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the search. Brahma, who had been witnessing from the high heavens
all the deeds of Krishna, even the killing of Agha, with wonder,
wanted to have still one more manifestation of his divine powers.
Finding opportunity, he removed the calves as well as the Gopa boys
to some secure place and disappeared. Krishna could not find the
calves and on returning he could not find his companions. He then
knew it was all the act of Brahma. To please Brahma, as well as to
please the mothers of the Gopa boys, He Himself became so many
calves and so many Gopa boys of their very size and form to the
minutest detail. The mothers thought they had got their boys and
they became even more attached to them. The cows thought they
had got their calves and their fondness knew no bounds.
Krishna went on playing his manifold parts for one year. Five
or six days remaining till the completion of the year, Balarama saw
one day that the cows were grazing on the summits of Govardhana,
while the calves were grazing at some distance near Vraja. The cows
impelled by a fit of attachment breathlessly ran towards the calves
even those that had quite lately brought forth younger calves and
caressed them profusely. The elder Gopas who were in charge could
not restrain them with all their efforts. They felt shame and vexa-
tion. But when they themselves approached the calves and their own
sons, their anger melted away in deep affection.
Balarama thought for a moment. " Never was such love wit-
nessed by me before this attachment for calves that had been
weaned long ago. The people of Vraja have even increasing affection
for their own sons even as they had of yore for Krishna. These
calves no longer appear to be the incarnations of Rishis, their keepers
the Gopa boys do not appear any longer to be the incarnations of the
Devas. They look all like thee O Krishna! Wherein lies the mys-
tery?" Krishna explained to Rama what had happened. Brahma
appeared after a Truti (fraction of a moment) of his own measure.
He saw the boys, he saw the calves. He could not make any dis-
tinction between those he placed under his own Maya and those
brought into existence by the Maya of Krishna. The foggy darkness
is overpowered by the darkness of the night. The light of the glow-
worm vanishes before the light of the day. To delude Krishna,
Brahma became deluded himself. In another moment Brahma saw
the calves and the boys each and all bearing four hands, the divine
weapons and all the divine powers. They shone in resplendent glory.
Brahma became overpowered, stupefied. Recovering himself, he
found once more Sri Krishna alone, searching for the calves and boys
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