Shree Shookdeo, the sage, said,--O great king! Shree Krishnù Chund
came to Brujmundul alone, having left Bulram Jee at Muttra: and went
forth and stood in front of the army of Kaljumun, a sea of beauty, the
light of the world, dressed in yellow silk, wearing a scarf of the
same colour, and ornamented from head to foot. On seeing him, Kaljumun
began to say, “This must be Krishnù, he has all the marks mentioned
by Narud, the sage, it is he who has destroyed Kuns and all evil
spirits, and slaughtered the armies of Joorasindhoo.” With these
thoughts in his mind, Kaljumun called out, and said, “Why are you
running away, Krishnù? Come here, you have now to deal with me, stand
and fight. I am not Joorasindhoo nor Kuns. I will extirpate the whole
race of Judoo.”
Raja! having thus spoken, Kaljumun advanced alone in pursuit of Shree
Krishnù Chund, leaving his whole army behind him: but that fool did
not understand Krishnù’s nature. Krishnù ran on, and Kaljumun
followed him at a hand’s distance, when he had advanced some distance,
Krishnù entered a cave in a hill, where he saw a man lying asleep;
having quickly put his yellow silk scarf upon him, he concealed
himself apart on one side. Afterwards, Kaljumun came running and
panting to the same very dark cave; and seeing a man asleep with a
yellow scarf thrown over him, thought to himself, that it was
Krishnù, pretending to be asleep. O great king! thinking thus, and
being angry, Kaljumun gave the sleeper a kick, and said, “O trickster!
what deceit are you practising, in pretending to be sleeping at your
ease like an honest man? Rise, as I intend to kill you immediately.”
With these words he snatched away the yellow cloth from over him. He
started up; and when he cast an angry look at Kaljumun, he was burnt
to ashes. At this part of the history, the Raja Pureechit said,
“Explain to me, Basoodeo, who the man was, that had gone into the
cave, by whose look Kaljumun was reduced to ashes, who conferred a
great boon on him?” Shree Shookdeo, the sage, said,--O lord of the
earth! it was Moochkoond, Manghata’s son, a Chutree of the family of
Ichwak, very powerful and renowned; whose fame, for destroying enemies
and armies was spread over nine divisions of the earth. On one
occasion, the gods, having been harassed by evil spirits, came in
great alarm to Moochkoond, and said in a tone of great supplication,
“O great king! evil spirits have increased greatly; we cannot escape
from them, come quickly, and protect us.” It has been an immemorial
custom for Chutrees to assist gods, sages and saints, when their own
power fails them.
On hearing these words, Moochkoond accompanied them, and began to
fight with the evil spirits. The battle lasted for many ages, when the
gods said to Moochkoond, “O great king! you have undergone great
labour on our account; rest somewhere now, and give ease to your body.
You have fought for many days; your wealth, dwelling and family are
all gone, not one of your relations is left; do not therefore set foot
in your own house. Go any where else you please.” Moochkoond said in
reply to the gods, “O lords of the earth! kindly point out to me some
retired spot, where I may sleep, free from all care and anxiety, and
no one awake me.” The gods were delighted at this speech, and said to
Moochkoond, “O great king! go and sleep in the cave of the great white
mountain. No one will awake you there: and if any one should go there
by accident, and do so, he will be burnt to ashes by a single glance
of your eye.”
Having proceeded thus far in the narrative, Shree Shookdeo Jee, said
to the Raja,--O great king! having obtained this boon from the gods,
Moochkoond went and dwelt in that cave; and therefore, Kaljumun was
burnt to ashes by a glance from his eye. Shortly afterwards Krishnù,
the abode of compassion, the benefactor of his worshippers, of the
colour of the clouds, with a face like the moon, lotus eyes, four
arms, and holding in his hand a shell, quoit, club and lotus, wearing
a crown in the shape of a peacock, and ear-rings formed like the sign
Capricorn, having a garland reaching to his feet, and dressed in
yellow silk, appeared to Moochkoond; who, on beholding him, prostrated
himself, so as to touch the ground with the eight principal parts of
his body, and rising up, said with joined hands, “O lord of mercy! as
you have come into this great dark cave, and by your light have
dispersed the darkness, please take compassion on me; and explaining
your name and nature, remove all the doubts of my mind.” Shree
Krishnù Chund replied, “My births, destinies and attributes are
manifold, and cannot be counted by any one, whatever computations he
may make. But I will explain to you the secrets of my present birth,
to which listen. I have been born in the house of Basoodeo, and been
named Basoodeo in consequence. And in the city of Muttra, I have
destroyed Kuns and all evil spirits, and removed the burthens of the
earth. And Joorasindhoo has been defeated by me, who attacked me
seventeen times with twenty-three armies. And this Kaljumun, who has
been reduced to ashes by your glance had brought a mob of three crores
of unclean persons to fight with me.” When Krishnù had thus spoken,
Moochkoond became possessed of knowledge, and said, “O great king!
your delusive power is exceedingly great; it has enchanted the whole
world; and under its influence no one’s understanding and senses
retain their balance. All engage in schemes for the sake of happiness,
and suffer calamity; as a dog, who, in gnawing a bone, sucks in his
own blood, he thinks he sucks it from the bone, and looks upon
calamity as a pleasure; and, O great king! whoever comes into the
world, cannot, without your favour, escape from this dark well, in the
form of a dwelling; I am, therefore, anxious to know how I shall be
released from it.” Shree Krishnù Jee said, “Listen, Moochkoond! the
case is as you have stated it: but I will explain to you a plan, by
adopting which, you will obtain release. Having obtained royal
authority, you have, for the sake of land, wealth and women, committed
many acts of injustice, which cannot be obliterated without the
performance of penance. Wherefore, go to the Northern quarter, and
there practise religious austerity. On quitting your present body, you
shall be born again in the house of a holy man; and afterwards obtain
salvation.”
When Moochkoond, O great king! heard these words, he thought the black
age had come; with these thoughts in his mind, he took leave of
Krishnù, having made a salutation, and circled to the right by way of
adoration, and went to Budreenath. Shree Krishnù Chund having
returned to Muttra, said to Bulram Jee, “I have extirpated Kaljumun,
and sent Moochkoond towards Budreenath. The army, with which Kaljumun
has surrounded Muttra, is immense. Come, and let us kill those impure
wretches, and remove all the burthens of the earth.”
Having thus spoken, Shree Krishnù Chund, accompanied by Bulram, went
forth from the city of Muttra, and came to the place where the army of
Kaljumun was standing in battle array; and on their arrival, they both
began to fight with it. At length when, in the course of the battle,
Krishnù had slaughtered all the army of the barbarians, he said to
Buldeo Jee, “Brother! let us now take all the wealth of Muttra and
send it to Dwarka.” Bulram Jee assented; then Shree Krishnù Chund had
all the riches of Muttra brought out and laden on buffaloes, carts,
camels and elephants, and sent to Dwarka.
In the mean while, Joorasindhoo made another attack upon Muttra, with
twenty-three complete armies. Shree Krishnù and Bulram came out in
great alarm, and showing themselves before Joorasindhoo ran off with a
view of quieting the troubles of his mind. A counsellor then said to
Joorasindhoo, “O great king! who is so powerful as to make a stand
before your majesty? Behold the two brothers, Krishnù and Bulram,
running away from dread of you, leaving their wealth and home, and
escaping with uncovered feet, with their lives alone.”
On hearing these words from the minister, Joorasindhoo followed them
with his army, and called out, “Why are you flying from fear, stand,
and do something? Why do you tremble violently, whether lying down or
sitting up? Your death is at hand.”
Having narrated thus much, Shree Shookdeo, the sage, said, O lord of
the earth! when Shree Krishnù and Buldeo Jee fled after the manner of
mortals, all Joorasindhoo’s former disasters were banished from his
mind; and he was rejoiced beyond description. Shree Krishnù and
Bulram ran on, and ascended a hill, named Guotum, which was forty-four
coss high, and stood upon the summit of it. Joorasindhoo on perceiving
this, exclaimed, “Bulbhuddrù and Moorari have ascended the peak of
the hill. How can they escape me now? set fire to the hill.”
When Joorasindhoo had thus spoken, all the evil spirits surrounded the
hill; and bringing wood and doors from the towns and villages spread
them on all sides of it: and throwing old clothes upon them, saturated
with ghee and oil, set fire to the whole.
When the fire rose up in a flame to the top of the hill, the two
brothers contrived to take the road to Muttra, so as that no one saw
them going; and the hill was burnt to ashes. Joorasindhoo then
supposing that Krishnù and Bulram had been consumed by fire, together
with the hill, was greatly rejoiced, and taking his whole army with
him came to Muttra; and seizing the government, issued a proclamation,
establishing his own authority. He pulled down all the old houses
belonging to Oogursen and Basoodeo, and built new ones of his own.
Having recited thus much of the history, Shree Shookdeo Jee said to
the Raja,--O great king! having thus deceived Joorasindhoo, Shree
Krishnù and Bulram Jee, went and abode at Dwarka; and Joorasindhoo
also departed from Muttra with all his army; and returned home
rejoicing, and without fear.