Bhagavatham Stories

Krishna arrived at the ashram of the great sage Sandipani with Balarama at his side, both brothers now approaching manhood. The ashram was situated on the banks of a sacred river in a region far from Vrindavan, and its students consisted of princes, warriors, and other young men of importance who had come from throughout the land to receive training in all branches of knowledge—the Vedas, mathematics, archery, diplomacy, music, and the martial arts. Sandipani, when he first saw Krishna and Balarama, perceived immediately that these two young men were not ordinary students, yet he did not reveal this perception to others. Instead, he accepted them as students and proceeded to teach them according to the established curriculum of his ashram.

What was remarkable about Krishna's time in the ashram was that he submitted himself fully to the discipline and authority of his teacher, despite the fact that he was the Supreme Personality of Godhead with infinite knowledge and power. This submission was not an act of humility that concealed Krishna's superior nature but was rather an expression of the principle that even the Supreme Lord honors the established order of learning and teaching when manifesting in the material world in the form of a student. Krishna learned everything that Sandipani taught, mastering not merely the external knowledge but penetrating to the deepest significance of each subject. He became skilled in all the martial arts, not through displays of divine power but through dedicated practice and discipline. He studied the philosophy of the Vedas with genuine interest, engaging with his teacher in profound discussions about the nature of reality and the ultimate goal of existence.

For the other students in the ashram, witnessing Krishna's learning was itself an education. They observed that despite his extraordinary intelligence and capacity to understand concepts quickly, Krishna never acted in a way that demonstrated superiority to his fellow students or disrespect to the teacher. He participated in group activities, formed friendships with other students, and appeared to be a normal though exceptionally gifted young man. Yet those who were perceptive could see that there was something unusual about Krishna—a quality of presence that suggested depths far beyond what appeared on the surface. Some of the more advanced students began to suspect that Krishna and Balarama were not merely human but were manifestations of divine power.

Sandipani, as a true spiritual master, recognized his students' true nature with increasing clarity as his time with them progressed. He understood that Krishna had come to his ashram not because Krishna needed to learn in any ordinary sense but because Krishna wanted to establish a precedent for how the Supreme Lord should be honored and how the relationship between student and teacher should be understood. By accepting Krishna as a student and teaching him according to the established curriculum, Sandipani was participating in a divine leela (cosmic play) that would serve as an instruction for all future beings. The submission of the infinite to the authority of the finite—when done consciously and with understanding—was itself a profound teaching about the nature of dharma (sacred duty) and the importance of respecting established order and authority.

One day, when Krishna and Balarama had completed their studies with Sandipani, they asked their teacher what gift they could give to him in gratitude for his instruction. In ancient India, when a student completed his studies, it was customary for him to present a significant gift to the teacher as an expression of gratitude. Sandipani, perceiving the divine nature of his students and understanding that they possessed unlimited capacity to fulfill any request, made a request that revealed his wisdom and his spiritual realization. He asked Krishna and Balarama to restore to life his son, who had been taken by the ocean (drowned in the sea) some years before his accepting them as students.

Krishna and Balarama, without hesitation or any display of struggle or effort, agreed to fulfill their teacher's request. They traveled to the ocean and entered its depths, moving through the waters as if they were moving through air. Deep in the ocean, they encountered the king of the aquatic beings and demanded the return of Sandipani's son, who had been captured by the ocean deity. The ocean king, recognizing the divine authority of Krishna and Balarama, immediately released Sandipani's son from his custody. Krishna and Balarama brought the young man back to the ashram and presented him to Sandipani, returning to him what he had lost and thought he would never see again.

This incident revealed the true nature of Krishna and Balarama's time in Sandipani's ashram. They had not come as ordinary students but as divine manifestations of the Godhead. They had submitted to the teaching of a mortal teacher not because they needed instruction but because they wanted to establish the principle that the Supreme Lord honors and respects legitimate authority and the established structures of society. Their time in the ashram was a teaching that even the infinite consciousness, when manifesting in finite form, should participate fully in the structures of human society and respect the position of teachers and elders. When Krishna and Balarama finally departed from the ashram to return to the political world and fulfill their larger cosmic mission, they left behind a permanent legacy—the understanding that true greatness is demonstrated not through displays of power but through the humble submission to legitimate authority and the willing participation in the structures of society.