Koka and Vikoka
Koka and Vikoka were twin dānava brothers. They were the hardest opponents that Bhagavān Kalki met in his whole Digvijaya, his campaign of conquest in all directions. Their story is in the Kalki Purāṇa, Tritīyāṃśa, Chapter 7.
They were the sons of Vṛkāsura and belonged to the people (jana) of Śakuni. Each brother could revive the other with a glance, so ordinary weapons could not kill them. Brahmā came down to the battlefield and told Bhagavān Kalki the secret. Bhagavān Kalki then struck both heads at the same moment, and both brothers fell and died. The devas rejoiced.
Who they were
Koka and Vikoka are called dānava brothers, which means they were asuras of great skill in war. They were the sons of Vṛkāsura and belonged to the people of Śakuni. In some descriptions the text calls them rākshaśreshṭhas (the best among rākshasas), but they are mainly named as dānavas.
The text describes them with these words:
- ekarūpa: they looked exactly alike.
- mahābala: they had very great strength.
- yuddhanishṇāta: they were skilled in battle.
- devabhaya-kara: they caused fear even among the devas.
- vajratulyadeha: their bodies were as hard as the vajra (thunderbolt).
- gadāhasta: they carried gadās (maces).
They moved across the battlefield and conquered all the directions by force. They are also called mṛtyuñjaya, those who have won over death, because each could revive the other.
Why they could not be killed
Each brother’s gaze brought the other back to life after death.
Bhagavān Kalki cut off Vikoka’s head with the weapon bhallaka. The head fell to the ground. At that moment Koka’s gaze fell on it, and Vikoka came back to life. Bhagavān Kalki then struck off Koka’s head, and Vikoka’s gaze restored Koka. This happened several times. It amazed the army and troubled Bhagavān Kalki himself.
Bhagavān Kalki’s divine horse tried to break the cycle. It kicked both brothers hard in the chest, and their yajñopavītas (sacred threads) and bows broke. In their anger the brothers caught the horse’s tail. The horse kicked back with its hind legs with the force of the vajra. This cracked their breastbones and shattered their armlets and bows. They fell senseless, but they rose again.
Bhagavān Kalki tried every means: cutting off heads, hurling weapons, using different astras (divine missiles), and sending the horse against them again and again. Nothing worked. While one brother lived and could see, the other could not die.
The help of Brahmā
When matters stood so, Brahmā himself came down to the battlefield. He went to Bhagavān Kalki and spoke to him in private:
“O Paramātman! These two cannot be killed by any astra or śastra (weapon). There is only one way: strike both of them with your fists at the same instant, one blow for each. If you strike only one, the other’s gaze will bring the fallen one back. If you strike both at the same moment, neither can revive the other. Both will fall together and both will die together.”
The death of Koka and Vikoka
Bhagavān Kalki gave up his chariot and all his weapons. Alone and empty-handed, he walked forward between the two brothers, who were still attacking him and mocking him.
He stood in the space between them. At one moment, with perfect timing, he struck both their heads together with his two fists, with the force of thunderbolts. Both skulls broke. Both brothers fell at the same instant, like two mountain peaks whose tops have been struck away together. Because both fell at once, no gaze was left to bring back the fallen. Neither could revive the other, and both died.
The devas rejoiced greatly. The gandharvas sang, the apsarās danced, and the ṛshis offered praise. Flowers rained from the sky. The decisive part of the battle was over.
Sources
- Kalki Purāṇa, Tritīyāṃśa, Chapter 7