Preparations to cook for Krishna
The scene opens at Nanda bhavan:
Verses 1-14
When Sri Gokulananda leaves for the goshala, Goshtheshwari Yashoda become anxious
to prepare his morning meal. Thus she calls her servants, maidservants and the
other household members together.
Although she knows that everyone in Yashoda's house works with deep love for
Krishna, still she checks on everyone due to vatsalya premananda!
Yashoda Rani requests her dasis: "Oh daughters! Krishna will soon return from
milking the cows with Baladeva, and they'll both be very fatigued and hungry.
So quickly get everything ready so that the cooking can start.
Let's stock the kitchen with shaka (spinach), radish, kanchan flowers, mung
dahl, ripe fruits, spice leaves, ginger, ground nuts, crushed masa dahl, sour items
for chutney, tumeric, black pepper, camphor, sugar, licorice, cane sugar,
cream, tamarind, hing, honey, mixed fruits, jaya fruit, teja leaves, cinnamon,
sea salt, ground coconut, cooking oil, ghee, and tulasi bhoga rice.
Most importantly, you must bring the thickest milk from the goshala for
preparing sweet rice."
Hearing Nandarani's order, the dasis hasten even more than before. Then Mother
Yashoda affectionately calls Balaram's mother,
"Oh sakhi Rohini! Our boys (Rama-Krishna) are frail and delicate, yet the
stronger sakhas torment them!
Even though we have many servants who could look after the cows, still Krishna
and Balaram neglect my restriction and insist on going. Oh, what can be done?
"Oh Rohini Mata! Our sons wander far into the forest and overexert themselves
while playing and roaming about. And after returning home, they hardly eat anything
due to poor appetite. Hay! I looked this morning and their bellies seem so thin
you can see their backs!
"Oh beautiful-faced Rohini! Quickly enter the kitchen and start the cooking.
You can prepare the dishes that Rama Krishna especially enjoyed yesterday. And
today you can even add some new items to the menu. Let's only provide the
delicacies that they fully enjoy."
Complying with Yashoda, Rohini Mata joins the other dasis in the kitchen, which
is clean and stocked full with all of the necessary ingredients.
Concerned by Krishna's poor appetite and pondering the means to increase it,
the Queen of Gokula becomes eager to call Radha to prepare the sweets.
Coincidentally, Kundalata, the wife of Krishna's cousin Subhadra, the son of Upananda,
arrives and offers pranams to Mother Yashoda, who addresses her:
"Oh Kundalate! Once the sage Durvasa gave Radharani a benediction, 'O Radhe!
Let your cooking defeat the taste of nectar, and whoever partakes of it will be
long-lived!' Ever since I heard about this wonderful boon, I call Radha to daily
cook in our home."
Tika:
Upananda is Nanda Maharaj's older brother, and he lives in the village named
Sahara near Nandagram. Kundalata is Krishna's bau-di, i.e., his older cousin's
wife. By Yogamaya's arrangement, Durvasa Muni's benediction
preserves the nara lila feature of Krishna's pastimes. Under this pretext, Mother
Yashoda secures Jatila's permission so that Radha can come to Nandagram to
cook.