The below story around Krishna creates copies of himself and the gopas and cows is an excerpt from Bhagavatam - Tenth Skandha , Chapter 13 - Brahma Stealing Boys & calves
Suka Deva Continued...
‘ O King ! after
killing Aghasura and rescuing cowherd boys and the calves , Krishna led the
Gopas to the banks of the river Yamuna . In order to get over the excitement of
Aghasura's death , Krishna told them that they should all relax on the banks of
the river Yamuna. The boys first ensured that the calves drank water on the
banks and let off the calves to graze in the fields on their own . They then
sat down in a circle with Krishna to enjoy their own lunch. With the flute
stuck between waist cloth and abdomen , with staff in the left hand and the
ball of curd rice in his palm , sitting in the middle of his own friends ,
making them laugh with his jokes, Krishna made the celestials look on with
wonder at the fortunate Gopas.
While eating the
lunch the boys suddenly noticed that the calves have moved farther away and
wanted to go and bring back the calves .
Krishna stopped them
saying that he will go and get them , and left immediately carrying the morsel
of food he is having in his hand . Krishna looked every where in the mountains
, caves and bushes for the calves of his friends . At this time Lord Brahma ,
born out of Lotus , and also greatly astonished at the killing of Aghasura ,
got involved in the affair of the boys . Wanting to see the other glories of
the boy Krishna , Lord Brahma hid the Calves and the boys too .
After a long search ,
having not found the calves , Krishna came back to the banks of Yamuna where he
left his friends. To his surprise he found that even the boys have disappeared.
Krishna immediately
realized this as the act of Lord Brahma .
Krishna then set out
to teach Brahma a lesson on the limitation of his powers .He also needed to
ensure that the parents of Gopas and the calves too are not deprived of their
pleasures . There after Krishna in order create pleasure for the mothers of the
boys and also teach Brahma, manifested himself in the form of all the boys with
their bugles , flutes , sticks and bags as well as their other characteristics
, habits and physical form along with the ornaments they were wearing ,
matching them in all respects. He also manifested himself in the form of the
calves too . Enjoying himself in the form of the boys and calves , Krishna came
back to Vrindavan with all the entourage consisting of himself in the form of
the all the boys and all the calves. Being in the form of every boy and the
calf , he led each one to their respective household. The mothers alerted by
the sounds of arrival of the Gopas and the calves , left their household chores
to welcome back their sons. Not knowing that they were actually bathing ,
feeding the Supreme Lord himself , the mothers were lost in their own love for
their own children. The cows were feeding the calves which were none other than
the supreme being himself . All the Gopis had motherly affection for Krishna ,
and loved Krishna even more than they loved their own children , enchanted by
his child hood pranks . Now unknowingly they were showering all their love on
the real Krishna thinking that the one in their lap is indeed their own son.
Indeed it is part of the divine mystery that the all mothers and even the cows
were fortunate enough to feed the Supreme Lord himself so easily while lot of
others do penance for ages to achieve the nearness enjoyed by the Gopas and
Gopis .
One day Balaram and
Krishna moved to the forest with the calves . The cows which were also nearby
saw the calves and rushed to them to feed . The elderly cowherds soon followed
the cows unable to control their rush towards the calves . After reaching the
place where the cows came to feed the calves , the elderly Gopas saw their own
children and immediately their irritation disappeared and they took their
children in their hands embracing them with pleasure. Balaram who was seeing
all this wondered at the increased love and affection between the parents and
the boys as also the cows and calves . Having known the love of all in
Vrindavan towards Krishna , he felt all of this is indeed Maya of Krishna
himself.
Krishna continued
this play in Vrindavan and the forest for one full year.
When Lord Brahma
returned , after a moment in his time, it is an year in time in this world .
Then he saw Krishna playing with the cowherd boys and the tending the calves as
before . He was wonderstruck . He was unable to decide who was real , the Gopas
hidden by him or the Gopas playing with Krishna on the banks of Yamuna . Unable
to fathom the secret of the calves with Krishna and calves hidden by him , Lord
Brahma realized the mystic powers of the Supreme Lord Vishnu who manifested
himself as Krishna. Even as he was looking on, it appeared as through each of
those boys were having four arms wearing the traditional yellow cloth and
resembling The Lord himself . Even the calves seem to appear as the form of
Lord himself . Then like a person whose eleven senses have been jolted by a
reality , Lord Brahma became silent . Krishna seeing this predicament , removed
the Maya , and Lord Brahma was able to see the universe and himself . He could
see Vrindavan as the abode of the Lord . He saw Krishna with a morsel of food
in his hand searching for calves . He immediately came down and fell the feet
of Krishna ,the Supreme Lord , with tears of joy reflecting the supreme realization.
Source: from internet
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