Once, as Krishna and Balarama tended their calves with their friends along the banks of the Yamuna, a demon approached, harboring murderous intent. Disguised as a calf, the fiend mingled with the herd, hoping to deceive the boys. Krishna—Hari—sat down slowly, feigning innocence, and discreetly pointed the demon out to Balarama. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, Krishna seized the demon by the hind legs and tail, whirled him around, and hurled him atop a kapittha tree. The demon’s massive body crashed down, struck by the falling fruits, and lay lifeless. The cowherd boys, astonished by Krishna’s feat, cheered, exclaiming, “Well done! Well done!” Overhead, the gods, delighted by the Lord’s victory, showered flowers from the heavens. Yet Krishna and Balarama, though protectors of all the worlds, continued to play their roles as simple cowherd boys, tending the calves and taking their morning meal as usual. On another day, each boy led his group of calves to the water’s edge. After the calves drank, the boys themselves quenched their thirst. There, by the river, they saw a towering figure before them—like a mountain peak struck down by Indra’s thunderbolt. This was Baka, a mighty demon who had assumed the form of a monstrous crane. Suddenly, Baka lunged forward, seizing Krishna in his sharp beak and swallowing him whole. Seeing their beloved Krishna swallowed, Balarama and the other boys were stunned and bereft, like senses suddenly deprived of life. But Krishna, the son of the cowherd and teacher of the world, burned the root of Baka’s palate with a fire-like energy. Overwhelmed by pain, Baka spat Krishna out and, enraged, attacked again, aiming to kill with his beak. As Baka rushed upon him, Krishna—friend of the virtuous and even of Kamsa—caught the demon’s beak in his arms. Effortlessly, before the watching boys, he tore Baka apart as easily as a hero among the gods, filling the boys with joy. From the heavens, the gods showered Krishna with Nandana flowers and jasmine, and praised him with drums, conches, and hymns, while the sons of the cowherds looked on in amazement. When Krishna emerged from Baka’s deadly mouth, the boys, led by Balarama, felt as if life had returned to their very senses. They embraced Krishna with immense relief, gathered their calves, and joyfully returned to Vraja, singing of his wondrous feat. Hearing the tale, the cowherds and their wives gazed at Krishna with eyes full of wonder and deep affection, as if he had returned from the dead. They lamented, “Alas, how many dangers this boy has faced! Perhaps some misdeed of ours in the past has brought these fears upon us.” Yet they marveled that, though such terrifying beings came with intent to kill him, they perished like moths in a flame, unable to harm him. They recalled, “Indeed, the words of the knowers of Brahman are never false; just as sage Garga declared, so it has come to pass.” Thus, Nanda and the other cowherds, delighting in tales of Krishna and Balarama, passed their days in joy, untouched by worldly suffering. In this way, through playful games of hiding, building dams, and leaping about like monkeys, Krishna and Balarama spent their boyhood in Vraja. At this point, Shaunaka addressed Sūta: “By the power of Ashvatthama’s Brahmashirsha weapon, Uttara’s unborn child was struck down, yet by the Lord’s grace, he was restored to life. We wish to hear about his birth, his deeds as a great soul, and the manner of his passing, as well as where he went after death. If you deem it proper, please tell us, for we are eager listeners to whom Shuka imparted this wisdom.” Sūta replied: King Yudhishthira, like a loving father, delighted his subjects, his heart unattached to worldly desires through his devoted service at Krishna’s feet. He possessed immense wealth, performed great sacrifices, ruled vast realms, had noble queens and brothers, and his fame reached even the heavens. O twice-born, what value are the desires coveted by the gods to one whose mind is fixed on Mukunda? Just as ordinary things bring joy to a hungry king, so did these bring delight to Yudhishthira. O descendant of Bhrigu, while still in his mother’s womb, the heroic child beheld a wondrous Person as he was being scorched by the power of a deadly weapon. The child saw an immaculate form, the size of a thumb, radiant, crowned with a golden diadem, dark in complexion, wondrous to behold, clad in yellow garments—the infallible Lord himself. With four long arms, blazing golden earrings, blood-red eyes, and holding a mace, this resplendent figure circled the child in every direction, whirling the mace like a blazing meteor. With his own mace, the Lord dispelled the weapon’s fiery energy, just as the lord of cows disperses the mist. The child watched in wonder, thinking, “Who is this?” When the danger had been removed, the immeasurable Lord, protector of righteousness and all-pervading, vanished from the child’s sight at the end of ten months. Thereafter, when all auspicious qualities had arisen and the planets were favorable, the scion of the Pāṇḍu line was born anew, endowed with the strength of Pāṇḍu himself. King Yudhishthira, his mind overflowing with joy, summoned the Brahmins—Dhaumya, Kṛpa, and others—to cast the child’s birth chart and to perform all auspicious rites. The king, well-versed in sacred duties, gave gold, cows, land, villages, elephants, horses, and excellent food to the Brahmins at the holy site of birth. Satisfied, the Brahmins spoke to the humble king: “O foremost of the Puru dynasty, in your line, this child is the one. By the irresistible will of fate, as the white hair ascends to its end, he has been sent for your blessing by Viṣṇu, the all-powerful Lord. Therefore, he will be known throughout the world as Viṣṇurāta—protected by Viṣṇu. There is no doubt; he will be a great devotee, a great soul.” Yudhishthira then asked, “Will this child follow the virtuous path of the royal sages of our line—the illustrious and noble ones, praised by the wise and good?” The Brahmins replied, “O son of Pṛthā, he will be a true protector of the people, like Ikṣvāku among men, devoted to Brahmins and truthful like Rāma, son of Daśaratha. He will be generous and a refuge to all, like Śibi of the Auśīnara line; he will spread the fame of his kin, like Duṣyanta’s son among sacrificers. He will be foremost among archers, equal to both Arjunas, unassailable like fire, and as difficult to cross as the ocean.