Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.43 Summary

This chapter tells how Lord Krsna killed the lordly elephant Kuvalayapida, how Krsna and Balarama entered the wrestling arena and what Krsna said to the wrestler Canura.

After finishing Their early-morning rituals, Krsna and Balarama heard kettledrums heralding the start of the wrestling match, and They went to see the festivities. At the gate of the wrestling arena They encountered an elephant named Kuvalayapida, who attacked Krsna at the urging of his keeper. The mighty elephant grabbed at Krsna with his trunk, but the Lord struck back and then disappeared from the beast's sight among his legs. Enraged at not being able to see Krsna, Kuvalayapida sought Him out with his sense of smell and seized Him. But the Lord pulled loose. In this way Krsna teased and tormented Kuvalayapida, finally yanking out one of his tusks and beating him and his keepers to death.

Sprinkled with the elephant's blood and carrying one of his tusks on His shoulder as a weapon, Lord Krsna appeared unprecedentedly beautiful as He entered the wrestling arena. There the various classes of people saw Him in different ways, according to their specific relationship with Him.

When King Kamsa heard how Krsna and Balarama had killed Kuvalayapida, he realized They were invincible and became filled with anxiety. The members of the audience, on the other hand, became joyful as they reminded one another about the Lords' amazing pastimes. The people declared that Krsna and Balarama must be two expansions of the Supreme Lord Narayana who had descended into the house of Vasudeva.

Canura then stepped forward and challenged Krsna and Balarama to wrestle, saying King Kamsa wished to see such a match. Krsna replied, "Although We are merely nomadic forest folk, We are nonetheless subjects of the King; thus We will not hesitate to please him with an exhibition of wrestling." As soon as Canura heard this, he suggested that Krsna should wrestle him and that Balarama should wrestle Mustika.

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Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari