Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
On the western bank of Yaśodā-kuṇḍa is a place where Kṛṣṇa performed childhood pastimes with His friends. Here, the brothers Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva became so absorbed in Their childhood games that They even forgot to come home to eat. Yaśodā-maiyā first sent Rohiṇī to get Them, but as Rohiṇī approached, Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva ran away, frustrating her attempts to catch Them. Yaśodā then went herself. She would employ various tricks and, with great difficulty, bring Them home where she bathed and fed Them. Sometimes she told Them about a hāūa, or hobgoblin, and filled Them with fear. She would then catch Kṛṣṇa in her arms and bring Him home. Once, Kṛṣṇa insisted on seeing the hāūa, “Maiyā, I want to see the hāūa.” The following Brajabhāṣā poem tells this delightful pastime:
haṁskar pūcht kānh maiyā yah kinai paṭhāye haiṅ
Even today, the stone figures of the hāūa here are a reminder of this sweet childhood pastime.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
These stone images represent monsters similar to the fearful Rurus that roam about in the after-life, punishing the sinners. Yashoda Mayi would sometimes try to frighten Krishna and Balarama when They were being naughty, or were not coming to take Their meals, by saying that the Hau Balau, with its very sharp teeth, was coming to eat Them. The boys would immediately come running to Their mother as soon as They heard any mention of the Hau Balau monsters.
