Handcart

Expressions researched:
"hand cart" |"hand-cart" |"handcart"

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

Kṛṣṇa had been placed underneath a household handcart, but this handcart was actually another form of the Śakaṭāsura, a demon who had come there to kill the child. Kṛṣṇa had been placed underneath a household handcart, but this handcart was actually another form of the Śakaṭāsura, a demon who had come there to kill the child.

SB 10.7.6, Purport:

Kṛṣṇa had been placed underneath a household handcart, but this handcart was actually another form of the Śakaṭāsura, a demon who had come there to kill the child. Now, on the plea of demanding to suck His mother's breast, Kṛṣṇa took this opportunity to kill the demon. Thus He kicked Śakaṭāsura just to expose him. Although Kṛṣṇa's mother was engaged in receiving guests, Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to draw her attention by killing the Śakaṭāsura, and therefore he kicked that cart-shaped demon. Such are the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.

The Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī remarks that although the handcart was higher than the child, the child could easily touch the wheel of the cart, and this was sufficient to send the demon down to the earth. The Lord simultaneously pushed the demon to the earth and superficially broke the handcart.

SB 10.7.7, Translation and Purport:

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was lying down underneath the handcart in one corner of the courtyard, and although His little legs were as soft as leaves, when He struck the cart with His legs, it turned over violently and collapsed. The wheels separated from the axle, the hubs and spokes fell apart, and the pole of the handcart broke. On the cart there were many little utensils made of various metals, and all of them scattered hither and thither.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has commented on this verse as follows. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was of a very tender age, His hands and legs resembled soft new leaves, yet simply by touching the handcart with His legs, He made the cart fall to pieces. It was quite possible for Him to act in this way and yet not exert Himself very much. The Lord in His Vāmana avatāra had to extend His foot to the greatest height to penetrate the covering of the universe, and when the Lord killed the gigantic demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, He had to assume the special bodily feature of Nṛsiṁhadeva. But in His Kṛṣṇa avatāra, the Lord did not need to exert such energy. Therefore, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: (SB 1.3.28) Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In other incarnations, the Lord had to exert some energy according to the time and circumstances, but in this form He exhibited unlimited potency. Thus the handcart collapsed, its joints broken, and all the metal pots and utensils scattered.

The Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī remarks that although the handcart was higher than the child, the child could easily touch the wheel of the cart, and this was sufficient to send the demon down to the earth. The Lord simultaneously pushed the demon to the earth and superficially broke the handcart.

SB 10.7.8, Translation:

When mother Yaśodā and the other ladies who had assembled for the utthāna festival, and all the men, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, saw the wonderful situation, they began to wonder how the handcart had collapsed by itself. They began to wander here and there, trying to find the cause, but were unable to do so.

The Śakaṭāsura was a ghost who had taken shelter of the handcart and was looking for the opportunity to do mischief to Kṛṣṇa.

SB 10.7.9, Purport:

We have heard of people's being haunted by ghosts. Having no gross material body, a ghost seeks shelter of a gross body to stay in and haunt. The Śakaṭāsura was a ghost who had taken shelter of the handcart and was looking for the opportunity to do mischief to Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa kicked the cart with His small and very delicate legs, the ghost was immediately pushed down to the earth and his shelter dismantled, as already described. This was possible for Kṛṣṇa because He has full potency, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.32):

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti

paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti

ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Kṛṣṇa's body is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), or ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-vigraha. That is, any of the parts of His ānanda-cinmaya body can act for any other part. Such are the inconceivable potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord does not need to acquire these potencies; He already has them. Thus Kṛṣṇa kicked His little legs, and His whole purpose was fulfilled. Also, when the handcart broke, an ordinary child could have been injured in many ways, but because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He enjoyed the dismantling of the cart, and nothing injured Him. Everything done by Him is ānanda-cinmaya-rasa, full transcendental bliss. Thus Kṛṣṇa factually enjoyed.

The handcart was loaded with heavy utensils and other paraphernalia. To set the cart back in its original position required much strength, but this was easily done by the cowherd men.

SB 10.7.12, Translation and Purport:

After the strong, stout cowherd men assembled the pots and paraphernalia on the handcart and set it up as before, the brāhmaṇas performed a ritualistic ceremony with a fire sacrifice to appease the bad planet, and then, with rice grains, kuśa, water and curd, they worshiped the Supreme Lord.

The handcart was loaded with heavy utensils and other paraphernalia. To set the cart back in its original position required much strength, but this was easily done by the cowherd men. Then, according to the system of the gopa jāti, various Vedic ceremonies were performed to appease the calamitous situation.

SB 10.11.24, Translation:

The child Kṛṣṇa, simply by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was somehow or other rescued from the hands of the Rākṣasī Pūtanā, who was determined to kill Him. Then, again by the mercy of the Supreme Godhead, the handcart missed falling upon the child.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Various kinds of utensils and dishes made of brass and other metals had been piled up in the handcart, and they all fell down with a great noise.

Krsna Book 7:

Baby Kṛṣṇa had been placed underneath a hand-driven cart, and while He was kicking His legs, He accidentally touched the wheel of the cart, and it collapsed. Various kinds of utensils and dishes made of brass and other metals had been piled up in the handcart, and they all fell down with a great noise. The wheel of the cart separated from the axle, and the spokes of the wheel were all broken and scattered hither and thither. Mother Yaśodā and all the gopīs, as well as Mahārāja Nanda and the cowherd men, were astonished as to how the cart could have collapsed by itself. All the men and women who were assembled for the holy function crowded around and began to suggest how the cart might have collapsed. No one could ascertain the cause, but some small children who were entrusted to play with baby Kṛṣṇa informed the crowd that it was due to Kṛṣṇa's striking His feet against the wheel.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

One day I saw in the street one husband and wife pulling on a ṭhelā, hand-cart, with great load, and the small child is on the load. That means their child. They are laborer class. But ordinary laborer class, poor man, but they are living husband and wife and children happily. Still.

Lecture on SB 1.8.51 -- Los Angeles, May 13, 1973:

So the father hands over the charge to a nice boy. Never mind he is rich or no. That doesn't matter. He must be a responsible boy, who knows his responsibility. Not that "Today I marry, and tomorrow I go away. That's all." Not like that. Still you will find in India, even the poorest man, living with husband and wife very happily. Still you will find. I have seen (in) Ahmedabad. One day I saw in the street one husband and wife pulling on a ṭhelā, hand-cart, with great load, and the small child is on the load. That means their child. They are laborer class. But ordinary laborer class, poor man, but they are living husband and wife and children happily. Still.

So marriage is very compulsory in Vedic system because who is to take charge of the woman? They require protection.

I was in Ahmedabad. I saw one poor man, he was pulling cart, hand cart.

Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:

Prabhupāda: In India still, because they are not so materially advanced, even the poorest man has got some certain fixed up place, his cottage, he has got his wife, he has got his child, and he works, whatever he can do. He lives peacefully still, in the village, although he hasn't got very gorgeous dress and motorcar. But he's peaceful. You'll find still. And sometimes, say, about ten years ago, I was in Ahmedabad. I saw one poor man, he was pulling cart, hand cart. What is called?

Devotees: Rickshaw.

Prabhupāda: No, not rickshwa. For carrying loads...?

Devotees: Wheelbarrow.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, we call ṭhelā, in India. So the ṭhelā, in that cart there was sufficient load. So one side of the ṭhelā there was the wife, and the other side was the husband, and they had a little child, and that child was put up on the load. You see? And they were pulling. That means the husband and wife, working as God has given them to work. So they're working, taking care of the child. So after earning money, they'll go home. They have got a little cottage, and the wife will cook, the husband will eat, and they're peaceful. They're peaceful. It doesn't matter whether first-class eating, second-class... It doesn't matter. But still, they have got a home, and there they live peacefully. The wife cooks for the husband, and the husband eats, and the child is also taken care. It is not killed. There is peaceful. Peacefulness there is.

I have seen in Ahmedabad one, what is, ṭhelā man. What is called? Who pushes that hand cart.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Paris, June 12, 1974:

Prabhupāda: In America, when I was first there in New York, so one lady, she had a son. So according to our Indian method, I asked that her, that lady, elderly, that "Why don't you get your son married?" She said, "I have no objection. If he can maintain his family, let him marry." Then I could understand that he, although America is so rich, that they are not even main..., able to maintain the family. This is civilization. Although they are advertised so much, becoming very, very rich, but they're unable to maintain the family. I was surprised. I thought that in India, although, still, although they are very much advertised as poverty-stricken, still, they maintain their family. Even a worker, ordinary worker... I have seen in Ahmedabad one, what is, ṭhelā man. What is called? Who pushes that hand cart.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Ṭhelā walla.

Prabhupāda: Ṭhelā walla? You call also here? No. Here? You have no such thing here. You have got your motor truck. There is no question of ṭhelā walla. But in India, there are ṭhelā wallas—means a human being takes a cart and loads it to the best capacity, and he pushes like an ass. You see. This is Kali-yuga. A man has to work like an ass simply for bread. Simply for bread. This is Kali-yuga. So I saw that one side, there is the wife, and the other side, there is the husband, pulling on that ṭhelā, and they have got a child. On the top of the loaded articles the child is sat down. So he's sitting very comfortably. And the father and mother, they are pulling on ṭhelā. My point is that even a man, very poor, who has to work just like an ass, still, he has got family and he's maintaining him. That is my point. Still. You'll find the poorest man—he has got his wife, he has got his children. He has got... Anyway, some home. Although it is not very nice apartment, but he has got home. That means even in material life, if one has got peaceful home, then he..., there is something. But even that is now not possible in the modern, artificial civilization. Nobody has family. Nobody has got home. So how they are happy? So anyway, it is going on. Divā ca artha īhayā. Artha means money. So... Rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. So in this way, everyone is going on.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Actually I have seen, India, a person, telawalaji, born of a brāhmaṇa family, and he's pulling hand cart with great labor. And some foolish person also offering respect, and he is offering blessings while drawing the cart.

Sri Isopanisad Invocation Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1970:

Why India is fallen down? Because the so-called rascals, they are claiming that "I am brāhmaṇa." But what is our occupation, sir? "Oh, I am serving as a coolie." Is that brāhmaṇa's business? Actually I have seen, India, a person, telawalaji (?), born of a brāhmaṇa family, and he's pulling hand cart with great labor. And some foolish person also offering respect, and he is offering blessings while drawing the cart. (laughter) I have seen it. You see? These things are going on. He does not know that "Now I am fallen. Why should I claim as brāhmaṇa? I am cheating."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

And Gargamuni was putting the magazines on the hand cart, selling near cinema and other crowded places. That is very good... So it was a hard struggle in the beginning.

Room Conversation with Mr. Myer -- July 2, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Then I asked Brahmānanda that "Why not print it nicely?" So he said that "Unless we print twenty thousand, nobody will take this work." And "All right, order twenty thousand." Now, from twenty thousand or five hundred, what is the quantity now we are printing?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not less than five hundred thousand a month.

Bhakti-caru: Two million.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes more.

Bhakti-caru: Mahārāja, in all languages it's two million.

Prabhupāda: And so beautiful printing, picture and... The beginning was three hundred, and Gargamuni, he took away somebody's hand cart.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He what?

Prabhupāda: It was on the street.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He took a hand cart.

Prabhupāda: And he was putting the magazines on the hand cart, selling near cinema and other crowded places. That is very good... So it was a hard struggle in the beginning.