PLATE SIX
“O Lord,” Queen Kuntī prayed, “no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and so are misleading.” Kuntī knew that although Kṛṣṇa sometimes plays like an ordinary human being, in fact He is not ordinary, and whenever necessary He displays the powers of God. When sixteen thousand princesses were kidnapped by the demon Bhaumāsura, they prayed to Kṛṣṇa for deliverance, and in response the Lord went to the demon’s fortified city to do battle with him. After smashing the fortifications Kṛṣṇa encountered and defeated a fierce five-headed demon named Mura. Finally, the Lord beheaded Bhaumāsura and released the frightened princesses. But according to the strict Vedic system, if an unmarried woman leaves her home even for one night, no one will marry her. Therefore when Kṛṣṇa told the princesses, “Now you can safely return to your fathers’ homes,” they declined.
“O Lord,” they replied, “if we return to our fathers’ homes, what will be our fate? No one will marry us.”
“Then what do you want?” Kṛṣṇa asked.
“We want You to become our husband.”
And out of His boundless mercy, Kṛṣṇa immediately accepted them. ( pp.  79–85)