Slokam 5

The cowherds of Vraja were astonished that Baby Krishna was safe and protected and was not killed by the devil.

All at Vraja praised Sriman Narayana for protecting the child, and were talking about the miraculous escape late into night.

No one has a clue that Sriman Narayana is right there in their midst. For us to acknowledge, without a doubt,  that all the living beings, objects and events of this world are the handiwork of the Paramathma alone, takes almost our entire lifetimes or even many lifetimes. 

We look at the world in wonder,  sometimes fear, a lot of apprehension of how we are going to survive and sustain our presence in the face of adversity,  and most importantly, what will happen to us when we die.  A demon like Putana has no such concerns.  She takes pleasure in the destruction of dharma and to captivate the consciousness of ordinary people through inducement of fear.

Demons want to be worshipped, and praised.  If this is not forthcoming,  the consequences on the people are terrible.  So the people under the rule of demons will always live in fear.  Contrast this with adharmic ruler, under whom the people are free to pursue their faith, profession and lifestyles of their choice.   This allows ample room for spiritual advancement and attainment of the feet of the Paramathma.

In an environment of oppression,  the demons strongly discourage the pursuit of spiritual practice. We see this in the modern world in all dictatorships.  The dictator invariably wants everyone to do   his bidding without any discord. 

Exposure to the demonic regimes reinforces the faith of the people in free societies and democracies. The reinforcement of the conviction, is partly the reason why the asuras and devas alternately dominate and rule the land.  In the Kali Yugam, the rulership has veered to the Asuras.  Corruption,  fraud, favoritism,  duplicity are typically the characteristic of politicians in power. Divide and rule is the general tactic of people in power.  Inter religious conflicts,  control of media, crimes against women and children, are all symptoms of the ruthless tactics employed to stay in power. 

In spite of the unfavorable environment,  it is appreciable that people continue religious pursuits against all pressures of everyday life.

The slokam recalls that Vasudeva’s foreboding of events at Vraja had come true. 

May we ever be dedicated, in this Kali yugam to the devotion to the Paramathma