Canto Ten - Chapter 18

Śrī Śuka said: Then Kṛṣṇa, surrounded by His joyful kinsmen and followed by songs of praise, entered Vraja, beautiful with its many herds of cows.

While Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma thus played in Vraja under the guise created by Their māyā of being cowherd boys, the season called summer arrived, which is not very pleasant for embodied beings.

Yet by the qualities of Vṛndāvana that summer appeared like spring, for Bhagavān Keśava Himself dwelt there together with Balarāma.

There the roar of waterfalls drowned out the crickets' sound, while spray from the cascades continually adorned the circles of trees.

Breezes from rivers, lakes and springs carried pollen from white water lilies, lotuses and blue lotuses. Thus the forest dwellers felt no scorching heat from summer fires or the blazing sun amid the abundant grass.

Deep rivers sent waves against their banks, wetting the surrounding shores and keeping them soft. There the fierce sun's venomous rays could not dry the earth's moisture or wither its green grass.

The splendid forest bloomed with flowers and resounded with many animals and birds, with singing peacocks and bees and calling cuckoos and cranes.

Desiring to play there, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa entered with Balarāma, surrounded by cowherd boys and cattle, while making His flute sing.

Rāma, Kṛṣṇa and the other cowherd boys adorned themselves with tender shoots, peacock feathers, clusters of flowers, garlands and colored minerals, and then danced, wrestled and sang.

As Kṛṣṇa danced, some boys sang, some accompanied Him with flutes, clapping hands and horns, and others offered praise.

O King, gods concealed in the cowherd community praised Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, who had assumed the forms of cowherd boys, just as professional performers praise another dancer.

Sometimes the two brothers, wearing side locks of hair, played at wrestling through circling, jumping, throwing, slapping the arms and pulling one another.

At times, when others danced, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Themselves sang and played instruments, crying, 'Excellent! Well done!' in praise, O great King.

Sometimes they played with bilva or āmalaka fruits, sometimes with handfuls of round fruit, and sometimes at games of tag, blindman's buff or imitating animals and birds.

At other times they jumped like frogs, amused one another with many kinds of jokes, rode on swings or imitated the actions of kings.

Thus the two brothers wandered through the forest, playing games familiar throughout the world among rivers, mountains, valleys, bowers, woods and lakes.

While Rāma and Kṛṣṇa grazed the animals with the cowherd boys in that forest, the demon Pralamba came disguised as a cowherd, intending to carry Them away.

Though the all-seeing Bhagavān, descendant of Daśārha, knew who he was, He accepted the demon as a friend while considering how to kill him.

Kṛṣṇa, expert in play, called the cowherd boys together and said, 'Cowherds, let us divide into suitable pairs and play.'

The cowherd boys chose Rāma and Janārdana as leaders. Some joined Kṛṣṇa's party and the others Balarāma's.

They played many games in which the winners rode upon the losers, who had to carry them.

Carrying and being carried while continuing to graze the cows, they followed Kṛṣṇa to a banyan tree named Bhāṇḍīraka.

O King, when Śrīdāmā, Vṛṣabha and the others on Balarāma's side won the game, Kṛṣṇa's party carried the individual winners.

Defeated in the game, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa carried Śrīdāmā, Bhadrasena carried Vṛṣabha and Pralamba carried Rohiṇī's son Balarāma.

The foremost demon considered Kṛṣṇa impossible to overcome. Carrying Balarāma, he quickly went beyond the point where riders were supposed to dismount.

As the great demon carried Balarāma, whose weight equaled the king of mountains, his speed failed and he assumed his own vast form. Adorned with golden ornaments, he shone like a cloud bearing the moon and flashing lightning.

Seeing that enormous body moving through the sky, with blazing eyes, fierce fangs beneath knitted brows and flaming hair, wondrous with the radiance of bracelets, crown and earrings, Haladhara was momentarily startled.

Then Balarāma recovered His awareness and became fearless. The enemy was carrying Him away from His companions like a thief stealing another's property. In anger He struck the demon's head with His hard fist, as Indra strikes a mountain with the force of his thunderbolt.

His head instantly shattered by the blow, the unconscious demon vomited blood from his mouth, gave a tremendous cry and fell lifeless, like a mountain struck down by Indra's weapon.

Seeing the powerful Balarāma kill Pralamba, the cowherd boys were utterly amazed and exclaimed, 'Excellent! Well done!'

They offered Him blessings and fitting praise, then embraced Him with hearts overwhelmed by love, as if He had returned from death.

When the sinful Pralamba was killed, the gods experienced the highest joy. They showered Balarāma with garlands and acclaimed, 'Excellent! Well done!'