Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare,
And now, Chapter 8: The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida.
After taking Their baths and finishing all other morning duties, Krsna and Balarama could
hear the beating of the kettledrums in the wrestling camp.
They immediately prepared Themselves to proceed to the spot to see the fun.
When Krsna and Balarama reached the gate of the wrestling camp, They saw a big elephant
of the name Kuvalayapida being tended by a caretaker.
The caretaker was deliberately blocking Their entrance by keeping the elephant in front
of the gateway.
Krsna could understand the purpose of the caretaker, and He prepared Himself by tightening
His dress before combating the elephant.
He began to address the caretaker in a very grave voice, as resounding as a cloud: "You
miscreant caretaker, give way and let Me pass through the gate.
If you block My way, I shall send you and your elephant to the house of death personified."
The caretaker, being thus insulted by Krsna, became very angry, and in order to challenge
Krsna, as was previously planned, he provoked the elephant to attack.
The elephant then moved before Krsna like inevitable death.
It rushed towards Him and tried to catch Him with its trunk, but Krsna very dexterously
moved behind the elephant.
Being able to see only to the end of its nose, the elephant could not see Krsna hiding behind
its legs, but it tried to capture Him with its trunk.
Krsna again very quickly escaped capture, and He again ran behind the elephant and caught
its tail.
Holding the elephant by its tail, Krsna began to pull it, and with very great strength He
dragged it for at least twenty-five yards, just as Garuda drags an insignificant snake.
Krsna pulled the elephant from this side to that, from right to left, just as He used
to pull the tail of a calf in His childhood.
After this, Krsna went in front of the elephant and gave it a strong slap.
He then slipped away from the elephant's view and ran to its back.
Then, falling down on the ground, Krsna placed Himself in front of the elephant's two legs
and caused it to trip and fall.
Krsna immediately got up, but the elephant, thinking that He was still lying down, tried
to push an ivory tusk through the body of Krsna by forcibly stabbing it into the ground.
Although the elephant was harassed and angry, the caretaker riding on its head tried to
provoke it further.
The elephant then rushed madly towards Krsna.
As soon as it came within reach, Krsna caught hold of the trunk and pulled the elephant
down.
When the elephant and caretaker fell, Krsna jumped up on the elephant's back and broke
it and killed the caretaker also.
After killing the elephant, Krsna took an ivory tusk on His shoulder.
Decorated with drops of perspiration and sprinkled with the blood of the elephant, He felt very
blissful, and thus He began to proceed towards the wrestling camp.
Lord Balarama took the other tusk of the elephant on His shoulder.
Accompanied by Their cowherd boy friends, They entered the arena.
When Krsna entered the wrestling arena with Balarama and Their friends, He appeared differently
to different people according to their different relationships (rasas) with Him.
Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure and all kinds of rasas, both favorable and unfavorable.
He appeared to the wrestlers exactly like a thunderbolt.
To the people in general He appeared as the most beautiful personality.
To the females He appeared to be the most attractive male, Cupid personified, and thus
increased their lust.
The cowherd men who were present there looked upon Krsna as their own kinsman, coming from
the same village of Vrndavana.
The ksatriya kings who were present saw Him as the strongest ruler.
To the parents of Krsna, Nanda and Yasoda, He appeared to be the most loving child.
To Kamsa, the king of the Bhoja dynasty, He appeared to be death personified.
To the unintelligent, He appeared to be an incapable personality.
To the yogis present, He appeared to be the Supersoul.
To the members of the Vrsni dynasty He appeared to be the most celebrated descendant.
Thus appreciated differently by different kinds of men present, Krsna entered the wrestling
arena with Balarama and His cowherd boy friends.
Having heard that Krsna had already killed the elephant, Kuvalayapida, Kamsa knew beyond
doubt that Krsna was formidable.
He thus became very much afraid of Him.
Krsna and Balarama had long hands.
They were beautifully dressed, and They were attractive to all the people assembled there.
They were dressed as if They were going to act on a dramatic stage, and They drew the
attention of all people.
The citizens of Mathura City who saw Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, became
very pleased and began to look on His face with insatiable glances, as if they were drinking
the nectar of heaven.
Seeing Krsna gave them so much pleasure that it appeared that they were not only drinking
the nectar of seeing His face, but were smelling the aroma and licking up the taste of His
body and were embracing Him and Balarama with their arms.
They began to talk among themselves about the two transcendental brothers.
For a long time they had heard of the beauty and activities of Krsna and Balarama, but
now they were personally seeing Them face to face.
They thought that Krsna and Balarama were two plenary incarnations of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Narayana, who had appeared in Vrndavana.
The citizens of Mathura began to recite Krsna's pastimes, His birth as the son of Vasudeva,
His being taken into the care of Nanda Maharaja and his wife in Gokula, and all those events
leading to His coming to Mathura.
They spoke of the killing of the demon Putana, as well as the killing of Trnavarta, who came
as a whirlwind.
They also recalled the deliverance of the twin brothers from within the yamala arjuna
trees.
The citizens of Mathura spoke among themselves: "Sankhasura, Kesi, Dhenukasura and many other
demons were killed by Krsna and Balarama in Vrndavana.
Krsna also saved all the cowherd men of Vrndavana from devastating fire.
He chastised the Kaliya snake in the water of Yamuna, and He curbed the false pride of
the heavenly King, Indra.
Krsna held up the great Govardhana Hill in one hand for seven continuous days and saved
all the people of Gokula from incessant rain, hurricane and windstorm."
They also began to remember other enlivening activities: "The damsels of Vrndavana were
so pleased by seeing Krsna's beauty and participating in His activities that they forgot the purpose
of material existence.
By seeing and thinking of Krsna, they forgot all sorts of material fatigue."
The Mathura citizens discussed the dynasty of Yadu, saying that because of Krsna's appearance
in this dynasty, the Yadus would remain the most celebrated family in the whole universe.
While they were thus talking about the activities of Krsna and Balarama, they heard the vibrations
of different bands announcing the wrestling match.
The famous wrestler Canura then began to talk with Krsna and Balarama.
"My dear Krsna and Balarama," he said, "we have heard about Your past activities.
You are great heroes, and therefore the King has called You.
We have heard that Your arms are very strong.
The King and all the people present here desire to see a display of Your wrestling abilities.
A citizen should be obedient and please the mind of the ruling king; acting in that way,
the citizen attains all kinds of good fortune.
One who does not care to act obediently is made unhappy because of the king's anger.
You are cowherd boys, and we have heard that while tending Your cows in the forest, You
enjoy wrestling with each other.
We wish, therefore, for You to join with us in wrestling so that all the people present
here, along with the King, will be pleased."
Krsna immediately understood the purpose of Canura's statements, and He prepared to wrestle
with him.
But according to the time and circumstances, He spoke as follows: "You are the subject
of the King of Bhoja, and you live in the jungle.
We are also indirectly his subjects, and We try to please him as far as possible.
This offer of wrestling is a great favor of his, but the fact is that We are simply boys.
We sometimes play in the forest of Vrndavana with Our friends who are Our own age.
We think that to combat persons of equal age and strength is good for Us, but to fight
great wrestlers like you would not be good for the audience.
It would contradict their religious principles."
Krsna thus indicated that the celebrated, strong wrestlers should not challenge Krsna
and Balarama to fight.
In reply to this, Canura said, "My dear Krsna, we can understand that You are neither a child
nor a young man.
You are transcendental to everyone, as is Your big brother, Balarama.
You have already killed the elephant Kuvalayapida, who was capable of fighting and defeating
other elephants.
You have killed him in a wonderful way.
Because of Your strength, it behooves You to compete with the stronger wrestlers amongst
us.
I therefore wish to wrestle with You, and Your elder brother, Balarama, will wrestle
with Mustika."
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Volume, Eighth Chapter of Krsna, "The
Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida."