In that place, the two heroic brothers, honored by the king and endowed with great strength, took up their residence. Among them shone a fair-complexioned child, with lotus-like eyes, radiant with his own inner brilliance. His presence was marked by the loud, auspicious sound of a conch, and again and again, he proclaimed the cry of victory. As word spread, many Brahmins, devoted to the Vedas and sacred scriptures, arrived to witness this marvel. Recognizing the child’s pleasant and auspicious face, they discerned in him a portion of Rama himself. He had been born with a luster like the Kṛttikā stars, destined to bring great fame to his paternal lineage. At the end of the month, Brāhmī gave birth to this son, and when the Brahmins beheld the child’s auspicious countenance, they named him Balakhānin, the mighty one. Cāmuṇḍa, son of Devakī and a terror to his own lineage, could not abandon the boy, though he was just a child, for his heart was full of compassion. When three years had passed for the virtuous Balakhānin, King Vatsarāja journeyed to the land of Gurjara, taking with him his daughter Madālasā, and they arrived there that very day. Upon their arrival, Jambuka, surrounded by his own forces, laid siege to the entire city of King Parimala. A great battle ensued, involving seven hundred thousand Māhiṣmatas. By the boon of Śiva, defeat befell the brothers. Jambuka slew the courtesan Lakṣārati and her elephant, seized the city, and reduced it to ashes before returning home. Having obtained precious jewels from the fortresses, he departed joyfully. Meanwhile, the goddess beloved of the gods placed the seventh portion of Kṛṣṇa within her womb. Having come to the field of Kalpa, she cast him into the waters of the Kālindī. There, a man named Sāmanta took up the child and brought him to his father-in-law’s house. On the auspicious eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhādra, when the Brāhmaṇa and Kṣatra stars were in conjunction, a wondrous child was born. His body was dark, his eyes like lotuses, and he radiated the deep blue luster of an indranīla gem. The mother, beholding this marvel, was astonished and wondered aloud, “What is this rising, what marvel has occurred—a form of the gods, resembling the sun?” From the sky came the proclamation: “A portion of Krishna has been born upon the earth, bestowing joy upon all.” Hearing these celestial words, the family was filled with supreme delight. The child, dark-complexioned and beautiful, bore all auspicious marks, and joy overflowed throughout the city. Brāhmī too gave birth to a son, a portion of the divine attendants, who possessed great strength. The Brahmins arrived and performed the sacred birth rites for the children. As time passed, the children grew, bringing auspiciousness to all the worlds. When the third year arrived, the Krishna-portion grew stronger still. He played in the sandalwood forest with his brothers. The divine horse Ashvini and the deer were found near Uccaiḥśravas. After another year, a son was born—a dove, auspicious in form. A Brahmin named Shivaśarman was also born, skilled in all branches of knowledge. When Krishna’s portion reached his eighth year, the naming and other rites were performed. And as he entered his ninth year, he became even stronger, his divine qualities ever more apparent.