Parāçara said:—Thereupon again driving their cattle, Kesava and Balarāma
rambled together in the forest, and on one occasion went to a pleasing
grove of palms. There lived in that pleasing grove a demon named
Dhenuka, resembling an ass in appearance and living upon the flesh of
deer. Beholding the fruits there ripe, the cow herds, being anxious to
take them, said—"O Rāma! O Krishna! Dhenuka always lives here and
therefore the trees are loaded with ripe fruits the smell of which
perfumes the air. We wish to eat some. Will you throw some down?"
Hearing those words, Krishna and Sankarsana brought down some fruits on
the ground. Hearing the sound of the falling fruits, the dreadful and
malignant demon Dhenuka, having the countenance of an ass, arrived there
speedily, and being angry began to kick Rāma on the breast with his
hinder heels. Catching him by his both hind legs, Rāma however hurled
him round till he died; then he threw up the dead body to the top of the
palm tree from the branches of which it struck down enough fruits like
rain drops poured down on earth by the wind. The relatives of Dhenuka
came running to his help, and Krishna and Rāma did the same thing with
them until the trees were filled with dead asses and the ground was
covered with ripe fruits. Thenceforth the cattle grazed unobstructed in
the palm groves and cropped the new pasturage where they had never gone
before.