Shree Shookdeo said,--Raja! having thus destroyed Ooghasoor, Shree
Krishnù Chund having collected the calves, and taking his companions
with him, proceeded on his road. Having gone some distance, standing
under the shade of a kudum tree, playing on the flute, and calling all
the cowherds’ children, he said, “Brothers! this is a nice place, why
need we go farther? let us sit down here and eat.”
On hearing this, they drove away the calves to graze, and having
brought leaves of different trees, and made them into plates and cups,
sweeping the place clean, they sat down in rows on all sides of
Krishnù, and producing their provisions, began to serve them out.
When they had finished serving them out, Shree Krishnù standing in
the midst, having first himself taken a mouthful, gave the order for
them to eat. They began to eat; and amongst them, Shree Krishnù with
a peacock crown, a necklace of various flowers reaching to his feet,
with a club in his hand, standing awry, and dressed in yellow silk,
laughing gave them all some of his own food; and taking some from the
plate of each, tasting it he pronounced upon the different flavours;
the bitter, sweet, hot and pungent; and appeared as beautiful in that
assembly, as the moon among the stars. At this time Bruhmù and all
the gods seated in their chariots looked down from the sky on the
enjoyments of the cowherds’ assembly. Bruhmù, having come down from
amongst them, stole and took away all the calves; and whilst the
cowherds were eating, happening to think about them, they said to
Krishnù, “Brother! we are sitting here at our ease, and eating; who
knows where the calves may have gone to?”
Then Krishnù said to the cowherds, “Do you all remain feasting; let
no one get up, or be at all anxious; I will collect the calves
belonging to all, and bring them here.”
Having thus said, and gone some distance into the jungle, when he
found out that Bruhmù had stolen and carried off the calves, Shree
Krishnù made others exactly like them, and brought them with him. On
his return, he perceived that Bruhmù had taken off the cowherds’
children also. He then also created other children, exactly like those
that had been taken away; and as it was evening, brought them all with
him to Brindabun. The cowherds’ children went to their homes, but none
discovered the secret, that the children did not belong to them; on
the contrary, affection for them increased daily.
Having narrated thus much, Shree Shookdeo said,--O great king! Bruhmù
having taken off the cowherds’ children and calves, shutting them up
in a mountain cave, and blocking up the entrance with a stone, fell
into a state of forgetfulness regarding the circumstance; and Shree
Krishnù constantly engaged in new sports. After the lapse of a year,
Bruhmù recollected what he had done, and began to say to himself,
“One of my moments has not passed, but a year of mortals has elapsed;
I must therefore go and see what has been the state of Bruj without
the cowherds’ children and the calves.”
Thinking thus, he rose and came to the cave, where he had shut them
all up. Having raised the stone, he saw, that the children and the
calves had fallen into a deep sleep. Departing thence, and coming to
Brindabun, when he beheld the children and calves exactly as before,
he was astonished, and began to say, “How have the cowherds and calves
come here, or has Krishnù created these new ones?” Saying this he
went again to look at the cave. Whilst he was looking at them,
Krishnù created such a delusion, that all the cowherds’ children and
calves became four-armed, and Bruhmù, Roodrù and Indrù with hands
joined, stood before each. Bruhmù, on beholding, became like a
picture: all intelligence and thoughts were forgotten (that is
departed from him) just as a stone Dewee with four faces would be
grieved without worshippers and worship.
And being frightened, and shutting his eyes, he began to tremble. When
Shree Krishnù, acquainted with the secret thoughts of all, found that
Bruhmù was very much alarmed, he took away the parts of which the
rest were composed, and remained himself alone, just as separate
clouds are formed into one.