It was the eleventh day of the month of Karttik. Krishna’s father, Nanda, was on a full-day fast. He stayed awake the whole night. It was a cloudy and moonlit night. So, he could not make any estimation about the time. It was night but Nanda thought that it was early morning. So, he started taking a sacred bath in river Yamuna. During that time, a servant of Varuna, the lord of water, was swimming in the river. He held Nanda and carried him to Varuna’s palace. When Nanda did not come out of water for a long time, the gopas thought that he had been drowned in water. They started screaming. Hearing their scream, Krishna came running and jumped into river Yamuna. He reached Varuna’s palace deep inside water. As soon as Varuna saw Krishna, he recognised that he was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He fell on his knees and apologised for capturing Nanda. Krishna forgave him. He took his father and swam to the Yamuna where the gopas were waiting. They both moved out of the river. The gopas were very happy to see their leader alive. They thanked Krishna for saving Nanda’s life and appreciated him for his bravery.
KRISHNA SAVES HIS FATHER
