Third Quarter (Dasakams 51–75: Krishna Leelas of Gokula & Vrindavana)

Mother Earth, tormented by demonic kings, takes refuge in Brahma. The supreme Lord announces His impending incarnation as Krishna to destroy demonic burdens.

On midnight of Ashtami Rohini, Sri Krishna is born in Kamsa’s prison. Vasudeva carries the infant across raging Yamuna and places Him beside sleeping Yashoda.

The demoness Putana attempts to kill infant Krishna with poisoned milk; baby Krishna sucks out her life breath together with the poison, granting her the state of a foster mother in Vaikuntha.

Infant Krishna kicks His tender lotus foot during play, smashing the cart-demon Sakatasura into pieces, leaving Yashoda and the gopis astonished.

The whirlwind demon Trinavarta sweeps baby Krishna into the storm clouds; Krishna makes Himself heavy as a mountain, chokes the demon, and crashes him down.

Sage Garga secretly performs the naming ceremony in Nanda’s cowshed. Krishna crawls through Gokula’s courtyards with tinkling anklets, delighting the gopis.

Accused of eating mud, little Krishna opens His tiny mouth: Yashoda gazes inside and reels back, seeing the entire cosmic universe, oceans, and galaxies spinning within.

Yashoda tries to tie butter-thief Krishna to a wooden mortar; every rope falls two fingers short until, moved by her loving exhaustion, the infinite Lord allows Himself to be bound.

Crawling while dragging the mortar between two giant Yamalarjuna trees, Krishna topples them, liberating Kubera’s sons from Narada’s ancient curse.

The cowherds relocate to enchanting Vrindavana by the Govardhana hill. Young Krishna slays calf-demon Vatsa and tears apart the monstrous beak of crane-demon Baka.

The giant python Aghasura swallows the cowherd boys; Krishna enters his throat, expands His body until the serpent bursts, liberating his soul into divine effulgence.

Brahma tests Krishna by hiding the cowherd boys; Krishna multiplies Himself into every single boy and calf for an entire year until stunned Brahma falls at His feet in tears.

To protect the cowherds and cattle from Indra’s torrential deluge, young Sri Krishna lifts the massive Govardhana mountain on the pinky finger of His left hand like a child’s toy umbrella.

A repentant Indra and holy cow Kamadhenu crown Krishna as "Govinda". Later, Krishna travels to Varuna’s realm to retrieve Nanda, who was mistakenly held while bathing.

Krishna takes the clothes of the bathing gopis atop a Kadamba tree, fulfilling their Katyayani vow and demanding total, unreserved surrender of body and mind to the Divine.

Ritualistic Vedic priests refuse food to hungry Krishna, but their devout wives rush into the woods with feast platters, receiving the Lord’s supreme embrace and blessing.

Under the autumn moonlight, Sri Krishna pours celestial nectar into His bamboo flute; rivers stand still, deer forget to graze, and all nature melts in pure bliss.

When pride touches the gopis, Krishna vanishes from their midst. In agonizing separation (Viraha), the gopis wander weeping, singing their immortal heart-song of love.

Under the autumn full moon by the Yamuna, Sri Krishna plays His divine flute, drawing the Gopis into the sublime mystic circle dance of divine union (Rasa Krida).

Krishna delivers Vidyadhara Sudarsana from a python body, slays jewel-thief demon Shankhacuda, and subdues the monstrous bull demon Arishtasura.

Krishna slays the furious horse-demon Keshi and cave-demon Vyoma. In Mathura, terrified tyrant Kamsa sends noble devotee Akrura to fetch Krishna for the wrestling arena.

Akrura reverently takes Rama and Krishna on his chariot; while bathing in Yamuna, he beholds the cosmic vision of Lord Maha-Vishnu resting upon Adisesha.

Krishna enters historic Mathura, chastises Kamsa’s proud washerman, blesses florist Sudama, and steps on crooked Kubja’s toes to straighten her into a celestial beauty.

Krishna snaps Kamsa’s iron bow, slays the rogue war-elephant Kuvalayapida at the arena gate, and strides in holding a bloody tusk over His shoulder like a lion.

Krishna crushes champion wrestler Chanura, leaps onto the dais to drag tyrant Kamsa by his locks to the earth, liberating his parents and crowning King Ugrasena.