INDIA. PART III. Krishna breaks Meanwhile Krishna and his companions approached the HISTORY OF gate which was called the gate of the bow; and here was placed the great bow of Siva, which was as long as three palm trees, and so heavy that no man could lift it. And the bow of Siva. the warders of the gate, seeing the cowherds approaching, cried out to them to keep their distance, for that this was a royal gate, and no man could go through it excepting the Raja. But Krishna and those who were with him pretended not to hear the warders, and went straight to the place where the bow of Siva was lying. And Krishna took up the bow and broke it as an elephant breaks a sugar cane; and the air was filled with the mighty sound of the breaking of the bow. Then the warders rushed upon the cowherds, but Krishna Krishna slays withstood them with great power and slew them all. the warders of the bow. orders the death Balarama. the people who looked on said one to the other :-" Surely these two men will slay Raja Kansa." Meantime the Raja Raja Kansa himself heard the mighty sound, and demanded of his serv- of Krishna and ants the reason thereof; and they uncovered their heads and said :-" Two men of the Yádava tribe, named Krishna and Balaráma, have entered the city of Mathurá and made a great uproar, for they have broken the mighty bow of Siva, and slain all the warders." At these words Kansa summoned many fighting men, and ordered them to go and put the two cowherds to death; but Krishna and Balaráma Krishna and fell upon the fighting men and slew them as they had slaughter the already slain the warders. Then the two brothers returned Kansa. to the place where the Yádavas had pitched their tents, and Krishna showed to his father Nanda the clothes that he had taken from the washerman of Raja Kansa. And Nanda said:-"O Krishna, will you never cease your pranks? by Nanda. rative, is too striking to be passed over without notice. The healing of the woman who had been bowed down for eighteen years, and who was made straight by Christ on the Sabbath day, and the incident of the woman who broke an alabaster box of spikenard, and poured it upon his head, seem to have been thrown together in the legend of Kubja. (Comp. Luke xiii. 2; and Mark xiv. 3.) The compilers of the life of Krishna appear however to have been compelled to garble the incidents in order to bring them into conformity with the amorous character of the Yadava hero. It is subsequently related with some grossness of detail, which has been omitted from the present text, that Krishna ultimately visited Kubja and gratified all her desires. Balarama fighting men of Krishna warned INDIA. PART III. HISTORY OF Remember that this is not the forest of Gokula, or the village of Vrindavana, but the city of Raja Kansa; therefore keep my counsel in mind, and work not any mischief here." Restlessness of Portentous dreams of Kansa. 6. Krishna's contest with Kansa, Raja of Mathurá. Now on that night Raja Kansa was filled with anguish, and he had no rest whether he rose up or whether he sat down, but he told no man of his deep anxiety. After a while he lay down upon his bed, but for the space of three watches he could not sleep. Then he fell into a short slumber, and he saw in a dream the phantom of his own body moving about without a head; and the phantom appeared to be bathing naked in the sand; and it swallowed poison and rode along upon an ass; and it dwelt with goblins in a cemetery, wearing a garland of blood-red flowers; and flaming trees were all around it with young children sitting thereon. And Kansa rose up from his bed in great terror, and sent for all his ministers and said:-"Let the great arena be swept and sprinkled with water, and summon thither all the Chieftains and people of the Yádavas, and all the Rajas who have come from afar, and after a while I myself will go into the arena." Then the ministers caused the arena to be swept and sprinkled, and they threw a canopy over it, and spread it with silken cloths, and they hung it with flags and garlands and strings of flowers, and ordered the musicians to play aloud and summon all men Assembly of the into the arena. And a vast multitude came and took the Kansa orders his Ministers to prepare an arena for the exhibition of wrestlers. Raja and the people. Krishna and Balarama approach the arena disguised as jugglers. seats which were allotted them; and Raja Kansa came filled with pride, and sat himself upon a raised throne; and the gods seated in their cars began to look down from the sky. And at the dawning of the morning, Nanda and all the chief cowherds entered the assembly, and Krishna and Balaráma and the other young cowherds followed them disguised as jugglers. When Krishna and Balaráma arrived at the gate of the arena, they saw the furious elephant that belonged to Raja Kansa ; and that elephant had the strength of ten thousand elephants, and stood at the gate swaying his INDIA. PART III. Adventures of Krishna with elephant of body to and fro. Then Balaráma called out to the keeper HISTORY OF of the elephant:-"Take the elephant away and give us a passage to the Raja, or I will dash him down and destroy both him and you." At these words the keeper was in a Balarama and rage, and urged on his elephant against the cowherds; but the great Balarama swung round his fist and buffetted the elephant so Raja Kansa. that it drew up its trunk and fell backwards with a loud roar. And all the warriors of Raja Kansa were looking on, and the driver knew that he should be slain unless he conquered the striplings; and he plunged his goad into the elephant, and drove him against Balaráma and his brother Krishna. Then that elephant in its might and fury seized Krishna with its trunk, and threw him upon the ground, and would have gored him, but Krishna remained in safety between its tusks. Then Balaráma seized the elephant by the trunk and Krishna caught it by the tail; and they sported with the elephant, like children sporting with a calf. Then Krishna kills Krishna pulled the tail of the elephant, and swung him and its driver. round and dashed him down, and buffetted him to death with his fists; and he tore away its tusks with his two hands so that the blood flowed forth like a river. And the driver shouted aloud in defiance, but Krishna slew him and cast him under the feet of the elephant; and Krishna and Balaráma carried a tusk in each hand, and entered the arena in great joy. the elephant of the people respecting the expulsion of Now when Krishna entered the assembly, the cowherds Different ideas thought he was their companion, and the wrestlers thought and the gods he was a wrestler; but the damsels of the city thought that Krishna. he was a miracle of comeliness, and the Rajas thought that he was a Raja, whilst the gods on high knew him to be their Supreme Lord. And Kansa cried out with a loud voice :- Kansa orders "O wrestlers, down with these two men and slay them, Krishna and or else force them away from my presence." Then the The wrestlers wrestlers advanced and said to the two brothers :-"Our Krishna and Raja is sad to-day, and desires to amuse himself with our wrestling Be pleased, therefore, to wrestle with us and gratify the Raja." Krishna replied:-" We are but ignorant Krishna's children; how then shall we encounter you? Nevertheless, Balarama. challenge Balarama. reply. INDIA. PART III. HISTORY OF as it is the will of the Raja, we will do as you say; but do not exert your force and dash us down, for we seek only to gratify the Raja." Then two mighty wrestlers came out and Balarama slay confronted Krishna and Balaráma; and they began to Krishna and the wrestlers. Joy of the people and the gods. Kansa orders the slaughter of Krishna and Balarama, and the arrest of Ugrasena, Vasudeva, and Devaki. Krishna rises up and fights Kansa. wrestle, head with head, arm with arm, eye with eye, leg with leg, pouncing, grappling, snatching, and tugging. And the people cried out :-"Shame upon the wrestlers for fighting such children." And whilst they were thus speaking Krishna and Balaráma hurled the two wrestlers backward and slew them upon the spot; and all the other wrestlers came up and were slain in like manner by Krishna and Balaráma. Then all the people were filled with joy, and the musicians played aloud, and the gods showered down flowers from heaven; but Kansa cried out in a rage:-" Why is the music sounded, and why are the people rejoicing at the victory of Krishna? Seize the two young striplings, and bind them, and take them out of the assembly; and go and bring hither my father Ugrasena, and the treacherous Vasudeva and his wife Devakí: We will slay them first and then put to death the two brethren." At these words Krishna rose up clothed in mail, and a helmet was upon his head, and he held a shield in one hand and a double-edged sword in the other. And Raja Kansa stood up in great alarm, and began to tremble violently. And Krishna and Kansa fought desperately, and at last Krishna seized the Raja by the hair, and dashed him down and leaped upon him so that his life departed from his body. And the people cried out :"Krishna has slain Kansa!" And gods, and men, and sages were filled with joy. And the gods rained down flowers and sounded the great kettledrum; and the hearts of all the men and women of Mathurá expanded on beholding the countenance of Krishna, as the lotus expands on beholding The Ránís per- the full moon. And Krishna dragged the corpse of Raja Kansa to the river Jumná, and the Ránís of Kansa arose and took courage, and went to the banks of the Jumná and performed the obsequies of their lord. Death of Rejoicings of the gods. form the funeral rites for Kansa. After this Krishna released Vasudeva and Devaki from INDIA. PART III. their bonds, and placed the old Raja Ugrasena upon the HISTORY OF throne of Mathurá; and all the cowherds returned to Vrindávana, but Krishna and Balaráma remained in the city of Mathurá. And Krishna went to the house of Kubja, and leases Vasudeva gratified all her desires. Krishna re and Devaki, and restores Ugrasena to the Jarasandha, há, against Mathurá, and Krishna. Now the two Ránís of Raja Kansa were the daughters of throne. Jarasandha, Raja of Magadhá; for when Kansa was very Raja of Maradyoung he marched an army against Jarásandha and defeated ha, makes war him, and Jarúsandha gave him his two daughters in marriage. is defeated by And when Kansa was dead the two Ránís returned to the house of their father, and told him how Krishna and Balaráma had put their husband to death; and Jarasandha was filled with wrath and prepared to do battle against the Yádavas. And Jarásandha made war against Ugrasena, and Krishna defeated him seventeen times. Then Yama Marches an assembled an army of barbarians to aid Jarásandha, and barians against they had thick necks and arms, large teeth, brown hair, and red eyes. And Jarásandha marched with an army of thirty millions of these unclean barbarians against Mathurá; and Krishna and the Ugrasena, and Krishna, and all the inhabitants of Mathurá to the city of and Vrindavana, migrated to the city of Dwáraká, which is in the country of Guzerat nigh unto the western sea. 7. Krishna's life at Dwáraká. army of bar Mathura. Yadavas retire Dwáraká. Balarama with off Rukmini, the Raja of After this Balaráma took to wife Revatí, who was the Marriage of daughter of Raja Raivata; and Krishna married Rukminí, Revati. the daughter of Bhishmaka, Raja of Vidarbha. Now Krishna carries Rukmini was betrothed to Sisupála, but on the nuptial day the daughter of she went with all her companions and maidens to worship in Vidarbha. the temple of the goddess Durgá, when Krishna saw her and took her by the hand and carried her away in his chariot. And Rukmin, who was the brother of the damsel, and Sisupála, to whom she was betrothed, followed after Krishna, but he defeated them both, and brought away Rukminí to the city of Dwáraká, and married her according to the ordinance. Satrájit inAnd Rukminí bore a son to Krishna, and his name was Pradyumna. trusts a precious And there was a certain Chieftain of the Yádavas named is slain by a lion. |