When Lord Krishna left Gokul, he did not return to mother Yashoda and father Nandbaba. The current youth follow this incident and run away from the duties towards their parents. What is the best path and guidance for such youth?
How astonishing that youngsters are relating to this incident of Lord Krishna by running away from their responsibilities of serving their parents! What heights do our thoughts reach! The intellect is unbelievable, but the question is appropriate.
Lord Krishna left Gokul once, came to Mathura and then went to Dwarka. He did not return to Gokul, that is true, but it is not the case that He never met Nanda and Yashoda again. He met and hugged Nand and Yashoda at Kurukshetra, at the time of Solar Eclipse, when many Kings and people came from India and there was a huge fair, just like we have Kumbh melā. From Gokul, Nand, Yashoda, cowherds and gopis (milkmaids) also attended this fair. Pandavas along Draupadi also came. Lord Krishna came there with His family. This Katha is in Shrimad Bhagavat in the latter half of the tenth canto.
Lord Krishna is the form of Truth. As He says in Bhagavad Gita, “kālo ‘smi lokakśayakṛt pravṛddhaḥ,” I am time”. The wheel/circle of time always moves ahead. Time cannot go backwards. It is inexhaustible and indestructible. According to Shrimad Bhagavat, there is God only as time and space. The fifth canto of Shrimad Bhagavat describes the geography and astronomy of the universe. This is the description of God. Just like Ganga keeps on flowing, it never turns back, similarly, Lord Krishna, the form of Truth and time is like that flowing Ganga which keeps flowing forward and does not turn back. But in that same Ganga, at a different bank, you can go and dive in.
Now the topic that Lord Krishna did not serve Nand and Yashoda. Lord Krishna loved Nandbaba and mother Yashoda immensely just like they loved Him. Whenever, in Mathura, Lord Krishna used to miss Gokul, Nandbaba, and mother Yashoda, He was filled with tears in His eyes. On one hand are Lord Krishna’s emotions and on the other hand are his duties.
Lord Krishna has taught us that duties take precedence over emotions. As a Prime Minister, there are some duties of a person, and for those duties, he/she may have to give less priority to his/her own family, as the whole nation is his/her family now. As per his/her duties, he/she needs to give all efforts and time for the betterment and security of the nation and its people. That does not mean that he/she has forgotten his/her parents or gone far from them does not want to serve them.
Another thing, these parents have surrendered their son for the sake of the nation and humanity. Nanda and Yashoda, who have given all the love to Shri Krishna and raised him but without any expectations. Nand and Yashoda’s love teach us what love is without expectation.
The first thing is all parents love their children, take care of them, make sure to educate them properly and ensure they become good human beings. It is the parents’ necessity to give love to their child. However, they should not expect anything back from the child.
Conversely, after growing up, children should not be ungrateful to their parents. They should certainly fulfil all their duties towards their parents.
Thus, it is not like Lord Krishna did not look after His parents or left them to run away from His duties. As time progressed, He had bigger responsibilities and it was important for Him to be present in Mathura because after executing Kansa, an attack by Kansa’s father in law, Jarasandh, was certain. It was not possible to fight with the army of Jarasandh by staying back in Gokul. It needed to be done at Mathura with the army of Mathura. After that war with Jarasandh, He began His work for which he incarnated, to destroy evil, at a larger scale. While performing his pastimes in Vraj, his work mainly involved the protection of sages and Truth. Evil was destroyed in Vraj, but at a smaller scale.
The main focus in Vraj was the love of Gopis, cowherds, friends, the pastimes with them and spreading joy amongst them. But after coming to Mathura, killing the evil was the main focus. That is why I keep on saying in kathas that the first half of the tenth canto is Katha about Lord Krishna’s flute and the latter half katha is on His Pancajanya conch.
Nand, Yashoda and others were not ready to leave Vraj.
“Baba why don’t you come with me? Lord Krishna has a palace and He would be happy as well”. Nandbaba replies “Look my dear, memories of Krishna make us cry a lot, that is true but now we don’t want to leave Vraj and settle anywhere else.” This happens. In Mumbai, children have huge houses, and children tell parents to stay with them in the same home, but parents feel that “this house in the village, the temple of the village, all our friends here, farms of the village, the joy of living here is different. So, children love and understand the sentiments of their parents.
Thus, even while staying at Dwarka, Lord Krishna is full of love for Gopis, Nanda and Yashoda. Nanda and Yashoda have no complaints from Krishna. Lord Krishna has never forgotten His parents therefore do not connect this incident with the scenario you have put in question.
Children should always remember that parents who have given birth to us, raised us, given so much love in childhood, done overtime, earnt money, paid our fees for a good college, because of them we are what we are today. When we forget them or when we ignore/fail in our duty of serving them, then, of course, parents cry. However, even then I have seen many times parents saying “It’s not their fault, there must be some lack in our upbringing that’s why it is happening to us. This must be in our fate.” Their understanding is respectable as well. We feel like bowing down to their tolerance but feel sorrowful seeing such ungrateful children.
Remember, all is in vain despite you being a great donor, highly intellectual, a great officer, politician, famous or a devotee of God, if you ignore your duties towards your parents and be the reason for tears in their eyes. The most important thing is to serve parents.