90 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

out of intense maternal affection for the calves, although they were not
their own calves. These cows had their own calves, and the calves that
were grazing beneath Govardhana Hill were larger; they were not expected
to drink milk directly from the milk bag but were satisfied with the grass.
Yet all the cows came immediately and began to lick their bodies, and the
calves also began to suck milk from the milk bags. There appeared to be a
great bondage of affection between the cows and calves.

When the cows were running down from the top of Govardhana Hill,
the men who were taking care of them tried to stop them. Elderly cows
are taken care of by the men, and the calves are taken care of by the boys;
and as far as possible, the calves are kept separate from the cows, so that
the calves do not drink all the available milk. Therefore the men who were
taking care of the cows on the top of Govardhana Hill tried to stop them,
but they failed. Baffled by their failure, they were feeling ashamed and
angry. They were very unhappy, but when they came down and saw their
children taking care of the calves, they all of a sudden became very
affectionate toward the children. It was very astonishing. Although the
men came down disappointed, baffled and angry, as soon as they saw their
own children, their hearts melted with great affection. At once their anger,
dissatisfaction and unhappiness disappeared. They began to show paternal
love for the children, and with great affection they lifted them in their
arms and embraced them. They began to smell their children’s heads and
enjoy their company with great happiness. After embracing their children,
the men again took the cows back to the top of Govardhana Hill. Along
the way they began to think of their children, and affectionate tears fell
from their eyes.

When Balarama saw this extraordinary exchange of affection between
the cows and their calves and between the fathers and their children—when
neither the calves nor the children needed so much care—He began to
wonder why this extraordinary thing happened. He was astonished to see
all the residents of Vrndavana so affectionate for their own children,
exactly as they had been for Krsna. Similarly, the cows had grown affec-
tionate for their calves—as much as for Krsna. Balarama therefore con-
cluded that the extraordinary show of affection was something mystical,
either performed by the demigods or by some powerful man. Otherwise,
how could this wonderful change take place? He concluded that this mys-
tical change must have been caused by Krsna, whom Balarama considered
His worshipable Personality of Godhead. He thought, “It was arranged by
Krsna, and even I could not check its mystic power.” Thus Balarama
understood that all those boys and calves were only expansions of Krsna.
