The forest of Bahulavana was named after a cow called Bahula. She had observed a fast on Ekādaśī throughout the day. To understand the story of Bahula, we must go back a little further.
On the morning of Dvādaśī, after observing the Ekādaśī fast, Bahula gave birth to a calf. Immediately after giving birth, she became extremely thirsty. Ordinarily, she would have taken care of her newborn calf and fed him her milk. However, because of her intense thirst, she ran off in search of water.
As she went in search of water, a tiger emerged from the forest. Seeing Bahula, the tiger thought, "Oh! Here is my breakfast!" He, too, was about to break his Ekādaśī fast.
When Bahula saw the tiger, she realized that her life was in danger. There was no way to escape. She began to plead with the tiger.
"Please, I have just given birth to my calf. I was extremely thirsty, so I left him behind without even feeding him my milk. Please allow me to return and feed my newborn calf first."
(The first milk produced by a cow after giving birth is not ordinarily meant for human consumption. It is especially meant for the newborn calf. By drinking this milk, the calf becomes very strong.)
Bahula continued to beg the tiger, "Please, I promise that I will return. You can trust my word. I will come back after feeding my calf."
To assure the tiger of her promise, she even showed him her four feet, demonstrating that none of her toes were crossed.
The tiger, being noble-hearted, agreed to her request.
"All right. Go and feed your calf. After that, I will eat you," he said, and patiently waited for her return.
Bahula returned to her calf. She was crying, and when the little calf saw his mother weeping, he asked,
"O my dear mother, why are you crying?"
Bahula replied, "My dear child, this is the last time I will see you."
"Why, mother? What has happened?" asked the calf.
Bahula then explained the entire incident. Hearing this, the calf also began to cry.
"No, mother! You have given me life. Therefore, I will give my life for you. I cannot allow you to sacrifice yourself. I will go to the tiger in your place."
Bahula replied, "No, my dear child. I am just an old cow, and you have your whole life ahead of you. I will go to the tiger. Do not worry about me. You have a kind cowherd boy who will take care of you. I must go."
Both mother and calf continued to cry. They were having a great argument about who should sacrifice their life.
At that moment, the cowherd boy arrived. Seeing all of them crying, he asked,
"What has happened? Why is everyone crying?"
When he heard the whole story, he was deeply moved.
"No! How can I allow my cows to die? I cannot bear to see either my cow or her calf die. I will go to the tiger instead. You both should live. This is unbearable! If my cow is eaten by this tiger, how will I manage my life?"
Bahula replied, "No, you cannot go! You have taken such loving care of me. How can I allow you to sacrifice your life?"
The calf also pleaded, "No! You are my mother. How can I allow you to go?"
Thus, all three of them were crying and insisting on sacrificing their lives for one another.
Finally, all three went together to meet the tiger.
The tiger was astonished. He had been waiting for Bahula, but now he saw the cow, her calf, and the cowherd boy standing before him.
He listened to their conversation and witnessed their extraordinary love and willingness to sacrifice their lives for one another. He was so deeply moved that he gave up his desire to eat them.
At that very moment, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared on the scene and began playing His flute. Immediately, everyone understood that there was a divine pastime behind these events.
The Previous Lives of Bahula, the Calf, and the Cowherd Boy
Once, there were two Gandharvas named Huhu and Haha. (Yes, their names were Huhu and Haha!)
They were performing before all the demigods. At that time, Nārada Muni and Pipalayana Ṛṣi arrived at the assembly.
As soon as the two great ṛṣis entered the arena, all the demigods stood up and offered them their respects. However, Huhu and Haha remained seated and did not offer their respects.
Pipalayana Ṛṣi became very displeased. He said,
"You rascals! You have failed to offer your respects to us. Therefore, I curse you to take birth as animals on the earth!"
Huhu and Haha replied,
"Look, you are a great mystic yogī. You are always engaged in meditation. You can see whether, within our hearts, we were actually offering you our respects or not."
Hearing this, Pipalayana Ṛṣi entered into mystic yoga. Through his transcendental vision, he saw that when Huhu and Haha had seen the two ṛṣis arrive, they had actually offered many prayers and respects to them within their hearts.
Realizing this, Pipalayana Ṛṣi wondered what he should do.
He then said,
"I have made a great mistake. I am standing upon Mother Earth, who has tolerated my mistake. Therefore, she is also at fault and must become a cow. Huhu will become a tiger. Nārada Muni also did not stop me from committing this mistake, so he will become a cowherd boy."
Thus, Huhu became the tiger, Pipalayana became the calf, and Nārada Muni became the cowherd boy.
Haha became the crocodile that attacked Gajendra. That is another pastime.
Bahulavana and Its Sacred Places
There is still some research to be done regarding this pastime. The verses describing Bahulavana mention that Bahula was the eternal wife of Lord Hari. One of the queens in Dvārakā also appears to have some connection with Bahula, although the exact details have not yet been established.
Dvārakā-līlā is not my particular field of expertise.
You can visit Bahulavana, where the beautiful Śaṅkarṣaṇa-kuṇḍa is situated. On one side of the kuṇḍa, there is a small temple.
Inside the temple, you will find the Deities of Bahula the cow, her calf, the cowherd boy, and the tiger. All the personalities involved in this wonderful pastime are present together in that small temple.
Presented by Deena Bandhu das
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
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