72 - Killing of Kamsa and release of Vasudeva and Devaki

Narayana said- О sage, lord Krishna bowing in reverence to his teacher moved out of the camp and mounted the chariot that had arrived from heaven and moved towards the city of Mathura. He entered in the beautiful city of Mathura together with Akrura and other attendants. The city of Mathura was more beautiful than Amaravati, was quite charming, shining and studded with gems. It was constructed by Vishvakarma and was invaluable, extremely beautiful, decorated with gem-studded pitchers, having hundreds of royal roads which were decorated with the best of gems and diamonds like the moon on all sides. It had many lanes which were numberless and was filled with many auspicious things, the best of the business people and thousands of lakes so abundantly found in the city. The damsels of the city were adorned with the best of the costumes and the ornaments studded with gems. The beautiful damsels were quite youthful and were raising their heads with the desire of having a look at the lotus-like face of lord Krishna. They were looking at him with unstable eyes, their eye-brows were moving and roving. They were always feeling passionate, with the stiff pelvic region and the breasts, soft limbs, beautiful slender-waist and were well-versed in the love-sport. 

The city of Amaravati had crores of vehicles studded with gems which were decorated with various types of ornaments and painted with paintings, variously decorated and were lodged in three crores of gardens. There were different types of fragrant flowers, in which the black wasps, greedy for the honey, were roaming about over the Bassia Latifolia trees attracting a large number of bees as well. The city had several types of forts which were invincible for the enemies and were filled by those well-versed in the scriptures on the military. Having a large number of valorous soldiers lodged in three crores of mansions, the city was quite pleasant and was built by Vishvakarma with the best of gems.

Looking at such a type of the city of Mathura, the lotus-eyed lord was moving ahead. In the meantime, he met with Kubja (hunch back) who was quite old and was moving with the help of a staff, bending forward considerably. She was quite dry and was deformed and was carrying kasthuri and saffron in her hands. О Narada, with her touch the sandal-paste and the flowers had become more fragrant. 

The old women looked at lord Krishna with a delightful mind, who was peaceful, full of lustre, abode of Lakshmi, lord of Sri and the abode of Sri. The hunch-back suddenly folded her hands bowing in devotion. Bowing in devotion, lowering her head, she applied sandal-paste over the body of the lord and also on the attendants surrounding him. Holding the golden vase filled with sandal-paste, the old woman circumambulated lord Krishna and offered her salutation to him again and again.

Thereafter at the sight of lord Krishna, the old woman was filled with grace achieving youthfulness, beauty and a well-built body. Suddenly she appeared like beautiful and charming like Lakshmi who was clad gem-studded in beautiful garments. Sanctified by fire and was adorned with several types of gem studded ornaments having a youthful age of twelve years. She was quite pleasant and her lips appeared like ripe wood-apples. She was wearing a serene smile on her face, having a complexion like that of molten gold, beautiful pelvic region and teeth, the breasts like the fruit of wood-apple, wearing a garland of beautiful gems, walking slowly like an elephant adorned with the anklets of gems and the hair was well arranged in a knot which was adorned with a garland of jasmine flowers. The knot was filled towards the left in a roundish manner. The hunch-back had applied a spot of kasthuri on the forehead and above that there appeared a spot of sandal-paste. She was also adorned with a spot of vermilion like the flower of a pomegranate fruit. She was holding a mirror of gems in her hand. She was well-versed in the love-sport. She, looking with side-glances accepted lord Krishna as her husband. The lord, on his part, also assured her and left for another place, getting gratified, Kubja also delightfully went back to her abode like Lakshmi. She looked at her palace which had been turned like that of Lakshmi having the bed of gems and studded with the best of diamonds. A line of gems was inlaid in the same, the mirrors of gems were displayed on all sides which added to the grandeur. The red garments, betel, white fly-whisks and garland were held by the attendants appearing in large numbers in her abode. Reaching there delightfully, she consumed the sweet food and rested herself on the beautiful bed served by a number of female attendants. Then she went to sleep. 

Thereafter the chaste lady placed on her bed the betel, champhor, kasthuri saffron and sandal paste and nearby she placed the garland of jasmine flowers. She also arranged the cool drinking water, scented with camphor and also arranged for delicious sweets. Thereafter she physically, mentally and by actions devoted her mind at the feet of the lord. О sage, visualising about the arrival of lord Krishna and devoting her mind to his lotus-like face, the passionate women looked at the universe in the form of Krishna who was all passionate and filled with passion, moving a delightful mind.

Thereafter lord Krishna looked at the gardener who was carrying the flower garlands in the royal paiace. The gardener looking at the lord bowed in reverence over the ground and offered all the garlands to lord Krishna. 

The lord on his part bestowed his inaccessible slave hood on the gardener and moved forward along the royal road. He then found a washer man carrying a heap of clothes who was quite strong, youthful and proud. 

О sage, the lord humbly begged from him some clothes. The washer man, however, did not part with the clothes and on the other hand spoke some very harsh words. 

The washer man said- О foolish one, О lord of the cowherds, the costumes are not meant for cowherds like you because they are meant for the king. 

You are greedy for girls and you are extremely wicked, the way in which you have behaved with the cowherd girl in Vrundavana, you cannot behave like that in the region of Kamsa, because the king who punishes the wicked is available here. 

On hearing the words of the washer man, Madhusudana laughed with Baladeva and together with all the cowherds. Thereafter lord Krishna, administered a slap on the face of the washer man and snatched away all the costumes and wore them all with all the cowherds.

The chief of the washer man surrounded by his courtiers mounted a plane and turning to a divine form left for Goloka, having everlasting youthfulness, devoid of death and old age and the best. They were clad in yellow garments, wearing a serene smile on the faces and looked like Krishna. 

The self-disciplined washer man reached Goloka and was turned into an attendant of the lord and started waiting there for the return of Krishna. At sun-set Akrura also went to his abode with the permission of lord Krishna and Nanda. Baladeva, accompanied by Krishna, went to a Vaishnava Kuvinda who was very poor. The devoted Kuvinda bowed at the feet of the lord and adored him. The lord felt delighted and bestowed on him his slave hood which is beyond the reach of the gods like Brahma and others. 

After consuming the best of the sweets, all the people slept on the beds. At that point of time the lord left for the abode of Kubja who was sleeping on the bed. Reaching there he looked at Kubja who lying on the gem-studded bed and appeared like Lakshmi, served by the female attendants on all sides,

Instead of waking all the attendants of Kubja, lord woke her up alone and spoke to the chaste lady. Lord Krishna said, "O virtuous one, О beautiful one, wake up and let me enjoy the love 

sport with you because in earlier birth you happened to be Shurpanakha, the sister of Ravana. О damsel, during my incarnation as Rama you had performed the tapas for me. Influenced by those tapas I have taken to this form and have come to you as your beloved. Therefore, you serve me. Presently you enjoy all the pleasures with me and then proceed on to Goloka which destroys birth and death. 

Thus, speaking lord Krishna embraced her and unrobing her, enjoyed her passionate advances. With a serene smile on her face, the passionate damsel felt shy at the first union but implanted a kiss on the lord. The lord took her in his lap like Lakshmi. 

O Narada, the lord was well-versed in the art of making love and both of them did not rest during the physical union and they enjoyed the love-sport in various ways. Lord Krishna scratched her breasts and the pelvic region with the nails and also sucked her nectar-like lips.

At the end of the night the lord implanted the semen in her womb after which the beautiful damsel fainted. In the lap of lord Krishna, she lost the consciousness about day and night, heaven or earth, water or earth. 

Thus, the time of day-break arrived and it appeared that moon had become dirty getting enraged with the husband. Thereafter the plane from Goloka arrived and she attaining the divine form went to Goloka. She was clad in the divine garments sanctified by Agni and adorned with the gem-studded ornament. She was having the complexion of molten gold becoming eternal and devoid of birth and death. О sage, she was known in the Goloka as the cowherdess Chandramukhi and several types of cowherdesses became her attendants. 

The lord also remaining there for a while went back to the palace where Nanda was staying delightfully. Kamsa on the other hand was enjoying a sound sleep in the night when he felt terrified and started witnessing frightening dreams. О sage, he saw the sun had fallen from the sky breaking into four pieces on earth and the moon also after falling from the sky had broken into ten pieces. A. terrific unrobed man holding a terrific noose in his hand and besides, there also appeared a widow the wife of a Shudra, who was also unrobed and had her nose cut off. 

She was smiling and was using the line of ashes as tilakam, her white and black hair was turned upwards; she was holding a sword in one hand and a skull cup in the other, her tongue was protruding and was moving. She wore a garland of skulls round her neck. Similarly, he also saw a donkey, a he-buffalo, a pig, a bear, a crow, a vulture, a white kite, a monkey, a white dog, a crocodile, a jackal, a heap of ashes, a heap of bones, a fruit of tala tree, hair, cotton, coal, burning wood, a dead body over the burning fire, the wheel of the potter, the oil mill, the cremation ground, burnt wood, dry wood, kusha-grass, straw, the moving headless body of a human, a crying dead body, the dry pool filled with ashes, the burnt fish, iron, the burnt out forest, Sudra suffering from leprosy, a naked Brahmana having dishevelled hair pronouncing a horrible curse in anger, an enraged mendicant, an ascetic and a Vaishnava. Thus, witnessing a horrible dream, he got up and spoke to his parents, brothers and the wife who was crying, infatuated with love. Thereafter he got the stage prepared and an elephant was made to stand there. He arranged for a terrific army of wrestlers. To start the welfare ceremony, he summoned the assembly and performed auspicious and welfare deeds reciting the welfare mantras. He cautioned his family priest. 

Holding an astonishing sword in his hand, he seated himself on the stage and deputed the very strong warriors on duty. He made the kings, Brahmanas, the mendicant, the relatives, people and the warrior to sit on the stage. 

О Narada, thereafter lord Krishna together with Balarama arrived there and playfully picked up the bow of Shiva. A thundering sound was created with the breaking of the bow. The entire city looked like having become deaf; looking at this Kamsa was immensely disturbed but lord Krishna, the son of Devaki, was immensely delighted. 

Killing the elephant and the wrestler he entered the assembly. At that point of time, all the ascetics with their delightful mind were looking at the lord. The gods were looking at the lord with a delightful mind, while the kings on the other hand, looked at him in the form of a great lord who was the ruler of the kings.

The parents looked at them like an infant, while the damsels looked at them like the beautiful god of love. Kamsa on the other hand looked at Krishna and Balarama as his own enemies as well as the enemies of his relatives. The wrestler looked at them like the god of death and all the Yadavas looked at them like their own lives. 

Lord Krishna holding the Sudarshana-chakra in his hand bowed in reverence to the sage, the Brahmanas, his parents and the teacher and moved towards the stage and reached close to Kamsa. О sage, the all merciful lord who is attached to his devotees and bestowing his grace on the devotees dragged Kamsa from the platform and killed him without much difficulty.

At the time of the death, Kamsa looked at the entire universe like Krishna and also found, the arrival of the plane studded with gems. О sage, taking to the divine form, he mounted on the plane and went to Vishnuloka and his lustre was merged into the lotus-like feet of lord Krishna.

Thus, after killing Kamsa he distributed riches to Brahmanas and bestowed the kingship to the intelligent Ugrasena who was born in the lunar race. On the other hand, the mother of Kamsa, his wives, the father, the brothers, the mother, the sisters and the wives or brothers started lamenting. They cried "O Rajendra, you appear before us, get up and occupy the royal lion throne and rule over the country protecting the riches and the relatives besides the army. О valorous person, where have you gone leaving us like orphans, the people said. The one who could create and preserve all the creatures from Brahma to the least blade of grass playfully and who is adored by Brahma, Sesha, Shiva, Dharma, Surya, Ganesha, Ganga, the group of sages and the gods continuously during day and night, the same lord Krishna is adored in the Vedas. Sarasvati recites his name feeling panicky while Prakruti offers prayers to him delightfully. He is beyond Prakruti and in the form of eternal Brahma and is adored by all. He moves at will unattached, without qualities, without blemish, beyond everyone, eternal Brahma, the great soul, the great lord, eternal, the form of eternal flame, the one who takes to a definite form for the sake of his devotees, always blissful, eternal and imperishable, the same lord, under the influence of illusion and in order to relieve the earth of her burden, has incarnated on earth together with the cowherds. He is the lord of illusion. He is lord of all and in case he kills someone, no one on earth can protect him. The one who is protected by the eternal soul, who on earth can kill him. 

О sage, all the people thus spoke among themselves and then kept quiet. Thereafter they served the Brahmanas with food and distributed riches to them. 

On the other hand, lord Krishna who happens to be the soul of all went to his parents and he cut off the falters of iron and freed them. He prostrated before his parents and humbly offered prayers to them. 

Sri Krishna said- The one who does not maintain his father, mother, the teacher who bestows knowledge, the teacher who bestows mantra, such a person always remains impure throughout the world because, of all the people in the world the father is quite adorable besides the teacher and the mother who carries a child in her womb. The parents who bring up the child are therefore adorable a hundred times more. 

Because they bestow welfare, of all those who bestow welfare to all are also treated as the mother. Therefore, there is no other relative closer than the mother in the universe but the teacher who bestows knowledge is more glorious than the mother because, according to the Vedas, there is no one else more adorable than him. О sage, thus speaking lord Krishna and Balarama offered their salutation to them. Thereafter the parents also embraced their children and were served with sweet food. Vasudeva getting delighted performed the welfare ceremonies and serving the Brahmanas with food, distributed wealth among them.