Reading section 29

Understanding them as Krishna and Balarāma, Akrura was struck with amazement; and he thought how they could so quickly have got there from the chariot. He desired to ask them of this, but Janarddana deprived him of the faculty of speech at that moment. Having come out of the waters he then came to the chariot and saw there, like before, Rāma and Krishna stationed in their human forms. And having entered the stream again he saw those two forms praised by Gandharvas, great ascetics, Siddhas and great serpents. Apprehending then their real nature he eulogized the eternal deity gifted with discriminative knowledge.

Akrura said:—"Salutation to thee, who art uniform and manifold, all pervading, Supreme spirit, of inconceivable glory and who art simple existence. Salutation to thee, O inscrutable, who art truth and the essence of oblations. Salutation to thee, O Lord, whose nature is unknown, who art beyond primeval matter, who existest in five forms, identical with the elements, with the faculties, with matter, with the living soul and with the Supreme spirit. Be propitiated with me, O soul of the universe, essence of all things, perishable or eternal, whether addressed by the name Brahmā, Vishnu, Siva or like. I adore thee, O God, whose nature is indestructible, whose purposes cannot be deciphered, whose name even is unknown; for the attributes of kind or appellation are not applicable to thee, who art that, the supreme Brahman, eternal, unchangeable, uncreated. But as our objects can not be accomplished but through some specific from, thou art termed by us Krishna, Achyuta, Ananta or Vishnu. Thou, unborn divinity, art all the objects of these impersonation; thou art the gods and all other beings; thou art the whole world, thou art all. Soul of the universe, thou art free from change and there is nothing except thee in all this existence. Thou art Brahmā, Pasupati, Aryaman, Dhātri and Vidhātri! Thou art Indra, air, fire, the regent of the waters, the god of wealth and the judge of the dead; and thou, although but one, presidest over the world with various energies directed to various purposes. Thou, identical with the solar ray, createst the universe: all elementary substance is composed of thy qualities; and thy supreme form is denoted by the imperishable term Sat. I bow to him who is identical with true knowledge and who is and is not perceptible. Salutation to him the lord Vasudeva, to Sankarsana, to Pradyumna and to Aniruddha".

SECTION XIX.

Parāçara said:—Having thus praised Vishnu, standing in the stream that descendant of the Yadu race worshipped the lord of all with flowers, incense and all other beautiful articles. Having withdrawn his mind from every thing else and devoted it to Vishnu, he engaged, for some time, in the meditation, "I am Brahman" and then desisted from his abstraction. Then considering himself as blessed, the high-minded Akrura got up from the waters of the Yamuna and came to the chariot. Like before, he again saw stationed on the car Rāma and Krishna. Seeing Akrura thus amazed, Krishna said—"Forsooth, O Akrura, your eyes are expanded with surprise. Methinks you have seen something wonderful in the waters of the Yamuna".

Akruka said:—"O Achyuta, the wonder I saw in the waters, I behold here, before me in a bodily shape; I am united with thee, Krishna, the marvel I have seen and whose wonderous form is the universe. No more of this, let us go to Mathura, O Slayer of Madhu—I am afraid of Kansa. Oh! fie on them who eat the bread of another". Saying this he urged on the quick steeds and they arrived after sunset, at Mathura, When they came in sight of the city, Akrura said to Krishna and Rāma "You must now go on foot, whilst I proceed alone in the car; and you must not go to the house of Vasudeva for the elder has been banished by Kansa on your account".

Parāçara said:—Having said this Akrura alone entered the city of Mathura, Rāma and Krishna proceeded thereto following the public road. All the females and males of Mathura espied the two brothers with delight. And they went along sportively looking like two young elephants. As they roamed about, they saw a washerman colouring clothes and, with smiling countenances, they went and wanted of him some of his fine linen. He was a washerman of Kansa and was made insolent by his master's favour, so he remonstrated hard with Rāma and Kesava. Thereupon Krishna, in rage, struck down the head of that vicious-souled (washerman) on earth. Having thus killed him and taken yellow and blue raiment Krishna and Rāma, delightedly came to a flower-seller's shop. Seeing them, having expansive eyes, the flower-seller was astonished and thought, O Maitreya, who could they be or whence could they have come. Beholding two youths so lovely, dressed in yellow and blue garments, he took them to be divinities descended upon earth. Being asked for some flowers, by them, having mouths budding like lotuses he placed his hands upon the ground and touched it with his head, saying—"My lords have shown me great kindness, by coming to my house, fortunate that I am; I will pay them homage". Having said this, the flower-seller, with a smiling face, gave them whatever choice flowers they selected, to gain their favour. Prostrating himself again and again before them, he presented them again and again with flowers beautiful, fragrant and fresh. Being much pleased with him, Krishna gave him the blessing—"Fortune, O good friend, who depends on me, shall never forsake thee. Thou shalt never lose strength or wealth and thy family shall never be extinct. Enjoying many things, thou shalt, in the end, remembering me, attain to the region of the celestials. O good friend, thy mind shall always be in virtue and those, who shall be born in thy race, shall be long-lived. O great one, as long as the sun shall exist, none, in thy race, shall be disturbed with famine or other troubles".

Parāçara said:—Having said this and been worshipped by the flower-seller, O foremost of Munis, Krishna in the company of Balarāma, issued out of his house.

SECTION XX.

While thus going along the high road, Krishna saw a young girl, who was crooked, carrying a pot of unguent. Krishna addressed her in sweet words and said—"For whom are you carrying that unguent? Tell me, lovely maiden, tell me truly". Being thus addressed by him through affection, Kubja being attracted by his affection and well disposed towards Hari, replied to him also mirthfully:—"Do you not know, my lord, that my name is Tribakra, I am the servant of Kansa and appointed to prepare his perfumes. Kansa does not like perfumes prepared by any other female and for this he loves me greatly and shows me favour". Krishna said:—"O thou having a lovely countenance, give us sufficient unguent used by the king, to rub upon our bodies". "Take it," Kubja said and she gave them as much of the unguent as was required for their persons and they rubbed it on various parts of their bodies and faces, till they looked like two clouds, one white and one black, decorated by the many-tinted bow of Indra. Then Krishna skilled in the curative art, took hold of her under the chin, with the thumb and two fingers and lifted up her head, whilst with his feet he pressed down her feet and in this way he made her straight. Being thus rendered straight, she became the most beautiful of damsels. Then filled with affection, she took Govinda by the garment and said "Come to my house". Hari, smiling, replied—"I shall come to your house sometime after". Having thus dismissed her and cast his looks towards Rāma, he laughed aloud.

Dressed then in blue and yellow raiment and annointed with fragrant unguents and adorned with beautiful garlands, Kesava and Rāma went to the hall of arms. They then inquired of the warder which excellent bow they would take. Being informed, Krishna at once took up a bow and bent it; then drawing it with violence he snapped it in two and all Mathura resounded with the noise made by its fracture. Abused by the guards for breaking the bow, Krishna and Rāma retorted and defied them and left the hall.

When Kansa came to know that Akrura had returned and Krishna had snapped the bow, he then said to Chānura and Mushtika:—"Two cow-herd boys have arrived—You must kill them both before me in a trial of strength, for they always try to kill me. When you two, gifted with great strength, shall destroy these two cow-herd boys—I shall give you whatever you will desire. These two boys are my enemies; by means, whether foul or fair, you must kill them both. They killed, the kingdom shall be ours in common". Having thus commanded the two wrestlers, he sent for his elephant-driver and said to him loudly:—"You must place my great elephant Kuvalayāpida who is as huge as a cloud charged with rain, near the gate of the arena and drive him upon the two boys when they shall attempt to enter". Having given these orders, he ascertained that the platforms were all ready and waited for the rising sun, not conscious of his impending death.

In the morning the citizens assembled on the platforms set apart for them, and the princes with the ministers and courtiers occupied the royal seats. Kansa made all those sit in front who were judges of the games whilst he himself sat apart, close by, upon a lofty throne. Separate platforms were also set up for the ladies of the palace and they sat there. Nanda and cow-herds had places set apart for them at the end of which sat Akrura and Vasudeva. Amongst the wives of the citizens was Devaki, mourning for her son, whose lovely countenance she desired to see even in the hour of destruction. Thereafter the bugles were sounded and Chānura sprang forth and Mushtika clapped his arms defiantly and people cried aloud "Alas". Covered with the temporal juice and blood of the elephant, whom they had killed when driven against them by the driver, Balabhadra and Janarddana confidently entered the arena, like two lions amidst a herd of deer, with proud looks towards all. There arose exclamations of pity and expressions of surprise from all the arena and people said "This is Krishna! This is Balabhadra!! This is that Krishna by whom the she-demon Putanā was killed. This is that Krishna by whom the wagon was upset. This is that Krishna who uprooted the two trees. This is that Krishna—the boy who danced upon the hooded fangs of the serpent Kāliya and who for seven days upheld the mountain Govardhana. Behold, this is that Krishna, who easily destroyed the demons Aristha, Dhenuka and Kesin. This is that Achyuta. There is his elder brother Balabhadra, before him, having long arms. He is young, sportively affording delight to the minds and eyes of the damsels. It has been foretold by the wise, skilled in the sense of Purānas that he shall, as a cow-herd, exalt the depressed Yadu race. This is a portion of the all-existing, all-generating Vishnu descended upon earth, who will assuredly lighten her load". The citizens having thus described Rāma and Krishna, Devaki's heart was filled with compassion and milk oozed out of her breast out of affection. And on beholding the faces of his son, Vasudeva forgot his infirmities and felt himself young again. The women of the palace, and the females of the city beheld Krishna with eyes wide open. "Look friends" said they to their companions "Look at the face of Krishna; his eyes are reddened by his conflict with the elephant and the drops of perspiration stand upon his cheek outweighing a full-blown lotus in autumn studded with glittering dew. Make your birth blessed and the faculty of vision fruitful, by beholding the breast of the boy, the seat of splendour and marked with the mystic sign Sribatsa; and see his arms menacing destruction to the enemies. Do you not see Balabhadra coming with him, clad in a blue raiment, having his countenance fair as the jasmine, as the moon and as the fibres of the lotus stem? See, how he gently smiles at the gestures of Mushtika and Chānura as they spring up. And see Hari is advancing to meet Chānura. Is there no elder present here who will judge rightly? How can the delicate form of Hari, just in his youth, match the huge and adamantine form of the great demon Chānura? Two youths of delicate and beautiful forms are on the one side and the athletic fiends headed by Chānura on the other. Is this fair? This is a great sin in the umpires to allow a contest between boys and strong men".

Parāçara said:—The women of the city having thus conversed with one another, Hari tightened his girdle and danced in the ring shaking the ground on which he trod. Balabhadra too, slapping his arms defiantly, danced—and wonder it is that the earth was not riven asunder by his trodding. The highly powerful Krishna engaged with Chānura and the demon Mushtika, well-versed in wrestling, began to fight with Balabhadra. Mutually entwining and pushing and pulling and beating each other with fists, arms and elbows and pressing each other with their knees, interlacing their arms, kicking with their feet, pressing with their whole weight upon another, fought Hari and Chānura. And at the time of this national festival, dreadful was the encounter, though without weapons, displaying strength and heroism. And as long as the contest continued, Chānura was gradually losing something of his original vigour and the wreath upon his head trembled from his fury and distress, whilst the world-comprehending Krishna wrestled with him but sportively. Seeing Chānura losing and Krishna gaining strength—Kansa, worked up with ire, ordered the music to cease. And as soon as music was stopped by Kansa countless celestial bugles were sounded in the welkin. And the celestials, greatly delighted and invisible, said "Krishna be thou crowned with success; Kesava, do thou slay that demon Chānura". Thereupon sporting for a long time with Chānura, Krishna, the slayer of Madhu, at last lifted him up and whirled him with the intention of slaying him. Having whirled Chānura round a hundred times until his breath was expended in the sky, he dashed his body on the ground. As soon as it fell it was sundered into a hundred pieces and the earth was strewn with a hundred pools of gory mire. Whilst this happened, the powerful Baladeva was engaged likewise with the demon bruiser Mushtika. Striking him on the head with his fists and on the breast with his knees, he stretched him on the ground, and pummelled him there till he was dead. Again, Krishna encountered the royal bruiser Tomalaka, and felled him to the earth with a blow of his left hand. When the other athletes saw Chānura, Mushtika, and Tomalaka killed, they fled from the field; and Krishna and Sankarshana danced victorious on the arena, dragging along with them by force the cowherds of their own age. Kansa, his eyes reddening with wrath, called aloud to the surrounding people, "Drive those two cow-boys out of the assembly; seize the villain Nanda, and secure him with chains of iron; put Vasudeva to death with tortures intolerable to his years; and lay hands upon the cattle, and whatever else belongs to those cowherds who are the associates of Krishna".

Upon hearing these orders, the destroyer of Madhu laughed at Kansa, and springing up to the place where he was seated, laid hold of him by the hair of his head, and struck his tiara to the ground: then casting him down upon the earth, Govinda threw himself upon him. Crushed by the weight of the upholder of the universe, the son of Ugrasena, Kansa the king, gave up the ghost. Krishna then dragged the dead body, by the hair of the head, into the centre of the arena, and a deep furrow was made by the vast and heavy carcass of Kansa, when it was dragged along the ground by Krishna, as if a torrent of water had run through it. Seeing Kansa thus treated, his brother Sumālin came to his succour; but he was encountered, and easily killed, by Balabhadra. Then arose a general cry of grief from the surrounding circle, as they beheld the king of Mathura thus slain, and treated with such contumely, by Krishna. Krishna, accompanied by Balabhadra, embraced the feet of Vasudeva and of Devaki; but Vasudeva raised him up; and he and Devaki recalling to recollection what he had said to them at his birth, they bowed to Janārddana, and the former thus addressed him: "Have compassion upon mortals, O god, benefactor and lord of deities: it is by thy favour to us two, that thou hast become the (present) upholder of the world. That for the punishment of the rebellious, thou hast descended upon earth in my house, having been propitiated by my prayers, sanctifies our race. Thou art the heart of all creatures; thou abidest in all creatures, and all that has been, or will be, proceeds from thee, O universal spirit! Thou, Achyuta, who comprehendest all the gods, art eternally worshipped with sacrifices: thou art sacrifice itself, and the offerer of sacrifices. The affection that inspires my heart and the heart of Devaki towards thee as if thou wast our child, is indeed but error, and a great delusion. How shall the tongue of a mortal such as I am call the creator of all things who is without beginning or end, son? It is reasonable, that the lord of the world from whom the world proceeds should be born of me, except through illusion? How should he, in whom all mobile and immobile beings exist, be conceived in the womb and born of a mortal being? Have pity on me, therefore, O Supreme lord, and being incarnate do thou protect the universe. O god, thou art not my son: thou comprisest the whole universe from Brahmā to a tree. Therefore, O great soul, why dost thou beguile me? Blinded by illusion I considered thee, as my son and hence I was afraid of Kansa. And therefore I did carry thee to Gokula where thou hast grown up; but I no longer consider thee as mine own son. Thou Vishnu the supreme lord of all, whose actions Rudra, the Maruts, the Aswins, Indra and the celestials cannot equal although they behold them; thou, who hast descended amongst us for the behoof of the universe, art recognized, and delusion is no more".

SECTION XXI.

Parāçara said:—Beholding Devaki and Vasudeva obtain true discriminative knowledge on seeing his wonderful feat, Krishna, being anxious to beguile them and other descendants of Yadu race, spread again the illusions of Vishnu. Thereupon he said to his parents—"O father, O mother, my elder brother Baladeva was all along anxious to behold you. It is out of fear of Kansa he could not do so. So long the pious do not serve their parents that portion of their life is spent in vain. O father, blessed is the birth of those men who serve their spiritual preceptors, celestials, Brāhmanas and their parents. Thou shouldst therefore forgive us, O father, for the violations committed. For up to this time we were greatly distressed and under the influence of another on account of the prowess and strength of Kansa". Saying this Krishna bowed unto his parents and other elderly members of the Yadu race and duly honoured the citizens. Thereupon Kansa's mothers and wives being stricken with grief and sorrow, began to lament encircling Kansa lying dead on the ground. Hari then expressed his regret for what had happened, and with eyes saturated with tears he consoled them. The slayer of Madhu then released Ugrasena from prison and placed him on the throne rendered vacant by the death of his son. Being installed on the throne the Yadava-chief performed the funeral rites of Kansa and of the rest of the slain. When the ceremony was finished and Ugrasena had taken his royal seat, Krishna addressed him and said:—"O Supreme lord, order me freely what else to be done. By the curse of Yayati, our race cannot govern—but having me as your servant you may order even the celestials. How should kings disobey them?"

Parāçara said:—Having said this, Kesava, assuming human shape summoned mentally the deity of the wind, who immediately came there, and said to him—"Proceed, Vāyu, to Indra and tell him to lay aside his pomp, and resign to Ugrasena his splendid hall Sudharman: tell him that Krishna commands him to send the royal hall, the unrivalled gem of princely courts, for the assemblage of the race of Yādu". Accordingly Vāyu went and delivered the message to the husband of Sachi, who immediately gave up to him the hall Sudharman, and Vāyu conveyed it to the Yādavas, the chiefs of whom thenceforth possessed this celestial court, emblazoned with jewels, and defended by the arms of Govinda. The two excellent Yadu youths, versed in all knowledge, and possessed of all wisdom, then submitted to instruction, as the disciples of teachers. Accordingly they repaired to Sāndipani—who, though born in Kāsi, resided at Avanti—to study the science of arms, and, becoming his pupils, were obedient and attentive to their master, exhibiting an example to all men of the observance of instituted rules. In the course of sixty-four days they had gone through the elements of military science, with the treatises on the use of arms, and directions for the mystic incantations, which secure the aid of supernatural weapons. Sāndipani, astonished at such proficiency, and knowing that it exceeded human faculties, imagined that the sun and the moon had become his scholars. When they had acquired all that he could teach, they said to him, "Now say what present shall be given to you, as the preceptor's fee". The prudent Sāndipani, perceiving that they were endowed with more than mortal powers, requested them to give him his dead son, drowned in the sea of Prabhāsa. Taking up their arms, they marched against the ocean; but the all-comprehending sea said to them, "I have not killed the son of Sāndipani; a demon named Panchajana, who lives in the form of a conch shell, seized the boy; he is still under my waters". On hearing this, Krishna plunged into the sea; and having slain the vile Panchajana, he took the conch shell, which was formed of his bones (and bore it as his horn), the sound of which fills the demon hosts with dismay, animates the vigour of the gods, and annihilates unrighteousness. The heroes also recovered the boy from the pains of death, and restored him in his former person to his father. Rāma and Janārddana then returned to Mathura, which was well presided over by Ugrasena, and abounded in a happy population both of men and women.

SECTION XXII.

Parāçara said:—The mighty Kansa had married the two daughters of Jarāsandha, one named Asti, the other Prāpti. Jarāsandha was king of Magadha, and a very powerful prince, who, when he heard that Krishna had killed his son-in-law, was much incensed, and, collecting a large force, marched against Mathura, determined to put the Yādavas and Krishna to the sword. Accordingly he invested the city with three and twenty numerous divisions of his forces. Rāma and Janārddana sallied from the town with a slender, but resolute force, and fought bravely with the armies of Magadha. The two youthful leaders prudently resolved to have recourse to their ancient weapons, and accordingly the bow of Hari, with two quivers filled with exhaustless arrows and the mace called Kaumodaki, and the ploughshare of Balabhadra, as well as the club Saunanda, descended at a wish from heaven. Armed with these weapons, they speedily discomfited the king of Magadha and his hosts, and re-entered the city in triumph.

Although the wicked king of Magadha, Jarāsandha, was defeated, yet Krishna knew that whilst he escaped alive he was not subdued; and in fact, he soon returned with a mighty force, and was again forced by Rāma and Krishna to fly. Eighteen times did the haughty prince of Magadha renew his attack upon the Yādavas, headed by Krishna; and was as often defeated and put to the rout by them, with very inferior numbers. That the Yādavas were not overpowered by their foes, was owing to the present might of the portion of the discus-armed Vishnu. It was the pastime of the lord of the universe, in his capacity of man, to launch various weapons against his enemies; for what effort of power to annihilate his foes could be necessary to him, whose fiat creates and destroys the world? But as subjecting himself to human customs, he formed alliances with the brave, and engaged in hostilities with the base. He had recourse to the four devices of policy, or negotiation, presents, sowing dissension, and chastisement; and sometimes even betook himself to flight. Thus imitating the conduct of human beings, the lord of the world pursued at will his sports.