Ukhal Bandhan

Ukhal Bandhan is a special place located in Mahavan, also known as Old Gokul. It is where Mother Yashodä, Krishna’s mother, would churn yogurt to make fresh butter. A famous story from Lord Krishna’s childhood happened here.

One morning, after sending all her servants home for Diwali celebrations, Yashodä-maiyä decided to churn yogurt herself so she could feed Krishna fresh butter. As she worked, she sang sweet songs about Krishna’s pastimes. Krishna, who was still sleeping, woke up feeling hungry. He climbed out of bed and went searching for his mother. When he found her, she lovingly picked him up and started feeding him.

While Krishna was still drinking milk, Yashodä-maiyä noticed that milk boiling on the stove was spilling over. She quickly put Krishna down to save the milk. Upset that he wasn’t fully satisfied, Krishna became angry. He broke the churning pot with a stone pestle and spilled yogurt all over the floor. Then, he climbed on an upside-down mortar, took butter from a hanging pot, and shared it with the monkeys and crows.

When Yashodä-maiyä returned, she saw the mess and understood what Krishna had done. She tried to catch him, but Krishna ran away. She ran faster and finally caught him. Wanting to teach him a lesson, she decided to tie him to the wooden grinding mortar . But no matter how much rope she used, it always fell two fingers short.

Yashodä-maiyä worked hard, fetching more rope, and her efforts made her tired. Seeing his mother’s exhaustion, Krishna felt compassionate and allowed himself to be tied.

As Krishna sat tied to the mortar, he noticed two big Arjuna trees nearby. These trees were actually two sons of Kubera, the god of wealth, who had been cursed by the sage Narada in their past lives. Krishna, wanting to free them, dragged the mortar between the trees. The mortar got stuck, and Krishna pulled it. The trees fell with a loud crash, and two glowing divine beings emerged from them. They bowed to Krishna, offered prayers, and thanked him for freeing them from their curse.