Krishna ExperienceIn Braj: childhood and youth
The birth of KrishnaMidnight in Kansa’s prison, and a river that parted.PutanaThe demoness who came to Gokul as a beautiful nurse.Makhan Chor: the butter thiefHanging pots, a mortar to climb on, and monkeys waiting below.Damodar leelaThe rope that was always two fingers too short.Kaliya DamanKrishna dances on the hoods of the serpent Kaliya.Govardhan leelaSeven days of storm, and a hill held up on one finger.Raas leelaThe dance of Sharad Purnima, a Krishna beside every gopi.Radha and KrishnaThe love at the centre of Vrindavan.Krishna leaves VrindavanAkrura’s chariot, and the gopis who stood in its way.
Mathura, Dwarka and the Mahabharata
Kansa VadhThe broken bow, the mad elephant, and the end of a tyrant.Krishna and SudamaA poor friend, a handful of rice, and a king who wept.Krishna and DraupadiThe sari that never ended.
Where the stories come from
Most of these come from the tenth canto of the Bhagavata Purana, the scripture at the heart of Krishna devotion; Draupadi's story is from the Mahabharata. Each page links to the chapter it retells. We tell them in our own words, keeping close to the text and noting where popular tradition adds to it.
Play seven leelas yourselfButter pots, the flute, Kaliya, Govardhan, aarti and the Raas, in A Day in Vrindavan.