The Vrindavan forest is very suitable for cows etc. With many gardens, creepers and mountains it is suitable for all Gopas , Gopis and the families

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Trek to Vrindavan

Suka Deva continued .

‘ Oh Kuru King , Nanda Maharaj and the Gopas , hearing the fierce sound of the trees falling rushed to the spot fearing if it was a thunderbolt. There they saw the fallen Arjun trees. Unable to make out the cause the Gopas were bewildered. Seeing Krishna tied to and dragging the mortar amidst of the fallen trees they were even more surprised. The other children said the trees were felled by the mortar pulled across by Krishna and that two super men emerged out of the fallen trees which they all saw. Not all Gopas could accept the boys version of events . Several Gopas were would not believe the sequence of events. Seeing his son bound by the rope and dragging the mortar , Nanda Maharaj freed him instantly . It is indeed an irony that Nanda is releasing Him who cannot actually bound by anybody, by any means other than by devotion.

With cascading of events, the center of attention for all Gopis remained Krishna alone, who would eagerly do all their bidding , whether singing or dancing or simply doing their errands.

Continuously experiencing disturbances in Gokul, the elderly Gopas headed by Maharaj Nanda got together with a concern for the safety of the children. One of the elder Gopas, Upananda, told all the Gopas that for the safety of Balaram and Krishna they should leave Gokul. He said, ‘ By the grace of Hari only, the child Krishna was saved from Putana, who was bent on killing children. By the grace of Hari only the hand cart did not fall on Krishna . He was taken away by the demon Trinavarta , in the form of a whirlwind . The demon fell down on the stone and yet Krishna was saved by the Supreme Lord Iswara. Yet again when the trees fell down , though he was in the middle of both , he and other children were saved by the Supreme Lord. These were all without doubt caused by demons in the vicinity. We should move away to another place for the sake of the children. There is another forest by name Vrindavan on the banks of river Yamuna. It is suitable for the cows. It is suitable for Gopas and Gopis too. The holy mountain of Govardhan with plants and creepers too is in the vicinity of Vrindavan. . If you all agree let us go with all our cows.‘

All the Gopas agreed with the suggestion of Upananda. They all proceeded immediately to Vrindavan on the banks of river Yamuna. The Yadus of Gokul loaded all their belongings on the carts. Keeping cows in the front and with women folk and children also sitting on the carts, they moved. The whole group moved towards the new destination Vrindavan. Mothers Yashoda and Rohini and the children Krishna and Balaram were seated on a specially decorated cart. Singing and praying, the Gopas entered Vrindavan which is a pleasing place to live in all seasons .

Krishna and Balaram also enjoyed the Vrindavan forest , the Govardhan mountain and the Yamuna river. They soon grew old enough to take care of calves moving not too far from their residence along with other boys of their age. Like two normal children they would enjoy themselves sometimes playing flute, sometimes throwing stones, sometimes picking fruits from trees, sometimes imitating cows and bulls, sometimes roaring loudly imitating animals, sometimes fighting with each other and at all times very happy in the company of the other children .

One day when Krishna and Balaram were playing with other children on the banks of Yamuna, one demon by name Vatsa reached the place in the form of a calf in order to kill the children . Krishna realized the same and pointed it out to Balaram. Then Krishna approached the calf as if he is unaware of the demon in the form of a calf. He then caught hold of the hind legs of the calf along with the tails . Twirling around vigorously , Krishna threw the calf on to the Kapittha tree , from which it fell down dead in its original Rakshasa form. Seeing the dead Rakshasa , the other boys praised Krishna and Balaram.

Again on another day, all the boys were taking their calves to the river and making them drink water. Right there on the banks, the boys saw a gigantic being , as though fallen from a mountain peak. That creature is known by the name Bakasura . Having come there in the form of a duck with sharp beak , he very quickly swallowed Krishna. Seeing Krishna being swallowed, all the boys including Balaram were very much bewildered and frightened . Burning the throat of the duck , Krishna , the son of a Cowherd and the father of the Lord Brahma , came out of his mouth. Seeing him unharmed , the duck attacked him with all his vigor. Krishna capturing the beak of Bakasura with his arms split the duck into two parts. The cowherd boys were wonderstruck and even the Devas of the heavens were pleased with the death of Bakasura . All the boys were pleased. They embraced Krishna , having been freed from the danger. The children came back to Vraja triumphantly announcing the incident of Bakasura's death.

Hearing these incidents detailed by other boys, the Gopas including Nanda were very much wonder struck. They welcomed the boys as though they returned from the mountain of death. They wondered aloud how very astonishing that so many threatening causes of death appeared . But by the grace of God , though the demons came to attack, they were not able to kill this boy. The demons were vanquished like flies falling in the fire , destroyed by their own sins . Nanda realized that words of Gargamuni are coming to be true.

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In this way with different pastimes like playing hide and seek, building artificial bridge on the ocean , jumping here and there like monkeys Krishna and Balaram passed their childhood in Vraja