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Kita then confronted Balarama, who killed him with his fist. Sola and Tosala also fell dead before Krishna. The other wrestlers fled for their lives. Rama and Krishna then called their Gopa com- panions and began to dance together on the wrestling ground. "Well done," "Well done," cried all, except Kansa. THE DEATH OF KANSA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 44. Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 311 Kansa stopped the music. He exclaimed. "Let these two unruly sons of Vasudeva be driven out from the town. Take away the wealth of the Gopas. Confine this wicked Nanda. Kill that vile Vasudeva. My father Ugrasena is partial to my enemies. Kill him with all his attendants." While Kansa was thus bragging Krishna got angry and with one jump, he got upon the platform. Kansa stood up with his sword and shield. Krishna held him by his hair and threw him down from the platform. He then jumped over Kansa and his life departed. He then dragged the dead body of Kansa in the presence of all. Kansa through fear and anxiety had always thought of Krishna and now being killed by his hands, he attained the Ripa of Krishna. The eight brothers of Kansa attacked Krishna but they were put to death by Balarama. There was great rejoicing amongst the Devas. The wives of Kansa loudly lamented the death of their husband. Bhagavan consoled them. He then liberated his father and mother and touched their feet. He then took leave of Nanda and the Gopas, promising a speedy return to them. THE THREAD CEREMONY AND BRAHMACHARYA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 45. Krishna placed Ugrasena on the throne. The Yadus, Vrishnis, Andhakas, Madhus, Dasarhas and Kukkuras, who had left Mathura for fear of Kansa, now returned to that town. Vasudeva called the Purohita (family priest) Garga and performed the Upanayana cere- mony (investiture of the sacred thread) of his sons. They then be- came twice-born. (Dvija-Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas are the twice-born classes. Krishna was a Kshatriya by birth). After Up- anayana, one has to practise Brahmacharya i.e. he has to reside at the house of his Guru, learn the Vedas from him and practise asceticism at the same time. According to practice, Rama and Krishna went to reside at the house of Rishi Sandipani of Avanti of the line of Kasyapa. The brothers learned the Vedas, the Vedangas and all the branches of learning in sixty four days. Then they requested their Guru to name his Dakshina. (When a disciple leaves his Guru after the completion of study, he has to give some Dakshina or present according to his power to the Guru). Sandipani in consultation with his wife asked for 312 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana the restoration to life of his son, who had been drowned in the sea at Prabhasa Kshetra. "All right," said the brothers. They took their char- iot and went to the sea-side. The sea brought presents. But Krishna asked for the restoration of his Guru’s son. The sea replied:—"I did not carry him off, but one Asura named Panchajana, who lives in my waters in the form of a conch." Krishna entered the waters and killed Panchajana. But he did not find the boy within the Asura’s body. Me took the conch and came back. He then went with Balarama to the seat of Yama called Sanyamani and blew the conch. Yama adored the brothers and wanted to know their behests. Bhagavan said:—"My Guru's son has certainly been brought here by his own Karma. But hear my command and bring him to me." "So be it" said Yama, and brought back the Guru’s son. The brothers took him to their father and said: "What more do you ask, O Guru?" The Guru said:—"I have nothing more to ask. Now you may go home." UDDHAVA AND VRAJA. SKANDHA X. CHAP. 46. Uddhava was the chief counsellor of the Vrishnis, the dear friend of Krishna and the direct disciple of Brihaspati. He was second to none in wisdom. His dress and decorations were those of Krishna. Krishna called his friend aside and said:— "Go, Uddhava, to Vraja. Bear my love to Nanda and Yasoda, Give my message to the Gopis, which will be a relief to them in their dis- tress. Their desires are all centred in me. I am their life. They have given up all worldly connections for my sake. I am their dearest and nearest friend. I protect those that give up worldly duties for my sake. So painful is my separation to the Gopis that they are beside themselves. Any how they live and that with difficulty, only because I sent word of my speedy return." Gladly Uddhava accepted the mission. He went to Vraja and stayed there for a few months, consoling the Gopas and Gopis. To Nanda and Yasoda he said:— "Rama and Krishna are the efficient and the material cause of the Universe—Purusha and Pradhana. They pervade all beings and guide Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 213 the workings of individual natures. Krishna would fulfil the promise he made to you on the wrestling ground and come back to Vraja ere long. Do not grieve O great ones. You shall see Krishna by your side: He is within the heart of all beings, as fire is inside all fuel, To him nothing is agreeable or disagreeable, nothing high or low. He has no father, no wife, no sons, no one near or distant, no body, no birth, no Karma. For the protection of Sadhus he manifests himself in different births at his own pleasure. Though void of all Gunas, he seeks them at pleasure for the purpose of creation. As a stationary body appears to be moving, so Atma appears to be working, though Chitta is the worker. Krishna is not your son only. But he is of all the sons, the self, father, mother and Isvara. Nothing exists in reality but Krishna." Excited were the effusions of the Gopis, on seeing Uddhava. (They may be interesting to the general reader but to the student the message delivered by Uddhava is the only necessary portion at this stage of the story. The reader is therefore referred to other transla- tions for those highly poetical effusions.) Uddhava informed the Gopis that he was the secret messenger of Krishna. He then delivered the following message from Bhagavan:— "You have no separation from me, for I am all-pervading. As the five elements earth, water, air, fire and ether enter into the composition of all beings, so I underlie Manas, Prana, the Bhitas and the Indriyas, as also the Gunas themselves. I create, preserve and destroy self in self by self. By my Maya, I become the Bhitas, the Indriyas and the Gunas. But Atma is pure, it is all consciousness (Jnana), separate, un- connected with the Gunas. It is only by the mental states of wakeful- ness, dream and dreamless sleep that egoistic perceptions are caused in Atma. (The objects of perception in one state appear to be unreal in another state.) The objects of dream perception appear to be un- real to the awakened man. The mind (being the common factor in all the three states) perceives these (unreal) objects of the senses and it underlies the senses themselves. Sleeplessly therefore control the mind. This is the final reach of the Vedas, of Yoga, and of Sankhya, of relinquishment, of Tapas, of the control of senses, and of Truth itself. This is the ocean into which all rivers fall. "That I, though pleasing to your eyes, remain away from you is because I want you constantly to meditate on me, for such meditation 314 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana will attract your mind more towards me. The mind of women does not dwell so much upon the lover, near at hand, dearest though he be, as it dwells upon a distant lover, being full of him. "By devoting your whole mind to me, free from all other thoughts, and by constantly meditating on me you shall forthwith attain me. Even those girls that remained at Vraja and could not join the Rasa attained me by meditating on My powers." The words of Uddhava only reminded the Gopis of the doings of Krishna. They loudly took his name. They were full of Krishna and would not forget him. But they knew from His message that He was Atma and their pain of separation was gone. Uddhava remained for several days at Vraja, reminding all of Sri Krishna. When he left Vraja he wished that he could be one of the creepers or herbs in Vrindavana, that had been rendered sacred by the dust of the Gopis’ feet. (With that wish let us take leave of the Vrindavana Lila of Bhagavan Sri Krishna.) THOUGHTS ON THE VRINDAVANA LILA. Before making any remarks of my own, it will be necessary to draw upon the Upanishads. Gopala Tapani is one of the chief Upanishads dealing with Kr- ishna. The work is divided into two parts. The first part gives one yantra for the Upasana of Krishna. The second part gives a narra- tion. The women of Vraja asked Krishna to name some Brahmana to whom they could make offerings of food. Krishna named Durvasas. "But how can we approach him without crossing the Yamuna?" asked the Gopis. "Take my name, that of Krishna, a Brahmacharin, and the Ya- muna shall give you way" So it was. The Gopis crossed the Yamuna and went to the Asrama of Durvasas, the incarnation of Rudra. They offered the sweet things to the Rishi and when he partook of these, he permitted the Gopis to retire. "But how can we cross the Yamuna?" The Rishi replied:—"Remember me, the eater of Durva (a kind of grass) and the river shall give way." "Krishna a Brahmacharin! And thou an eater of Durva only? How can that be?" asked the chief Gopi and she asked a number of Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 315 other questions. (According to the common exoteric notion Sri Krishna is the lord of many women and Durvasas is a voracious Rishi. This is the cause of the wonder.) Durvasas first explained that Krishna was the all-pervading Pu- rusha, underlying all. Then further on, there are seven Sakamya Puris or places, on the top of Meru, as well as seven nishkamya Puris.