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KB 1970-1-42 / The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida
42 / 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 Forty-second Chapter
of Krsna, "The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida."
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KB 43: The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida
CHAPTER FORTY–THREE
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 arena. They immediately prepared Themselves to
proceed to the spot to see the fun. When Krsna and Balarama
reached the gate of the wrestling arena, They saw a big
elephant of the name Kuvalayapida being tended by a caretaker
riding on its head. 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 clothes before combating the
elephant. He addressed 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 toward 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
trunk, 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 a calf
by its tail 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 toward 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,
broke off one of its tusks, and with it killed the elephant
and the caretaker also. After killing the elephant, Krsna took
the ivory tusk on His shoulder. Decorated with drops of
perspiration and sprinkled with the blood of the elephant, He
looked very beautiful, and thus He proceeded toward
the wrestling arena. Lord Balarama took the other tusk of the
elephant on His shoulder. Accompanied by Their cowherd
boyfriends, 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 He
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 impious ksatriya kings who were
present saw Him as the strongest ruler and their chastiser. 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 people present,
Krsna entered the wrestling arena with Balarama and His cowherd
boyfriends. 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 arms. 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 much 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 as if they were not only drinking
the nectar of seeing His face but were also 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 to favor them. 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: "
Sankhacuda, Kesi, Dhenukasura and many other demons were killed
by Krsna and Balarama in Vrndavana. Krsna also saved all the
cowherd men of Vrndavana from a devastating fire. He chastised
the Kaliya snake in the water of the 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 hailstorm." They also began to remember other enlivening
activities: "The damsels of Vrndavana were so much pleased by
seeing Krsna's beauty and participating in His activities that
they forgot the troubles of material existence. By seeing Krsna
and thinking of Him, they forgot all sorts of
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. The citizens of Mathura then began to talk about
Balarama. They spoke of His very beautiful lotus-petal eyes,
and they remarked of Him, "This boy has killed the Pralamba
demon and many others also." 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, including
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 a subject of
the King of the Bhojas, 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 very well 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 thousands of other elephants.
You have killed him in a wonderful way. Because of Your
strength, it behooves You to compete with the strongest
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 Forty-third Chapter
of Krsna, "The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayapida."
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