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160
CHAPTER FIVB Sauri arrived at the main gate and, questioned from astonishment by King Ugrasena who was in a cage, 170 “What's this?” Sauri replied joyfully to Ugrasena, showing him the child: “ He is an enemy of Kansa. The destruction of your enemy will take place from him and your rise to power from him. But, o king, you must not tell this to any one.” He said, “Very well ” and Sauri went to Nanda's house.
Just then Nanda's wife, Yaśodā, bore a daughter. Sauri gave Yaśodā the son, took the girl, and immediately put her in the boy's place at Devaki's side. Sauri left and Kansa's guards awake, saying, “ What has happened,” saw the daughter there. They delivered her to Kansa and Kansa thought: “The seventh child who was to be the death of me is a mere girl. I think the muni's speech was false. What need to kill her ?:". After cutting off one nostril, he returned her to Devaki.
Krsna's childhood (116–169) The boy was named Krşņa because of his black body and, protected by the gods, he grew up in Nanda's house. When a month had passed, Devaki said to Vasudeva, “I am eager to see my son. I shall go to Gokula. "171 Sauri said: " Kansa will see you going unexpectedly. So it is proper for you to go, after inventing some reason, Devaki. Accompanied by many women, worshipping cows everywhere, you should go to Gokula by the cow-path." Devaki did so.
Devaki saw there her son, his breast marked with the śrīvatsa, his complexion like a petal of the blue lotus, his eyes like blooming white lotuses, his hands and feet marked by the disc, et cetera, polished like a sapphire, sitting on Yaśodā's lap, delighting the heart. With the pretext of cow-worship Devaki went there constantly. The custom of cow-worship commenced among the people from that time.
Then from inherited hostility Sūrpaka's two daughters,
170 108. See above, p. 44. 171 117. Nanda's cattle-station.
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