S'rî
S'uka said: 'Surrounded by His happy-natured folk singing His
glories entered Krishna thereafter [after the forest
fire] Vraja that was so beautiful with its herds of
cows.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Surrounded by His blissful
companions, who constantly chanted His glories, S'rî
Krishna then entered the village of Vraja, which was
decorated with herds of cows. (Vedabase)
Text
2
Sporting
this way in Vraja in the disguise of a cowherd, approached the
summer season that is not so pleasing to the living
beings.
While
Krishna and Balarâma were thus enjoying life in
Vrindâvana in the guise of ordinary cowherd boys, the
summer season gradually appeared. This season is not very
pleasing to embodied souls. (Vedabase)
Text
3
Notwithstanding
this was Vrindâvana, in which the Supreme Lord Kes'ava
together with Râma personally were staying, manifesting
the qualities as if it was the time of spring.
Nevertheless,
because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally
staying in Vrindâvana along with Balarâma,
summer manifested the qualities of spring. Such are the
features of the land of Vrindâvana. (Vedabase)
Text
4
The
constant noise of the waterfalls covered there the sound of the
crickets while the groups of trees embellishing the area were
moistened by their spray.
In
Vrindâvana, the loud sound of waterfalls covered the
crickets' noise, and clusters of trees constantly moistened
by spray from those waterfalls beautified the entire area.
(Vedabase)
Text
5
From
the waves and currents, the rivers and the lakes transported
cool breezes the pollen of the kahlâra, kañja and
utpala lotuses so that there, for the people living in the
forest, was not the tormenting heat of the sun or the forest
fires to the summer season, but the growth of an abundance of
grass instead.
The
wind wafting over the waves of the lakes and flowing rivers
carried away the pollen of many varieties of lotuses and
water lilies and then cooled the entire Vrindâvana
area. Thus the residents there did not suffer from the heat
generated by the blazing summer sun and seasonal forest
fires. Indeed, Vrindâvana was abundant with fresh
green grass. (Vedabase)
Text
6
The
water of the very deep rivers drenched the shores, giving muddy
banks on all sides, over which the fierce sun radiating its
venomous rays could not take away the juice and greenness of
the earth.
With
their flowing waves the deep rivers drenched their banks,
making them damp and muddy. Thus the rays of the sun, which
were as fierce as poison, could not evaporate the earth's
sap or parch its green grass. (Vedabase)
Text
7
The
forest full of flowers most beautiful resounded with all sorts
of animals and birds singing, peacocks and bees and the cooing
of cuckoos and cranes.
Flowers
beautifully decorated the forest of Vrindâvana, and
many varieties of animals and birds filled it with sound.
The peacocks and bees sang, and the cuckoos and cranes
cooed. (Vedabase)
Text
8
Intend
on playing was the forest area entered by Krishna, the Supreme
Lord sounding His flute in the company of Balarâma, the
gopas and the cows.
Intending
to engage in pastimes, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, accompanied by Lord Balarâma and
surrounded by the cowherd boys and the cows, entered the
forest of Vrindâvana as He played His flute.
(Vedabase)
Text
9
With
fresh leaves, peacock feathers, bunches of small flowers,
garlands and colorful minerals for ornaments were Krishna,
Râma and the gopas singing, dancing and romping
about.
Decorating
themselves with newly grown leaves, along with peacock
feathers, garlands, clusters of flower buds, and colored
minerals, Balarâma, Krishna and Their cowherd friends
danced, wrestled and sang. (Vedabase)
Text
10
With Krishna
dancing, sang some of them, played some on flutes, cymbals and
horns while others offered praise.
Seeing
how the unfortunate fish in that lake had become most
unhappy at the death of their leader, Saubhari uttered the
following curse under the impression that he was mercifully
acting for the benefit of the lake's residents.
(Vedabase)
Text
11
Disguised
as cowherd folk worshiped the demigods
[see
10.1:
22]
Krishna
and Râma in their form of cow-protectors the same way
professional dancers encourage another dancer, o
King.
O
King, demigods disguised themselves as members of the
cowherd community and, just as dramatic dancers praise
another dancer, worshiped Krishna and Balarâma, who
were also appearing as cowherd boys. (Vedabase)
Text
12
Whirling,
jumping, throwing, slapping and dragging they played and
sometimes, as they wrestled, held they each other by the locks
of their hair.
Krishna
and Balarâma played with their cowherd boyfriends by
whirling about, leaping, hurling, slapping and fighting.
Sometimes Krishna and Balarâma would pull the hair on
the boys' heads. (Vedabase)
Text
13
At
times when the others danced were They the singers and played
They the instruments, themselves being of praise, o King,
saying: 'How good, how good this is!'
While
the other boys were dancing, O King, Krishna and
Balarâma would sometimes accompany them with song and
instrumental music, and sometimes the two Lords would praise
the boys, saying, "Very good! Very good!" (Vedabase)
Text
14
Now and then
played they with bilva fruits and then with kumbha fruits or
with palmfuls of âmalaka [myrobalan] fruits; they
played tag [aspris'ya]
or blindman's buff
[netra-bandha] and such games and sometimes
mimicked the animals and birds.
Sometimes
the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and
sometimes with handfuls of âmalaka fruits. At other
times they would play the games of trying to touch one
another or of trying to identify somebody while one is
blindfolded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and
birds. (Vedabase)
Text
15
Then they
jumped like frogs, told all kinds of jokes and then again they
were swinging or pretended they to be kings.
They
would sometimes jump around like frogs, sometimes play
various jokes, sometimes ride in swings and sometimes
imitate monarchs. (Vedabase)
Text
16
The two this
way engaged in common human play roamed the forests, mountains,
rivers and valleys, bowers, lakes, and groves
around.
In
this way Krishna and Balarâma played all sorts of
well-known games as They wandered among the rivers, hills,
valleys, bushes, trees and lakes of Vrindâvana.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
One day, while
Râma and Krishna together with the gopas were
herding the animals in that forest arrived there the demon
Pralamba in the form of a gopa with the intent to kidnap
Them.
While
Râma, Krishna and Their cowherd friends were thus
tending the cows in that Vrindâvana forest, the demon
Pralamba entered their midst. He had assumed the form of a
cowherd boy with the intention of kidnapping Krishna and
Balarâma. (Vedabase)
Text
18
Knowing him,
since He stemming from the house of Das'ârha was the
Supreme Lord omniscient, accepted He, thinking of killing him,
to be friends with him.
Since
the Supreme Lord Krishna, who had appeared in the
Das'ârha dynasty, sees everything, He understood who
the demon was. Still, the Lord pretended to accept the demon
as a friend, while at the same time seriously considering
how to kill him. (Vedabase)
Text
19
Next
calling together the gopas said Krishna, the knower of
all games: 'O gopas, let's play and divide us in two
matching teams'.
Krishna,
who knows all sports and games, then called together the
cowherd boys and spoke as follows: "Hey cowherd boys! Let's
play now! We'll divide ourselves into two even teams."
(Vedabase)
Text
20
To that
appointed the gopas Râma and Janârdana
their leaders so that some belonged to Krishna's group while
others joined with Râma.
The
cowherd boys chose Krishna and Balarâma as the leaders
of the two parties. Some of the boys were on Krishna's side,
and others joined Balarâma. (Vedabase)
Text
21
They engaged in
several games of 'carrier and carried'
[harinâkrîdanam] which were known by
the rule that the winners could mount the defeated who then had
to carry them.
The
boys played various games involving carriers and passengers.
In these games the winners would climb up on the backs of
the losers, who would have to carry them. (Vedabase)
Text
22
Carrying
and being carried tended they meanwhile the cows and went they,
led by Krishna, to a banyan tree named Bhândîraka
[*].
Thus
carrying and being carried by one another, and at the same
time tending the cows, the boys followed Krishna to a banyan
tree known as Bhândîraka. (Vedabase)
Text
23
When
Râma's party with S'rîdâmâ, Vrishabha
and others had won the contest would each of them be carried by
Krishna and the members of His party, o King.
My
dear King Parîkshit, when S'rîdâmâ,
Vrishabha and the other members of Lord Balarâma's
party were victorious in these games, Krishna and His
followers had to carry them. (Vedabase)
Text
24
Being defeated
carried the Supreme Lord Krishna S'rîdâmâ;
was Vrishabha carried by Bhadrasena and carried Pralamba
[the Asura] the son of Rohinî
[Râma].
Defeated,
the Supreme Lord Krishna carried S'rîdâmâ.
Bhadrasena carried Vrishabha, and Pralamba carried
Balarâma, the son of Rohinî. (Vedabase)
Text
25
Considering
Krishna invincible set that foremost demon in great haste off
carrying [his passenger Râma] beyond the finish
line of dismounting.
Considering
Lord Krishna invincible, that foremost demon
[Pralamba] quickly carried Balarâma far beyond
the spot where he was supposed to put his passenger down.
(Vedabase)
Text
26
As
he held Him high lost the demon his momentum though with Him
[growing] as heavy as the king of the earth and the
planets [mount Meru]. He thereupon resumed his original
body which was covered by golden ornaments, because of which he
shone like a cloud flashing with lightening in carrying the
moon.
As
the great demon carried Balarâma, the Lord became as
heavy as massive Mount Sumeru, and Pralamba had to slow
down. He then resumed his actual form - an effulgent body
that was covered with golden ornaments and that resembled a
cloud flashing with lightning and carrying the moon.
(Vedabase)
Text
27
Seeing
that body fast moving in the sky with blazing eyes, frowned
eyebrows, the rows of his terrible teeth, his wild hair, his
armlets, crown and his earrings, was the Carrier of the Plow,
stunned about the effulgence, a bit daunted.
When
Lord Balarâma, who carries the plow weapon, saw the
gigantic body of the demon as he moved swiftly in the sky -
with his blazing eyes, fiery hair, terrible teeth reaching
toward his scowling brows, and an amazing effulgence
generated by his armlets, crown and earrings - the Lord
seemed to become a little frightened. (Vedabase)
Text
28
Then
remembering Himself, stroke the fearless Balarâma who was
moving away from the company like He was being kidnapped, him
angrily hard with His fist on the head as fast as the king of
the gods would hit a mountain with his
thunderbolt.
Remembering
the actual situation, the fearless Balarâma understood
that the demon was triying to kidnap Him and take Him away
from His companions. The Lord then became furious and struck
the demon's head with His hard fist, just as Indra, the king
of the demigods, strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt
weapon. (Vedabase)
Text
29
Being
struck split the head of the demon immediately in two and fell
he, giving up blood from his mouth, lifeless to the ground with
a loud noise that sounded as if a mountain was hit by Indra's
weapon.
Thus
smashed by Balarâma's fist, Pralamba's head
immediately cracked open. The demon vomited blood from his
mouth and lost all consciousness, and then with a great
noise he fell lifeless on the ground, like a mountain
devastated by Indra. (Vedabase)
Text
30
Seeing
Pralamba killed by Balarâma's display of power were the
gopas most astonished and exclaimed they 'Good so, well
done!' ['sâdhu,
sâdhu'].
The
cowherd boys were most astonished to see how the powerful
Balarâma had killed the demon Pralamba, and they
exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent!" (Vedabase)
Text
31
Pronouncing
benedictions praised they Him who had been so deserving, as if
he had returned from death and closed they Him in their arms
with their hearts overwhelmed by love.
They
offered Balarâma profuse benedictions and then
glorified Him, who deserves all glorification. Their minds
overwhelmed with ecstatic love, they embraced Him as if He
had come back from the dead. (Vedabase)
Text
32
With
the sinful Pralamba killed heaped the demigods, utterly
satisfied, garlands of flowers over Him, and offered they
prayers exclaiming 'Bravo, excellent!' '
The
sinful Pralamba having been killed, the demigods felt
extremely happy, and they showered flower garlands upon Lord
Balarâma and praised the excellence of His deed.
(Vedabase)
* S'rîla
Sanâtana Gosvâmî quotes the following verses
from S'rî Harivams'a (Vishnu-parva 11.18 - 22), which
describe the banyan tree:
dadars'a
vipulodagra-
s'âkhinam s'âkhinâm varam
sthitam dharanyâm meghâbham
nibidam dala-sañcayaih
gaganârdhocchritâkâram
parvatâbhoga-dhârinam
nîla-citrânga-varnais' ca
sevitam bahubhih khagaih
phalaih pravâlais' ca ghanaih
sendracâpa-ghanopamam
bhavanâkâra-vithapam
latâ-pushpa-sumanditam
vis'âla-mûlâvanatam
pâvanâmbhoda-dhârinam
âdhipatyam ivânyeshâm
tasya des'asya s'âkhinâm
kurvânam s'ubha-karmânam
nirâvarsham anâtapam
nyagrodham parvatâgrâbham
bhândîram nâma nâmatah
"They
saw that best of all trees, which had many long branches. With
its dense covering of leaves, it resembled a cloud sitting on
the earth. Indeed, its form was so large that it appeared like
a mountain covering half the sky. Many birds with charming blue
wings frequented that great tree whose dense fruits and leaves
made it seem like a cloud accompanied by a rainbow or like a
house decorated with creepers and flowers. It spread its broad
roots downward and carried upon itself the sanctified clouds.
That banyan tree was like the lordly master of all other trees
in that vicinity, as it performed the all-auspicious functions
of warding off the rain and the heat of the sun. Such was the
appearance of that nyagrodha tree known as
Bhândîra, which appeared just like the peak of a
great mountain."