SHREE SHOOKDEO JEE said,--O great king! one day Nund Jee abstaining from food, observed the fast of the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight. He spent the day in bathing, meditation, worship and prayer, and the night in vigil. When six ghurees of the night remained, and the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight had begun, having got up, and purified his body, and perceiving that it was day-break, he took a bathing cloth and ewer, and went to the Jumna to bathe: many cowherds followed him. Having gone upon the bank, made a salutation and taken off his clothes, as Nund Jee went into the water, the servants of Varoonù, who were guarding the stream, that no one might bathe at night, went to Varoonù, and said, "O great king! some one is now bathing in the Jumna: what are your orders to us on the subject?" Varoonù replied, "Lay hold of him, and bring him here." On receiving this order, the servants returned to the spot where Nund Jee having performed his ablutions was standing in the water, muttering prayers. The servants coming, and having quickly thrown a. noose over Nund Jee, took him to Varoonù. Then the cowherds, who accompanied Nund Jee, came to Krishnù and said, "O great king! the attendants of Varoonù have carried off Nund Rae Jee from the banks of the Jumna to the region of
[paragraph continues] Varoonù." On hearing this, Shree Krishnù got up enraged, and went off, and arrived in a second at the abode of Varoonù. On beholding him, Varoonù rose and stood up, and joining his hands, said in a supplicating manner, "My birth has this day been propitious, (that is, all the objects of my present birth have been gained to-day,) by my having obtained a sight of you, O lord of the Judoos! Put away far front me all my crimes, I have circumvented Nund, your father, with this object in view. You are celebrated as the father of all. We know not your father. Seeing Nund bathing at night, my attendants through ignorance laid hold of him. Well, by stratagem, I have obtained a sight of you; be pleased now to have mercy on me, and do not think of my crime." Being thus humble, and having brought many presents, which he placed before Nund Jee and Shree Krishnú, when Varoonù with hands joined, and having bowed his head, stood before them, Shree Krishnù, having taken the presents, returned thence to Brindabun, accompanied by his father. On seeing them, all the inhabitants of Bruj came crowding together. The cowherds enquired from Nund Rae, "Where did the attendants of Varoonù carry you to?" Nund Jee replied, "Shree Krishnù arrived just as they had laid hold of me, and taken me to Varoonù's. On seeing him, Varoonù having descended from his throne, and fallen at his feet, said with the greatest supplication of manner, Lord! pardon my offence, I have committed this crime through ignorance, which be pleased not to cast a thought upon."
Hearing this speech of Nund Jee's, the cowherds said to each other, "Brother! when Shree Krishnù Chund by supporting the hill protected Bruj, we knew that Vishnù had descended on the earth in the house of Nund, our chief."
Conversing thus amongst themselves, all the cowherds with hands joined, said to Shree Krishnù, "O great king! you have deceived us for a long time, but now we have found out all your secrets, you are the creator of the world, and the
remover of all affliction. O lord of the three worlds! be so kind as to show us the paradise of Vishnù."
On hearing this, Shree Krishnù Jee, having in a second made a paradise, exhibited it to them in Bruj. On beholding it, the inhabitants of Bruj became possessed of knowledge; and they said with hands joined, and bended heads, "Lord! your greatness is infinite; we cannot speak of it, but through your goodness we have this day discovered, that you are Narayun, and have been born in the world to remove the burthens of the earth."
Shree Shookdeo Jee said,--O great king! when the inhabitants of Bruj had thus spoken, Shree Krishnù Chund, having brought them all under the influence of charms and fascination, carried off the paradise which he had just created for their inspection, and made his own deceptive power vanish. All the cowherds thought what had happened a dream; and Nund Jee, being under the power of delusion, regarded Shree Krishnù as his own son.