Even the god of love, Cupid himself, was bewildered and disarmed by the passionate glances, bashful smiles, and sidelong looks of the foremost women. Yet, despite all their enchanting wiles, they could not disturb Krishna’s senses. People, unable to grasp his true nature, imagined him attached to worldly affairs simply because they saw him engaged in them, judging him by their own limited standards. Such is the Lord’s sovereignty: although he dwells amidst nature, he remains untouched by its qualities, just as the intelligence of those who take refuge in him is not affected by those same traits. Ignorant women, unable to fathom the measure of their Lord, believed him to be their own man, devoted to them in private, just as ordinary minds mistake the limitless Lord for something confined. Krishna and Balarama, roaring and bellowing like bulls in rut, sometimes imitated the cries of animals and played together, as if they were ordinary beings. One day, while Krishna and Balarama tended their calves with their friends on the banks of the Yamuna, a demon arrived, intent on killing them. This demon had assumed the form of a calf and mingled with the herd. Hari, feigning innocence, sat down slowly and showed the demon to Balarama. Then, Acyuta seized the demon by his hind legs and tail, whirled him around, and threw him onto the top of a kapittha tree. The demon’s great body, struck by falling fruits, crashed down lifeless. The astonished boys exclaimed, “Well done! Well done!” while the gods, delighted, showered flowers from above. Though Krishna and Balarama are the sole protectors of all worlds, they continued to act as cowherd boys, tending the calves and taking their morning meal as usual. On another day, each boy led his group of calves to the water’s edge. After letting the calves drink, they themselves drank water. There, the boys saw a great being, towering like a mountain peak struck down by Indra’s thunderbolt. This was Baka, a mighty demon in the form of a crane, who suddenly approached and seized Krishna with his sharp beak. Seeing Krishna swallowed by Baka, Rama and the other boys were bewildered, like senses bereft of life. But Krishna, the son of the cowherd and teacher of the world, burned the root of Baka’s palate like fire. Overwhelmed with pain, Baka spat Krishna out, then, enraged, attacked again with his beak, intent on killing him. As Baka rushed upon him, Krishna—the Lord of the virtuous and friend of Kamsa—seized him by the beak with his arms and, before the watching boys, effortlessly tore him apart, bringing them joy. The residents of heaven showered Krishna with Nandana flowers and jasmine, praising him with drums, conches, and hymns. The sons of the cowherds were amazed. When Krishna emerged from Baka’s mouth, the boys, led by Rama, felt as if life had returned to their senses. They embraced him in relief, gathered the calves, and joyfully returned to Vraja, singing of the event. Hearing this, the cowherds and their wives, filled with wonder and deep affection, gazed at Krishna with thirsty eyes, as if he had returned from the dead. They lamented, “Alas, how many dangers this boy has faced! Perhaps some past misdeed of ours is the cause of this fear.” Yet, they marveled, “Those terrifying beings cannot overcome him. Though they approach with intent to kill, they perish like moths in a flame.” They recalled, “Indeed, the words of the knowers of Brahman are never false. Just as the sage Garga declared, so it has come to pass.” Thus, Nanda and the other cowherds, delighting in tales of Krishna and Rama, passed their days in joy, unaware of worldly suffering. In this way, through childhood play—games of hiding, building dams, and monkey-like leaps—they spent their boyhood in Vraja. Shaunaka then spoke: “By the power of Ashvatthama’s Brahmashirsha weapon, Uttara’s unborn child was struck down, but by the Lord’s grace, he was restored to life. We wish to hear about his birth, his deeds as a great soul, and how his end came, and to know where he went after death. If you think it proper, please tell us this, for we are eager listeners, to whom Shuka imparted this knowledge.” Sūta replied: King Yudhishthira, like a loving father, delighted his subjects, being unattached to all desires through service at Krishna’s feet. He possessed wealth, sacrifices, realms, queens, brothers, dominion over Jambudvipa, and fame that reached the heavens. Yet, O twice-born, what value are desires coveted even by the gods to one whose mind is fixed on Mukunda? Just as other things bring joy to a hungry king, so did they bring delight. O descendant of Bhrigu, while still in his mother’s womb, the heroic child saw a certain Person as he was being burned by the power of a weapon. He saw an immaculate form, the size of a thumb, shining, crowned with a golden diadem, dark in complexion, wondrous to behold, clad in yellow garments—the infallible One. Resplendent, with four long arms, adorned with blazing golden earrings, blood-red eyes, and holding a mace, this Person moved all around the child in every direction, whirling the mace again and again like a blazing meteor. With his own mace, he dispelled the weapon’s fiery energy, just as the lord of cows disperses mist, and the child watched closely, wondering, “Who is this?” Then, having removed that danger, the immeasurable Lord, protector of righteousness and all-pervading One, disappeared before the child’s very eyes at the end of ten months. Thereafter, when all auspicious qualities had arisen and the planets were favorable, the bearer of the Pandu line was born again, endowed with the strength of Pandu himself. The king, his heart filled with joy, had the child’s birth chart cast by the Brahmins—Dhaumya, Kripa, and others—and had auspicious rites performed. Knowing the sacred duties, the king gave gold, cows, land, villages, elephants, horses, and excellent food to the Brahmins at the holy site of birth. The satisfied Brahmins then spoke to the humble king: “O foremost of the Puru dynasty, in this line of yours, he is the one. By the irresistible will of fate, when the white hair ascends to its end, he has been sent for your blessing by Vishnu, the all-powerful Lord.