SB 10.36.2: Ariṣṭāsura bellowed very harshly and pawed the ground. With his tail raised and his eyes glaring, he began to tear up the embankments with the tips of his horns, every now and then passing a little stool and urine.
SB 10.36.3-4: My dear King, clouds hovered about sharp-horned Ariṣṭāsura's hump, mistaking it for a mountain, and when the cowherd men and ladies caught sight of the demon, they were struck with terror. Indeed, the strident reverberation of his roar so frightened the pregnant cows and women that they lost their fetuses in miscarriages.
SB 10.36.5: The domestic animals fled the pasture in fear, O King, and all the inhabitants rushed to Lord Govinda for shelter, crying, "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa!"
SB 10.36.6: When the Supreme Lord saw the cowherd community distraught and fleeing in fear, He calmed them, saying, "Don't be afraid." Then He called out to the bull demon as follows.
SB 10.36.7: You fool! What do you think you're doing, you wicked rascal, frightening the cowherd community and their animals when I am here just to punish corrupt miscreants like you!
SB 10.36.8: Having spoken these words, the infallible Lord Hari slapped His arms with His palms, further angering Ariṣṭa with the loud sound. The Lord then casually threw His mighty, serpentine arm over the shoulder of a friend and stood facing the demon.
SB 10.36.9: Thus provoked, Ariṣṭa pawed the ground with one of his hooves and then, with the clouds hovering around his upraised tail, furiously charged Kṛṣṇa.
SB 10.36.10: Pointing the tips of his horns straight ahead and glaring menacingly at Lord Kṛṣṇa from the corners of his bloodshot eyes, Ariṣṭa rushed toward Him at full speed, like a thunderbolt hurled by Indra.
SB 10.36.11: The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa seized Ariṣṭāsura by the horns and threw him back eighteen steps, just as an elephant might do when fighting a rival elephant.
SB 10.36.12: Thus repulsed by the Supreme Lord, the bull demon got up and, breathing hard and sweating all over his body, again charged Him in a mindless rage.
SB 10.36.13: As Ariṣṭa attacked, Lord Kṛṣṇa seized him by the horns and knocked him to the ground with His foot. The Lord then thrashed him as if he were a wet cloth, and finally He yanked out one of the demon's horns and struck him with it until he lay prostrate.
SB 10.36.14: Vomiting blood and profusely excreting stool and urine, kicking his legs and rolling his eyes about, Ariṣṭāsura thus went painfully to the abode of Death. The demigods honored Lord Kṛṣṇa by scattering flowers upon Him.
SB 10.36.15: Having thus killed the bull demon Ariṣṭa, He who is a festival for the gopīs' eyes entered the cowherd village with Balarāma.
SB 10.36.16: After Ariṣṭāsura had been killed by Kṛṣṇa, who acts wonderfully, Nārada Muni went to speak to King Kaḿsa. That powerful sage of godly vision addressed the King as follows.
SB 10.36.17: [Nārada told Kaḿsa:] Yaśodā's child was actually a daughter, and Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī. Also, Rāma is the son of Rohiṇī. Out of fear, Vasudeva entrusted Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to his friend Nanda Mahārāja, and it is these two boys who have killed your men.
SB 10.36.18: Upon hearing this, the master of the Bhojas became furious and lost control of his senses. He picked up a sharp sword to kill Vasudeva.
SB 10.36.19: But Nārada restrained Kaḿsa by reminding him that it was the two sons of Vasudeva who would cause his death. Kaḿsa then had Vasudeva and his wife shackled in iron chains.
SB 10.36.20: After Nārada left, King Kaḿsa summoned Keśī and ordered him, "Go kill Rāma and Kṛṣṇa."
SB 10.36.21: The King of the Bhojas next called for his ministers, headed by Muṣṭika, Cāṇūra, Śala and Tośala, and also for his elephant-keepers. The King addressed them as follows.
SB 10.36.22-23: My dear heroic Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika, please hear this. Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, the sons of Ānakadundubhi [Vasudeva], are living in Nanda's cowherd village. It has been predicted that these two boys will be the cause of my death. When They are brought here, kill Them on the pretext of engaging Them in a wrestling match.
SB 10.36.24: Erect a wrestling ring with many surrounding viewing stands, and bring all the residents of the city and the outlying districts to see the open competition.
SB 10.36.25: You, elephant-keeper, my good man, should position the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa at the entrance to the wrestling arena and have him kill my two enemies.
SB 10.36.26: Commence the bow sacrifice on the Caturdaśī day in accordance with the relevant Vedic injunctions. In ritual slaughter offer the appropriate kinds of animals to the magnanimous Lord Śiva.
SB 10.36.27: Having thus commanded his ministers, Kaḿsa next called for Akrūra, the most eminent of the Yadus. Kaḿsa knew the art of securing personal advantage, and thus he took Akrūra's hand in his own and spoke to him as follows.
SB 10.36.28: My dear Akrūra, most charitable one, please do me a friendly favor out of respect. Among the Bhojas and Vṛṣṇis, there is no one else as kind to us as you.
SB 10.36.29: Gentle Akrūra, you always carry out your duties soberly, and therefore I am depending on you, just as powerful Indra took shelter of Lord Viṣṇu to achieve his goals.
SB 10.36.30: Please go to Nanda's village, where the two sons of Ānakadundubhi are living, and without delay bring Them here on this chariot.
SB 10.36.31: The demigods, who are under the protection of Viṣṇu, have sent these two boys as my death. Bring Them here, and also have Nanda and the other cowherd men come with gifts of tribute.
SB 10.36.32: After you bring Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, I will have Them killed by my elephant, who is as powerful as death itself. And if by chance They escape from him, I will have Them killed by my wrestlers, who are as strong as lightning.
SB 10.36.33: When these two have been killed, I will kill Vasudeva and all Their lamenting relatives — the Vṛṣṇis, Bhojas and Daśārhas.
SB 10.36.34: I will also kill my old father, Ugrasena, who is greedy for my kingdom, and I will kill his brother Devaka and all my other enemies as well.
SB 10.36.35: Then, my friend, this earth will be free of thorns.
SB 10.36.36: My elder relative Jarāsandha and my dear friend Dvivida are solid well-wishers of mine, as are Śambara, Naraka and Bāṇa. I will use them all to kill off those kings who are allied with the demigods, and then I will rule the earth.
SB 10.36.37: Now that you understand my intentions, please go at once and bring Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to watch the bow sacrifice and see the opulence of the Yadus' capital.
SB 10.36.38: Śrī Akrūra said: O King, you have expertly devised a process to free yourself of misfortune. Still, one should be equal in success and failure, since it is certainly destiny that produces the results of one's work.
SB 10.36.39: An ordinary person is determined lo act on his desires even when fate prevents their fulfillment. Therefore he encounters both happiness and distress. Yet even though such is the case, I will execute your order.
SB 10.36.40: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Having thus instructed Akrūra, King Kaḿsa dismissed his ministers and retired to his quarters, and Akrūra returned home.
gopa's corner:
dandavat pranams! So here is the famous pastime of the creation of Syama Kunda and Radha Kunda!
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura describes this pastime so nicely in his Saratha Darsini:
In twenty verses the Puranas describe how Radha-kunda and Syama-kunda appeared after killing of Aristasura as a result of a joking conversation between Radha and Krsna.
Radha said, "O sinful killer of a bull! Do not touch Me today."
Krsna replied, "O foolish woman! This is not a bull, but a terrible demon disguised a s bull."
Radha" "O Krsna that may be true. But even though Arista was a terrible demon, still he was a male cow, so You will have to undergo atonement, just as Lord Indra did after killing the demon Vrtrasura, who was a brahmana."
Krsna: "O Radha! What should I do to atone for this act?"
Radha: "You can purify Yourself by bathing in every single holy place in the three worlds."
Krsna: "Why should I have to wander throughout the entire universe? I will at once bring all the countless pilgrimage place here and take My bath in them. Just watch!"
Saying that Mukunda struck His heel on the ground to make a hole and said, "Come here."" Then all the holy waters in the universe and their presiding deities came there along with the Bhogavati River, coming from the Patala region.
Krsna: "Hey sakhis! Behold all the holy waters!"
But the gopis did not believe Krsna's words. Then those best of holy places, joining their palms in supplication, came forward and introduced themselves.
"I am the salt ocean. I am the ocean of milk. I am the Amara-dirghika. I am the river Sona. I am the Sindhu. I am the Tamraparni. I am the holy place Puskara. I am the river Sarasvati.. We are the Godavari, Yamuna and Reva rivers and the confluence of rivers at Prayaga. Just see our waters!"
After purifying Himself by bathing, Krsna became quite arrogant and said, "I have made one lake containing all the various holy places, but none of you have performed such pious work."
Hearing this, Radha said to her friends, "I must create and even more beautiful lake. Go to work and construct one with great care. West of Krsna's kunda, where Arista's hooves had made a hole, the gopis began digging up lumps of soft mud with their hands, and in the short span of an hour made a beautiful, divine kunda.
Astonished to see the lake the gopis produced, Krsna thought of enjoying rasa and said, "O lotus-eyed Radha, please take some of the holy water from My kunda and fill up Your kunda."
Radha said, "No, no, no, no! this is impossible, since the water of Your lake is contaminated by Your terrible sin of killing a cow. My countless sakhis will bring billions of pots of pure water from Manasa-ganga to fill up My kunda. By this My fame will be spread throughout the universe."
At that time Sri Krsna gestured to a heavenly personality who was an intimate associate of all the holy places. suddenly that person rose up our of Krsna's kunda and bowed down to Vrsabhanunandini. Then with folded hands and tears in her eyes, she began to offer praises.
"O goddess, even Lord Brahma himself, the knower of all scriptures, cannot understand Your glories, nor can Lord Siva or Laksmi. Only Krsna, the best of men, can understand them, and thus He feels obliged to personally wipe the perspiration from Your limbs when You are fatigued. Krsna is always anointing Your lotus feet with nectarean caru and yavak and decorating them with ankle bells. Krsna rejoices and feels most fortunate simply by serving Your lotus feet. On Krsna's order we have immediately come here to live in this most excellent lake, which He created by one stroke of His heel. But only if You now feel satisfied with us and bestow upon us Your merciful glance will the tree of our desire bear fruit."
Being satisfied with the praises spoken by the representative of all the holy places, Radha said, "So, kindly tell Me your desire."
The holy places clearly stated their desire: "Our lives will be successful if we can enter Your kunda. This is the boon we pray for."
Glancing at Her beloved from the corners of Her eyes, Vrsabhanunandini replied with a smile, "Please come."
Radha's sakhis all agreed with Her decision and became immersed in the ocean of happiness. Indeed, all the moving and non-moving creatures became enlivened. Thus gaining the mercy of Radha, the holy rivers and lakes in Sri Krsna-kunda forcibly broke through its boundary walls and swiftly filled Radha-kunda with their waters.
Krsna said, "O most beloved! May Your kunda become more famous in the world than Mine. I will come here daily to bathe and to enjoy My water pastimes. Indeed, Your kunda is as dear to Me as You are."
Radha replied, "I will bathe daily in Your kunda as well, even though You may kill hundreds of Arista demons here. In the future, anyone who has intense devotion for this kunda, which is on the spot where You chastised Aristasura, and who bathes or resides here is sure to become very dear to Me."
That night a brilliant flash of beautiful lightning in the form of Sri Radhika, whose glory is spread throughout the three worlds, caused a shower of blissful rasa to fall from the Krsna cloud by performing a rasa dance on the banks of Radha-kunda.
ys, gopanandini dasi
No comments:
Post a Comment