Narayana Krishna

“Some in the audience joyfully remarked, ‘The Supreme Lord Narayana has incarnated with his partial aspects in the form of these brothers, who are the sons of Vasudeva. As the sons of Vasudeva, they are related to us”.

The cowherds who had accompanied Nanda from Gokula were discussing that Krishna was none other than the Lord himself.

“Citizens of Mathura discussed, ‘Krishna is the son of Devaki. Upon birth, Vasudeva carried him to Gokula and left Him there. So long He has been growing incognito in Nanda’s house in Gokula. The demoness Putana, demon Tŗṇavarta who had assumed the form of a frightening whirlwind, demon Shankachuda, demons Keśi, Dhenuka and others have been killed by Him alone. He is the one who felled the gigantic twin Arjuna trees during childhood. For long our eyes have been thirsting to see Him.

He is the protector of the cows and rescued them from the devastating forest fire. He is the one who subdued the arrogance of serpent Kaliya and freed the river from its poisonous waters. He is the one who had crushed the pride of Lord Indra. For seven continuous nights and days, this boy held up the mighty Govardhana Mountain and protected the residents of Gokula along with their cattle from the devastating rains, winds and thunderstorms. It is said that with His tender charming gazes and pleasant smiles He eternally enlivens the surroundings. Aren’t we seeing this charming countenance in front of us today?”

Recollecting all the stories they had heard about Him in the past and drinking Him in through their senses, the citizens of Mathura were swimming in happiness. They considered themselves fortunate to be blessed with this opportunity to be in His presence that morning.

“They continued, ‘Even after killing the ferocious terrible elephant Kuvalayapida, His face glows divinely without any trace of fatigue or fear. Hence He must be a God. Seeing His charming face, one easily forgets all afflictions’. Delighting in such thoughts, all of them forgot their worries and enjoyed divine bliss.

‘It is said that the Gopikas of Brindavan forget all their worries seeing His delightful face and thus they enjoyed divine bliss. He is the cause of their bliss. He is the one who protected them and showered them with Self-knowledge’- they thought”.

The citizens of Mathura had always received news of the happenings in Brindavan. They kept themselves up-to-date with Krishna’s pastimes and envied the fortunate Gopikas. Some among them were eagerly awaiting His arrival for that would mark the end of demon Kamsa. Millions of people had assembled in the massive amphitheatre purely to catch a glimpse of Krishna, about whom they had heard in plenty and for whom their eyes were thirsting.

“They continued, ‘He will protect the lineage of the Yadus. Due to Him the lineage of Yadus will receive great prosperity, acclaim and glory. Balarama, the elder brother of Srikrishna, the lotus-eyed Lord, has single-handedly killed demons Pralamba, Vatsāsura, Baka and others. Aha! Today is that fortunate day we have obtained the chance to see these two brothers whose prowess is well-known’.”

With such thoughts, the citizens of Mathura had placed their entire concentration purely upon the Lord who was there before them in the form of Krishna and Balarama.

“While the people were thus talking amongst themselves, the musical instruments began to be sounded loudly. Then, Cāṇura addressed Balarama and Krishna saying,

‘O Krishna, O Balarama! You, the sons of Nanda, have achieved great renown as heroes with unsurpassed might. You are adored by renowned heroes. Your mastery in wrestling has come to our notice. Desirous of witnessing your wrestling skills, our might king Kamsa has invited you here. Citizens who please the king with their actions, speech and thoughts obtain prosperity. Those who go against the wishes of the king stand to lose on every front.

Cowherds are known to lead peaceful lives tending to cows. While taking their cattle for grazing into the deep woods, it is said that they engage playfully in wrestling combats with one another. Since this is a well-known fact, lets us all collectively engage in that deed which is delightful to our king. Let us therefore begin to wrestle with one another. Since the king is an embodiment of all living entities, with this action all living entities will be pleased with us’.

Hearing these words, Srikrishna agreed that wrestling combats were enjoyed by them as well”.

Before entering the arena for combat, the opponents talk to one another and agree to fight. Suddenly attacking the opponent unannounced is not proper wrestling. They need to get the consent of the opponent.

“Giving his consent to the wrestling match, Krishna, in accordance with the requirements of the time and place, replied,

‘We, the inhabitants of the forests and who wander through them are also the subjects of King Kamsa, the King of Bhojas. As such we too shall cause him delight through our actions. We consider the opportunity to please the king as a fortune bestowed upon us’.”

Krishna was enacting a small drama here.

“O wrestler, we are but small boys. We choose therefore to fight with wrestlers who match us in might so that the rules of wrestling combat are not transgressed”.

Krishna Narayana