88. Bhagavatha - Lord Brahma Hides Calves and Cowherds

 88. Srimad Bhagavata - Lord Brahma Hides Calves and Cowherds 

After listening to the narrative on Demon Agha, King Parikshit asked Sri Sukamuni, “How come the cowherds narrated this incident to their parents a year later. Why is there a time gap?

Sri Sukamuni went into Samadhi state and after a while, with great difficulty came out of it, and said, “ By asking a pertinent and intellectual question, you are changing the narrative of the Lord's story. 

Noble souls who get absorbed in it would like to talk only on Achutha and hear His stories repeatedly, as if they are listening to it for the first time. O King, listen carefully, I shall tell a story, though it is secretive.

After killing Demon Agha, Srikrishna transferred the cowherds and their calves to a safer place on the banks of Yamuna and said, ”Friends, this place is looking beautiful. We can play here as the mud is soft and clean. 

The river is flowing slowly, and the water collected is converted into a small pond. It is full of lotuses and the mild smell of it is attracting bees. Let's stay here for sometime and eat the food as we are oppressed with hunger. 

Let the calves drink water and be allowed to eat their feed on green grass. Readily agreeing to it, the cowherds picked up leaves, big and small, and used them as plates. 

They all sat in circles, but each one of them wished to sit in front of Srikrishna. Though it is not possible, each of them felt that he was sitting in front of Him. Srikrishna satisfied their need by appearing in multiple forms. 

They shared their meal before eating. Srikrishna was cracking jokes on them on how they behaved while entering the boa constrictor. After a while, one of the cowherds noticed that calves that were grazing nearby were not to be seen.  

Soon, there was a commotion, and cowherds got scared and stopped eating. Srikrishna assured them that He would bring back the calves and that they could continue their meals.

Srikrishna went in search of calves at every nook and corner but couldn't find them. Ultimately, He used his divine vision and found Lord Brahma had taken them away to a secretive place. Coming back, he saw cowherds, too, were missing. 

Srikrishna decided not to go back to home without calves and his fellow cowherds. He immediately cloned each of the calves and cowherds without any signs of difference.

Back home, the cows could not notice any change in their calves nor the mothers of cowherds. Indeed, it was Srihari everywhere in different forms. There was no change in behavior of the cowherds, in their habits, and in external appearance.  

Things moved on this way for one full year. Brahma wondered how come things were normal as before in Vrindavan, though the hidden calves and cowherds were still with him. 

Brahma realized his flaw for testing Srihari, who had descended as Srikrishna. He returned the calves and cowherds immediately. He went on praising Srihari at length. 

Source: Bhagavatha Mahapurana