Night settled over the cowherds' new resting place. Nanda was with his family and neighbors. After their journey everyone sought rest. Some lay beside the carts with their children. Others settled close to friends. Yashoda held little Krishna in her lap. His play for the day had become sleep. Peaceful moonlight rested over Vrindavan. A fresh breeze carried the forest's fragrance. The whole cowherd community quietly fell asleep.
After some time Vishvakarma arrived. He was the celestial master of builders. His arrival did not wake the community. Many skilled helpers came with him. They carried materials and tools for their work. Among them were attendants from Kubera's realm. Some brought precious stones. Others carried iron implements. Their hands were ready to create. At the heart of the work was remembrance of Krishna.
Vishvakarma looked at what had been entrusted to them. Rubies and emeralds shone among the materials. There were crystal and jeweled ornaments. Vessels, mirrors and decorative pitchers were carried in. Their brilliance was not intended only for admiration. It would become places in which people could live. The master remembered the Lord before beginning. Then the work spread across the quiet landscape. Some prepared foundations, others parts of buildings. In the account the town grew with wondrous ease.
Walls and thresholds rose from stone. Doors found their places between pillars. Steps connected courtyards with homes. Flower ornaments made the buildings beautiful. Light reflected from crystal surfaces. Festive ornamental pitchers crowned the houses. Passages opened throughout the settlement. Everything belonged to a harmonious whole. The small details were not forgotten. A home had to welcome daily life.
Vishvakarma also attended to the inner spaces. He was not raising outside facades alone. Courtyards waited for footsteps and voices. Doors were fitted so they could open. A threshold already promised a return home. Adorned pillars supported the rooms. Steps awaited small children's feet. There was room for beauty and usefulness together. The settlement gained a clear shape of its own. Its future residents were still asleep.
Homes were prepared for the cowherd families. Nanda and Vrishabhanu received places of their own. Their households would live within that beauty. But the building did not end with a few principal homes. The entire community was included in the gift. Name signs connected the houses with their residents. Every home waited for someone to call it their own. A place for rasa was also prepared in the forest. Future songs gained an open grove of their own. Stone and flower together created hospitality.
The moon continued to light the night. Mothers watched over their children's sleep. The cowherds still did not know what was happening. Vishvakarma was finishing his entrusted task. In the account the building served the divine will. It was not work through which the master sought applause. When dawn approached, he departed. His helpers did not remain to display themselves either. Behind them they left a settlement ready for life. The first morning glances would discover it.
Vraja's people awoke one by one. Beautiful new buildings stood around them. Their overnight resting place appeared transformed. People began looking from one side to another. They wondered how it could have happened. Who had prepared these homes during the night? Surprise turned into wonder. They recalled what they had heard about Krishna. His presence exceeded what they could explain. The landscape seemed both familiar and entirely new.
Nanda began walking through the settlement. He examined its places and the signs on its homes. He assigned the prepared houses to the families. Wonder thus became accommodation and care. People entered with those closest to them. Vrishabhanu moved in with his household. Nanda also received his new home. Human voices sounded across the thresholds again. Children began exploring the courtyards. The gifted beauty became a living neighborhood.
Krishna and Balarama were among their friends again. The new spaces became places for their games. Steps and courtyards gained an everyday meaning. What had shone quietly at night filled with morning laughter. Families could rest within their homes. Nanda saw the residents happy and settled. Vishvakarma was no longer before their eyes. But his service surrounded them on every side. The night's work had made their new day beautiful. Vrindavan had become a home where love could live.