Nalakubara and Manigriva were
the sons of Kubera, the god of wealth. Once, they were behaving badly, and the
wise sage Narada saw them. To teach them a lesson, he cursed them to become
trees. As part of the curse, they had to stand as trees for 100 celestial years
in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja.
Many years later, Lord Krishna
was born and lived in that very place. One day, as a child, Krishna was tied to
a heavy grinding stone (a mortar) by his foster-mother Yashoda, because he had
been naughty. Krishna, though tied up, crawled and dragged the mortar with him.
As he moved, the mortar got stuck between two trees—these were Nalakubara and
Manigriva in their cursed form.
When the mortar touched the
trees, they suddenly turned back into their original forms. They realized who
Krishna was and felt very sorry for their past behaviour. They asked for
forgiveness and praised Krishna with sincere hearts. Krishna forgave them and
blessed them. After this, they became true devotees of Krishna and left with
love and gratitude in their hearts.
The story of Nalakubara
and Manigriva being cursed and later liberated by Lord Krishna is
found in Sanskrit literature, specifically in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
(Bhāgavata Purāṇa), which is one of the 18 great Purāṇas.
Primary Source: Śrīmad
Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa), Canto 10, Chapter 10
- Title
of the Chapter: The Deliverance of Nalakubara and Manigriva (also
called Nalakubara-Manigriva Moksha Līlā)
- Sanskrit
Name: Nalakubara-Manigrivayoḥ Mokṣaḥ
- Verses
Covered: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.10.1–10.10.50
In these
verses, Sage Nārada Muni curses the two brothers (sons of Kubera,
the god of wealth) due to their arrogance and improper behavior. The curse
leads them to become twin Arjuna trees. When child Krishna is tied to
the Ulukhalā (mortar) and pulls it between the trees, they are
liberated. They offer heartfelt prayers to Krishna and attain devotional
service (bhakti).
Moral transformation, Divine mercy of Krishna, Power of devotion and repentance are the key themes.
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