by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 10(42)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘After this, Madhava proceeded along the royal road. He saw a young woman. Her face was beautiful, but she was hunchbacked. She was carrying a vessel with various unguents for the body. As she was proceeding, the one who grants pleasure smiled and asked her. “O one with the beautiful thighs! Who are you? For whose body are these unguents meant? Tell us truthfully. Give us some of the excellent unguents meant for the body. You will then soon obtain supreme benefit.” The sairandhri 293 replied, “O handsome one! I am Kamsa’s servant-maid and he respects me because of my work with unguents. My name is Trivakra. 294 The lord of Bhoja loves and is attached to what I prepare. However, other than you, who deserves to have these?” She was overwhelmed at their beauty, charm, sweet smiles, conversation and glances. She gave both of them a lot of unguents. When these unguents were smeared on their bodies, they enhanced their own natural complexions. 295 Smeared in this way on the upper parts of their bodies, they were extremely radiant. The illustrious one was pleased with the hunchbacked Trivakra, whose face was beautiful. To demonstrate the fruits of seeing him, he made up his mind to make her straight. He pressed down on the front part of her feet with his feet. He raised his opened palm and held up her chin. In this way, Achyuta straightened her up. Through Mukunda’s touch, she instantly became an extremely beautiful woman. Her limbs became straight and beautiful. She possessed wide hips and large breasts. She thus came to have beauty, quality and nobility, and desire was generated in her. She smiled, dragged Keshava by his upper garment and said, “O brave one! Come. Let us go to my house. I cannot leave you here. O bull among men! You have agitated my mind. Please show me your favours.” Sought by the woman in this way, though Rama was looking on, Krishna glanced at the faces of the gopas. He laughed and replied, “O one with the excellent eyebrows! You are the one who destroys the mental distress of men. I will go to your house after I have accomplished my objective. You are the refuge for wayfarers like us.” Taking leave from her with these sweet words, he proceeded along the road. The merchants along the road worshipped him and his elder brother with many kinds of offerings, betel leaves, garlands and fragrances. Seeing him, the minds of the women were agitated and they could no longer control themselves. Their garments, braids of hair and bracelets were dislodged. They were like figures etched on a painting.
‘Achyuta asked the citizens where the bow was kept. He entered the place and saw the bow, which was as extraordinary as Indra’s bow. 296 It was supremely resplendent and was guarded by many men who were worshipping it. Though those men restrained him, Krishna forcibly seized the bow. While the men looked on, in the twinkling of an eye, he playfully raised it up in his left hand, strung it and drew it. Urukrama snapped it in the middle, just as a crazy elephant breaks a stalk of sugar cane. The sound of the bow breaking echoed in the sky, the space between heaven and earth, and in all the directions. When it filled all this up, Kamsa heard it and was terrified. The guards were enraged and wished to seize him and his companions. Those murderers exclaimed, “Let us seize them. Let us kill them.” Bala and Keshava discerned their wicked intentions. They angrily picked up the two broken parts of the bow and started to slay them. They also killed an army that had been sent by Kamsa. Emerging through the gate of the arena, they happily wandered around, looking at the riches of the city. The residents of the city witnessed their extraordinary valour, energy, boldness and beauty. They thought these two were supreme gods. As they wandered around as they willed, the sun started to set. Therefore, surrounded by the gopas, Krishna and Rama returned to the place where the carts had camped.
‘After Mukunda had left, the gopis suffered because of the separation. They had spoken about the benedictions the city of Madhu would enjoy and these came true. They saw that ornament among men, with Lakshmi ornamenting his body. Abandoning others who worshipped her, Shri sought refuge with him. After their feet had been washed, the two of them ate rice sprinkled with milk. They happily slept during the night, knowing what Kamsa desired. Kamsa heard about the breaking of the bow, the slaying of the guards and his own army and about Govinda and Rama’s supreme pastimes. The evil-minded one was scared. He remained awake for a long time and in both situations, 297 saw many evil portents, as if they were the messengers of death. Though he could see his own reflection, 298 there was no head. Though no stellar body actually possessed a mirror image, he saw them in pairs. There seemed to be holes in his shadow. He could not hear the sound of his breathing. The trees seemed to be made out of gold. He could not see his own footprints. In his sleep, he saw that he was embraced by pretas. 299 He was astride a vehicle drawn by donkeys and was ingesting poison. He was travelling, wearing a garland of nalada flowers. 300 He was naked and was smeared in oil. When he was asleep and when he was awake, he saw many other portents. He saw many other signs of death and was terrified. Because of his thoughts, he could not sleep.
‘O Kouravya! When night was over and the sun arose from the waters, Kamsa ensured that arrangements were carried out for the great festival of wrestling. The men worshipped the arena and blew on trumpets. The galleries were decorated with garlands, flags, ribbons and arches. With brahmanas and kshatriyas at the forefront, residents of the city and the countryside entered and seated themselves comfortably. Seats were earmarked for kings. Surrounded by his advisers, Kamsa seated himself in the royal gallery. Though he was seated amidst the circle of kings, his heart was trembling. The blare of trumpets was surpassed by the sound of wrestlers slapping their palms. The proud and ornamented wrestlers seated themselves, along with their instructors. Pleased and delighted by the music, Chanura, Mushtika, Kuta, Shala and Toshala entered the arena. Nanda gopa and the other gopas had been summoned by the king of the Bhojas. They offered him their gifts and seated themselves in one of the galleries.’
Chapter 10(43)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘O scorcher of enemies! Krishna and Rama performed their ablutions. They heard the sounds of the wrestlers and the kettledrums, and approached to see what was happening. Krishna approached the gate of the arena and saw the elephant Kuvalayapida stationed there, goaded by the keeper. Shouri girded up his garments and tied his curly hair. In a voice that rumbled like the clouds, he spoke to the elephant keeper. “O elephant keeper! Without any delay, step aside and allow us to pass. O elephant keeper! If you do not do so, I will send you and your elephant to Yama’s abode.” Thus censured, the elephant keeper became angry and goaded his angry elephant, which was like Yama, the destroyer, in Krishna’s direction. The Indra among elephants rushed forwards and violently seized him in its trunk. However, he slipped out from the trunk, struck it and hid under its legs. It was angry and couldn’t see Keshava, though it could smell him. It stretched out and seized him with the tip of its trunk. However, he forcibly freed himself. He seized the extremely strong animal by the tail and dragged it twenty-five bow-lengths away, just as Suparna toys with a serpent. It moved around, to the left and to the right. However, Achyuta held on to the tail and also moved around in that way, just as a boy does with a calf. Krishna then faced the elephant and struck it with his hand. He ran and it followed. But just as it was about to touch him, at every step, he made it fall down. As he ran, he playfully fell down on the ground and instantly arose. However, thinking that he had fallen down, it angrily struck the ground with its tusks. When its own valour was countered, the Indra among elephants became extremely angry. Goaded by the drivers, 301 it angrily rushed towards Krishna. As it was descending, the illustrious Madhusudana approached. He seized its trunk with a hand and flung it down on the ground. When it had fallen down, he pressed down on it with his foot. He played like a lion and uprooted a tusk. Hari used this to slay the elephant and its keepers.
‘He left the dead elephant there. With a tusk in his hand, he entered. The tusk was on his shoulder and he was smeared with drops of the elephant’s musth. There were drops of his perspiration. His lotus face was radiant. O king! Baladeva and Janardana were surrounded by some gopas.
Holding the tusks as excellent weapons, they entered the arena. As he entered the arena with his elder brother, each one regarded him in different ways—the wrestlers as the vajra, men as the best among men, women as the personified form of the god of love, the gopas as their relative, the wicked kings as a chastiser, his parents as their child, the lord of the Bhojas as death, the ignorant as a weak competitor, the yogis as the supreme truth and the Vrishnis as the great divinity. O king! When Kamsa saw that Kuvalayapida had been killed, he thought that they were invincible and became extremely anxious. Having reached the arena, the two mighty-armed ones were resplendent. They were attired in colourful garments, ornaments and garlands. They seemed to have donned the garb of two excellent actors. The minds of those who looked at them were agitated by their dazzle.
‘O king! The residents of the city and the country, seated in the galleries, looked at those two excellent men. The outburst of joy was so overwhelming that their eyes dilated. They drank their faces in with their eyes, but were not satisfied. They seemed to drink them in with their eyes, lick them with their tongues, smell them with their noses and embrace them with their arms. They spoke to each other about what they had seen and what they had heard, his form, qualities, sweetness and bravery, as if reminding themselves. “These two are portions of the illustrious Hari Narayana himself. They have descended in Vasudeva’s house. This one was born from Devaki and was conveyed to Gokula. All this while, he has secretly resided and grown up in Nanda’s house. He conveyed Putana and the danava who was in the form of a whirlwind 302 to their ends. He destroyed the two arjuna trees, the guhyaka, 303 Keshi, Dhenuka 304 and others like that. He freed the cows and the cowherds from the forest conflagration. He subdued the snake Kaliya and destroyed Indra’s pride. On one hand, he held up the supreme among mountains for an entire week. He saved Gokula from the showers, storms and thunder. When they looked at his smiling face, the gopis were always delighted. As they looked, they were freed from all the different kinds of torment and exhaustion. It is said that he will make the lineage of the Yadus extremely famous. Protected by him, it will obtain prosperity, fame and greatness. His elder brother is the handsome and lotus-eyed Rama. He is the one who killed Pralamba, Vatsaka, Baka and others.” 305 As the people spoke in this way, the trumpets were sounded. Chanura addressed Krishna and Rama in the following words. “O son of Nanda! O Rama! The two of you are respected as brave. Hearing that you were accomplished in wrestling, the king summoned you here, wishing to see for himself. Subjects who do what the king desires, in thoughts, words and deeds, obtain benefit for themselves. It is the contrary for those who do not act accordingly. It is evident that gopas and cowherds always find pleasure in wrestling, playing at such sports as they graze cattle in the forests. Therefore, let you and us do what will bring pleasure to the king. Since all creatures are in the king, all creatures will also be pleased with us.” Krishna heard these words. He himself liked to wrestle and welcomed these words. He replied in words that were appropriate to the time and the place. “Though we roam around in the forest, we are the subjects of the lord of the Bhojas. We always do what is agreeable to him. That ensures us his great favours. We are boys and we should sport with those who are our equals in strength. Let there be no adharma and let those who have assembled in this wrestling arena be not tainted by that.” Chanura replied, “You or Bala aren’t children or young boys. 306 You are supreme among strong ones. You playfully killed an elephant that possessed the vigour of a thousand elephants. Therefore, you will have to fight with strong ones and there will be no violation in this. O Varshneya! Exhibit your valour against me and Bala will demonstrate it against Mushtika.”’
Chapter 10(44)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘When it was decided in this way, the illustrious Madhusudana made up his mind. He was paired against Chanura and Rohini’s son against Mushtika. They grasped the opponent’s hands with their hands and locked their feet against the opponent’s feet. Wishing to be victorious, they powerfully tugged at the opponent. They struck each other—fists against fists, knees agains knees, heads against heads and chests against chests. Each dragged the opponent around in circles, shoved, crushed, flung him down on the ground, withdrew, attacked from the rear and countered the rival’s moves. They raised the opponent up, carried him, or remained stationary. In the process of defeating the rival, they harmed themselves. O king! All the assembled women thought the encounter was between the relatively strong and the relatively weak. Filled with compassion, they spoke to each other in groups. “This is not good policy. The members of the royal assembly have sadly followed adharma. While the king looks on, they desire this encounter between the relatively strong and the relatively weak. On one side, there are the two wrestlers, who are like Indras among mountains. All their limbs are as firm as the vajra. On the other side, there are two young boys who have not yet become adults. Their limbs are extremely delicate. It is certain that there has been a violation of dharma in this assembly. One must never remain in a place where adharma is on the rise. Thinking of the sins committed by an assembly, a wise person should not enter the assembly. Having entered, if a man does not speak, or speaks like an ignorant person, 307 he suffers from sin. Behold Krishna’s lotus face as he leaps around on all sides of the enemy. He is perspiring because of the exhaustion and it looks like drops of water on the whorl of a lotus. Are you not looking at Rama’s face? His eyes are coppery red. He is full of intolerance towards Mushtika, yet that rage is beautified by his smiles. The land of Vraja is indeed sacred. The ancient Purusha has hidden himself there, disguising himself in human form and wearing a colourful garland of wild flowers. Along with Bala, he has herded the cows and has made his flute vibrate, indulging in pastimes. His feet are worshipped by Shiva and Rama. 308 What austerities have the gopas performed? They have used their eyes to drink up his form, which constantly assumed new expressions. He is the essence of beauty and cannot be equalled or surpassed. There is nothing that can enhance his beauty. He is the only abode of fame, prosperity and opulence. This is a sight that is extremely difficult to obtain. Blessed are the women of Vraja. While milking, threshing, churning, smearing, swinging on swings, taking care of weeping infants, sprinkling, cleaning and performing other activities, their minds have been extremely attached to him and they have sung about him, with tears choking their throats. Their minds have been absorbed in Urukrama. Along with the cows, in the morning, he left Vraja and in the evening, he returned again. They could hear him play on the flute. The women quickly emerged on the road and saw his smiling face and his compassionate glances. Their store of good deeds must be great.” O bull among the Bharata lineage! While the women were conversing in this way, the illustrious Hari, the lord of yoga, made up his mind to kill his enemy. Hearing the scared words of the women, the parents, filled with affection towards their sons, were grief-stricken. Since they did not know about the strength of their sons, they suffered from remorse.
‘Using many kinds of techniques, Achyuta and his adversary fought against each other. In that way, Bala and Mushtika also fought against each other. The blows from the illustrious one’s body descended like cruel and crushing strikes of the vajra on Chanura. They shattered his limbs and he repeatedly fell unconscious. However, he got up with the speed of a hawk. He angrily struck the illustrious Vasudeva on the chest with both of his clenched hands. As a result of that blow, like an elephant that has been struck with a garland, he did not budge. Hari seized Chanura by his arms and whirled him around several times. He powerfully flung him down on the ground, so that his life began to ebb away. His garlands and garments were dishevelled, like Indra’s pole when it was brought down. 309 In that way, Mushtika first struck Balabhadra with his own fist. However, he received a blow from the hand and suffered severely. He trembled and, suffering, vomited blood from his mouth. He lost his life and fell down on the ground, like a tree that has been struck by a storm. O king! Rama, supreme among strikers, then faced Kuta. He playfully toyed with him and negligently kill
ed him with a blow of his left fist. In that way, Krishna kicked at Shala’s head with the front of his foot. He did the same with Toshalaka. The heads of both were shattered and they fell down on the ground. When Chanura, Mushtika, Kuta, Shala and Toshalaka were killed, all the remaining wrestlers wished to save their lives and fled.