We celebrate Krishna’s Daan leela for 20 days beginning from Daan Ekadashi which falls on the 11th day of the Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapad.
The word “Daan” in Krishna’s Daan leela does NOT mean donation or charity. “Daan” means octroi.
Krishna’s Daan Leela
When Nanda declares Krishna the chieftain of Vraj, Krishna decides to collect octroi from all the Vrajwasis who go to other villages in Vraj to sell their wares.
Depending on the inherent tendencies of the gopis, Krishna reveals a different aspect of Himself to different groups of gopis while collecting Daan from them. And helps them ALL evolve into better human beings. In His own unique manner. As usual.
Krishna’s Tamasic Daan Leela and BalKrishnalalji
The first group of gopis that cross the village border are so embroiled in their worldly materialistic challenges that they don’t even see Krishna standing there with His sakhas.
When Krishna demands “Daan” from them, they cling tightly to their pots of doodh, dahi, makhan and chaas and say, “We toil from dawn to dusk, feed our cows and clean the cow sheds to make ends meet. And you O Krishna are now using a new gimmick called “Daan” to eat our doodh, dahi and makhan.
You may be the king of Vraj O Krishna. But you have no right to collect “Daan” from us. Why should we part with the fruits of our labour for You – who has done nothing for us? We earn just enough to feed our families. And most certainly have nothing to spare for You and your sakhas. So let us pass, for we have work to do….”
Krishna arches his eyebrows, crosses His arms across His chest and says, “ You are right my dear gopis. I do nothing at all for you. See…I don’t ensure the roads are well maintained so that you can walk easily every day. Hmmm… yes, I don’t protect you from thieves either. Since I do nothing for you, I have no right to stand here and collect Daan from you.” And Krishna disappears from there.
The gopis smile smugly amongst themselves for they feel they have put Krishna in His rightful place. A mere few minutes later, a gopi stumbles over a rock and falls. The other gopis rush to help her. And are taken aback when they are attacked by a gang of thieves.
From past experience, the gopis know that Krishna and His sakhas were up to their mischief. So with great alacrity, the gopis tuck their wide skirts into their waists and engage in fist fights with the thieves. In the ensuing fight, the thieves rip their clothes, snatch their jewellery, and shatter their pots to smithereens.
The gopis are aghast at the sudden turn of events. Together they say, “Enough Krishna. Enough. Please forgive us for being so ignorant. We took your blessings for granted. We did not even realize that you have been protecting us quietly for aeons.”
The very next instant Krishna manifests before them as Balkrishnalalji and says, “Of course, you are the rightful owners of the fruits of your efforts O gopis. But do willingly pay your “Daan” on time too. You all are so embroiled in meeting the needs of your families that you remain blissfully unaware of what the king does for you.
O gopis, I engaged in my Tamasic Daan leela with all of you to bless you with awareness. Shed your ignorance. And remember that a higher order prevails over the cosmos. At all times.”
Krishna’s Rajasic Daan Leela and NavneetPriyaji
In a different village of Vraj, Krishna alights from Goverdhan Parvat, looks at another group of gopis sternly and says, “O gopis, you have had free rein over your goods so far. As the chieftain of Vraj, I have come to collect a fair share of your goods as “Daan.” Today I will let you cross the village border only if you pay me all your pending dues too.”
The gopis look squarely at Krishna and say, “Why should we pay for your oversights O Krishna? You should have collected your “Daan” from us every day.
And since you are now the ruler of Vraj, it is your duty to take care of us properly too. So go to Mathura and kill Kamsa first. Only if you do your job well, we will pay you the “Daan” that you have come to collect from us today.”
Krishna laughs aloud when He hears their words and says, “Okay then O gopis. I will most certainly fulfil your wish. Yes, I will go to Mathura. Right now, if you want me to. But once I go there, I will never return to Vraj. Never. I hope that is fine by all of you.”
The gopis are shocked out of their wits when they hear Krishna’s words. In sheer confusion and desperation, they say, “Never ever utter such tortuous words from your sweet lips again, O Krishna. None of us can live without you. For even an instant. Please tell us how we can make amends for our oversights.”
Krishna manifests before them as NavneetPriyaji and says, “O gopis, I engaged in my Rajasic Daan leela with you because your love for me is conditional. That is why your karma continues to bind you. After several births, you will finally master the art of purifying your thoughts and emotions. And learn to nurture unconditional love for Me. After which you will certainly attain the state of Moksha.”
Krishna’s Satvik Daan Leela and Mukundraiji
Some gopis discuss only Krishna’s myriad leelas while working on their chores. They chant Krishna’s name all through the day. These gopis are not scholars. But they are aware of Krishna’s divine nature.
So, when Krishna stands before them and asks them to pay “Daan”, they smile at Him delightedly and say, “Take all our doodh, makhan, dahi and chaas, O Krishna. And anything else that you wish for – from us. For as the ruler of Vraj you too have several responsibilities to shoulder.
Ah Krishna, nothing belongs to us anyway. It is You who has given us the ability to toil throughout the day and earn our livelihood. We have immense faith in You. Always. So, take whatever You want from us whenever you feel like it.”
Krishna manifests before them as Mukundraiji and says, “O gopis, as the ruler of Vraj, I will surely collect my “Daan” from you before you cross the village border.
But I engaged in my Satvik Daan leela with all of you because your unconditional love for me touches me deeply. Since you accept all your challenges as a part of my leela and surrender to My will without expecting anything, you will surely attain Moksha at the end of your lives.”
We, manavas can glean several insights from the nuances of Krishna’s Daan leela. First of all, let us learn to pay our taxes on time without asking too many questions. For often out of sheer ignorance and pride, we do not realize what our rulers are doing for us.
When Krishna breaks the gopis’ pots, He symbolically shatters our fragile egos and urges us to shed our materialistic tendencies. Once we drop our ego, Krishna asks us to keep a firm check on our Rajasic emotions of anger, ignorance, attachment, greed et al. Krishna then asks us to nurture Satvik tendencies like unconditional love, trust, faith, and complete surrender. At least during the 20 Daan leela days.
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