Krishna Narayana

Maharishi Narada continued, “O Lord, in future eons, poets shall glorify Your transcendental deeds. Thereafter You, who are the personification of death, shall, with the intent of reducing the burden of Earth, become the charioteer for Arjuna in the battlefield. In that war, I shall witness many akshohinis of armies being destroyed.

O Lord, You, the embodiment of knowledge, are beyond both dharma-adharma (righteousness- unrighteousness). By merely being in Your presence, all desires will be accomplished. Fabulous are Your intentions, O Lord. This repeated cycle of re-births and deaths (samsāra) which arises due to illusion cannot exist in You, who are Pure Consciousness. We seek refuge in You, O Almighty, who are perfectly situated in the six auspicious traits.

Being ever-independent, You are the controller of this entire universe. Taking the help of Your illusionary energy, You have created this world which is filled with names and forms. At the moment, You have playfully taken on a human body for the purposes of displaying Your transcendental sports. To You, the foremost amongst the Yādavas, Vŗṣṇis and Sātvatas, I offer obeisance”- in this way Maharishi Nārada prayed to Lord Krishna and offered obeisance to Him who was in a human form.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “To Maharishi Nārada, having this darshan of Lord Krishna was itself a moment of great festivity. Having bowed to Srikrishna, he then sought permission and left for his divine abode.

The cowherds of Gokula were ecstatic when Srikrishna, their beloved Lord who eternally sought their happiness, effortlessly killed Keśi in the duel. All of them applauded Krishna. Srikrishna, the protector of cows, continued to tend to the cows together with other cowherd boys.

The cowherds allowed the cattle to graze in the plains which existed in close vicinity to Mount Govardhana. While the cattle was grazing, the boys were engrossed in playing the hide-and-seek game. Some boys assumed the role of goats, some as the abductors of goats while some other boys assumed the roles of demons and they fearlessly participated in the game. Exactly at that moment, Vyoma, the son of Maya, arrived there. He possessed conjuring skills. Assuming the form of a cowherd boy he joined the boys and played along with them. Pretending to play the role of a thief, Vyoma abducted many boys who were playing the role of goats.

This vile demon would carry the abducted boy, hide him in a mountain cave and then seal the cave with a huge boulder. He would then return, participate in the game only to stealthily escape with another boy. In this process, he kidnapped many boys. As the game progressed, the number of cowherd boys began to steadily reduce and finally only four or five boys remained. Krishna, the protector of the virtuous, observed these deeds of the vile demon Vyoma. Just as a lion pounces upon a fox, he quickly caught the demon. Vyoma, who was caught in the Lord’s grip experienced excruciating pain. In order to escape from this grip, he manifested in his original form which was as huge as a gigantic mountain, but yet failed to free himself from the Lord’s grip.

The Lord’s grip was as firm as that of a monkey’s grip. Vyoma, who could not free himself from this grip, felt suffocated. The Devatas were witnessing this event from their abode. The Lord now caught the demon with both his hands, dashed him to the ground and smothered him to death. The Lord thus eliminated Vyoma, who was an unbeatable conjurer. He then broke the boulder and rescued the abducted boys. The all-knowing Lord had waited until only four boys were left and then captured the demon. Even as He was being glorified by the Devatas and by the cowherd boys, the Supreme Lord Krishna returned to his Brindavan”.

With this, the thirty-seven chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.

Tenth Canto Chapter Thirty-eight

In this chapter, the arrival of Akrura into Brindavan is covered.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Akrūra was a wise, virtuous person filled with noble traits. He was of a gentle, peace-loving nature. After hearing Kamsa’s instructions, he spent that night in Mathura itself. Early next morning he mounted a chariot and left for Nanda’s hamlet of Brindavan.

Akrūra was of a pious nature. As this meritorious being rode towards Brindavan, he developed devotion towards the lotus-eyed Srikrishna. Thinking of the Lord he continued to drive the chariot. He thought to himself, “Aha! Today I am going to see the Supreme Lord Srikrishna. It is truly my greatest fortune”.

Actually, even as Kamsa was commanding him to proceed to Brindavan, Akrura was overjoyed. None from Kamsa’s kingdom would ever dare to go and see Krishna disobeying their king. Now the king himself was permitting him to proceed.

“Aha! Today is the most joyful day of my life. I am about to set my eyes on the Lord. What would be the meritorious deeds of my past which have showered upon me this ultimate fortune? Have I ever undertaken intense penance in any birth due to which this fortune has landed on my head today? Could I have benevolently distributed charities to a worthy person so as to have been blessed with this grace? Would I have helped any needy person in the past? Could I have protected noble, worthy persons or worshipped them? Have I offered food to the hungry? How can I, who am soaked in sensory pleasures, obtain the chance to see the Supreme Lord Srikrishna, whose purity is of great renown? Obtaining the sight of Srikrishna is as difficult as mastering the knowledge of the Vedas. How could I, a worthless person, be rewarded with this fortune?”

Krishna Krishna