Shree Shookdeo Jee said,--O great king! when Nund, Oopnund and all
the older cowherds had joined the assembly at the place of amusement,
Shree Krishnù Chund said to Buldeo, “Brother! all the cowherds have
already gone, do not delay now, but let us take our companions, the
cowherds’ children, with us, and go quickly to visit the place of
amusement.” On hearing these words, Bulram Jee arose, and said to the
cowherds’ children, his friends, “Brothers! let us go and see the
preparations at the place of amusement.” At these words they all
accompanied him. Shree Krishnù and Bulram afterwards assumed the
appearance of jugglers, and proceeding with their companions, the
cowherds’ children, came to the gate of the place of amusement, and
stood near where the “_must_” elephant Koobliya, possessing the
strength of ten thousand elephants, was moving to and fro. Beholding
the elephant in a state of the greatest excitement at the gate, Bulram
called out to the keeper, “Mahout! listen to what I say, and drive
away the elephant from the gate. Let us have access to the Raja; lest
the elephant should be destroyed. I tell you beforehand it will not be
our fault, do not consider Huri a child. He is lord of the three
worlds, and has descended upon the earth to destroy the wicked and
remove the burdens of the world.” To this speech, the driver replied
angrily, “I am aware that while tending herds, he has become lord of
the three worlds, and for this reason has made his appearance here as
a very great hero. Do not look upon his breaking the bow as any thing:
my elephant possesses the strength of ten thousand. You shall not
obtain entrance, until you fight with it. You have destroyed many
powerful creatures; but if you escape to-day from this elephant, I
will acknowledge that you are very strong.” Huldhur was enraged, and
said, “Hear me! you foolish, low creature, be cautious what you say,
or I will presently dash you in pieces, and the elephant also; to
hesitate is not advisable, as the elephant will be put to death
immediately. Believe what I am saying, and calling out to you.” At
these words the driver was in a great passion, and drove the elephant
towards them. As the elephant charged Buldeo Jee, he struck it such a
blow with his hand, that it folded up its trunk, and reeled back,
screaming. When the strong men of Kuns, who were standing near, beheld
this wonderful act, they began to despair, and say to themselves, “Who
can possibly win against two such powerful antagonists?” And the
elephant driver, perceiving that the elephant had been forced back,
was very much alarmed, and began to reflect, “That unless these two
children were killed, Kuns would not allow him to escape with life.”
With these thoughts in his mind, he goaded on the elephant again, with
his iron goad, and made it enraged, and impelled it against the two
brothers. When he laid hold of Huri with his trunk, and, in his rage,
endeavoured to crush him between his teeth, Krishnù assumed a very
subtile body, and escaped between his teeth.
At this time all rose up through fear, gods, sages, men and women.
Krishnù escaped between the elephant’s two tusks, and the treasury of
strength clapped his hands. He rose up with the elephant, and then in
sport drove him forward. All became conscious of being restored to
their lord, on beholding the exploits of Krishnù. On hearing the
sound of Krishnù impelling Koobliya, many more elephants rushed to
the spot, enraged, and with trunks uplifted. Moorari remained crouched
under Koobliya’s belly, who thinking he had gone, continued looking
after him. Huri then appearing behind the animal called out, and
Buldeo circumvented it in front. They both began to make the elephant
sport and gambol; and all were frightened at seeing this. O great
king! sometimes Bulram laid hold of its trunk, and Krishnù of its
tail; and when the elephant ran to lay hold of them, they slipped
away.
They remained sporting with it for some time in the same way that they
used to play with calves in their infancy. At length Huri seizing it
by the tail, and whirling it round, dashed it on the ground, and
killed it with blows. He pulled out the elephant’s tusks, and blood
streamed like a river from its mouth.
On the death of the elephant, the driver came bawling out to Krishnù,
who instantly destroyed him, and threw him under the feet of the
elephant. And the two brothers laughing and disguised as jugglers,
each with an elephant’s tusk in his hand, went and stood in the centre
of the place, which had been prepared for amusement (the theatre.)
Whoever beheld Nund Lal at this time, he appeared to him in the same
form as the beholder; wrestlers thought him a wrestler; Rajas a Raja;
the gods as their lord; the cowherds’ children, as a companion; Nund
and Oopnund as their child; the women of the city regarded him as the
abode of beauty; Kuns and all evil spirits looked upon him in the
light of death.
O great king! whilst looking at Krishnù and Buldeo, Kuns being very
much afraid called out to the wrestlers, “To knock them down and
destroy them; or drive them away from his presence.” When Kuns had
thus spoken, the wrestlers, accompanied by their instructors, their
sons and pupils, and adopting various different appearances, striking
their arms in preparation for battle, collected together on all sides
to attack Krishnù and Bulram, who remained firm, as they advanced.
Chanoor, one of the wrestlers, looking towards them, said with sly
impertinence of manner, “Our Raja is a little out of spirits to-day,
and wishes to see you fight by way of amusing his mind; because during
your abode in the jungle, you have learnt all the science of fighting.
Be not at all anxious in your minds, but come and wrestle with us, and
give pleasure to our Raja.”
Shree Krishnù replied, “The Raja Jee has acted with great kindness in
having invited us to-day; what shall we be able to do for him? You are
very powerful, and possessed of skill; and we are ignorant children;
how shall we be able to encounter you? It is said, that we ought to
marry, and have friendship and enmity with equals; but we have no
power over the Raja Jee; and therefore consent to what you propose;
save us and do not exert your strength to dash us to pieces. It is
proper that both parties should act with due regard to justice, and
unite in endeavouring to please the Raja.”
On hearing these words, Chanoor was alarmed and said, “It is
impossible to understand your nature and condition. You are not two
children, but powerful men in disguise. Whilst playing with the bow
you broke it into two pieces; the elephant Koobliya was immediately
killed and obtained deliverance. You never sustain defeat in fighting,
every one knows these circumstances.”