Lord Balarama Slays the Demon Pralamba
1. While Krsna and Balarama were enjoying life in Vrndavana in the guise of ordinary cowherd boys, the summer season gradually appeared. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally staying in Vrndavana along with Balarama, summer manifested the qualities of spring.
2. Intending to engage in pastimes, Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accompanied by Lord Balarama and surrounded by the cowherd boys and the cows, entered the forest of Vrndavana as He played His flute.
3. Decorating themselves with newly grown leaves, along with peacock feathers, garlands, clusters of flower buds, and colored minerals, Balarama, Krsna and Their cowherd friends danced, wrestled and sang.
4. As Krsna danced, some of the boys accompanied Him by singing, and others by playing flutes, hand cymbals and buffalo horns, while still others praised His dancing.
5. Demigods disguised themselves as members of the cowherd community and, just as dramatic dancers praise another dancer, worshiped Krsna and Balarama, who were also appearing as cowherd boys.
6. Krsna and Balarama played with their cowherd boyfriends by whirling about, leaping, hurling, slapping and fighting. Sometimes Krsna and Balarama would pull the hair on the boys’ heads.
7. While the other boys were dancing, Krsna and Balarama would sometimes accompany them with song and instrumental music, and sometimes the two Lords would praise the boys, saying, “Very good! Very good!”
8. Sometimes the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and sometimes with handfuls of amalaka fruits. At other times they would play the games of trying to touch one another or of trying to identify somebody while one is blindfolded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and birds.
9. They would sometimes jump around like frogs, sometimes play various jokes, sometimes ride in swings and sometimes imitate monarchs.
10. In this way Krsna and Balarama played all sorts of well-known games as They wandered among the rivers, hills, valleys, bushes, trees and lakes of Vrndavana.
11. While Rama, Krsna and Their cowherd friends were thus tending the cows in that Vrndavana forest, the demon Pralamba entered their midst. He had assumed the form of a cowherd boy with the intention of kidnapping Krsna and Balarama.
12. Since the Supreme Lord Krsna sees everything, He understood who the demon was. Still, the Lord pretended to accept the demon as a friend, while at the same time seriously considering how to kill him.
13. Krsna, who knows all sports and games, then called together the cowherd boys and spoke as follows: “Hey cowherd boys! Let’s play now! We’ll divide ourselves into two even teams.”
14. The cowherd boys chose Krsna and Balarama as the leaders of the two parties. Some of the boys were on Krsna’s side, and others joined Balarama.
15. The boys played various games involving carriers and passengers. In these games the winners would climb up on the backs of the losers, who would have to carry them.
16. Thus carrying and being carried by one another, and at the same time tending the cows, the boys followed Krsna to a banyan tree known as Bhandiraka.
17. When Sridama, Vrsabha and the other members of Lord Balarama’s party were victorious in these games, Krsna and His followers had to carry them.
18. Defeated, the Supreme Lord Krsna carried Sridama. Bhadrasena carried Vrsabha, and Pralamba carried Balarama, the son of Rohini.
19. Considering Lord Krsna invincible, that foremost demon [Pralamba] quickly carried Balarama far beyond the spot where he was supposed to put his passenger down.
20. As the great demon carried Balarama, the Lord became as heavy as massive Mount Sumeru, and Pralamba had to slow down. He then resumed his actual form—an effulgent body that was covered with golden ornaments and that resembled a cloud flashing with lightning and carrying the moon.
21. When Lord Balarama, who carries the plow weapon, saw the gigantic body of the demon as he moved swiftly in the sky—with his blazing eyes, fiery hair, terrible teeth reaching toward his scowling brows, and an amazing effulgence generated by his armlets, crown and earrings—the Lord seemed to become a little frightened.
22. Remembering the actual situation, the fearless Balarama understood that the demon was trying to kidnap Him and take Him away from His companions. The Lord then became furious and struck the demon’s head with His hard fist, just as Indra, the king of the demigods, strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt weapon.
23. Thus smashed by Balarama’s fist, Pralamba’s head immediately cracked open. The demon vomited blood from his mouth and lost all consciousness, and then with a great noise he fell lifeless on the ground, like a mountain devastated by Indra.
24. The cowherd boys were most astonished to see how the powerful Balarama had killed the demon Pralamba, and they exclaimed, “Excellent! Excellent!”
25. They offered Balarama profuse benedictions and then glorified Him, who deserves all glorification. Their minds overwhelmed with ecstatic love, they embraced Him as if He had come back from the dead.
26. The sinful Pralamba having been killed, the demigods felt extremely happy, and they showered flower garlands upon Lord Balarama and praised the excellence of His deed.
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