A long ago, Lord Krishna's palace was filled with an atmosphere of festive joy. Rukshmani devi, Lord Krishna's wife, had just given birth to a child. All of a sudden the child vanished. The child had been kidnapped!! The whole atmosphere changed drastically & Rukshmani devi was crying hysterically. All the maids tried to pacify her. Lord Krishna also had no solution to what happened & why. Then, all of a sudden…
Narad Muni flew into the palace from the skies chanting, "Narayan, Narayan". He asked Rukshmani devi about what had happened & she couldn't hold herself back. She pleaded to Narad Muni, "Please find out where my son is… Please bring my son back to me." Narad Muni reassuringly told Rukshmani devi that he would promptly report on the child's whereabouts.
Saying this, Narad muni flew straight to Lord Simandhar Swami in Mahavideh kshetra. He bowed down to Lord Simandhar Swami & related the whole story & then asked, "Lord, what did really happen?" Lord Simandhar Swami, a 'Kevalgnani' which means he could see each & every atom of the universe as well as the past, the present & the future. With the help of this vision, he looked into the previous life of Rukshmani devi & said….
"In her last life, Rukshmani devi was a Brahmin lady. Once, she had gone to a jungle & there, she saw the baby of a peacock. Upon seeing the peacock baby, she liked it so much that she took it home. Back in the jungle the baby peacock's mother searched for her baby frantically. After a long futile search, she was deeply distressed. She wandered everywhere in search of her baby. Once, her search led her to the Brahmin lady's village. The baby peacock's mother cried in agony but this had no effect on the Brahmin lady who continued to lovingly nurture the baby peacock. Even the village folk tried to persuade her to give back the baby peacock but she didn't listen. Thus, sixteen months passed by & the baby peacock's mother continued to request her baby back every single day. At last, after a long period of sixteen months, the Brahmin lady felt pity on the baby peacock's mother & gave the baby back.
As a result of that sin, Rukshmani devi had to suffer the pain of being separated from her son in this life. A 'dev' has kidnappened her son & named him 'Pradyuman'. Now, the child will be reunited with his mother after sixteen years."
Narad Muni could not hold himself & asked Lord Simandhar Swami, "Why the punishment of a sin of sixteen months will have to be borne for sixteen years?" Lord Simandhar Swami explained, "Yes, sins committed in this life have to be repaid with compound interest in the next life."
Content with Lord Simandhar Swami's explanation, Narad Muni flied back to Rukshmani devi & relayed everything to her. Rukshmani devi repented for her sin & was pacified to know that her son was safe.
Moral: You see children, if you take anybody's things without getting permission; you will have to repay it with interest in your next life. The punishment of a sin of sixteen months will have to be borne for sixteen years.
