Shree Shookdeo Jee said,--O great king! one day Nund Jee abstaining
from food, observed the fast of the eleventh day of the lunar
fortnight. He spent the day in bathing, meditation, worship and
prayer, and the night in vigil. When six ghurees of the night
remained, and the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight had begun, having
got up, and purified his body, and perceiving that it was day-break,
he took a bathing cloth and ewer, and went to the Jumna to bathe: many
cowherds followed him. Having gone upon the bank, made a salutation
and taken off his clothes, as Nund Jee went into the water, the
servants of Varoonù, who were guarding the stream, that no one might
bathe at night, went to Varoonù, and said, “O great king! some one is
now bathing in the Jumna: what are your orders to us on the subject?”
Varoonù replied, “Lay hold of him, and bring him here.” On receiving
this order, the servants returned to the spot where Nund Jee having
performed his ablutions was standing in the water, muttering prayers.
The servants coming, and having quickly thrown a noose over Nund Jee,
took him to Varoonù. Then the cowherds, who accompanied Nund Jee,
came to Krishnù and said, “O great king! the attendants of Varoonù
have carried off Nund Rae Jee from the banks of the Jumna to the
region of Varoonù.” On hearing this, Shree Krishnù got up enraged,
and went off, and arrived in a second at the abode of Varoonù. On
beholding him, Varoonù rose and stood up, and joining his hands, said
in a supplicating manner, “My birth has this day been propitious,
(that is, all the objects of my present birth have been gained
to-day,) by my having obtained a sight of you, O lord of the Judoos!
Put away far from me all my crimes, I have circumvented Nund, your
father, with this object in view. You are celebrated as the father of
all. We know not your father. Seeing Nund bathing at night, my
attendants through ignorance laid hold of him. Well, by stratagem, I
have obtained a sight of you; be pleased now to have mercy on me, and
do not think of my crime.” Being thus humble, and having brought many
presents, which he placed before Nund Jee and Shree Krishnú, when
Varoonù with hands joined, and having bowed his head, stood before
them, Shree Krishnù, having taken the presents, returned thence to
Brindabun, accompanied by his father. On seeing them, all the
inhabitants of Bruj came crowding together. The cowherds enquired from
Nund Rae, “Where did the attendants of Varoonù carry you to?” Nund
Jee replied, “Shree Krishnù arrived just as they had laid hold of me,
and taken me to Varoonù’s. On seeing him, Varoonù having descended
from his throne, and fallen at his feet, said with the greatest
supplication of manner, Lord! pardon my offence, I have committed this
crime through ignorance, which be pleased not to cast a thought upon.”
Hearing this speech of Nund Jee’s, the cowherds said to each other,
“Brother! when Shree Krishnù Chund by supporting the hill protected
Bruj, we knew that Vishnù had descended on the earth in the house of
Nund, our chief.”
Conversing thus amongst themselves, all the cowherds with hands
joined, said to Shree Krishnù, “O great king! you have deceived us
for a long time, but now we have found out all your secrets, you are
the creator of the world, and the remover of all affliction. O lord of
the three worlds! be so kind as to show us the paradise of Vishnù.”
On hearing this, Shree Krishnù Jee, having in a second made a
paradise, exhibited it to them in Bruj. On beholding it, the
inhabitants of Bruj became possessed of knowledge; and they said with
hands joined, and bended heads, “Lord! your greatness is infinite; we
cannot speak of it, but through your goodness we have this day
discovered, that you are Narayun, and have been born in the world to
remove the burthens of the earth.”
Shree Shookdeo Jee said,--O great king! when the inhabitants of Bruj
had thus spoken, Shree Krishnù Chund, having brought them all under
the influence of charms and fascination, carried off the paradise
which he had just created for their inspection, and made his own
deceptive power vanish. All the cowherds thought what had happened a
dream; and Nund Jee, being under the power of delusion, regarded Shree
Krishnù as his own son.