30 Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge

man was anxious not to offend the Deity. However,
despite the youth’s pleas, the old man insisted on the
marriage. After staying in Vrndavana for some time,
they finally returned home, and the old man in-
formed his eldest son that his young sister was to be
married to the poor brahmana youth. The eldest son
became very angry. “Oh, how have you selected
that pauper as husband for my sister? This cannot
be.”

The old man’s wife also came to him and said,
“If you marry our daughter to that boy, I shall
commit suicide.”

The old man was thus perplexed. After some time,
the brahmana youth became very anxious. “He has
promised to marry his daughter to me, and he made
that promise before the Deity. Now he is not coming
to fulfill it.” He then went to see the old man to
remind him of his promise.

“You promised before Lord Krsna,” the youth
said, “‘and you are not fulfilling that promise. How
is that?”

The old man was silent. He began praying to
Krsna, for he was perplexed. He didn’t want to marry
his daughter to the youth and cause such great
trouble within his family. In the meantime the elder
son came out and began to accuse the brahmana
youth. “You have plundered my father in the place
of pilgrimage. You gave him some intoxicant and
took all his money, and now you are saying that he
has promised to offer you my youngest sister. You
rascal!”

In this way there was much noise, and people
began to gather. The youth could understand that
