Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
## Chapter 3: Stories
**261**
On festival days, to demonstrate the power of his pilgrimage, he would cross the Krishna River on foot with all his ascetics, walking on water. People were amazed by this extraordinary feat and would especially honor him with food and other offerings. People would criticize the monks, saying to the lay followers, "You people cannot have such power." The lay followers told this to Vajraswami's maternal uncle, Acharya Samit. He pondered and said to the lay followers, "This headman crosses the river by magic, not by the power of his austerities. If his feet are washed with hot water, he will not be able to cross the river." Then, to expose his magic, the lay followers invited the headman and his family for a meal. At mealtime, the headman arrived. The lay followers began to wash his feet, but fearing the loss of his magical power, he did not extend his feet. Then the lay followers said, "Without washing your feet, we will be guilty of disrespect by offering you food. A gift given with respect is more fruitful." The lay followers forcefully extended his feet and washed them. After the meal, the headman prepared to return to his place. The lay followers also called everyone and followed behind him. The headman, with his family, stepped into the Krishna River to cross it, but without the magical power of walking on water, he began to sink. People began to criticize him.
Meanwhile, Acharya Samit arrived there to enlighten him. He said to the river in front of everyone, "O Krishna, we wish to cross to the other side." Then the banks of the Krishna River met, and the width of the river became as wide as his feet. Acharya stepped across and went to the other side. The river widened again behind him, and he returned in the same way. Seeing this, the headman and his family, along with everyone else, were astonished. The headman, along with his five hundred ascetics, took initiation from Acharya Samit and later became famous as the Brahma branch.
**44. Example of the Karmic Effect: A Girl with a Defective Birth**
In a certain city, a wealthy man named Dhan lived with his wife, Dhanpriya. Their daughter's name was Sundari. She was born with a defective birth (a woman with an open vulva). Her mother knew this, but her father did not. Her father arranged her marriage with the son of a wealthy merchant. The time of the wedding approached. The mother was worried that if her husband learned of her daughter's condition after the wedding, he would leave her, and she would suffer. Meanwhile, a monk arrived there begging for alms. The monk asked the reason for her sadness. The mother told him everything. The monk said, "Do not fear, I will make her a woman with a perfect birth." Then the monk gave her a purification medicine and a medicine to be taken orally. Through the effect of the medicine, she became a woman with a perfect birth and was able to enjoy life for the rest of her life.
**1. Ga. 231/2-4, Vr. P. 144, Nibha 4470-72, Chu. Pri. 425, Jibha 1460-66, Pimprati P. 68. 2. Ga. 231/6, Vr. P. 144, Pimprati P. 70.**