Nothing has changed. Everything is still the same as it was when Krsna was here 5000 years ago performing his pastimes in Vrindavan.Krsna was stealing butter and yoghurt from the houses of all the residents of Vrindavan and all of them complained to Mother Yashoda. Mother Yashoda could not believe such things when she saw the innocent face of her son. But one day, she caught him red-handed when Krsna was there with a broken pot of yoghurt, surrounded by monkeys.
“Now I have caught you, you rascal!”
“Oh Mother, I came in here and the monkeys had just thrown this pot down – I came to chase them away!”
It was not convincing. Mother Yashoda was not at all convinced, so she wanted to punish him and chased him with a stick. Of course, she never wanted to beat him, just scare him. But then, she scared him too much and he became very afraid. At one point she said, “You are such a friend of the monkeys, giving them all this butter and yoghurt. I will treat you like a monkey!”
Krsna said, “If you treat me like this, then I’ll go and live with the monkeys.” Then she became very afraid that he would really do it and she decided to tie him up, which also did not work. The rope was always too short by two fingers! It came to a point where she was taking a ribbon from her hair to extend the cord. The neighbours were looking at the fun and they brought more silken ropes from their houses. Mother Yashoda sent everyone to bring all the rope in Vrindavan but still it remained two fingers short until she captured Krsna in the end, with her endeavour and by his mercy.
So nothing has changed. The very same condition as 5000 years ago exists now – the same two fingers are still there today. The finger for our personal endeavour and the finger for Krsna’s mercy. These can capture Krsna.