right leg is more acutely bent than the left one and rests firmly on Kaliya’s hood.
Natvarlalji’s Leela Bhavna
The gopis always discuss Krishna’s leelas in their spare time. When they hear of how Krishna danced on Kaliya’s thousand hoods, they are in awe of His divinity. But the gopis feel sad that they could not witness Krishna’s leelas with their own eyes.
So the next time Krishna comes to their house, they ask Him to show them how he danced atop Kaliya’s hoods before giving Him a ball of butter. This is the leela bhavna of Natvarlalji. That is why Natvarlalji holds a ball of butter in his right hand and stands in this lovely dance pose.
Essence of Natvarlalji’s Swaroop
The inverted lotus symbolises the Bali Peetam. We usually find it outside the sanctum sanctorum of temples. The Bali Peetam reminds us that we should sacrifice our ego and negative traits, detach ourselves from our material world and purify our heart and mind before we connect to the deity that is enshrined in any temple. *The left side of our body represents the material world and the right side our spiritual nature.
Natvarlalji loves to adorn Himself. He holds a fried sweet in his left hand which is turned downwards and his left leg is bent. What does this symbolise? We invest our time, energy and money and use several ingredients to make sweets. When we enjoy these delicious sweets we feel our efforts were worth our while.
But Natvarlalji conveys a beautiful message through this gesture. He says, “You too will have to dance to the tunes of others and invest a lot of your time, energy and money to experience the material pleasures of life. They will most certainly fill you with joy.
Ah. But do keep this in mind. You will not be a part of the material world forever. You will have to leave behind everything that you created in the material world. Yes, even your name, fame and wealth. So don’t get carried away by the euphoria of these fleeting material pleasures.”
Natvarlalji holds a ball of butter in his right hand, his right leg is bent and his sole rests firmly on Kaliya, the snake with a thousand hoods. Natvarlalji conveys a profound message through this pose. He says, “Look at my kohl-lined eyes. I am Krishna. And I love butter. I love the gopis too. So I can see and understand the love that they have for me. So when they promise me a ball of soft creamy white fresh butter if I dance for a while, I willingly do their bidding. But there is more to my leela than just this.
Think. The gopis churn the cream for a long time to get soft fresh creamy white butter. And butter turns rancid very quickly. We relish butter the most when it is fresh, isn’t it? What does this symbolise?
Learn to look within your soul and be aware that all that you are going through in your life is a part of my leela. Myriad thoughts and emotions and the experiences of your materialistic lives will churn you. But do ensure that all these experiences transform you into a better, softer, more sensitive and empathetic human being. This will bring you closer to me.
Look at the bend in my right leg. It rests firmly on Kaliya’s hood. You may have to invest a lot of time, money and energy to enjoy the material pleasures of life. But you will have to work doubly hard to sift through your negative thoughts and emotions and keep them firmly under control.
This is something you will have to do day in and out, every single day of your life. Only then can you experience the butter of bliss. Often you will have to bend over backwards to create your own share of bliss every day. You may have to let go of your dreams and desires, control your impulses, compromise and make sacrifices to maintain your equanimity. But you will learn the value of self-control, discrimination and silence too. Slowly. But that will not be all. There is a whole lot more that you still have to do.
Once you experience this nectar of bliss, you will develop a more amenable, open, flexible and inclusive attitude towards everyone. Remember, the gopis made me dance before giving me a ball of soft fresh creamy butter. You too will have to dance to the dictates of your karmic cycle, rise above your challenges and evolve into a better human being if you want to experience the butter of bliss. Every single day.
And when you do all this regularly, you will slowly learn to look at things from the other person’s point of view. You will understand the different fears that haunt different people, the myriad facets and expressions of love and appreciate the diversity of perspectives.
Remember too that butter turns rancid very quickly. So what worked yesterday will not work today and will most certainly not work in the future. Or forever. So keep learning from life. Keep adapting to change. And keep reflecting on your experiences. This will refresh your outdated thoughts and soften your approach towards others. You will learn to look at life from newer perspectives. And slowly you will understand that all the differences that you had with others existed only in your imagination. And as these mental and emotional barriers melt you will be able to enjoy the butter of spiritual bliss more often and connect more deeply with me.
Natvarlalji’s message is so profound that it sobers us up to the reality of life. So instead of getting carried away by Natvarlalji’s Nagdaman leela and leela bhavna, let’s do our best to apply these symbolic nuances of Natvarlalji’s swaroop in our lives and transform it for the better.
Natvarlalji’s photo given by: Shri. Bansiji.
Click here to read about all the Nidhi Swaroops of Pushti Marg.
Click here to articles on Shrinathji.