The Story - Tulasi Tulabara

Tulasi Tulabara story answers the question "Why Rukmini’s Tulsi weighed more than Satyabama’s wealth?"

Rukmini and Satyabama were wives of Krishna but the two were poles apart. Rukmini was humble and her love for Krishna was genuine. And Satyabama, who took pride in her wealth, gave more importance to external beauty and love that was just skin deep.

The Tulabharam story will tell you why Rukmini’s Tulsi weighed more than Satyabama’s wealth:

One day, Narada Muni, tells Satyabama that Krishna loves Rukmini more than her. This angers Satyabama, who takes pride in her beauty and believes she has control over Krishna’s heart more than anyone else.

To prove her wrong, Narada uses a trick to lure Satyabama by asking to accept a challenge.

Narada tells Satyabama to accept the Tulabharam challenge failing which she would have to give Krishna as charity to him. This would make Krishna Narada’s slave.

He tempts her by saying that if Satyamaba succeeds in completing the challenge, then Krishna would love her the most.

Satyabama, who gets instigated by Narada’s words, accepts the challenge. She believes her wealth will outweigh Krishna and thus prove her love for him.

She puts her wealth on one of the scales of balance (tula) and asks Krishna to occupy the other one. After making several attempts and putting her entire wealth on the Tula, she fails in outweighing Krishna.

On seeing her husband on the Tula, Rukmini steps in. On learning about the challenge, Rukmini plucks a leaf of Tulsi and places it on wealth piled on the tula. And finally, Krishna gets outweighed by Tulsi.

Moral of the story:

God needs true devotion of his devotee and not wealth.

Devotion is what one needs to attain enlightenment. Ego will destroy morality and peace of mind.

Being humble nurtures love; taking pride and nursing ego leads to destruction.

Source: from internet

The Story - Krishna & Twin Trees

Lord Krishna's Damodar Leela (Liberation of Nalkuber and Manigreev)

After tying Krishna With Mortar (Ukhal) Yashoda set about doing some household job. Krishna sat down on his knees and caused the mortar to tumble down so that it could roll when drawn. Now he began to crawl on his knees towards the twin trees standing in front of the house.The twin trees were, in fact, the two sons of Kubera--the god of wealth. Their names were Nalkuber and Manigreev. It was because of a curse that they had been turned to trees. The story goes that once these two brothers, after taking wine, were having their bath in the company of their wives. All of a sudden, Saint Narda happened to come there. Seeing him, both the ladies put on their clothes and got aside. But both the brothers, intoxicated as they were, kept standing naked before the saint. The saint could not tolerate their impertinence and uttered a curse on them," Go and stand as trees in Gokul for ever."

Hearing the curse, the wives of both the brothers got worried and they beseeched the saint to excuse their husbands. The saint replied, "They will be rid of this curse when Shri Krishna will appear in Gokul". Since the curse was uttered these trees had been standing in front of Nand Baba's house. So, to keep up the word given by Saint Narda to the wives of the two brothers, Krishna dragged the mortar crawling in between the trees. The mortar got stuck up between them and when Krishna exerted force, the trees got uprooted and fell down. As soon as the trees fell down, they changed into their real forms as sons of Kubera. With folded hands, they began to praise Krishna and after seeking his permission, they returned to their place.

Damodar Leela - Liberation of Nalkuber and Manigreev

Nand Baba and Yashoda came out running. They untied their son Krishna and fondled him time and again whereupon Krishna began to smile.

Note: Damodar means "One who has rope around his belly'. Dam - Rope, Udar - Stomach/Belly

Source: from internet

The Story - Arjuna and Duryodhana go and seek Krishna's help

When Sri Krishna was having his siesta, both Duryodhana and Arjuna came to his place. Duryodhana came a few minutes earlier and, as he was full of pride, he stood beside Sri Krishna’s head. Arjuna, as he was full of humility and modesty, stood beside Sri Krishna’s feet.

After a while,Sri Krishna woke up and his eyes fell on Arjuna. When he turned around he saw Duryodhana. He wanted to know why they were there at that hour. Arjuna said, “Now you know that the battle will take place. I need you.”

Duryodhana said, “I have also come here to take help from you, and I have come before him so you have to fulfil my desire first.” So Sri Krishna said, “It is true that you came before Arjuna, but I saw him first, and he will I be given the first chance. Besides, he is younger than you. So he will have the first choice.

Arjuna said to Krishna with great joy.

“I want you!”

Duryodhana thought: What a stupid fellow Arjuna is. He wants Krishna alone.

Sri Krishna said, “You want me? But I will not fight. I will only be your charioteer. One of you will have me alone and the other I will have my vast army.”

Duryodhana felt, what could Krishna do alone and unarmed? The best thing for him was to have Krishna’s army.

But Arjuna, being an illumined person, said to himself, “What shall I do with his army? The best thing is to have the Lord with me. The Lord will be able to protect me and the Lord will bring me the victory.” Arjuna wanted Sri Krishna and Duryodhana wanted the entire army of Sri Krishna.

Moral of the story:

Now the promise was that Sri Krishna would never, never fight. Unfortunately, he had to break his promise; he could not keep it. Twice he ran out of the chariot. To kill whom? Bhishma. On the third and the ninth day Sri Krishna found that Arjuna was not fighting properly against his grandsire. Arjuna found it extremely difficult to use weapons against his grandsire.

Sri Krishna said, “Arjuna, you are not fighting. Why?” So he came out of the chariot with his discus. He wanted to kill Bhishma. And what was Bhishma’s reaction? Bhishma’s joy knew no bounds. He said, “Come, O my Lord, come! If I die in your hands then immediately I will go to heaven! I am the most blessed person because you are coming to kill me!”

But, both times, Arjuna followed Sri Krishna and said “No, you have to keep your promise. I won’t let you fight, I shall fight. I won’t allow you to eat your words. You come, you sit in the chariot and drive me on. I shall fight.

Here we learn that the Guru, the Master, can at any moment break his own promise in order to help, to save, in order to win a victory for the disciple. Sri Krishna was the Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and also the Just. But when the question concerns a most intimate disciple, the Guru goes against the ordinary light of morality. This was Sri Krishna’s heart for Arjuna.

Victory Is There, Where Dharma Is!

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

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

Source: from internet