Following in the footsteps of Mother Yashoda

In the purports of the Damodara Pastime of the Lord Srila Prabhupada mentions at different places on how we must follow in the footsteps of the eternal servants of the Lord to become Krishna Conscious ourselves.

(Excerpts taken from Hg Gauranga Prabhu's notes and VCT's commentary)

While churning butter and carrying out her day to day activities Mother Yashoda:

• She never wanted to forget the activities of Krsna: She poeticized all of Krsna's activities such as the killing of Putana, Aghasura, Sakatasura and Trnavarta and while churning butter she would sing about these activities in poetical form.
• Srila VCT mentions that Yasoda personally churned the butter because she wanted to make special butter for her son. How could her servants who often burn the milk do this properly.She resolved that she would prepare all Krsna's butter, milk  and other eatables.They would be so tasty hat Krsna would no longer go to others houses to steal. the milk for this butter would come from 7 or 8 special cows from her husbands countless cows- they ate the most fragrant grass and gave the tastiest fragrant milk for th satisfaction of her son.

• Description of Mother Yasoda's form:

SB 10.9.3: Dressed in a saffron-yellow sari, with a belt tied about her full hips, mother Yasoda pulled on the churning rope, laboring considerably, her bangles and earrings moving and vibrating and her whole body shaking. Because of her intense love for her child, her breasts were wet with milk. Her face, with its very beautiful eyebrows, was wet with perspiration, and malati flowers were falling from her hair.

She was engaging her body(churning butter laboriosly, mind( cherishing sweet childhood activities of Krishna) and words(she composed songs about Krishna and enjoyed singing those songs to herself).

The bangles on mother Yasoda were vibrating and making sweet sounds celebrating their great fortune to be in contact with such an exalted devotee as mother Yasoda and assisting her. Its not that they were thinking of becoming mother Yasoda

• Similarly one should feel himself very fortunate if he gets an opportunity to be in close contact with a pure devotee of the Lord, assists and not try to be like him.
• We don’t want to be great, we want to be grateful. We don’t want to be great, we want to serve the great.
• Whatever Mother Yashoda did was only for Krishna because everything in her home was for Krishna.
• If we want to be Krishna Conscious 24 hours a day we must follow in the footsteps of Mother Yashoda.

The malati flowers on realizing the extremely exalted position of mother Yasoda fell down from her head on to her lotus feet.

• Similarly, if we realize the exalted position of another devotee then we should become subservient to him and assists him in his service, even though the other devotee might have come later in Krishna Consciousness.

 Why is the description of Mother Yashoda's form given here?

1. Contemplate: Anyone who desires to be Krsna conscious in motherly affection or parental affection should contemplate the bodily features of mother Yashoda.
2. Follow: We must follow in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vrindavan, not try to become like them. Therefore this description is provided here.
3. Cherish: Advanced devotees must cherish this description, always thinking of mother Yashoda's features—how she was dressed, how she was working and perspiring, how beautifully the flowers were arranged in her hair, and so on.
4. Take advantage: One should take advantage of the full description provided here by thinking of mother Yashoda in maternal affection for Krsna

Vrindavana-vasis,
a. Do not possess any bodily conception.
b. Fully dedicated to the service of the Lord in sublime affection, premä.
c. Mother Yashoda appears to be the topmost of devotees who have attained this perfection.

Unlike other exalted devotees who have some sense of being like Krsna - Like Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma are Guna Avatars and in their position have some sense of being like Krsna.