Gopal Champu

Chapter Thirty-two - Killing of Keśi

[1] I will now describe the morning recitation.

[2] At first Madhukaṇṭha was silent, thinking of a spotless topic.

[3-4] “Those of us who have been absorbed in stories of Kṛṣṇa from childhood should speak about conversations that Nārada had with Kaṁsa, since he showers us with joy from the Lord’s pastimes. Those who have qualification for the topics of the Lord, those who help others and do not commit violence, are qualified for the talks of Nārada and not the fools. However, these talks will not give much happiness to the inhabitants of Vraja, who, though most intelligent and absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, are the highest examples of unparalleled, intense happiness arising from their fixed prema. Therefore this topic should be mentioned without telling who spoke it.”

[5] Therefore hiding some aspects he began to speak out loud.

[6] When Kṛṣṇa killed Ariṣṭa, Kaṁsa was so upset that for a year he did not send anyone there. When Keśi came, he sent him home when Keśi said, “Do not make enemies uselessly.”

[7] On the eleventh day of the waning moon in the principal Māgha month, Nārada, Kaṁsa’s enemy, endowed with great knowledge, came to Kaṁsa, and acted in a friendly manner. He told him the secret activities of Vasudeva in Nanda’s house, that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were the sons of Vasudeva.

[8] Hearing this Kaṁsa, enemy of the devotees, became angry and again imprisoned Vasudeva and Devakī with iron chains so they could not kill him.

[9] After imprisoning them, foolish Kaṁsa called Keśi and again engaged him. As soon as he got his orders, Keśi departed for Vraja and arrived in the morning. After Ariṣṭa had been killed, Keśi lived far from Nandīśvara hill, and thus he came from a distance to Vraja.

[10] He tore up the soil of Vraja with his sharp hooves. Coming to Vraja and tossing his mane high in the air he wandered about. The devatās flying in their airplanes became terrified of his loud neighing and, stopping their functions, hid behind the clouds. But Keśi covered the airplanes with his huge body just as the clouds had previous covered them. Because of Keśi, the clouds released deafening thunder and the devatās withered up.

[11] Running with speed, the horse demon smashed all the trees. Intensely arrogant, he made everyone tremble and spread his loud neighing everywhere like a lion’s roar.

[12] When the roaring spread, the cows leaped from the stables, which had unbreakable wooden bolts and huge, rough doors which were difficult to pass which were surrounded by fortresses of tall trees having thick trunks and massive branches, and immediately fled to the forest in extreme panic.

[13] Not considering the difficulty in leaving the place, the horse-demon entered the edge of Vraja and galloped around searching for Kṛṣṇa, the killer of Ariṣṭa.

[14] Because the cows ran away, Nanda and the cowherd men, full of lamentation, immediately came out of their houses and went towards Keśi with caution.

[15] Then Kṛṣṇa who destroys the happiness of the demons passed all others at full speed and went in front. Passing Balarāma, he appeared astonishing as he faced the demon.

[16] The people of Vraja, feeling intense pain, tried to prevent Kṛṣṇa from going in front of the demon. They spoke:

“The horse’s hairs are as hard as thunderbolts. He can defeat Indra. At his neighing the devatās in Svarga are defeated and leave the road. You are like a tender young tāla tree growing in a shady place. Do not go immediately from the town and face the demon.” ||1||

[17] As the inauspiciousness got closer, an argument arose between Yaśodā and Kṛṣṇa:

‘O son! Where are you going?”

“O mother! I see a horse.”

“It appears to have very bad intentions.”

“But what are we going to do mother? The horse does not have a rider.”

“Go to the house!”

“Mother, am I without knowledge of what is beneficial?” ||2||

[18] Losing her self-control and showing boldness, Yaśodā spoke to Nanda:

“O king of Vraja! You are the master of the house. From childhood I have not addressed you with any impolite words. But today I am revealing my desire. Please hear. Why do you not catch and hold the boy with all his friends? Why does no one else go to the horse?” ||3||

[19] From time without beginning, the brother of Balarāma has destroyed the demons. Thus, on hearing her words, giving faith to her with a smile, Kṛṣṇa, the object of faith for the universe and giver of joy to all, regarding the demon with disdain, beckoned him to come close.

[20] Called by Kṛṣṇa, the demon began scolding him. Internally the demon was defeated by Kṛṣṇa’s power but did not tremble before him, because he thought he was brave. Coming close to show his prowess, he then ran to a space on the bank of the Yamunā. He galloped to the space near the river because he could show his power in running a great distance. Ascertaining Kṛṣṇa as the performer of action, the enemy of the devatās with great pride roared like a hundreds of thousands of lions.

[21] The demon wanted to approach them, toss them about and then swallow everyone at once. Not able to tolerate this, Kṛṣṇa roared like a lion. Glaring at the demon intensely, he faced him and challenged him. All the distressed people of Vraja followed Kṛṣṇa. The demon, seeing him coming, became blind, unable to see or hear. In that condition he came before Kṛṣṇa and spoke in anger.

The demon surpassed the sky and spread everywhere. He opened his mouth as if to swallow the sky. He attacked the sky with his hooves. Kṛṣṇa countered all his moves. ||4||

As ocean waves toss piles of foam, Kṛṣṇa threw the strong demon high in the air as if he were a bunch of dense hairs, with his feet and tail upwards. The demon landed a hundred dhanus away. ||5||

Regaining consciousness, Keśi stood up. With gaping mouth, he charged Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa shoved his left arm into his mouth, like a snake entering a frog’s mouth. ||6||

In the spirit of vīra-rasa, Kṛṣṇa’s arm, like a divine snake, grew large in the demon’s throat. Because of the arm’s power, Keśi’s teeth fell out, as if he were afflicted with poison. ||7||

His teeth fell out. His senses stopped functioning. His body began to shiver. Old age approached and death waited. ||8||

When Kṛṣṇa’s arm blocked Keśi’s throat, all the demon’s organs burst open. It seemed that, out of grief for the blocked throat, all limbs were obedient to it. ||9||

Did his life air leave, thinking that Kṛṣṇa’s arm which blocked Keśi’s throat was the destroyer of the life airs of the universe? ||10||

“One door named the throat was blocked. We will make many doors so we can get out.” The senses then made many holes in the body and left. ||11||

When the life air left the body, similar to a house, Kṛṣṇa’s arm, like a guest, also left the body. Except for the master of the body, the life air, the house was completely destroyed. By good fortune the subtle body was also destroyed. ||12||

When Kṛṣṇa pulled his arm from Keśi’s throat, the demon, gleaming like a brahmastra at the time of destruction, attained a suitable spiritual nature. ||13||

It is proper that the demon expelled stool (giving up all impurity) when he died. The mercy that Kṛṣṇa shows to the demons by giving them liberation is beyond reasoning. ||14||

Some describe Keśi’s body through two comparisons: like Jarāsandha’s body or like a karkaṭī fruit. ||15||

[22] When the horse demon’s body was thus divided and the jīva attained sāyujya, the devatās with pure minds showered flowers and indicated Kṛṣṇa’s intentions by their words:

“Since you opened your mouth to swallow my whole body, I will offer my arm to your mouth to see it get swallowed. O proud horse! If your life air leaves because of my arm entering, why did you arrogantly try to swallow everyone?” ||16||

After Keśi’s death, the people of Vraja talked like the rumbling of clouds and joyfully surrounded Kṛṣṇa who was standing motionless. He shed tears of joy which flowed in showers with the force of a waterfall. The demon lay on the earth. ||17||

[23] With great desire they placed Kṛṣṇa in the center and experienced within themselves appropriate love in various degrees of prema. Though Keśi had been killed and divided in two parts, they thought that he could not be split. Thus they considered themselves fortunate. Embracing each other but not Kṛṣṇa, they developed sāttvika-bhāvas on thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

[24] After a short time, they recovered consciousness and, along with Kṛṣṇa, went to the Yamunā and bathed. The wise know that place as Keśi-tīrtha, the best of holy places even today. Taking shelter of another ghaṭta nearby on the bank surrounded by trees, where the Yamunā becomes crooked, they took rest to get relief from their fatigue. The ancients called this place Cena-ghaṭta and today it is called Cira-ghaṭta. In Mathurā dialect cena means “the happiness of resting.”

[25] They thought optimistically that the death of Keśi would be the end of Kaṁsa’s ill intentions towards them and thus their happiness doubled. Their mouths dancing with Kṛṣṇa’s extensive glories, the people offered respects to him. When he came among them, the residents of Vraja surrounded him, and then, following Nanda, first retrieved the cows.

The cowherds said, “Hī hī” and that sound became clearly associated with Kṛṣṇa, just as, when the sound of falling rain is heard, the deep rumbling of clouds accompanies it. ||18||

[26] The cowherds and Kṛṣṇa, conquerors of enemies, went to gather the cows while Nanda alone remained in Vraja.

[27] Hearing of Keśi’s death, Kaṁsa became alarmed. He did not leave the house because of shame, as if having no nose.

[28] The speaker concluded:

“O king of Vraja!This son who made Keśi an associate of Yamarāja makes his all desires come true.” ||19||