Sixth Sarga
Gaurāṅga Sees Mahāvana and Other Forests
1
After narrating this history, the learned brāhmaṇa Kṛṣṇa Dāsa accompanied by Gaura Prabhu crossed the Yamunā, daughter of the sun, and showed Him the house of Nanda Mahārāja in Mahāvana.
2
"Here the witch Pūtanā received liberation, here the cart-demon was delivered, and here Śrī Hari slew the miscreant Tṛṇāvarta.
3
"At this spot, Kṛṣṇa opened His mouth wide and showed His mother the amazing spectacle of the universe within His belly. Although Yaśodā became very frightened, still she offered heartfelt blessings to her son.
4
"Here Garga Muni performed Gopāla's name-giving ceremony, and here Kṛṣṇa ate dirt and displayed another vision of the universal form.
5
"This is the rod for churning yogurt that Yaśomati-nandana Bhagavān Hari held while trying to dance for the pleasure of His mother.
6
"Laughing to see His face, Yaśodā took Kṛṣṇa to her breast and, filled with love, made Him drink her milk.
7
"Then seeing the milk boiling over on the fire, that chaste lady quickly put Him down and went to take the boiling milk off the stove. Then she returned to the butter-churner.
8
"Meanwhile, Kṛṣṇa became angry and, seeing a pot of butter, broke it with a piece of stone. Entering the house, He stood upon the wooden grinding mortar while eating the fresh butter and laughing.
9
"By the marks of Kṛṣṇa's activities, Yaśodā guessed what her son had done and hearing his prattling and laughter, she caught Him and bound His belly (udara) with ropes (dāma) in this very spot. For this reason, the giver of prema is now known by the name of Dāmodara.
10
"Then at this place that Bhagavān Dāmodara broke the twin arjuna trees. Over here the Lord offered grains to a lady-peddler in exchange for some fruits and ate them, even though He is Himself the ultimate bestower of all fruits.
11
"On the southern side of this place is Gokula, known by those in knowledge as Goloka. In this very place, Śrī Hari performed His childhood pastimes in the company of His mother.
12
"O controller of all controllers, here You may see Gopeśvara-deva. And here is Sapta-Sāmudra Kuṇḍa, which purifies all the worlds.
13
"In the town to the west of this place stands the home of the gopa named Āyāna, husband of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, which is an abode filled with rasa. To the south, the cowherd named Ānanda also dwelt.
14
"In the midst of this town is the house of Upananda, where Kṛṣṇa took much pleasure. On the western side of the town is the forest where Rāvaṇa performed austerities.
15
"O Kṛṣṇa! To the north of this spot lies the āśrama of Durvāsa Muni. Nearby, O Prabhu, are the forests of Lohavana and Bilvavana.
16
"Here also You may see the spot where Nanda Mahārāja's son Kṛṣṇa happily played many games. Kṛṣṇa awarded to Nanda the very wonderful rasa of His boyhood pastimes.
17
"Observing the approach of some storm clouds, King Nanda said to a nice gopī, `Quickly take baby Kṛṣṇa to the queen of my home.'
18
"That lady placed Him on her lap and, feeling overwhelmed with joy, kissed Him all over. Being warmly embraced by Him, she became amazed and utterly captivated by that child."
19
After hearing about the shining rasa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's childhood pastimes and transcendental glories, Gaura Kṛṣṇa gave a heart-felt loving embrace to Kṛṣṇa Dāsa.
20
Kṛṣṇa Dāsa continued, "He Gaura-Govinda! Just see! Here Gopāla enacted the sublime pastime of tending the cows. And here is the kuṇḍa dug by Śrī Hari.
21
"In this place, the handsome Upananda was surrounded by the other cowherds as he addressed Nanda in order to determine the proper course of action for the welfare of baby Kṛṣṇa.
22
"Together with the cowherd men, their wives, children and cows, Nanda Mahārāja mounted a cart and travelled to the forests of Bhadraka and Bhāṇīra. There they dwelt for two months."
Thus ends the Sixth Sarga entitled "Gaurāṅga Sees Mahāvana and Other Forests," in the Fourth Prakrama of the great poem Śrī Caitanya Carita.