Lord Balarama Slays Dvivida Gorilla

In this chapter, Baladeva enjoys with the gopis on Raivataka mountain. When Dravida disturbs this, Baladeva kills him.

Being absorbed in Krsna lila, Sukadeva had missed some incidents, and therefore Pariksit asked him this question, hinting that he not proceed so fast. Balarama’s astonishing activities (adbhutakarmani) were such incidents as pulling the Yamuna river in order to take bath. Who else could do that? And because he is infinite, even Sukadeva cannot know his activities completely. He is called immeasureable (aprameyasya), because Pariksit cannot measure him with his little intelligence.

Narakasura is mentioned to show that though Dvivida was the minister of the great devotee Sugriva, bad association caused anarthas to arise in him. The cause of his taking bad association was his previous disrespect for Laksmana. Though Mainda , Dvivida and others were eternal associates of the lord, being worshipped with him as attendants during arcana, in order to show the problem arising from bad association and offense, the fall down of Dvivida in a form similar to that of Jaya and Vijaya, is shown here.

In order to take revenge for the killing of Narakasura, he began to burn the cowherd villages to destroy the country.

He began to flood the areas on the shore of the ocean (vela kule) with water.

He covered (apyadhat) the mouth of the cave with stones.

He saw Balarama who was like a mad elephant.

Being by nature not very serious ( jati capalah), and fond of laughing, the gopis laughed at the boldness of the monkey.

He disrespected the gopis (helayam asa) by moving his eyebrows, by standing directly in front of them, and by his style of walking and gestures. He disrespected Balarama by not even glancing at him.

He pulled the gopis’ garments from the beds and ripped them. In this way he insulted them.

Balarama struck him with his musala (pestle or club) called Sunanda.

He was struck on a particular part of the head (mastiska) by Balarama.

Making fists (musti krya) he beat (arurujat) Balarama.

Balarama threw aside his plough and pestle because it was only proper to fight without weapons with Dvivida who was now weaponless. He struck Dvivida on the collar bone (jatru).

Raivataka mountain with its trees and cliffs began to shake. Tanka according to the last portion of Amarasimha’s Trikanda dictionary means leg, wall of a mountain, shovel, stone chisel or a type of wild fruit.