One day while Krishna fell asleep under a carriage, Yashoda, fond of her sons, went to the river Yamunā leaving him there (4). Thereupon to sport there like a child Krishna began to cry and throw up his arms. Then raising up his legs he overturned the carriage with one of them. And then crawling on his legs he began to cry for milk (5–6). In the meantime, Yashodā, having finished her bath and her person wetted with the milk of her breast like a milch cow, when its calf is tied, came there with her mind stricken with fear (7). She saw there the carriage over turned without any wind. And then crying aloud she speedily took up her child (8). She could not truly make out how the carriage was overturned; and then filled with fear she said to her boy (9) "O my child, your father is highly wrathful. I do not know what he will say when he will come to know of your sleeping under the carriage and of its being overturned (10). What is the use of my bathing? What business had I to go to go the river. On account of this foolish act of mine I saw you under the overturned carriage (11)."
Clad in a silken raiment Nanda had gone to the forest to tend his kine. When he returned to his own house in Vraja he saw the carriage upset. Its two wheels were raised up. The axles, the pitcher and the rod were all broken (12-13) Seeing this he was greatly terrified and coming quickly with eyes full of tears he repeatedly asked "Is my son all right?" (14). When he saw his son sucking the breast of Yashodā he was relieved of his anxiety and asked how the carriage was upset without the fighting of the bulls (15). Terrified and with a suppressed voice Yashoda replied: "O gentle one, I do not know who has upset this carriage. I had been to the river to wash my cloth. When I came back I saw it overturned (16–17)".
While they were thus talking, the boys, who were present there, said:—"When we came here of our own accord we saw this boy upsetting the carriage with his feet". Hearing this the milkman Nanda was filled with great surprise (18–19). Pleased and terrified he began to think how could this be. The other milkmen, having the ordinary intelligence of men, placed no confidence in the words of the boys (20). Filled with wonder and having their eyes expanded accordingly they replaced the carriage and tied its wheels (21).
Vaishampayana said:—Once on a time in the mid-night, Kansa's nurse, the dreadful Putanā, creating the fear of life, went in the shape of a bird, capable of assuming forms at will, to village of milkmen, shaking her wings (22–23). Entering, in the mid-night, into Vraja, roaring like a tiger, Putanā assumed the form of a woman. And having her breast pressed by milk she lay down under the wheel of the carriage. When all the inhabitants of Vraja fell asleep she began to give milk to Krishna (24–25). Thereupon drink ing up all her vital breaths together with her milk Krishna set up a terrible sound. She too, having her breast sundered, fell down earth (26). At that sound, Nanda, other milk-men and Yashodā awoke. And they were all beside themselves with fear (27). They saw there Putanā lying down on the ground, bereft of her consciousness and breast, as if she had been crushed down by a thunder-bolt (23). Exclaiming "What is this? Who has done it?" all the milkmen headed by Nanda stood around her (29). They however could not, by any means, find out the cause. Exclaiming repeatedly "Wonder! Wonder!" they went to their own houses (30). After the milkmen had gone away to their respective homes filled with wonder, Nanda respectfully said to Yashodā:—"O timid lady, I have been struck with great wonder and have not been able to trace out its cause. What ever it may be, I am really afraid. Is there any danger for my son (31–42)?"
Yashoda, too, stricken with fear, replied:—"O reverend Sir, I was asleep with my son and was roused up by this terrible sound. So I do not know what took place before" (33). Hearing the reply of Yashodā, Nanda, together with his friends, was filled with surprise and anticipated fear from Kansa (34).
CHAPTER LXII. THE CHILDISH FREAKS OF KRISHNA.
Vaishampayana said:—As time went on those two boys, named Krishna and Sangkarshana, began to crawl on their legs. Those two beautiful boys, resembling the rising sun, the same person in two bodies, as if turned out by one mould, began to assume the same form, to lie down on the same bed, to live on the same food, and to put on the same dress. They thus sported there like boys (1–3). Those two great energies, identical with the witness of the worlds, although of one body, assumed two human forms for the destruction of the demons and for accomplishing the only great work of the resuscitation of sacrifices. Although they were the protectors of the entire universe they were born, for this, as cow-herds (4-5). While they sported there they appeared like the sun and moon in the sky possessed by each other's rays (6). Going every where, they, having arms like serpents, appeared like two proud young elephants covered with dust (7). And sometimes with their persons pasted with ashes and powdered cow-dung they shone like two princes of fire (8). Sometimes they used to walk on knees and enter cow-sheds and used to sport there with their persons and hairs covered with cow-dung (9). Sometimes committing mischiefs to the inhabitants of Vraja those two boys used to create the delight of their sire with their laughing (10). Those two beautiful boys, of moon-like countenances, used to appear more charming when filled with curiosity and their locks disturbing their eyes (11). They grew exceedingly playful and naughty and used to walk all over Vraja. And Nanda could not (by any means) check them (12). One day Yasoda, worked up with anger, brought the lotus-eyed Krishna near the carriage. And fastening a rope round his waist and tying it to a mortar she repeatedly remonstrating with him, said "Go, if you are capable of doing it." Saying this she engaged in her work (13–14). When Yashodā was engaged in her household works, Krishna, with a view to surprise the inhabitants of Vraja and play, issued out of the courtyard (15).
Going out of the courtyard with that mortar Krishna went to the forest where the huge trees Yamala and Arjuna were (16). Placing that mortar between the two trees he began to drag it. For his thus dragging it the mortar was firmly fixed at the root of the trees. He then began to drag the trees Arjuna and Yamala. Being thus drawn by him with great force those two Arjuna trees were uprooted with their roots and branches. In order to show this to the milk-men the Lord, resorting to his heavenly strength, began to laugh there. That rope, by his power, became stronger (17-19). The milk-women, who were then going to the bank of the river Yamunā, saw the child in that condition and were filled with wonder. And weepingly they approached Yashodā (20). The women, with sorry faces, said to her:—"Tarry not a moment, O Yashodā and come with us quickly (21). The two huge trees, that are being worshipped as gods on account of their granting objects of desire, have fallen on your son (22). Being bound by a rope like a calf under the belly (of the cow) your boy is laughing between the two trees (23). Get up and go, O foolish woman. You think you are wise but you are stupid. Your son is alive as if he has been released from the mouth of Death" (14).
(Hearing this) she was stricken with fear and began to bewail. She then went where the two trees were uprooted (25). She saw there her child placed between the two trees with the rope round his waist and dragging the mortar (26). All the milk-men and women, aged or youthful, of Vraja went there quickly to witness this wonderful scene (27). Those milk-men, who range in the forest, began to speak amongst themselves "Who has uprooted these two huge trees as if forming the extent of our village (28)? There is no storm, no rain, no fall of thunderbolt and no mischief created by elephants. Then why have these two trees, all on a sudden, fallen down (29)? Alas! being felled down on the ground these two trees are shorn of beauty like clouds divested of water. O Nanda, these two Arjuna trees are very favourably disposed towards you and bent upon doing you good. Although they are huge they have fallen in such a way saving your child that his body has not been wounded in the least (30–31). Before this Putanā had been slain and the carriage broken. And this uprooting of the trees is the third portend in Vraja (32). It is not meet for the milkmen to live any longer in this village, for these portends do not auger well" (33).
Thereupon releasing the lotus-eyed Krishna from the mortar, taking him up on his lap and looking at him again and again as if he had returned from the land of the dead Nanda could not attain to the consummation of happiness. Remonstrating then with Yashoda, he, followed by all milk-men, returned to Vraja (34–35). From that day in which he was bound with the rope Krishna was called Dāmodara by all the milk-men of that village (36). O foremost of Bharatas, while living amongst milk-men, although a mere boy, he performed all these wonderful feats[205] (37).