Killing of Kuvalayāpīḍa Elephant

Chapter Forty-three. Subject matter: "Killing of Kuvalayapiḍa Elephant."

Now both Krsna and Balarama on the next morning, after taking Their bath and finishing all other morning duties, They could hear the beating of the drums and kettles in the wrestling camp, and therefore immediately They prepared Themself to proceed to the spot to see the fun. When Krsna and Balarama reached to the gate of the wrestling camp, They saw that on the door there was a big elephant of the name Kuvalayapiḍa, and completely taken care by its caretaker. The caretaker was purposely blocking the door by keeping the elephant in front of entrance.

Krsna could understand the purpose of the caretaker; therefore He also prepared Himself by tightening His dress in order to combat with the elephant and began to address the caretaker in a very grave voice, as resounding as the cloud: "You misbehaving caretaker of the elephant, immediately give Me way to pass through the gate. If you put obstruction, then I shall send you to the house of death personified along with your elephant."

The caretaker on the head of the elephant, being thus insulted by Krsna, became very much angry, and in order to challenge Krsna, as it was previously planned, he agitated the elephant for attacking Krsna, and the elephant appeared before Krsna as if it was the death personified inevitable. The elephant immediately rushed towards Krsna and tried to catch Him by his trunk, but Krsna very dexterously immediately moved towards the end of the legs of the elephant. The elephant being able only to see up to the end of its nose, it could not see Krsna hiding behind his legs, but still it tried to capture Krsna with his trunk, and Krsna also very quickly escaped its capturing and went back to the elephant and immediately captured its tail. Thus capturing the elephant by its tail, Krsna began to pull it towards with very great strength, and the elephant was pulled down at least for twenty-five yards, and the whole incident appeared as if Garuḍa drags an insignificant snake.

Now Krsna pulled down the elephant this side and that side, right and left, exactly like He used to do by pulling on the calfs by capturing the tail in His childhood. After this, Krsna immediately came in front of the elephant and gave him a strong slap and just slipping from his front, He went back to the elephant and falling down on the ground in pastimes, entangled the two legs, and the elephant immediately fell down on the ground. Krsna immediately got up, but the elephant understood that Krsna was lying down there, and he tried to push its ivory tusks through the body of Krsna, and thus very forcefully he struck on the ground. The elephant, already being too much harassed by Krsna, was very, very angry, but at the same time the caretaker on his head was continuing to agitate the elephant to attack Krsna vehemently. The elephant thus began to rush towards Krsna very forcibly.

As soon as the elephant came in front of Krsna, He caught hold of the trunk, immediately pulled down it on the ground. As soon as the elephant and his caretaker fell down, immediately He stood on the tusk of the elephant and broke it and killed the caretaker also, along with the elephant. After finishing the killing of both the caretaker and the elephant, Krsna took the ivory tusk on His shoulder and, being decorated with drops of perspiration on His face and sprinkled by the blood of the elephant, He was looking very beautiful and began to proceed towards the wrestling camp. Lord Balarama also took another tusk of the elephant on His shoulder and, accompanied by the cowherds boyfriends, both of Them entered the arena of wrestling.

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When Krsna was entering the arena of wrestling camp along with Balarama and His cowherds friends, He appeared to the different people in different humor. Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure and all kinds of humor, both favorable and unfavorable. He appeared to the wrestlers present there exactly like a thunderbolt. To the ordinary people in general He appeared to be the most beautiful personality. To the females He appeared to be the most attractive male, increasing their lust as if the Cupid personified.

The cowherds men who were present there looked upon Krsna as their own kinsman, coming from the same village of Vrndavana. The dishonest ksatriya kings who were present there saw Him as the strongest ruler for themselves. And to the parents of Krsna, Nanda-Yasoda, He appeared to be the most loving child. To Kamsa, the king of the Bhoja dynasty, He appeared as if death personified. To the less intelligent persons present there, He appeared to be incapable personality. The yogis who were present in the arena, He appeared to be the Supreme Soul. To the members of the Vrsni dynasty, He appeared to be the most celebrated descendant.

In this way, appreciated by different kinds of men present there, Krsna entered the arena of wrestling place along with Balarama and His cowherd boyfriends. Kamsa, after understanding that Krsna had already killed the elephant of the name Kuvalayapiḍa, could know that Krsna was formidable, and thus he became very much afraid of Him for his life. Both Krsna and Balarama had long hands and beautifully dressed, and therefore both of Them were attracting all the people assembled there. Krsna and Balarama were so nicely dressed as if They were to act on the dramatic platform, and thus They were drawing the attention of all people present there.

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The citizens of Mathura City who were also present there, after seeing Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, became very, very much pleased and began to look on His face with unsatiated glance, as if they were drinking the nectarean of heaven by seeing His face. All of them were seeing Krsna with so great interest as if they appeared that not only they were drinking the nectarean of seeing His face, but they were smelling the flavor of His body and they were licking up the taste of His body, and they were embracing Krsna and Balarama with their arms. Then they began to talk amongst themselves about Krsna and Balarama that so long as they heard about Krsna and Balarama, about Their beauty and activities, now they are seeing personally face to face. They thought that "Krsna and Balarama must have been two plenary incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, now appeared in Vrndavana."

They also began to remember the incidence of Krsna's birth and His taking away immediately to Gokula at the care of Nanda Maharaja, and they began to talk that so long Krsna and Balarama, although They are sons of Vasudeva, They were raised by Nanda Maharaja and his wife in Vrndavana, and now They have come to Mathura to favor them. They began to remember all the past activities of Krsna: His killing of the demon Pūtana, His killing of the Trnavarta demon as whirlwind, and His delivering the two trees, twin brothers yamala-arjuna, His killing of the Sahkhasura, His killing of the Kesi demon, the Dhenukasura, and many other demons who were killed in Vrndavana one after another.

They also remembered that "Krsna saved all the cowherds men of Vrndavana from devastating fire. He chastised also the Kaliya snake in the water of Yamuna, and then He cut down the false pride of the heavenly king, Indra. Remember that Krsna in one hand only held up the great hill Govardhana for seven days continually, and thus He saved all the people of Gokula from incessant rain, hurricane and hailstorm." And they began to remember also the most enlivening activities of Krsna, that "All the damsels of Vrndavana were so much pleased by seeing Krsna's beauty and participating with His activities that then they did not know what is the terms of condition of material existence. Simply by thinking of Krsna and seeing Krsna, they forgot all sorts of fatigueness."

Then they discussed about the dynasty of Yadu, the members of which were present there, and they began to talk, "On account of Krsna's appearance in this dynasty, they would remain ever fresh in the history of the world. They will continue to be the most celebrated family in the whole universe." Then they began to talk about Balarama, who had very beautiful lotus petal-like eyes and they marked him that this boy had killed the Pralamba demon and many others also.

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When people were talking like this about the activities of Krsna and Balarama, and there was continually vibration of different kinds of band parties, the famous wrestler Canūra began to talk with Krsna as follows. He said, "My dear Krsna-Balarama, we have heard about Your past activities. You are great heroes, and therefore the king has called You in this wrestling place. And we have heard that You are very strong by Your arms, and the king and all the people present here desire to see the rehearsal of Your wrestling capacity. Every citizen should be as good as to please the mind of the ruling king, and in that way, the citizen attains all kinds of auspiciosity. And one who does not like to do that, he does not become happy on account of anger of the king. You are all cowherds boys, and we have heard that while tending Your cows in the forest, You enjoy Your time by wrestling amongst yourselves. Therefore we wish that You may join with us in wrestling activities so that all the people present here, along with the king, will be so much pleased upon us."

Krsna immediately understood the purpose of the statement of Canūra, and He prepared Himself for wrestling with them, and according to the time and circumstances He began to say as follows. Krsna said, "You are the subject of King of Bhoja, and you live in the jungle. We are also indirectly his subject, and we try to please him as far as possible, and this offer of wrestling to Us is a great favor of him. But the thing is that We are simply boys. We sometimes play in the forest of Vrndavana with Our friends of equal age. Therefore we think that to combat with persons of equal age and strength is good for Us. Otherwise, if We fight with great wrestlers like you, I think it will not be good for the audience here. It will go against their religious principles." In other words, Krsna indicated that they were celebrated, very strong wrestlers. They should not challenge Krsna and Balarama to combat.

In reply to this, Canūra said, "My dear Krsna, we can understand very well that You are neither child nor young men. You are transcendental to everyone, and similarly, Your big brother, Balarama, is also of the same category, because You have already killed one elephant, Kuvalayapiḍa, whom we understand was capable of fighting with thousands of other elephants, and most wonderfully You have killed them. On the evidence of Your strength, it behooves that You should compete with the strongest wrestler amongst ourselves. I therefore wish that I shall combat with You, and Your elder brother Balarama will combat with Mustika."

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-third Chapter Krsna in the matter of "Killing of the Kuvalayapiḍa Elephant."