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Balarama and Krishna grew up and began to move about. They crawled together on their knees and arms mischievously. The sound of their anklets bells was very pleasant. Both of them used to mistake other women for their mother and crawl behind them. The women used to enjoy their crawling behind them. Both Balrama and Krishna would sometimes catch the ends of the tails of the calves in curiosity. The calves would begin to run away here and there. Then 0the ladies would rescue the children and enjoy the fun.
Everything was fine in Gokula. Balrama and Krishna were growing up. Now they started to run about on their feet. They started playing their pranks joining with other boys. But their naughtiness delighted the hearts of the Gopis. Yasoda had to listen often to the complaints about her son’s mischief in the houses of the Gopis. All the Gopis would tell their complaints one by one. One of them told her, “Yesterday Krishna came to my house early in the morning. I was busy getting ready to milk the cows. I went to the cowshed and what did I find? Krishna had long back untied the calf which had drunk all the milk. When I turned back, I saw him standing at a distance with a naughty look on his face. I tried to chase him, but he ran away quickly into another house.” Another Gopi would now start her tale saying, “Your son devises a hundred ways to steal butter and curds from my house. He eats up some of it and the rest he gives to the monkeys sitting on trees. He throws stones and breaks the pots which are kept high. Another Gopi would say, “I was careful and Krishna could not find anything to eat in my home. So he pinched my sleeping child. It began to cry. Laughing merrily Krishna ran away.”
Yet another complained, “I kept the milk and curd high on a swing hanging from the ceiling. Krishna and Balarama came there, piled up various planks. Above them they placed the tripod I use for churning the butter. On that Balarama climbed then Krishna climbed on the back of Balarama. All the butter was swallowed. Just then I entered the room and caught hold of Krishna. But he was unworried. And what a look he had! Silently he said as it were, ‘I am the owner of this house and you are the thief.’
“The anther Gopi said I had just washed my house”, ‘Krishna came and asked for butter. I said, ‘I have nothing to give’. Then in revenge, he brought all sorts of mud from outside, threw it all into the house and disappeared”. Each Gopi thus described her own tale of misery. But none of them was angry with Krishna rather they all enjoyed his tricks. Krishna was listening to all the tales about Himself standing in a corner with a naughty look. Yasoda turned towards him with angry eyes. At this Krishna’s eyes filled with tears and no one could see Krishna in tears! Mother Yasoda took him on her lap at once. The beautiful face of Krishna, his beautiful eyes and his cute smile always haunted the minds of the Gopis.
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