Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 42
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
After leaving the place of the florist, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, while passing on the street, Kṛṣṇa saw one hunched young woman carrying a dish of candana pulp. As Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure, He wanted to make all His companions joyous by cutting joke with the hunchbacked woman by talking with him (her) as follows.
This is Forty-second Chapter.
Subject: "Combating the Wrestlers."
The woman was hunchback, but Kṛṣṇa, just to cut joke with him (her), addressed her, "O the young tall woman, who are you? Please tell Me. And you are carrying the sandalwood pulp in your hand. For whom you are carrying this? I think you should offer Us this sandalwood pulp, and if you do so I am sure you will be in all auspicious condition." Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead knew everything about the hunchbacked woman. Still, by His inquiry He indicated that there was no use of serving a demon; better if she would serve Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, she would get immediate result of the service.
The woman replied to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Śyāmasundara, the beautiful blackish boy, You may know me that I am engaged maidservant by Kaṁsa. I am engaged in this business of supplying him daily pulp of sandalwood, and the king is very much pleased upon me for supplying this nice thing. But I see that who can be better served by this pulp of sandalwood than You two brothers at the present moment." In this way the hunchbacked woman, being very much captivated by the beautiful features of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Their talking, Their smiling, Their glancing and other activities, she began to smear over Their body with all the pulp of sandalwood to His great satisfaction and with great devotion.
The transcendental two brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were naturally beautiful with Their respective complexion, and They were nicely dressed with colorful garments. Therefore Their upper portion of the body were already very beautifully looking, and when the hunchbacked woman smeared over Their body with sandal pulp at that time, They looked still more beautiful by such action. By this service of the hunchbacked woman Kṛṣṇa was very much pleased, and He began to think within Himself how to favor the woman because she had already given Lord Kṛṣṇa very satisfactory service. In other words, in order to draw the attention of the Lord, the Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee has to serve Him in great love and devotion. Kṛṣṇa cannot be pleased by any other action of the devotee than transcendental loving service unto Him.
Thinking like this, Lord Kṛṣṇa pressed the feet of the hunchbacked woman with His toes, and capturing his (her) cheeks with the fingers of His hands He gave her a jerking in order to make her straight. Immediately the hunchbacked woman looked a straight nice girl, with broader hips, thinner waist and very well figured nice breast. In other words, Kṛṣṇa being pleased with the service of the hunchbacked woman, and the woman being touched by the hands of Kṛṣṇa, immediately became the most beautiful girl amongst woman.
This incidence gives us evidence that by serving Kṛṣṇa the devotee immediately becomes elevated and exalted position in all respects. Devotional service is so nice that anyone who takes to it, he becomes qualified with all godly qualities. Kṛṣṇa was attracted to the hunchbacked woman not for her beauty but for her service, and when the hunchbacked woman rendered Him service, she immediately become the most beautiful woman. In other words, Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not require to be qualified or beautiful. But after being Kṛṣṇa conscious and rendering service unto Kṛṣṇa, such devotee certainly becomes very much qualified and beautiful also.
When the girl was turned into an exquisitely beautiful young girl by the favor of Kṛṣṇa, naturally she thought, "I am very much obliged to Kṛṣṇa, " and was also attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. And without any hesitation, she caught the rear part of His cloth and began to snatch Him, with attractive smile showing that she has become agitated by lusty desires. She forgot herself that she was on the street and before the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa and His friends, but she frankly proposed to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear hero, I cannot leave You in this way. You must come to my place. I am already very much attracted with Your beauty, so I must receive You well. And because You are the best amongst the males, so You must also be very kind upon me."
In plain words she proposed that Kṛṣṇa should go to her home and satisfy her lusty desires. Kṛṣṇa, of course, felt a little bit ashamed in front of His elder brother Balarāma, but He knew that the girl was simple and attracted. Therefore He could not but simply smile on her words. Looking towards her (His) other cowherds boyfriends, He replied to the girl as follows, "My dear beautiful girl, I am very much pleased for your invitation, and I must come to your home after finishing My all other business here, because such beautiful girls are the only means of solace for persons like Us, who are away from home and at the same time not married. Certainly you can give Us relief from all kinds of mental agitation for want of suitable girlfriend."
Kṛṣṇa satisfied the girl in this way of sweet words and then, leaving her there, He began to proceed on the street of the marketplace where many mercantile class of men were prepared to receive Him with various kinds of presentation, especially betel nuts, flowers, sandalwood pulp, etc.
The mercantile men in the market street thus worshiped Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma with great respect. In this way, when Kṛṣṇa was passing through the street, all the women in the surrounding houses came to see Him, and some of them who were younger, they almost became unconscious being captivated by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, and their bunch of hair and tight dress became loosened, and they did not know where they were standing.
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Kṛṣṇa then inquired from the citizens where the place of sacrifice was fixed up. Kaṁsa arranged for the sacrifice which is known as Dhanur-yajṣa, and to indicate this particular type of sacrifice he placed near the place, altar of sacrifice, a big bow resembling the rainbow in the sky. The bow was very big and wonderful also. The specific bow of the sacrificial arena was being protected by many constables and watchmen engaged by King Kaṁsa, and when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma was going nearer to the bow, they warned Them not to go nearby. But Kṛṣṇa did not care for their warning. He forcibly rushed therein and immediately took up the big bow in His hand. Kṛṣṇa immediately took up the bow by His left hand, and He joined the string also, and in the presence of the crowd He broke the bow from the middle into two parts, exactly like the elephant breaks the sugarcane in the agricultural field. In this way, everyone present there could appreciate how much powerful Kṛṣṇa was.
When the bow was broken, the cracking sound filled up both sky and land very loudly, and it was heard by Kaṁsa. And when the incidence was explained to him, immediately he became afraid of his life. The caretakers of the bow, who were standing by, seeing this action of Kṛṣṇa became very much angry and with their respective weapons in the hand began to rush towards Kṛṣṇa, saying, "Arrest Him! Arrest Him! Kill Him! Kill Him!" In this way, all of them surrounded Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. When they thus surrounded Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They could understand their sinister motive, and thus became very much angry upon them, and the two brothers taking the two pieces of the broken bow began to beat all the caretaker men of Kaṁsa. When this turmoil was going on, Kaṁsa, in order to assist his men, sent a small group of troops, but both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma also fought with them and killed them.
After this, Kṛṣṇa did not go further into the arena of the sacrifice but got out of the gate and began to proceed towards Their resting camp, and visiting all other places of Mathurā City with great delight. All the citizens of Mathurā, after seeing the activities of Kṛṣṇa and His wonderful prowess, all of them took the two brothers as if some demigods must have come down to Mathurā, and they were all looking upon the two brothers with great astonishment. When the two brothers were strolling in the street without caring for any law and order of Kaṁsa, gradually the time for sunset ensued, and thus Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma along with their cowherds boyfriends returned to the place where all their carts were assembled outside the skirt of the city.
Thus Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, before entering the sacrificial arena which was to be performed the day after, gave some preliminary hints about His arrival to Kaṁsa, and Kaṁsa also could understand that what severe type of dangers were awaiting him the next day.
When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were starting from Vṛndāvana for Mathurā, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana imagined only the great fortune of the citizens, because they would see the wonderful beauty of Kṛṣṇa worshiped by His pure devotees as well as by the goddess of fortune. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana actually enjoyed the appearance of Kṛṣṇa exactly to the idea in total. In this way, the citizens of Mathurā became fully satisfied in their mind by seeing Kṛṣṇa.
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In this way, when Kṛṣṇa returned to His camp, He was taken care by the servants for washing His lotus feet and then given nice seat and offered milk, and palatable dishes of foodstuff were offered to Him. And thus after taking the supper and thinking of the program next day arranged by Kaṁsa, He very peacefully went to take rest and passed the night there.
Next paragraph.
On the other side, when Kaṁsa came to understand about the breaking of the great wonderful bow and then killing of the caretakers and the soldiers by Kṛṣṇa, he could realize partially that how much powerful is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He could now realize that the eighth son of Devakī, Kṛṣṇa, has now appeared, and now his death was imminent, and thinking of his imminent death, the whole night he could not sleep. He began to see many inauspicious dreams, and he could understand that both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, who have now approached in the precincts of the city, were messengers of his death.
Kaṁsa began to see various kinds of inauspicious signs, both awakening and dreaming. He could not see his head, just looking towards the mirror, although the head was factually present there, and he could see the luminaries in the sky into double set, just like a person sees with glaucoma in the eyes although there is one set only factually. He began to see holes on his shadow and was hearing high buzzing sound within the ear. He was seeing all the trees before him as if made of gold, and he could not see his own footprints on dust or muddy clay. In dreams he was seeing various types of ghost being carried in the carriage drawn by the donkeys. He was dreaming also that somebody gave him poison and he was drinking. He dreamt also that he was going naked with a garland of old flower, smearing oil all over the body.
In this way, Kaṁsa was seeing various symptoms of death both awakening and sleeping. He could understand that death was sure, and thus in great anxiety he could not sleep the whole night. Just after expiry of the night, immediately he became very much busy to arrange for the wrestling match.
Immediately after the sunrise, the wrestling dais was very nicely cleansed and decorated with flags and festoons and flowers. Then the news was announced by beating of kettles and drums, and the platform was looking very beautiful on account of festoons and flags. There was arrangement of different types of galleries for respectable persons—kings—and thus the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and the kings took their respective seats on thrones and other arranged seats. Everything was complete. Kaṁsa also arrived, along with his various ministers and secretaries, and was seated on the raised platform especially meant for him. Unfortunately, although he was sitting as the center of all governing executive heads, his heart was palpilating for fear of death. The cruel death is evidently careless for any person, either as powerful as Kaṁsa, kings or presidents. When death would come, it would not care for any person's exalted position.
When everything was complete, the wrestlers, who were meant for exhibiting their acrobatic feats in the assembly, were seen passing through decorated with nice ornaments and dress. Some of the famous wrestlers were known as Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, Śala, Kūṭa, Tośala, and all of them being very much enthused by the musical concert began to pass through with great alacrity, and all the respectable cowherds men who came from Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja and others, they were also welcomed by Kaṁsa. And thus after presenting Kaṁsa with all the milk products they brought with them, they also took their respective seats by the side of the king in another platform which was especially meant for them.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-second Chapter Kṛṣṇa in the matter of "The Combating of the Wrestlers."