Page 61 - Shri Venkateswara Book

The cowherd man pretended to take his daily nap.
However, he kept one eye slightly open to observe
the cow. When the cow thought the cowherd was
dosing off to sleep, she quickly walked toward to
anthill and stood over it as milk dripped from her
udder into the hole. Seeing this, the cowherd man
understood why the cow’s udder was empty every
day. He became enraged. Due to his anger, he
impetuously picked up an axe and hurled it toward
the neck of the cow. Srinivasa popped up from the
anthill hole and took the blow of the axe on His
forehead to protect the cow from injury. The Lord
seemed to be injured by the axe. His forehead was
bloodied. When the cowherd man saw the beautiful
Lord bleeding profusely, he fainted.

The king was informed of the tragedy. He came
immediately to see for himself. On first sight,
he thought the victim was dead because of the
large amount of blood everywhere. The king was
prepared to severely punish the cowherd man.
While closely looking at the injured man, he was
enchanted by Srinivasa’s attractive features. The king
became convinced that the victim was a heavenly
being. “What has happened,” asked the king.
Srinivasa described how He blocked the axe from

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Venkateshwara Book.indd 60
Venkateshwara Book.indd 60 28/04/2024 05:13:55