121 - The story of Srugala

Narayana said- Thereafter, Sri Krishna was seated in the assembly called Sudharma with his courtiers. In that assembly a Brahmana possessing the divine lustre arrived there. Reaching there the Brahmana started offering prayer to Sri Krishna quite humbly with devotion.

Brahmana said- There is a Vasudeva named Srugala (jackal) who considers himself to be Sri Krishna and the king of kings; he always speaks ill of you; you kindly listen to the same.

Srugala said- I am Vaikuntha and the god of gods having four arms, lord of Lakshmi, maintain the universe and preserve the same being Brahma and Vasudeva.

Brahma had prayed to me to incarnate in order to rid the earth of her burden. That is why I arrived in the land of Bharata.

The son of Vasudeva is a Vaishya and is quite arrogant and Kshatriya as well. He is filled with illusion and is a cheat.

He makes the people to fight with each other and making the valorous to fight with the week people, he has destroyed the kings, he is extremely deceitful.

Krishna who is devoid of valour, had Duryodhana, Jarasandha and a weak king named Bhima, Drona, Bhishma, Karna and other warriors on earth killed from Arjuna. He therefore has the weak warriors killed with the valorous warriors, sometimes deceitfully.

He killed Sishupala, Dantavaktra, Kamsa who was ailing since long, Narakasura my son and the week Keshi besides the demon named Mura quite deceitfully. One should not be deceitful in the battle of dharma. That irreligious boy killed Putana and Kubja. Thus, he is the killer of a woman. In the greed for costumes that deceitful and uncultured person killed the washerman. I have saved the earth by killing the great demon like Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyaksha, Madhu and Kaitabha.

I am myself Shiva and the preserver of the universe and Vishnu the destroyer of the wicked persons.

All the sages and the ascetics were born of me amshas. I am myself Narayana without qualities and beyond Prakruti.

O virtuous one, till now because of shyness and mercy besides having a friendly attitude towards you I have been forgiving you. Whatever has happened, has happened, now you fight with me.

I have learnt through messenger that you have become more and more arrogant therefore it is proper for me to subjugate you. It is the duty of the king to trample upon the people who raise their heads quite high and presently I happen to be the ruler of the universe. I shall myself arrive in Dvaraka taking to the four-armed form holding Shamkha, gada, chakra and padma together with the army. In case you are desirous of a fight then fight with me, otherwise you take refuge under my feet.

In case you do not take refuse with me then I shall destroy the entire city of Dvaraka in a moment.

I myself alone will destroy playfully your army, sons, attendants, relatives and brothers burning them in fire flames.

You consider, yourself to be quite valorous by conquering Shiva, who is an ascetic and pretty old and Indra who suffers from Brahmashapa and having vaginas on his body, you consider yourself to be quite valorous and have become arrogant. You had been over-powered by your wife just for the sake of Parijata flower.

you are the debauch and are ruled by Radha in Gokula. Presently you are like the slave of Satyabhama and other ladies.

Thus, speaking O sage, the Brahmana kept quiet and hearing him the lord laughed aloud with all his courtiers.

The Brahmana was then adored variously serving four types of food to him, he felt pained with the words of Srugala which pierced like the thorns and he spent the night with great difficulty.

In the early morning he got up anxiously and accompanied with his people, he mounted over a chariot and at once reached the city of Srugala.

He had four artificial arms and he himself reached before Krishna.

Krishna talked to him like a friend; he looked at him with loving eyes and smilingly embraced him.

The king invited him but Sri Krishna did not accept finding Krishna discarding his arrogance, he felt frightful and spoke.

Srugala said- You cut-off my head with your chakra and go back, let the sinner having the perishable body falls on earth.

I happen to be Subhadra who always remained guarding your doors like Jaya and Vijaya. O lord, you are all knowledgeable and are therefore well-aware of everything. Do not delay.

I had fallen because of the curse of Lakshmi; the period of my curse is over; I shall now proceed to your abode after lapse of hundred years of curse.

Sri Krishna said- O friend, you first attack me and thereafter I shall fight. O son, I am quite well-aware of everything. You go back to Vaikuntha with pleasure.

Thereafter Srugala shot ten arrows towards Sri Krishna. All of these arrows bowing in reverence at the feet of Krishna disappeared in the sky.

The king then threw gada which issued fire-flames but the same was shattered into pieces with the touch of the body of Sri Krishna.

The king then shot the trident, mortar and shakti which were destroyed and broken into pieces with the touch of the body of Sri Krishna. He then shot the terrific sword and the arrows, but with the touching of the body of Sri. Krishna, they were all reduced to pieces.

When the king was without any weapon, the merciful Krishna said to him, "O friend you go and bring some more sharp-edged weapon.

Srugala said- The soul and the sky cannot be wounded with the use of arrows, therefore, how can I have a fight with the soul? You are the one who relieves the earth of her burden? You redeem me from the ocean of the universe.

O lord, the terrific ocean of the universe is filled with poison; therefore, you remove all me bondages of illusion, you are the lord of all the deeds, creator of Brahma, bestower of the fruits and all the noble deeds, bestowed all the riches, the cause of all the deeds and are competent enough to shatter the deeds.

After ending this body of five elements, I shall reach the gate of Vaikuntha. On listening to the prayer of a friend, the words of which were spoken like nectar, the lord who happened to be the ocean of mercy, started crying filled with emotion and compassion. With the tears fallen from the eyes of lord Krishna, a pool was created which was known by the name of Bindusara. It was a divine pool and became the best of the pool, person with a dip in the pool is relieved of the cycle of birth and death and the sins committed by him in earlier birth also disappear. There is no doubt about it.

Sri Krishna said- O friend, you have a spotless mind, then how were you so misguided? Why did you make the messenger to speak such harsh words?

Srugala said- Since I made the messenger speak in harsh tone you have arrived here, otherwise O lord, it is difficult to have an audience with you even in dream.

In the meantime, he ended his life with yogic practices and looking at Krishna he delightfully proceeded to Vaikuntha. At that point of time a divine lustre as high as seven tala trees appeared there and merged into the lotus-like feet of Sri Krishna.

Sri Krishna felt delighted. At the sight of this he felt delightful and went back to Dvaraka; reaching there, he bowed in reverence to his parents and then reached the abode of Rukmini, which was issuing the fragrance of flowers and sandal-paste. He spent the night on the bed of flowers and, sandal-paste. Rukmini was fainted placing her head on the chest of her lord.