Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Radha - the Gopi.


           The following story appeared in the magazine Bhaktha priya a few days back.
     About  70 years ago everybody who came to Guruvayur  could see a cow roaming around. It was a red cow with white dots and its neck was tilted to one side.  Otherwise it had all the features of a beautiful cow.  Devotees and the local people called her by the name Radha.  She came there as an offering to Lord Guruvayurappan. She had unusual beauty and intellegence.  There is a story behind her coming to Guruvayur.
       She was born in a village near Mananthavadi at Wayanadu in North Kerala.  Even as a calf she was very attractive and was loved very much by the family which brought up her with much care and affection.  So she grew up very fast.  The centre of attraction of the whole family turned to her first pregnancy.   They were all over joyed at that. God’s ways are strange indeed. We can never understand the reason behind them.  He designs  each and everyone’s life according to their vasanas and prarabdhas.  This Radha – the cow who was leading a very peaceful and comfortable life at the place suddenly found everything totally changed. 
       It was at the advanced period of her pregnancy that a tiger attacked her in the cowshed one night.  Hearing her cries the family members woke up and were shocked to see the tiger holding the cow’s neck with its cruel jaws.  It was a fairly big tiger which tried to cut her neck off.  She was keeping her neck tilted to one side due to the weight of the tiger which was sprawled on her back and drinking her blood from the neck.  Nobody dared to go near her as the tiger was very ferocious. The members of the family began to shout aloud for help. Hearing that people around the neighbourhood came running there.  Inspite of people gathering there the tiger was busy trying to kill her.  The heart rending cries of the cow went in vain.
         At last the locals tried to throw fire torches towards the tiger in an attempt to distract it.  When the tiger was inflicted with burns it was forced to  release its hold from the neck of the cow.  It ran away from the place in order to save itself from the people.  Shocked and full of pain, Radha – the cow was lying down with broken neck.    The members of the family thought this pregnant cow would die due to the injuries.  The cut in the neck was very deep.  There was injury on its back also. Anyway they did whatever they could to save her life.  They consulted gypsy doctors, and vetenerary doctors and started special treatment for her. Slowly she showed signs of recovery. She started stretching her neck and drinking water and by and by started eating also.  The whole village became astonished at her recovery.  It was indeed a miracle to survive the attack of a ferocious tiger.  The family members  prayed to Lord Guruvayurappa and made a vow that if she recovered she would be offered to Him.
        The ocean of mercy, Lord Guruvayurappa heard their prayers and decided to accept Radha as his Gopi. Soon she became normal but for the tilt in her neck.  The pregnant cow was given as an offering to the Lord.  Many people came to see the strange cow with tilted neck who was miraculously saved by Lord Sri Krishna.  The devotees began to love this special gopi.  She comfortably delivered her first pregnanacy in Guruvayur itself.  After delivery, care and attention were given to her in the proper way by the temple officials.  Visitors and devotees gathered to see Radha and her first calf.
          Her health started improving.  She became an asset to the Guruvayur Devaswom. She started giving  milk for her Guruvayurappan. She was milched twice a day.  Always there was never ending flow of milk in her breasts. Her milk was taken for abhishekam in the morning as well as for palpayasam  nivedyam for the noon puja. Still there was excess milk which was sold out.  Within six months the mother and the cow started roaming around Guruvayur temple and became a sight for visitors.
       Daily during Seeveli she would come and stand near the lamp post at the east nada. She was never tied and always roamed around with full freedom wherever she wanted. Devotees used to feed her with offerings like plantains, payasam, malar, and appam which is offered to the Lord at night. She joyfully accepted those things as they are the Lord’s nivedyam.  She  bore 12 calves, both male and female.  All of them were handsome and beautiful.  In fact each of her delivery was celeberated as a function by the local devotees. There was great competetion among devotees in bidding tenders to take her calves home to be brought up.
       As years rolled by Radha the cow became weak with old age.  After dedicating her milk, calves and her whole life itself for her Kannan one day, facing the Devaswam office gate she breathed her last.  The last rites for her body were done in the presence of a large crowd of devotees, in a devotee’s  mango grove. Her body was covered with yellow silk cloth,  a thyulasi garland adorned her neck, and on both her horns bhagavan’s two garlands were tied.  Sandal paste was applied on her forehead and incense sticks were kept all around the pit where she was to be buried.  The chanting of Hare Rama Hare Rama.....Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, arose from the throats of all the people gathered there when she was buried.  Thus the Gopi left her abode in this earth after a dedicated life for her Kannan.
        Reminiscing we would be wonderstruck at the turn of events in her life.  On the outset  though one might feel that the attack of a tiger was a set back in her life, on deep analysis we can find that the incident came as a blessing in disguise for her.  If the tiger had not attacked her,  Radha the cow would never have seen Guruvayur in her life.  Her previous owners made the decision of giving her to Guruvayurappan only with the intention of saving her life.  Otherwise they would never have thought of giving her away.  Only because she came to Guruvayur she had the fortune of having darsan of her beloved Lord daily when He came out for Seeveli.  Also she could offer the sweet milk from her body to the Lord of Lords which made her janma fruitful.  She was a Gopi in her heart of hearts and wanted to serve her Kannan.  Lord planned the tiger’s attack on the cow in order to bring her over near Him.   So it was only a divine drama!
Radha’s life story teaches us a lesson that whatever happens in our life we should never lose our faith. Be assured that Bhagavan is doing only good for us! Radhekrishna! Radhekrishna!

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