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Dasakam: 50 -- Killing of Vatsasura and Bakasura
After reaching Vrndavana, where everyone lives eternally, very peacefully and happily, they encircled Vrndavana and kept the carts all together. After seeing the beautiful appearance of Govardhana on the bank of the river Yamuna, they began to construct their places of residence. While those of the same age were walking together and children were talking with their parents, the inhabitants of Vrndavana felt very happy.
At this time Krishna and Balarama were given charge of the calves. The first responsibility of the cowherd boys was to take care of the little calves. The boys are trained in this from the very beginning of their childhood. So along with other little cowherd boys, Krishna and Balarama went into the pasturing ground and took charge of the calves and played with Their playmates. While taking charge of the calves, sometimes the two brothers played on Their flutes. And sometimes They played with amalaki fruits and bael fruits, just like small children play with balls. Sometimes They danced and made tinkling sounds with Their ankle bells. Sometimes They made Themselves into bulls and cows by covering Themselves with blankets. Thus Krishna and Balarama played. The two brothers also used to imitate the sounds of bulls and cows and play at bullfighting. Sometimes They used to imitate the sounds of various animals and birds. In this way, They enjoyed Their childhood pastimes apparently like ordinary, mundane children.
Once, when Krishna and Balarama were playing on the bank of the Yamuna, with other cowherd boys and tending the calves on the bank of the Yamuna. a demon of the name Vatsasura assumed the shape of a calf and came there intending to kill the brothers. An Asura assumed the form of a calf and got mixed among the herd. He had the evil intention of killing Krishna and Balarama.
Krishna discovered the Asura in the form of a calf in the midst of his calves and pointed him out to Balarama. Then He silently approached the demon. He caught him by the hind legs and tail and whirled him round and round his head and struck him against a tree. The Asura died. The cowherd boys praised Sri Krishna and shouted, "Well done, well done." The Devas showered flowers on Sri Krishna.
Krishna was playing with his friends as usual under the trees. Some of them felt thirsty and went to the river to drink water. Asura in the form of a Baka (crane), who was a friend of Kamsa. They saw the huge bird sitting there and told Krishna about it. Krishna at once became suspicious. He knew that an ordinary bird cannot be that big. They all then went to see the giant bird. It was really a huge bird they had ever seen. It was as tall as a tree and its long and sharp beak was a few meters long. It looked that it was sleeping on its one leg.
Krishna asked his friends to hide behind the trees and then before the others could stop him, then ran towards the bird. The bird did not moved towards it. Suddenly it opened its one eye and grabbed Krishna on its beak. But Krishna made his body so hot that the bird was forced to drop him. The bird then attacked Krishna with its razor like beak. All the cowherds were shouting "Krishna, Krishna!". Some of them even fainted out of fear.
Krishna then caught hold of the giant bird by its beak. The bird tried to flap its wings and break free. But Krishna held him like an iron grip. Bakasura had met his match. Krishna then forcibly opened and pulled apart Bakasura’s beak. He placed his one foot on the lower beak and then tore him apart by the other beak. The atmosphere filled with the scream as Bakasura fell on earth. All the gods who were watching this fight from the heavens were very happy at Bakasura’s death and they showered flowers on Krishna. From the sky, The gods then assembling in the skies showered heaps of flowers on Thy head, Accompanying the showers of flowers was a vibration of bugles, drums and conchshells.
The cowherd children asked Krishna as to from where the extremely fragrant heap of flowers were falling on the top of Thy head. Lord Krishna jokingly told them that when the Asura was thrown , the flowers blooming on the clusters of the trees rose up and indeed those flowers were coming down slowly now.In the meanwhile, BalaRam had received the cowherds and they all surrounded Krishna. By now others too rushed to see what had happened. They were too surprised by the loud scream. They could not believe to what they saw and were all praises for Krishna. They talked about his courage and strength. Repeatedly all of them described Krishna’s feat to the others in the Village.