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Prem Sagar: Chapter XIV

SHREE SHOOKDEO said,--Raja! having thus destroyed Ooghasoor, Shree Krishnù Chund having collected the calves, and taking his companions with him, proceeded on his road. Having gone some distance, standing under the shade of a kudum tree, playing on the flute, and calling all the cowherds' children, he said, "Brothers! this is a nice place, why need we go farther? let us sit down here and eat."

On hearing this, they drove away the calves to graze, and having brought leaves of different trees, and made them into plates and cups, sweeping the place clean, they sat down in rows on all sides of Krishnù, and producing their provisions, began to serve them out.

When they had finished serving them out, Shree Krishnù standing in the midst, having first himself taken a mouthful, gave the order for them to eat. They began to eat; and amongst them, Shree Krishnù with a peacock crown, a necklace of various flowers reaching to his feet, with a club in his hand, standing awry, and dressed in yellow silk, laughing gave them all some of his own food; and taking some from the plate of each, tasting it he pronounced upon the different flavours; the bitter, sweet, hot and pungent; and appeared as beautiful in that assembly, as the moon among the stars. At this time

Then Krishnù said to the cowherds, "Do you all remain feasting; let no one get up, or be at all anxious; I will collect the calves belonging to all, and bring them here."

Having thus said, and gone some distance into the jungle, when he found out that Bruhmù had stolen and carried off the calves, Shree Krishnù made others exactly like them, and brought them with him. On his return, he perceived that Bruhmù had taken off the cowherds' children also. He then also created other children, exactly like those that had been taken away; and as it was evening, brought them all with him to Brindabun. The cowherds' children went to their homes, but none discovered the secret, that the children did not belong to them; on the contrary, affection for them increased daily. Having narrated thus much, Shree Shookdeo said,--O great king! Bruhmù having taken off the cowherds' children and calves, shutting them up in a mountain cave, and blocking up the entrance with a stone, fell into a state of forgetfulness regarding the circumstance; and Shree Krishnù constantly engaged in new sports. After the lapse of a year, Bruhmù recollected what he had done, and began to say to himself, "One of my moments has not passed, but a year of mortals has elapsed; I must therefore go and see what has been the state of Bruj without the cowherds' children and the calves."

Thinking thus, he rose and came to the cave, where he had shut them all up. Having raised the stone, he saw, that the children and the calves had fallen into a deep sleep. Departing thence, and coming to Brindabun, when he beheld the children and calves exactly as before, he was astonished, and

And being frightened, and shutting his eyes, he began to tremble. When Shree Krishnù, acquainted with the secret thoughts of all, found that Bruhmù was very much alarmed, he took away the parts of which the rest were composed, and remained himself alone, just as separate clouds are formed into one.