183 
GOKUL. 
Upon the east bank of the river Jumna, about fifteen 
miles below the city and cantonment of Muttra, stands 
a small town named Gokul, esteemed peculiarly 
sacred among the pious Hindoos, in consequence of 
its having been a favorite resort of the god Krishna 
while he was on earth. Krishna was born at Bin- 
drabund, which is about as far above Muttra as 
Gokul is below it ; and these three places were fortu- 
nate enough to enjoy the presence of the god during 
the greater part of his sojourn among men, which 
occurred about 1300 years before Christ. Here the 
solemn Brahmin points out a spot where the deity 
played a tune upon his flute which gave life to the 
stones and trees around him;* here he shows the 
worn and polished root of a tree where the god was 
wont to seat himself while singing songs of love to 
the wood-nymphs and the milk-maids ; here a patch 
* Krishna is the Apollo of the Hindoos. 
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