Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/555

 V..] > BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. — 519 jackal passed through the waters, showing that here there was a ford across the river and Vasudeva followed the steps of the jackal, and found land -again under his feet. He crossed the Jumng and meanwhile the thousand-headed snake, Vasuki, raised his hoods aloft and protected the father and the child. Vasudeva went to Vrindgvana where, according to the prophecy he had heard that night, a child was born to Nanda Ghosa, the prince of the gopas, or milkmen, who inhabited the district. In obedience to the prophecy he passed into the birth- room the doors having yielded to his touch, placed his baby by the side of the sleeping Yacoda, queen of Nanda Ghosa, and taking her baby with him, return- ed tothe prison. In the morning Kamsa heard of the birth of Daivaki’s eighth child and found to _ his surprise that it was a girl. He however, took the little thing into his hands and tried to dash its brains out against the stones. But this baby was an incarnation of the goddess Bhagabati. Just as he was throwing her against the stones she slipped from his hand and assuming her own appearance as a goddess rose to the sky, saying: ‘One who will kill you is growing up in Vrindavana.’ The goddess disappeared and Kamsa had no sleep by day or night. He constantly thought who this Katmsakills every new- child might be, till he saw appartions of his des- porn child troyer even in trees and walls, and sent emissaries throughout the land to kill every little child that was born. The groan of mothers rose to the sky ; the earth trembled to her centre and black winds began to blow all over the country. Then some one said to him that little Krisna, his future destroyer, was growing up in the house