VISHNU PURAN BOOK. V. CHAP. XIV.XV.XVI

 

VISHNU PURAN BOOK. V. CHAP. XIV.XV.XVI

 

Krishna kills the demon Arishta, in the form of a bull.

 

ONE evening, whilst Krishna and the Gopis were amusing themselves in the dance, the demon Arishta, disguised as a savage bull, came to the spot, after having spread alarm through the station. His colour was that of a cloud charged with rain; he had vast horns, and his eyes were like two fiery suns: as he moved, he ploughed up the ground with his hoofs: his tongue was repeatedly licking his lips; his tail was erect; the sinews of his shoulders were firm, and between them rose a hump of enormous dimensions; his haunches were soiled with ordure, and he was a terror to the herds; his dewlap hung low, and his face was marked with scars from butting against the trees. Terrifying all the kine, the demon who perpetually haunts the forests in the shape of a bull, destroying hermits and ascetics, advanced. Beholding an animal of such a formidable aspect, the herdsmen and their women were exceedingly frightened, and called aloud on Krishna, who came to their succour, shouting and slapping his arm in defiance. When the Daitya heard the noise, he turned upon his challenger, and fixing his eyes and pointing his horns at the belly of Kes'ava, he ran furiously upon the youth. Krishna stirred not from his post, but, smiling in sport and derision, awaited the near approach of the bull, when he seized him as an alligator would have done, and held him firmly by the horns, whilst he pressed his sides with his knees. Having thus humbled his pride, and held him captive by his horns, he wrung his throat, as if it had been a piece of wet cloth; and then tearing off one of the horns, he beat the fierce demon with it until he died, vomiting blood from his mouth. Seeing him slain, the herdsmen glorified Krishna, as the companies of the celestials of old praised Indra, when he triumphed over the Asura Jambha [*1].

 

Footnotes

 

^536:1 This exploit is related a little more in detail in the Bhagavata and Hari Vans'a.

 

    

CHAP. XV.

 

Kansa informed by Narada of the existence of Krishna and Balarama: he sends Kes'in to destroy them, and Akrura to bring them to Mathura.

 

AFTER these things had come to pass, Arishta the bull-demon and Dhenuka and Pralamba had been slain, Govarddhana had been lifted up, the serpent Kaliya had been subdued, the two trees had been broken, the female fiend Putana had been killed, and the waggon had been overturned, Narada went to Kansa, and related to him the whole, beginning with the transference of the child from Devaki to Yas'oda, Hearing this from Narada, Kansa was highly incensed with Vasudeva, and bitterly reproached him, and all the Yadavas, in an assembly of the tribe. Then reflecting what was to be done, he determined to destroy both Krishna and Rama whilst they were yet young, and before they had attained to manly vigour: for which purpose he resolved to invite them from Vraja, under pretext of the solemn rite of the lustration of arms, when he would engage them in a trial of strength with his chief boxers, Chanura and Mushtika, by whom they would assuredly be killed. "I will send," he said, "the noble Yadu, Akrura the son of Swaphalka, to Gokula, to bring them hither: I will order the fierce Kes'in, who haunts the woods of Vrindavan, to attack them, and he is of unequalled might, and will surely kill them; or, if they arrive here, my elephant Kuvalayapida shall trample to death these two cow-boy sons of Vasudeva." Having thus laid his plans to destroy Rama and Janarddana, the impious Kansa sent for the heroic Akrura, and said to him, "Lord of liberal gifts [*1], attend to my words, and, out of friendship for me, perform my orders. Ascend your chariot, and go hence to the station of the herdsman Nanda. Two vile boys, portions of Vishnu, have been born there, for the express object of effecting my destruction. On the fourteenth lunation I have to celebrate the festival of arms [*2], and I wish them to be brought here by you, to take part in the games, and that the people may see them engage in a boxing match with my two dexterous athletae, Chanura and Mushtika; or haply my elephant Kuvalayapida, driven against them by his rider, shall kill these two iniquitous youngsters, sons of Vasudeva. When they are out of the way, I will put to death Vasudeva himself, the cowherd Nanda, and my foolish father, Ugrasena, and I will seize upon the herds and flocks, and all the possessions, of the rebellious Gopas, who have ever been my foes. Except thou, lord of liberality, all the Yadavas are hostile to me; but I will devise schemes for their extirpation, and I shall then reign over my kingdom, in concert with thee, without any annoyance. Through regard for me, therefore, do thou go as I direct thee; and thou shalt command the cowherds to bring in with speed their supplies of milk and butter and curds."

 

Being thus instructed, the illustrious Akrura readily undertook to visit Krishna, and, ascending his stately chariot, he went forth from the city of Mathura.

 

Footnotes

 

^537:1 Danapati: the epithet refers to Akrura's possession of the Syamantaka gem (see <page 433>); although, as here used by Kansa, it is an anachronism, the gem not becoming his until after Krishna's maturity.

 

^537:2 Dhanurmaha: the same phrase [p. 538] occurs in the different authorities. In its ordinary acceptation it would imply any military festival. There is one of great celebrity, which, in the south of India, closes the Dasahara, or festival of Durga, when military exercises are performed, and a field is ravaged, as typical of the opening of a campaign. Worship is paid to military implements. The proper day for this is the Vijaya das'ami, or tenth of the light half of As'win, falling about the end of September or beginning of October. Trans. Bombay Soc. III. 73; also Amara Kosha, under the word ### (Lohabhisara). Both our text and that of the Bhagavata, however, intimate the celebration of the feast in question on the fourteenth day of the fortnight (in what month is not specified), and an occasional 'passage of arms,' therefore is all that is intended. The fourteenth day of the light lunation of any month is commonly held appropriate for a holiday, or religious rite. It will be seen in the sequel, that the leading feature of the ceremonial was intended to have been a trial of archery, spoiled by Krishna's breaking the bow that was to have been used on the occasion.

 

    

 

CHAP. XVI.

 

Kes'in, in the form of a horse, slain by Krishna: he is praised by Narada.

 

KES'IN, confiding in his prowess, having received the commands of Kansa, set off to the woods of Vrindavana, with the intention of destroying Krishna. He came in the shape of a steed, spurning the earth with his hoofs, scattering the clouds with his mane, and springing in his paces beyond the orbits of the sun and moon. The cowherds and their females, hearing his neighings, were struck with terror, and fled to Govinda for protection, calling upon him to save them. In a voice deep as the roaring of the thundercloud, Krishna replied to them, "Away with these fears of Kes'in; is the valour of a hero annihilated by your alarms? What is there to apprehend from one of such little might, whose neighings are his only terrors; a galloping and vicious steed, who is ridden by the strength of the Daityas? Come on, wretch--I am Krishna--and I will knock all thy teeth down thy throat, as the wielder of the trident did to Pushan [*1]." Thus defying him to combat, Govinda went to encounter Kes'in. The demon ran upon him, with his mouth opened wide; but Krishna enlarging the bulk of his arm, thrust it into his mouth, and wrenched out the teeth, which fell from his jaws like fragments of white clouds. Still the arm of Krishna, in the throat of the demon, continued to enlarge, like a malady increasing from its commencement till it ends in dissolution. From his torn lips the demon vomited foam and blood; his eyes rolled in agony; his joints gave way; he beat the earth with his feet; his body was covered with perspiration; he became incapable of any effort. The formidable demon, having his mouth rent open by the arm of Krishna, fell down, torn asunder like a tree struck by lightning: he lay separated into two portions, each having two legs, half a back, half a tail, one ear, one eye, and one nostril. Krishna stood, unharmed and smiling, after the destruction of the demon, surrounded by the cowherds, who, together with their women, were filled with astonishment at the death of Kes'in, and glorified the amiable god with the lotus eyes. Narada the Brahman, invisible, seated in a cloud, beheld the fall of Kes'in, and delightedly exclaimed, "Well done, lord of the universe, who in thy sports hast destroyed Kes'in, the oppressor of the denizens of heaven! Curious to behold this great combat between a man and a horse--such a one as was never before heard of--I have come from heaven. Wonderful are the works that thou hast done, in thy descent upon the earth! they have excited my astonishment; but this, above all, has given me pleasure. Indra and the gods lived in dread of this horse, who tossed his mane, and neighed, and looked down upon the clouds. For this, that thou hast slain the impious Kes'in, thou shalt be known in the world by the name of Kes'ava [*2]. Farewell: I will now depart. I shall meet thee again, conqueror of Kes'in, in two days more, in conflict with Kansa. When the son of Ugrasena, with his followers, shall have been slain, then, upholder of the earth, will earth's burdens have been lightened by thee. Many are the battles of the kings that I have to see, in which thou shalt be renowned. I will now depart, Govinda. A great deed, and acceptable to the gods, has been done by thee. I have been much delighted with thee, and now take my leave." When Narada had gone, Krishna, not in any way surprised, returned with the Gopas to Gokula; the sole object of the eyes of the women of Vraja [*3].

 

Footnotes

 

^539:1 As Virabhadra did to Pusha or Pushan, a form of Surya, at the sacrifice of Daksha: see <page 67>. n. .

 

^540:2 Or Kes'i and va, 'who kills,' from vadh or badh, 'to kill:' but this is a Pauranik etymology, and less satisfactory than the usual grammatical one of Kes'a, 'hair,' and 'va' possessive affix: Krishna corresponding in this respect to the Apollo Crinitus. It is also derived from the legend of his origin from 'a hair' (see <page 497>. n. ): and again, Kes'a is said to purport 'radiance' or 'rays,' whether of the sun or moon or fire; all which are the light of Krishna: whence he is called Kes'ava, 'the rayed' or 'radiant.' Mahabharata, Moksha Dharma.

 

^540:3 The legend is told by all the other narrators of Krishna's juvenile exploits.

 

    

The Vishnu Purana, translated by Horace Hayman Wilson,