*SKANDHA X. CHAP. 12.*
One day Krishna was playing with the boys in the forest. Agha, the
youngest born of Putana and Baka, the Asura whom even the Devas,
rendered immortal by _Amrita_, dreaded, burning with a spirit of revenge
at the death of his brother and sister, thought of killing Krishna and
all his attendants. He stretched himself forth as a huge serpent,
spreading over one yojana, the extremities of his open mouth touching
the clouds and the earth. The Gopa boys took the Asura to be the goddess
of Vrindavana. "Or if it really be a serpent opening its mouth to kill
us, it will instantly be killed like the Asura Vaka." So with their eyes
fixed on Krishna they clapped their hands and with a smile entered the
mouth of the serpent, even before Krishna had time to warn them. The
Asura still waited with its mouth open for Krishna. Krishna thought how
he could kill the serpent and at the same time save his companions.
On reflection, he himself entered the mouth of the serpent and stretched
himself and his comrades. The Asura lost breath and breathed his last. A
shining spirit emerged from the Asura body and entered the body of
Krishna. Krishna gave fresh life to his comrades by his Amrita bearing
looks.
Krishna killed Agha in his fifth year, but the Gopa boys who witnessed
the act said, when Krishna entered his sixth year, that the act was done
that very day.
"How could that be?" enquired Parikshit.
Suka explained this with reference to the following story.