Jai Shri Krishna,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 kill 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.