Krishna Kills the Elephant Kuvalayapida

The forty third chapter describes the killing of the best of elephants, Krsna’s entrance into the arena and his discussion with Canura.

Atha (then) signifies that Krsna and Balarama in the early morning, without telling their father and elders, went to the bank of the Yamuna with their friends, and after washing their face and hands, said to their friends, “O friends! You can hear the drums announce the wrestling match. Let us now leave here and go to the arena.” Saying that they quickly went to the arena to see the match.

He saw the elephant Kuvalayapida, being instigated by his trainer.

Krsna took off his shirt and bound his clothing with a belt. He placed garlands and other dangling objects over his shoulder. Though he tucked his curly locks under his turban with his fingers, at the time of combat he feared that they would become loose, so he also tied his upper cloth around his head.

I will send you to the abode of Yama (yama sadanam). It also indicates liberation, as yama can also mean by mind control and sadana means to attain, that which is attained by control of the mind.

He instigated the elephant to catch Krsna. The elephant is described as being like Yamaraja, who brings an end to life through the force of time (kalantaka). However Krsna is the master of time, which is stronger than the elephant. Thus the elephant and his trainer could do no harm to Krsna. By using this phrase, Sukadeva was comforting fearful Pariksit.

With his trunk, the elephant seized the waist of Krsna, who was standing there fearlessly. Then Krsna struck the elephant on his trunk with his left fist, and the elephant released Krsna. Krsna disappeared between his four huge legs. First he would hide behind one leg, and when the elephant used his sense of smell to detect him, Krsna would hide behind another leg. In this way playful Krsna cheated the elephant in many ways and showed to the public his remarkable daring.

Not being able to see Krsna, the elephant detected him with his sense of smell, and seized Krsna with his trunk again. With a desire to display his feats to the public and encourage the elephant to fight, Krsna allowed himself to be caught by the elephant’s trunk. When the elephant thought he was successful, Krsna with great force freed himself saying “What kind of strength are you showing?” and escaped.

Krsna dragged the elephant twenty five dhanus or one hundred hastas distant by his tail. The elephant was unable to prevent this.

In order to encourage the elephant to fight, Krsna decreased the speed of his pulling. When the elephant gained strength, in order to catch Krsna who was holding his tail, he would turn to the left. Krsna would then go to the right. And when the elephant would turn to the right, then Krsna would go the left, just as a strong boy moves while pulling a calf by the tail.

In order to play in a different way, Krsna let go of the elephant’s tail. Krsna struck the elephant lightly, because if he killed the elephant, his play would be finished. After striking the elephant he quickly ran away, but lessened his speed to encourage the elephant. He first showed his speed to the elephant, which was done without effort by Krsna. When the elephant began to touch him, he stumbled as if tired of running, and made the elephant fall on the ground.

In order that the elephant would strike the hard stone on the ground with force, Krsna pretended to fall on the ground and not get up quickly. Seeing Krsna on the ground, the elephant became determined to kill him. The elephant fell on his knees and dug the earth with his tusks. But Krsna had already quickly got up and fled.

Krsna saw that time was passing and playing with the elephant was about to end. With one hand, the left hand, he casually caught the elephant’s trunk.

Krsna appeared as the epitome of vira rasa with his lotus faced exuding drops of perspiration like drops of dew mixed with the drops of blood and mada from the elephant, with the tusk perched on his shoulder.

Krsna is shown to be the direct embodiment of all the meanings of the Upanisads by showing how he appeared differently to the different types of people assembled at the arena, in accordance to their different inner feelings.

In front of the wrestlers like Canura who had bodies as big as mountains, he was like a thunderbolt. Though Krsna has soft, sweet, cooling limbs, he appeared to the envious wrestlers to be extremely hard, like a mountain, with pain inflicting limbs. Though sugar candy is sweet, it tastes bitter to one with jaundice. Though Krsna’s form was seen by the wrestlers and similarly inclined spectators there, they did not taste the real form of the Lord (svarupa), but rather experienced rasa abhasa in their hearts. For the public of Mathura, who were endowed with a general prema from birth, without envy or other unfavorable elements, he appeared as the best of men, with pure sattva in his heart, with the best form, qualities and pastimes, most astonishing in human society. This was vismaya rasa. The young women of Mathura experienced him as cupid, without any trace of material lust, since they were full of prema. They experienced ujjvala rasa. By mentioning that Krsna was murtiman, it is indicated that all other realizations are angas of this svarupa. The cowherd boys experienced Krsna’s svarupa also, since friendliness to cowherds boys is his very nature. They experienced sakhya and hasya rasa. The impious kings, those who tormented the innocent earth, the offenders of devotees, saw him as their destroyer. The form of destroyer, is not the svarupa embodying all bliss and friendship. Like the wrestlers, they did not taste Krsna, but an abhasa of raudra rasa. His parents, Nanda and Vasudeva, or Vasudeva and Devaki saw him as a baby. They tasted his svarupa, for being the son of Nanda and Vasudeva is Krsna’s svarupa. They experienced vatsalya rasa, and karuna rasa on seeing Krsna amidst those who wanted to kill him. Kamsa saw Krsna as death. Krsna, who is a stream of sweet nectar, does not have a svarupa of death. Thus Kamsa did not taste Krsna, but simply an abhasa of bhayanika rasa. Those without knowledge, such as the priests of Kamsa and other offenders saw Krsna as one individual material human. “The foolish call him the Supreme Lord, but we can see with our eyes that he is most despicable, taking others wives, killing bulls, appearing now before us with body smeared with bones and blood of an animal. He does the most unethical things.” Such speakers as this, most sinful, without anger, were lower than Kamsa. They had an abhasa of vibhatsa rasa. The yogis like Sanaka and others experiences Krsna’s svarupa as brahman, with santa rasa. The members of the Yadu dynasty saw Krsna as the most worshipable supreme lord. They tasted his svarupa in dasya rasa. Among the ten types of people described at the arena, four, being materialistic, were not able to taste the real rasa of Krsna, who is the source of all rasa. The other six types tasted eight of the rasas.

The Upanisad says raso vai sah rasam hy evayam labdhanandi bhavati. The Supreme Lord is the very form of rasa. Having tasted that rasa or most astonishing bliss, the jiva becomes completely blissful. It is confirmed here in the tenth canto at the wrestling arena that Krsna is that rasa (raso vai sah). Though a person may be blissful, if he attains that rasa or Krsna (tam labdha), he then becomes completely full of bliss (anandi bhavati).

The upanisad text dealing with rasa should be explained in this way.

Though Kamsa was very strong, or though he was worried before (manasvi), he became more worried now.

Krsna and Balarama embraced (sprsantau) the minds of those who were looking at them.

The eyes of the people in the galleries opened like lotuses which blossom immediately when the sun rises, and they drank the sweetness of the faces of Krsna and Balarama.

This verse describes how they drank the beauty of Krsna. With wide eyes they saw him, with tongues they tasted, with widened nostrils they smelled and with open arms they embraced. They began to speak about what they had seen (breaking the bow) and heard (such as lifting govardhana) without chronological order. His form was attractive as his blackish color mixed with red blood, and with the elephant tusk in his hand. He was attractive with qualities like courage. He was sweet with his smiling glances. He showed confidence in breaking the bow without hesitation. Having seen or heard these things, they tried to remember them (smarita iva), though they were not qualified, and talked about them.

For the audience, Krsna and Balarama appeared to be amsas of Narayana.

Krsna killed many demons such as Sankhacuda (guhyaka).

Because of seeing Krsna’s face, the gopis were easily able to surpass the obstacles and scolding of husbands and fathers-in-law.

The learned have said that the Yadu family, being protected by Krsna, will attain great power and wealth.

After the killing of Vatsasura there was the killing of Bakasura. Then there was the killing of Dhenukasura, the taming of Kaliya and the killing of Pralambasura. But in this verse, the killing of Pralamba is mentioned first, out of order. This is because, when the news spread from mouth to mouth, the accurate sequence could not be discerned.

You are skilful at wrestling (bahu yuddha).

This verse explains how they became expert at wrestling.

We should fight with boys our age so that no injustice will touch the arrangers of the match. If other arrangements are made, it would be unfair.

You should fight with wrestlers who are strong like me, not with boys, who are not equal in strength to you.