by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 66
Vaishampayana said, ‘On seeing that the foremost among the Yadus761 was thus abused, all the bulls among the Yadus covered their ears with their hands and thought that his762 days were numbered. Andhaka, the foremost among eloquent ones, was not perturbed at these words. Full of energy, he replied in words that were driven by patience. “O son!763 It is my view that you have tired yourself out with words that should not be praised. These are inappropriate and reprehensible, especially when applied to relatives. A person who is not a Yadava should never hear the kind of words you have spoken. O brave one! Unlike you, Yadavas do not use force on other Yadavas. O son! Those of the Vrishni lineage will not find your words praiseworthy. A king of the Ikshvaku lineage disinherited his own sons.764 You may be a Bhoja, a Yadava, or Kamsa himself. O son! But your head happens to be yours, irrespective of whether it is matted or shaven. One should grieve over Ugrasena. He is the destroyer of our lineage, since he has given birth to an evil-minded son like you. O son! The learned do not speak about their own qualities. Qualities become important when others speak of them. This is in conformity with the sayings of the Vedas. On earth, the lineage of the Yadus is censured by kings. After all, it is ruled by a foolish person who brings an end to his own lineage by killing children. You have spoken these apparently righteous words, as if they are full of virtue. However, those words only reveal the intentions in your mind and you will not be successful. A senior, especially a great one, should be respected and not reviled. Who will regard abusing such a person as desirable? That is like killing a brahmana. O son! Like the fire, those who are aged should always be respected. Their anger can consume the worlds, even those that are hidden. O son! Like a fish that finds its own way, those who are learned and self-controlled, and always desire what is good for themselves, must seek out the path of dharma. Because of your insolence alone, you are striking those who are aged and like the fire. Through your wicked words, you are striking at their inner spots, like offering oblations without mantras. You have censured Vasudeva because of his sons. This is false talk. I condemn your inferior words. Even if a father is cruel, a son must not act cruelly towards him. For the sake of a son, a father is always ready to undertake hardships. If Vasudeva hid his own infant son, I think he did what he should have done. Ask your own father about this. By censuring Vasudeva and criticizing the lineage of the Yadus, you have only injected poison and created enmity between the sons of the Yadavas. Had Vasudeva performed an undesirable act vis-à-vis his son, why did Ugrasena not destroy you when you were an infant? A son always saves his father from the hell known as put. Hence, people who know about dharma call a son putra.765 The young Krishna and Samkarshana have been born as Yadavas. You have hated them since birth. Enmity has arisen in your mind. By censuring Vasudeva, you have agitated the hearts of all the Yadus and enraged Vaasudeva. By censuring Vasudeva, you have ensured enmity in Krishna. It is because of this censure that these fearsome portents have manifested themselves. At the end of the night, a nightmare where one sees the fierce sting of serpents is evil. We imagine that this means that the city will be without a protector.766 The terrible planet767 is engulfing the rays of the nakshatra Svati. The planet Mars seems to be devouring the birds in the sky. A jackal has left the cremation ground and burning coals are emerging from its mouth. It is circling the city in the morning and in the evening, uttering terrible howls. There is the roar of meteors showering down on the earth. There is an earthquake and the summits of mountains are moving. At dawn and dusk, the mark of a club is seen on the solar disc. Birds and animals are moving in contrary directions. Svarbhanu768 has devoured the sun and it is dark during the day. Smoke has descended and enveloped the directions. Though the sky is dry, there is lightning. Mixed with thunder and lightning, blood is showering down from the clouds. The gods have been dislodged from their temples. The birds have abandoned the trees. Those who know about portents say that this signifies the destruction of a king. We have witnessed all these inauspicious portents. You hate your relatives and have turned away from royal dharma. You are enraged without reason. You confront the fear of misfortune. Vasudeva is aged and firm in his vows. He is like a god. O evil-minded one! Because of your confusion, you have reviled him. How will you find peace in your heart? Henceforth, we will discard the affection we feel towards you. You ensure misfortune for your own lineage. We will not serve you any more. Danapati, who has left for the forest, is blessed. He will see Krishna, the one with eyes like lotus petals, the one who is the performer of unsullied deeds. Because of what you have done, this lineage of the Yadus has been severed at the foundations. Krishna will bring the kin together and assemble the clan. The intelligent Vasudeva has forgiven you. You have been cooked by time and are ignorant. Therefore, you speak as you will. O Kamsa! I think it is desirable that you should become Vasudeva’s aide. If it so pleases you, go to Krishna’s abode and be friendly with him.” On hearing Andhaka’s words, Kamsa’s eyes became red with anger. Without saying anything, he went to his own residence. All the Yadavas, extensive in their learning, went to their own houses. Condemned unfairly by Kamsa, they departed, unsuccessful in their intentions.’
Chapter 67
Vaishampayana said, ‘Akrura was keen to see Krishna. As instructed, he left on the best of chariots, which could travel at the speed of thought. Krishna saw some auspicious omens, suggesting that a relative who was his father’s equal was due to arrive. Earlier, the king of Mathura, Ugrasena’s son,769 had sent a messenger to Keshi, so as to bring about Upendra’s770 death. Keshi was one who caused difficulties among men. Hearing the words of the messenger, that invincible one went to Vrindavana and started to trouble the gopas. He was angry and wicked in his valour. He ate human flesh. In the form of a horse, the daitya caused great carnage. He killed the cows and cowherds and ate their flesh. He was impossible to control. With nothing to restrain him, the maned one wandered around at will. Wherever the evil-souled Keshi, the danava in the form of a horse, resided, that part of the forest became like a cremation ground. It was covered with the bones of men. He dug up the earth with his hooves. With great power, he brought down the trees. He neighed and challenged the wind. He leapt up into the sky. Intoxicated with extreme insolence, the wicked one roamed around in the forest. The terrible one who was Kamsa’s follower was not troubled. The flesh-eater destroyed all the deer in the forest. In the form of a horse, the daitya sought to destroy all the gopas. The forest was greatly tainted because of his wicked conduct and men and cattle no longer tried to obtain subsistence from the forest. All shelters were removed from that region and all those paths became deserted. His conduct was insolent and he was terrible, eating human flesh. He angrily followed the sounds of humans. Having arrived at that forest, urged by destiny, on one occasion, he went to the place where the gopas dwelt.
‘On seeing him, with the women and the children, the gopas ran away. Screaming, they sought refuge with Krishna, the protector of the universe. Hearing the sounds of crying and lamentation among the gopas, Krishna granted them freedom from fear and advanced against Keshi. Keshi raised his neck, baring his teeth and dilating his eyes. Neighing, he swiftly rushed against Govinda. Seeing that Keshi, the danava in the form of a horse, was charging, Govinda advanced, like a cloud against the moon. Krishna was right next to Keshi. Desiring Krishna’s welfare and taking him to be human, the gopas said, “O Krishna! O son! Do not rashly advance against this evil horse. He is formidable and wicked and you are only a child. Let him be. O son! Though he is externally Kamsa’s companion, internally, he is like Kamsa himself. This supreme and excellent horse is a danava and is unmatched in battle. This immensely strong horse frightens the soldiers of the enemy. He is foremost among all the performers of wicked deeds. There is no creature that can kill him.” Hearing the words of the gopas and listening to them, Madhusudana, the destroyer of enemies, made up his mind to fight with Keshi. The horse moved in a circle, to the left and to the right. Angrily, he kicked the trees with his hind leg
s and brought them down. The hair on his face was long, while the hair that covered his shoulders was thick. Perspiration, signifying rage, started to exude from the curved parts of his forehead. Froth emerged from his mouth, laced with a shower of dust and he looked like the moon in the sky, covered with dew during the winter. As he neighed, froth emerged from his mouth and covered the lotus-eyed Govinda with saliva all over. When the horse struck the ground with his hooves, dust that was like pale madhuraksha771 was raised and Krishna’s hair was covered with red dust. Striking the ground with his hooves, Keshi leapt up. He bared his teeth and attacked Krishna. Keshi, supreme among horses, engaged with Krishna. Using his front legs, he struck Krishna on the chest. Using his hooves, the powerful one repeatedly struck him on the sides. Using the terrible and sharp teeth in his mouth as a weapon, the angry horse bit Krishna’s arm and left a mark there. The one with the long mane engaged with Krishna. Keshi was as radiant as a cloud that had engaged with the sun. The powerful horse struck Vasudeva on the chest with his chest. As his rage increased, his force and valour were doubled. As they engaged, the powerful and infinitely valorous Krishna also became angry. Using his hand, he struck him in the mouth. He was incapable of biting the hand, or withstanding the blow. His teeth were broken and torn from their foundations and he started to vomit frothy blood. His teeth were uprooted, his lips mangled and his throat choked. The eyeballs were deformed and came out of their sockets. His jaws were broken and blood flowed from his eyes. Though he raised his ears and made efforts, Keshi losts his consciousness. He used his legs to try and leap up again. He released urine and excrement. His body hair was wet. Eventually exhausted, his legs stopped moving. Krishna’s hand dazzled inside Keshi’s mouth. It looked like a cloud at the end of the summer, surrounded by the beams of a half-moon. Keshi’s tired and immobile body still rested against Krishna. He looked like the moon in the morning, exhausted and resting against Mount Meru. Having been struck by Krishna’s hand, Keshi’s teeth fell down from his mouth. They looked like the white clouds of autumn, powerless without water. Having used his hand to destroy Keshi’s body, Krishna’s form looked extremely terrible, like that of the wielder of the pinaka772 when an animal has been slain. Keshi’s body was divided into two parts and lay down in the dust on the ground, each half possessing two legs, half a back and tail, one ear, one eye and one nose. Because of the injury suffered from Keshi’s teeth, Krishna’s hand looked radiant, like an aged tala tree in the forest, gored by the tusk marks of a king of elephants. Having brought about the destruction of Keshi and divided his body into two in the encounter, the lotus-eyed Krishna stood there, smiling.
‘On seeing that Keshi had been killed, all the gopas and the gopa women were delighted, since their obstruction and impediment had been removed. According to their station and their age, they congratulated the handsome Damodara in affectionate words and repeatedly honoured him. “O son!773 You have accomplished the task of slaying a thorn of the worlds. O Krishna! This was a daitya who was wandering around on earth in will the form of a horse. You have brought peace to Vrindavana and it will be enjoyed by all the men and birds. O son! In the encounter, you have slain the wicked horse, Keshi. The evil-minded one killed many cowherds, cows, calves that were loved, and others, and destroyed this habitation. This performer of wicked deeds was about to become the ultimate destroyer. The deceitful one desired to make this world of men empty of men, so that he could reside here happily. Among those who desired to live, there was no one who was capable of standing before him, even among large numbers of gods, not to speak of those on earth.” The brahmana sage, Narada, was travelling through the sky at that moment. Though he remained invisible, he honoured Krishna. “O Vishnu! O lord of the gods! O Krishna! I am pleased. By killing Keshi, you have accomplished a difficult task. Among the gods, with the possible exception of Tryambaka,774 no one other than you could have done this. O son! I am always anxious to witness fights. Tormented by curiousity inside me, I have arrived here from heaven, wishing to see this encounter between a man and a horse. I have witnessed your other deeds, like killing Putana. O Govinda! I am satisfied with your deeds. The great Indra, the slayer of Bala, was also scared of Keshi, the evil-minded one who assumed the terrible form of a horse. You used your long arms to tear him into two. This is the kind of death that has been ordained by the creator of the universe.775 Now that you have killed Keshi, listen to my instructions. You will become famous in the world by the name of Keshava. May you be fortunate in this world and may you swiftly accomplish whatever tasks are left. I have to quickly leave. In the midst of these tasks, while you sport as a man, the residents of heaven will enjoy them, since they have sought refuge in your strength. The time for the Bharata battle776 is approaching. Heading for heaven, the kings are readying weapons for fighting. In the firmament, the paths are being cleansed for them to ascend to heaven on celestial vehicles. For these kings, places are being earmarked in Shakra’s world. O Keshava! After Ugrasena’s son has been pacified by you, there will be a great battle among the kings. Depending on the past deeds of those kings, at the time of the conflict, those kings will take sides. O lord! Yours is the royal seat and royal prosperity flows from you. There is no doubt that kings who ignore your power will lose their prosperity. O Krishna! O lord of the universe! This is my message to you, the one whose fame is spoken about in the sacred texts and the one on whom this universe and the divinity of the gods are established. O lord! I have witnessed your deeds and I have seen you. I will return again after you have chastised Kamsa. Let me leave now.” Narada was accomplished in celestial songs and having heard his words, with the gopas, Krishna entered Vraja again.’
Chapter 68
Vaishampayana said, ‘At that time, the rays of the sun had become mild and it was setting. The sky was tinged with the red of evening and the lunar disc was pale. The birds were in their nests and virtuous people were offering oblations into the fire. Everywhere, all the directions were enveloped in darkness. Everyone slept in the residences of the gopas. Jackals howled. Delighted at the prospect of eating flesh, night travellers wandered around. Once it was evening and the sun entered the cavern of evening, the shakragopa insects were delighted. For those who performed sacrifices in their houses,777 it was the time to offer oblations. For those who had retired to the forest and for hermits,778 it was the time to recite mantras and offer oblations into the fire. The cows returned to Vraja and were milked. When the calves were tied up, the cows regarded this as inappropriate treatment and mooed. The cows were summoned, with heaps of ropes lying around. They cows were summoned through sounds, tied up and herded into their pens. In every diection, dried cow dung was piled up and ignited. The gopas returned, carrying firewood on their shoulders. The moon rose a bit, spreading its gentle beams. With the day gone, night had just started to arrive. The day was over and night was about to arrive, the radiance of the sun had departed and the energy of the moon had presented itself, it was the time to offer oblations into the fire and the cool moonbeams had arrived, it was evening and the entire universe was offering oblations into the fire, the west blazed, as if it was on fire, and the east and the north were dark, with only a few stars, the sky looked like a mountain that had been reduced to ashes, the birds returned, indicating a time for relatives to meet—this was the time when Danapati swiftly reached Vraja on his chariot.