Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto - Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead

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Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto -

Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead

 

 

1 Kamasa Sends Akrura for Krsnra

 

Vrndavana was always absorbed in the thought of Krsna. Everyone

remembered His pastimes and was constantly merged in the ocean of

transcendental bliss. But the materal world is so contaminated that

even in Vrndavana the asuras or demons tried to disturb the peaceful

situation.

One demon named Aristasura entered the village like a great bull with

a gigantic body and horns, digging up the earth with his hoofs. When

the demon entered Vrndavana, it appeared that the whole land

trembled, as if there were an earthquake. He roared fiercely, and

after digging up the earth on the riverside, he entered the village

proper. The fearful roaring of the bull was so piercing that some of

the pregnant cows and women had miscarriages. Its body was so big,

stout and strong that a cloud hovered over its body just as clouds

hover over mountains. Aristasura entered Vrndavana with such a

fearful appearance that just on seeing this great demon, all the men

and women were afflicted with great fear, and the cows and other

animals fled the village.

The situation became very terrible, and all the inhabitants of

Vrndavana began to cry, "Krsna! Krsna, please save us!" Krsna also

saw that the cows were running away, and He immediately

replied, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid." He then appeared before

Aristasura and said, "You are the lowest of living entities. Why are

you frightening the inhabitants of Gokula? What will you gain by this

action? If you have come to challenge My authority, then I am

prepared to fight you." In this way, Krsna challenged the demon, and

the demon became very angry by the words of Krsna. Krsna stood before

the bull, resting His hand on the shoulder of a friend. The bull

began to proceed towards Krsna in anger. Digging the earth with his

hoofs, Aristasura lifted his tail, and it appeared that clouds were

hovering about the tail. His eyes were reddish and moving in anger.

Pointing his horns at Krsna, he began to charge Him, just like the

thunderbolt of Indra. But Krsna immediately caught his horns and

tossed him away, just as a gigantic elephant repels a small inimical

elephant. Although the demon appeared to be very fired and although

he was perspiring, he took courage and got up. Again he charged Krsna

with great force and anger. While rushing towards Krsna, he breathed

very heavily. Krsna again caught his horns and immediately threw him

on the ground, breaking his horns. Krsna then began to kick his body,

just as one squeezes a wet cloth on the ground. Being thus kicked by

Krsna, Aristasura rolled over and began to move his legs violently.

Bleeding arid passing stool and urine, his eyes starting from their

sockets, he passed to the kingdom of death.

The demigods in the celestial planets began to shower flowers on

Krsna for His wonderful achievements. Krsna was already the life and

soul of the inhabitants of Vrndavana, and after killing this demon in

the shape of a bull, He became the cynosure of all eyes. With

Balarama, He triumphantly entered Vrndavana village, and the

inhabitants glorified Him and Balarama with great jubilation. When a

person perfrms some wonderful feat, his kinsmen and relatives and

friends naturally become jubilant.

It was after this incident that the great sage Narada disclosed the

secret of Krsna. Narada Muni is generally known as devadarsana, which

means that he can be seen only by demigods or persons on the same

level with the demigods. But Narada visited Kamsa, who was not at all

on the level of the demigods, and yet Kamsa saw him. Of course Kamsa

also saw Krsna, what to speak of Narada Muni, but generally one must

have purified eyes to see the Lord and His devotees. Of course, by

associafion with a pure devotee, one can derive an imperceptible

benefit, which is called ajnatasukrti. He cannot understand how he is

making progress, yet he makes progress by seeing the devotee of the

Lord. Narada Muni's mission was to finish things quickly. Krsna

appeared to kill the demons, and Kamsa was the chief among them.

Narada wanted to expedite things; therefore, he immediately

approached Kamsa with all the real information. "You are to be killed

by the eighth son of Vasudeva," Narada told Kamsa. "That eighth son

is Krsna. You were misled by Vasudeva into believing that the eighth

issue of Vasudeva was a daughter. Actually, the daughter was born of

Yasoda, the wife of Nanda Maharaja, and Vasudeva exchanged the

daughter, so you were misled. Krsna is the son of Vasudeva, as is

Balarama. Being afraid of your atrocious nature, Vasudeva has

tactfully hidden Them in Vrndavana, out of your sight." Narada

further informed Kamsa, "Krsna and Balarama have been living

incognito in the care of Nanda Maharaja. All the asuras, your

companions who were sent to Vrndavana to kill different children,

were all killed by Krsna and Balarama."

As soon as Kanisa got this information from Narada Muni, he took out

his sharpened sword and prepared to kill Vasudeva for his duplicity.

But Narada pacified him. "You are not to be killed by Vasudeva," he

said. "Why are you so anxious to kill him? Better try to kill Krsna

and Balarama." But in order to satisfy his wrath, Kamsa arrested

Vasudeva and his wife, and shackled them in iron chains. Acting on

the new information, Kamsa immediately called for the Kesi demon and

asked him to go to Vrndavana immediately to fetch Balarama and Krsna.

In actuality, Kamsa asked Kesi to go to Vrndavana to be killed by

Krsna and Balarama and thus get salvation. Then Kamsa called for the

expert elephant trainers, Canura, Mustika, Sala, Tosala, etc., and he

told them, "My dear friends, try to hear me attentively. At Nanda

Maharaja's place in Vrndavana there are two brothers, Krsna and

Balarama. They are actually two sons of Vasudeva. As you know, I have

been destined to be killed by Krsna; there is a prophecy to this

effect. Now I am requesting you to arrange for a wrestling match.

People from different parts of the country will come to see the

festival. I will arrange to get those two boys here, and you will try

to kill Them in the wrestling arena."

Wrestling matches are still enjoyed by the indigenous people in the

northern part of India, and it appears from the statements of Srimad-

Bhagavatam that 5,000 years ago wrestling was popular. Kamsa planned

to arrange such a wrestling competition and to invite people to

visit. He also told the trainers of the elephants, "Be sure to bring

the elephant named Kuvalayapida and keep him at the gate of the

wrestling camp. Try to capture Krsna and Balarama on Their arrival

and kill Them."

Kanisa also advised his friends to arrange to worstiip Lord Siva by

offering animal sacrifices and performing the sacrifice called Dhanur-

yajna and the saenfice performed on the fourteenth day of the moon

known as Caturdasi This date falls three days after Ekadasi and it is

set aside for the worship of Lord Siva. One of the plenary portions

of Lord Siva is called Kalabhairava. This form of Lord Siva is

worshiped by the demons who offer skinned animals before him. The

process is still current in India in a place called Vaidyanatha-dhama

where the demons offer animal sacrifices to the deity of

Kalabhairava. Kamsa belonged to this demonic group. He was also an

expert diplomat, and so he quickly arranged for his demon friends to

kill Krsna and Balarama.

He then called for Akrura, one of the descendants in the family of

Yadu in which Krsna was born as the son of Vasudeva. When Akrura came

to see Kamsa, Kamsa very politely shook hands with him and said, "My

dear Akrura, actually I've no better friend than you in the Bhoja and

Yadu dynasties. You are the most munificent person, so as a friend I

am begging charity from you. Actually I have taken shelter of you

exactly as King Indra takes shelter of Lord Visnu. I request you to

go immediately to Vrndavana and find the two boys named Krsna and

Balarama. They are sons of Nanda Maharaja. Take this nice chariot,

especially prepared for the boys, and bring Them here immediately.

That is my request to you. Now, my plan is to kill these two boys. As

soon as They come in the gate, there will be a giant elephant named

Kuvalayapida awaiting, and possibly he will be able to kill Them. But

if somehow or other They escape, They will next meet the wrestlers

and will be killed by them. That is my plan. And after killing these

two boys, I shall kill Vasudeva and Nanda, who are supporters of the

Vrsni and Bhoja dynasties. I shall also kill my father Ugrasena and

his brother Devaka, because they are actually my enemies aud are

hindrances to my diplomacy and politics. Thus I shall get rid of all

my enemies. Jarasandha is my father-in-law, and I have a great monkey

friend named Dvivida. With their help it will be easy to kill all the

kings on the surface of the world who support the demigods. This is

my plan. In this way I shall be free from all opposition, and it will

be very pleasant to rule the world without obstruction. You may know

also that Sambara, Narakasura and Banasura are my intimate friends,

and when I begin this war against the kings who support the demigods,

they will help me considerably. Surely I shall be rid of all my

enemies. Please go immediately to Vrndavana and encourage the boys to

come here to see the beauty of Mathura and take pleasure in the

wrestling competition."

After hearing this plan of Kamsa's, Akrura replied, "My dear King,

your plan is very excellently made to counteract the hindrances to

your diplomatic activities. But you should maintain some discretion,

or your plans will not be fruitful. After all, man proposes, God

disposes. We may make very great plans, but unless they are

sanctioned by the supreme authority, they will fail. Everyone in this

material world knows that the supernatural power is the ultimate

disposer of everything. One may make a very great plan with his

fertile brain, but lie must know that he will become subjected to the

fruits, misery and happiness. But I have nothing to say against your

proposal. As a friend, I shall carry out your order and bring Krsna

and Balarama here, as you desire.

After instructing his friends in various ways, Kanisa retired, arid

Akrura went to Vrndavana.

 

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Volume, First

Chapter of Krsna, "Kamsa Sends Akrura for Krsna."