Bhandirvan is also the place which witnessed various playful games amongst Krishna and His cowherd boyfriends. Once while playing hide and seek, the cowherd boys had divided themselves into two teams and it was decided that the loosing team members would have to carry the winners on their backs. That day one of Kamsa’s evil associates, Pralambhasura entered their company with the plan of killing Krishna Balaram, in the disguise of a cowherd boy. Balaramji’s team turned out victorious. Having lost, Krishna carried Shridama while Pralambhasura was carrying Balaramji. Pralambhasura, running very fast, carried Balaramji to a distant place so as to tackle Him while He is all alone. However Balaramji became so heavy that he could no longer maintain his calmouflage and assumed his gigantic demoniac form. Balaramji promptly struck the demon’s head with His fist making his skull split apart and the demon immediately fell dead.
Giving deeper insight into this pastime, Radhanath Swami sitting under Bhandirvata tree during one of his yatras, said that Pralambasura represents the dangerous demon of the inclination to enjoy the opposite sex and the inclination to enjoy profit, adoration and distinction. These desires to enjoy gross and subtle sex appear like our friend just as Pralambasura appeared as Krishna’s dear intimate lifelong friend. These desires promise us happiness, fun, excitement and fulfillment like a friend. But they cheat us. They ultimately kill the inclination for spiritual life and for Krishna consciousness from within our hearts. They kill the inclination to selflessly serve others and to serve God and ultimately make us selfishly motivated. So we must be very careful against them.
On another occasion while Krishna Balaram were herding calves in Bhandirvan, a demon named Vatsasura disguised himself as a calf and started grazing with the other calves as if naive. Krishna understanding the evil intentions of Vatsasura, very softly came behind him, grabbed his hind legs and started whirling him around above His head circle after circle after circle until Vatsasura died out of diziness. All the Gopas celebrated killing of this demon however the Gopis in their transcendental humor accused Krishna of killing a calf and said that they won’t have anything to do with Krishna until He atones for this sin. So, Krishna created a well by pushing the tip of His flute into the earth and invoked all the holy waters to enter that well. Only after taking His bath in that well was Krishna again accepted by the Gopis. This well known as Venu Kupa is still there near the Bhandirvata tree.
Radhanath Swami explains that Vatsasura represents the childish mentality by which a practicing devotee can be easily influenced because of bad association. A devotee of the Lord should be very simple; in fact he should be child like. But instead of being child like we become childish and foolishly get attracted to materialistic enjoyment because of bad association just like a child is sometimes cheated by rogues by offering some chocolates. He quoted from Bible that one should become innocent and simple like a child if one wants to enter into the kingdom of God. But at the same time one must have discrimination. This combination makes a devotee very very pleasing to Krishna.
– Radhanath Swami
