The âgavataPurâpeople of Vrindâvana embraced Krishna and shed tears of joy. They were all so much put out that they stopped that night on the river bank. At midnight, a fire broke out from a castor plantation and it surrounded the people on all sides. The Gopas and Gopis cried out: "O Krishna, O Râma, we are yours. Krishna! Save us from this fire. We are not afraid of our lives, but it will pain us to part from Thy feet."
It was summer. But Vrindâvana was cool with its shade, its water-spouts and its river.
Râma and Krishna were tending the cattle with their companions. An Asura named Pralamba disguised himself as a Gopa boy and mixed with the other boys. The All-knowing Krishna found him but he feigned friendship, with the object of killing the Asura. Krishna proposed two parties for play. The defeated party had to carry the members of the victorious party on their backs. Krishna became the leader of one party and Râma that of the other. The party of Krishna were routed near the Bhândiraka forest. Krishna carried Srîdâmana on his back, Bhadrasena carried Vrishabha and Pralamba carried Balarâma. Pralamba ran with Balarâma beyond the mark. Balarâma suspected something evil. Then composing himself, he hit a blow on the head of the Asura and Pralamba lay down dead.
The cattle strayed away from the Bhândarika forest, when suddenly there was a fire. They ran bellowing into a forest of rushes. The Gopa boys went in search of them and found them from a distance. Krishna called them out and they responded to the call. At the time a general conflagration in the forest overtook the cows and the Gopa boys and they helplessly turned to Krishna. Krishna asked the boys to close their eyes. They did so, but when they looked again they found themselves once more in the Bhândarika forest. Seeing this Yoga power in Sri Krishna, they knew him to be a God. The older Gopas and Gopis, hearing all the wonderful deeds of Râma and Krishna, knew them to be Devas.
The _rainy season_ followed summer. There was joy and plenty. (For a graphic and highly poetical description of the rainy season please refer to the original. The details of the description are somewhat important from the esoteric standpoint and the Season itself is suggestive as to a new era in spiritual development.)