felled! This is the boy who trampled and danced on the serpent Kálíya; who upheld the mountain Govarddhana for seven nights; who killed, as if in play, the iniquitous Arisht́a, Dhenuka, and Keśin! This whom we see is Achyuta! This is he who has been foretold by the wise, skilled in the sense of the Puráńas, as Gopála, who shall exalt the depressed Yádava race! This is a portion of the all-existing, all-generating Vishńu, descended upon earth, who will assuredly lighten her load!" Thus did the citizens describe Ráma and Krishńa, as soon as they appeared; whilst the breast of Devakí glowed with maternal affection; and Vasudeva, forgetting his infirmities, felt himself young again, on beholding the countenances of his sons as a season of rejoicing. The women of the palace, and the wives of the citizens, wide opened their eyes, and gazed intently upon Krishńa. "Look, friends," said they to their companions; "look at the face of Krishńa; his eyes are reddened by his conflict with the elephant, and the drops of perspiration stand upon his cheeks, outvieing a full blown lotus in autumn, studded with glittering dew. Avail yourself now of the faculty of vision. Observe his breast, the seat of splendour, marked with the mystic sign; and his arms, menacing destruction to his foes. Do you not notice Balabhadra, dressed in a blue garment; his countenance as fair as the jasmine, as the moon, as the fibres of the lotus stem? See how he gently smiles at the gestures of Musht́ika and Cháńúra, as they spring up. And now behold Hari advance to encounter Cháńúra. What! are there no elders, judges of the field? How can the delicate form of Hari, only yet in the dawn of adolescence, be regarded as a match for the vast and adamantine bulk of the great demon? Two youths, of light and elegant persons, are in the arena, to oppose athletic fiends, headed by the cruel Cháńúra. This is a great sin in the judges of the games, for the umpires to suffer a contest between boys and strong men."

As thus the women of the city conversed with one another, Hari, having tightened his girdle, danced in the ring, shaking the ground on which he trod. Balabhadra also danced, slapping his arms in defiance. Where the ground was firm, the invincible Krishńa contended foot to foot with Cháńúra. The practised demon Musht́ika was opposed by