There is an overflowing river of children's stories on the African continent and in other parts of the so-called developing world of which some have recently emerged while others have been around for ages, in oral and written form.
The following is an ancient children's mythological story from India, translated from the Bhagavata Purana, one of Hinduism's great ancient written histories, dealing with diverse subjects such as cosmology, mythology, yoga and culture, to name but a few. This particular Purana (there are eighteen) also details the biography of the major deity Krishna, the god of compassion, tenderness and love. The name 'Krishna' originates from Sanskrit for 'black, dark or dark blue' and can be interpreted to mean 'attractive'.
One day, when Rama and the other little sons of cow-herds were playing outside, they reported to his mother: ''Krishna has eaten dirt.''
Yasoda, his mother, took Krishna by the hand and scolded him, for his own good, and said to him: ''Naughty boy, why have you secretly eaten dirt?''
Krishna said: ''Mother, I have not eaten. They are all lying. If you think they speak the truth, look at my mouth yourself.''
''If that is the case, then open your mouth.'' She said to the Lord Hari, the god of unchallenged sovereignty, who had in jest taken the form of a human child, and he opened his mouth.
Yasoda then saw in his mouth the whole eternal universe, and heaven, and the regions of the sky, and the orbit of the earth with its mountains, islands, and oceans; she saw the wind, and lightning, and the moon and stars, and the zodiac, and water and fire and air and space itself; she saw the vacillating senses, the mind, the elements, and three strands of matter. She saw within the body of her son, in his gaping mouth, the whole universe in all its variety, with all the forms of life and time and nature and action and hopes, and her own village, and herself.
The she became afraid and confused, thinking: ''Is this a dream, or an illusion wrought by a god? Or, is it a delusion of my own perception? Or, is it some portent on the natural powers of this little boy, my son? I bow down to the feet of the god, whose nature cannot be imagined or grasped by mind, heart, acts or speech; he, in whom all of this universe is inherent, impossible to fathom. The god is my refuge; he, through whose power of delusion there arises in me such false beliefs as 'I', 'This is my husband', 'This is my son', 'I am the wife of the village chieftain and all his wealth is mine, including these cow-herds and their wives and their wealth of cattle.''
When the cow-herd's wife had come to understand the true essence in this way, the Lord spread over her his magic illusion in the form of maternal affection. Instantly, the cow-herd's wife, Yasoda, lost her memory of what had occurred and took her son on her lap.
Translated from the Bhagavata Purana by Wendy Doniger, 2016.
The following is an ancient children's mythological story from India, translated from the Bhagavata Purana, one of Hinduism's great ancient written histories, dealing with diverse subjects such as cosmology, mythology, yoga and culture, to name but a few. This particular Purana (there are eighteen) also details the biography of the major deity Krishna, the god of compassion, tenderness and love. The name 'Krishna' originates from Sanskrit for 'black, dark or dark blue' and can be interpreted to mean 'attractive'.
One day, when Rama and the other little sons of cow-herds were playing outside, they reported to his mother: ''Krishna has eaten dirt.''
Yasoda, his mother, took Krishna by the hand and scolded him, for his own good, and said to him: ''Naughty boy, why have you secretly eaten dirt?''
Krishna said: ''Mother, I have not eaten. They are all lying. If you think they speak the truth, look at my mouth yourself.''
''If that is the case, then open your mouth.'' She said to the Lord Hari, the god of unchallenged sovereignty, who had in jest taken the form of a human child, and he opened his mouth.
Yasoda then saw in his mouth the whole eternal universe, and heaven, and the regions of the sky, and the orbit of the earth with its mountains, islands, and oceans; she saw the wind, and lightning, and the moon and stars, and the zodiac, and water and fire and air and space itself; she saw the vacillating senses, the mind, the elements, and three strands of matter. She saw within the body of her son, in his gaping mouth, the whole universe in all its variety, with all the forms of life and time and nature and action and hopes, and her own village, and herself.
The she became afraid and confused, thinking: ''Is this a dream, or an illusion wrought by a god? Or, is it a delusion of my own perception? Or, is it some portent on the natural powers of this little boy, my son? I bow down to the feet of the god, whose nature cannot be imagined or grasped by mind, heart, acts or speech; he, in whom all of this universe is inherent, impossible to fathom. The god is my refuge; he, through whose power of delusion there arises in me such false beliefs as 'I', 'This is my husband', 'This is my son', 'I am the wife of the village chieftain and all his wealth is mine, including these cow-herds and their wives and their wealth of cattle.''
When the cow-herd's wife had come to understand the true essence in this way, the Lord spread over her his magic illusion in the form of maternal affection. Instantly, the cow-herd's wife, Yasoda, lost her memory of what had occurred and took her son on her lap.
Translated from the Bhagavata Purana by Wendy Doniger, 2016.
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