SRI Krishna and Balaram spent their childhood in Gokul but on growing up, they left Gokul and Balaram went to live with Sri Krishna in his palace.
Balaram got so engrossed in the pleasures of the palace that he took to drinking soma rasa. On one occasion he got drunk and had an overpowering urge to cool himself by taking a bath in River Yamuna. But feeling lazy and lethargic, he said to his attendants, “Why should I go to River Yamuna? The river should come here so that I can bathe in its cool waters.” His attendants whispered to each other, “Look at Balaram, he is not in his senses. He wants the river to come to him as if the river will obey his command.”
Balaram called out loudly, “Yamuna, come here. I want to take a bath.”
But the river did not come near. Instead it continued to flow on its natural course. Balaram lost his temper and called out to River Yamuna, “Come here or I’ll set you right.”
So saying, he picked up a plough and began to walk to the bank of River. He reached one end of the shore and plunged his plough into the waters. As a result, the water began to move in the direction wherever his plough struck. In his anger, he plunged the plough and dragged the river to the East. The flow of the river turned to the East, and when he ploughed in the West, the flow of the waters turned to West. At this frequent change of direction, the river began to feel dizzy.
In desperation, River Yamuna begged of Balaram to forgive her and let her flow peacefully. Balaram relented and agreed to go away. By now he had returned to his senses and the effect of somarasa had disappeared.
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