|| Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya ||

Chapter – 196 – The legend of Lord Krishna – 47

Cheera Haranam

It was Hemantha Rithu/winter season in Vrindavan, Krishna immersed in taking pleasure in the various amusements with the children of cowherds of Vraja. The girl children of Nandavraja prepared themselves for observing Katyayani Vratham, in order to obtain an appropriate groom. In the early hours of dawn, the Nandavraja Kumaris go to river Kalindi and take a holy dip, they sanctify an idol of Devi Katyayani with the clay and worship with the flowers, sandal paste, fragrances, vermilion, fruits, and they sincerely pray “ Oh! Katyayani, Oh! Mahamaye, Oh! Mahayoginyadhishwari, we shall prostrate before you, kindly bless us to have the son of Nandababa/Nandagopasutha as our husband.”  In this way, they undertook austerities, contemplating upon supreme Lord Krishna in their hearts and worshiped Devi Bhadhrakali for a month, to attain Nandasutha as their husband.    It was crack of dawn, the  day of completion of the austerities, girls of Vraja holding the hands of each other and talking about Krishna arrived on the river banks of Kalindi.  They kept their clothes on the river bank and entered in the waters, they were singing about Krishna and took pleasure in the watersport.  The Supreme Lord who is Yogeshwareshwara,/ who illuminates the Karma, Gnana Indriyas, mind and intellect, accompanied by the children of cowherds reached on the river bank.  He grabbed all the clothes of the girls like a monkey and placed it on the top of the KadambaVriksha.  He joined with the other male children of cowherds passing humorous comments on the girls of Vraja.  He said “ Hey, girls, come out of the water and collect your clothes from me, I am not joking, today you are completing the austerities if you want to get the clothes you have to come out of the water.  Believe me, I have not lied to you so far, ask the children of cowherds assembled here.  You can either come one by one or come all together and collect your clothes.”  The girls who were taking bath without clothes on their bodies, looked at each other in surprise, started laughing out at the humorous talks of Govinda, they immediately took a dip in the water and stood in the water up to the neckline.  They began to speak “ Oh! Nandagopasutha, Oh! beloved son of Nandababa, do not humiliate us, you are equivalent to a King of Vraja, you should do this to us, therefore kindly give our clothes and return, Oh! Shyamasundhara, we are your sincere servants, Oh! Dharmajja, you should not trouble us, kindly give us our clothes.” One of the girls got annoyed and decided to complain to Nandababa.  Krishna was quite sure that these girls cannot come out of the water without clothes on their bodies.