Balarama and the Yamuna's Pride

Dadi: "Beta, have you ever gotten angry when someone ignored you?"

Guddu: "Yes, Dadi! It feels so bad when people do not listen!"

Dadi: "Even the great Balarama got angry when ignored - and what he did changed the course of a river forever!"

Guddu: "Changed a river?"

Dadi: "The holy Yamuna River herself learned to respect Balarama's power! Let me tell you how."

Guddu: "Tell me, Dadi!"

Dadi: "One day, Balarama was walking near the banks of the Yamuna. He had been celebrating - perhaps a festival, perhaps a victory - and had drunk some wine. He was feeling warm and a bit unsteady."

Guddu: "Balarama drank wine?"

Dadi: "He was known for enjoying celebration, beta. He was different from Krishna in many ways - more earthy, more direct. Anyway, he felt hot and tired, and the cool waters of the Yamuna looked very inviting."

Guddu: "So he wanted to take a bath?"

Dadi: "He called out to the river, "Come to me, Yamuna! I wish to bathe in your waters without walking all the way to your banks!""

Guddu: "He wanted the river to come to him?"

Dadi: "He was Ananta Shesha, beta - the cosmic serpent who holds up the universe! The cosmic waters of creation obey him. Why should a simple river refuse?"

Guddu: "What did the Yamuna do?"

Dadi: "Nothing. She just kept flowing in her ancient course, ignoring him completely."

Guddu: "She ignored him?"

Dadi: "The Yamuna was proud, beta. She was a sacred river, beloved by Krishna himself. Krishna had played in her waters, danced on her banks, performed miracles near her. Perhaps she thought she was too important to follow commands from someone who had been drinking at a party."

Guddu: "That was not wise!"

Dadi: "Balarama's eyes turned red with anger. "You dare ignore me?" he thundered. "I am Ananta Shesha! I commanded the cosmic waters before your first drop ever fell! I held the universe when there was no Yamuna!""

Guddu: "He was really angry!"

Dadi: "He took his great plough - his divine weapon - and cast it into the river. Then, with all his cosmic strength, he began to drag the Yamuna from her ancient bed!"

Guddu: "He dragged the whole river?"

Dadi: "Trees toppled, banks crumbled, the earth itself was reshaped as the incarnation of Shesha demonstrated his power. He forced the river to flow wherever he walked, pulling her along like a stubborn ox behind a farmer's plough."

Guddu: "The Yamuna must have been terrified!"

Dadi: "She was, beta! She appeared in her divine form - a beautiful goddess - and fell at Balarama's feet. "Forgive me, Lord!" she cried. "I did not recognize your divinity! I was proud of my association with Krishna and forgot that you are equally divine!""

Guddu: "Did he forgive her?"

Dadi: "His anger cooled as quickly as it had risen. Balarama released her, and the Yamuna promised always to respect him. But the river's course was changed forever - in that region near Vrindavan, she now takes an unusual turn, a permanent reminder of the day she was humbled."

Guddu: "You can still see where he dragged her?"

Dadi: "Some say yes, beta. The river bends in a way that geographers call unusual, and the local stories say it is the mark of Balarama's plough."

Guddu: "What does this teach us, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Several things, beta. First, that pride can make us blind - the Yamuna was so proud of being Krishna's favorite that she forgot to respect others. Even sacred rivers can be arrogant!"

Guddu: "Everyone deserves respect."

Dadi: "Exactly. Just because someone seems less important does not mean they deserve to be ignored. Second, this story shows that even the greatest beings have tempers - Balarama was divine, but he got angry. The lesson is not that anger is good, but that even powerful beings must learn to manage their emotions."

Guddu: "He calmed down when she apologized."

Dadi: "That is important too! He did not hold a grudge forever. When the Yamuna showed genuine remorse, he forgave her. Good people - and gods - know when to let go of anger."

Guddu: "But the river was changed permanently."

Dadi: "Actions have consequences, beta. Even after forgiveness, some effects remain. The Yamuna was forgiven, but her course stayed changed. When we hurt someone, even if they forgive us, the relationship might be different forever."

Guddu: "I should be careful not to ignore people."

Dadi: "Yes, beta. And if someone gets angry with you, apologize sincerely like the Yamuna did. Pride causes so many problems - it is better to be humble and keep good relationships than to be proud and face the consequences."

Guddu: "Even a river had to learn this lesson!"

Dadi: "Even rivers, beta. Even gods. We are all learning, always. That is what life is for."