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BIRTH OF RĀMA, KRŞŅA, AND ARIŞTANEMI 1 61 Sakuni and Patanā, unable to injure Vasudeva, went to Gokula, like witches most evil, to kill Kļşņa, who was alone without Yaśodā and Nanda. Sakuni, standing on a cart, cried out sharply to Krşņa standing below and Pūtanā thrust her breast smeared with poison into Kșşņa's mouth. Instantly the deities attending on Kșşņa struck them both with the same cart and killed them.
Nanda came there, saw Krşņa alone, the cart overturned and the two Khecaris who had been killed. Saying, “ I have been robbed,” he put Krşņa on his lap and reproachfully asked the herdsmen: “How was the cart overturned? Who are these two dead women with red faces like Rākşasīs? My son, (left) alone, is alive only because of his good fortune.” The herdsmen said: “Master, this cart was overturned by this strong child of yours and these women were killed by him alone.”
Hearing that, Nanda examined Keśava over all his body and, seeing that he was uninjured, said to Yaśodā: “Why do you attend to other business, leaving the boy alone ? Left even for a few minutes just now, he falls into misfortunes here. Even if the jars of ghi are rolling about, you must not go anywhere, leaving Kțşņa alone. Enough of your other work.” Hearing that speech, Yaśodā, saying, “Oh! I am killed!” beating her breast with her hand, picked up Kțşņa. Asking, “You are not hurt?” accompanied by an examination of his body, Yaśodā kissed Kịşņa on the head and embraced him. Zealously Yaśodā carried him herself constantly, but Kșsna, impetuous by disposition, went here and there by tricks.
One day, afraid of his running away, she tied Kșşņa by a rope around the waist, fastened the end of the rope to a mortar, and went to a neighboring house. Then Sūrpaka's son, recalling his ancestral hostility, went there and assumed the form of two arjuna 172 trees near each other. He led Krşņa with the mortar between them in order to crush him and he was killed by Krşna's deity, who destroyed the arjuna trees. Hearing
172 138. Terminalia arjuna(MW); Pentaptera arjuna (Roxb.), 21 N
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