Parenthood 351

Sometimes He tries to walk, taking step by step, and sometimes He
talks very sweetly, in broken language. These were some of the symp-
toms of His middle kaumara age. He is thus described when Mother
Yasoda once saw Him in His middle kaumara age: His scattered hairs
were touching His eyebrows, and His eyes were restless, but He could
not express His feelings with proper words; still, when He was talking,
it was so nice and sweet to hear. When Mother Yasgoda looked at His
little ears and saw Him naked, trying to run very quickly with His
little legs, she was merged into the ocean of nectar. Krsna’s ornaments
at this age are a pearl hanging from the septum of His nose, butter on
His lotus-like palms and some small bells hanging from His waist. It is
stated that when Mother Yasoda saw that the child was moving, ring-
ing the bells on His waist, smiling at her with a pearl between His
nostrils and with butter on His hands, she became wonderfully
pleased to see her little child in that fashion.

While Krsna was in the middle of His kaumara age, His waist be-
came thinner, His chest became broader, and His head was decorated
with His curly hairs, resembling the falling of the wings of a crow.
These wonderful features of Krsna’s body never failed to astonish
Mother Yasoda. At the end of His kaumara age, Krsna carried a small
stick in His hand, His clothing was a little longer, and He had a knot
around His waist, resembling the hood of a snake. In that dress He
used to take care of the calves near the house, and sometimes He
played with cowherd boys of about the same age. He had a slender
flute and a buffalo horn bugle, and sometimes He played on a flute
made from the leaves of trees. These are some of the symptoms of the
end of Krsna’s kaumara age.

When Krsna was a little grown up and was taking care of the small
calves, He would often go near the forest. And when He was a little
bit late returning home, Nanda Maharaj would immediately get up on
the candrasalikd (a small shed built on the roof for getting a bird’s
eye view all around),and he would watch for Him. Worrying about
the late arrival of his little son, Nanda Maharaj would remain on the
candrasalika until he could indicate to his wife that Krsna, sur-
rounded by His little cowherd friends, was coming back with the
calves. Nanda Maharaj would point out the peacock feather on his
