Srimad Bhagavatam – day 751
Krishna uplifts demon Arishta
Narayana Krishna
The Gopikas sang, “He who is the Lord of the Yadavas returns majestically like an elephant. The pangs of separation which cause agony during daytime to the residents of Gokula are alleviated at sunset when Srikrishna, who is like the Moon, returns back to the hamlet. With His darshan, all our sufferings are alleviated”.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “To the ladies of Gokula, Srikrishna was their life and their breath. Having His darshan was in itself a great festival. All through the day, irrespective of the work on hand, they recounted His glories and sang in His praise with their minds fixed completely upon Him.”
With this, the thirty- fifth chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.
Tenth Canto Chapter Thirty-six
In this chapter, Krishna uplifting demon Vrṣabhāsura and Kamsa sending Akrūra to Brindavan are covered.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “One evening, when Krishna returned to Brindavan, demon Arishta entered the hamlet assuming the form of a mammoth bull with an enormous hump madly digging and tearing the earth apart with its hooves. Unable to withstand the weight of this demon who was tearing it apart, the earth trembled.
Bellowing harshly and scraping the earth with his hooves, he raised a huge dust storm. Lifting his enormous tail he hurled mounds of mud and stone dust in all directions while, with his steady gaze he simultaneously discharged mucus and stools. His horrendous, frightening shrieks caused pregnant cows and women to deliver prematurely. The entire Brindavan began to shudder at this unforeseen calamity.
Mistaking its raised hump to be a mammoth mountain, clouds remained stationed without moving. Seeing this bull which had razor-sharp horns, all the Gopikas and the cowherds shuddered. When the bull moved, it was as if an entire mountain was walking towards them. The trembling cows began to flee from Brindavan. The residents of Brindavan shrieked,
“Krishna krishneti te sarve govindaṃ śaraṇaṃ yayuḥ
bhagavanapi tad vīkṣhyā gokulam bhaya vidŗtam
‘O Krishna! Krishna! please rescue us’ – screaming thus, the alarmed residents sought refuge under Srikrishna.
Krishna observed this unforeseen calamity that had thrown everyone into panic. Absolute chaos reigned. Observing the people who were fleeing in fright, He reassured them. Thereafter confronting the demon Vrushabhasura He said,
“O dim-witted fool! O vilest demon, what do you gain by frightening these cowherds and their cattle? Due to physical might, degraded demons like you turn arrogant. I am here to crush this arrogance in you”. Saying this, Krishna slapped His arms and thighs and then clapped loudly inviting the demon for a duel thereby provoking and infuriating it further. Draping His long serpentine arm on the shoulder of a friend He then stood there challenging the demon.
Unable to withstand these indigestible words uttered by Srikrishna, the demon was totally enraged. Using his hooves he violently dug up the earth. Lifting his tail to the skies, he shattered all the clouds. This demon who had bloodshot red eyes dashed towards Srikrishna with full force. Thrusting forward his gigantic horns and while casting threatening sidewards glance at Krishna, he darted forward like Lord Indra’s thunderbolt.
With both his hands, the Supreme Lord seized him by his horns and just like the elephant which pushes away a rival elephant, this Lord pushed the demon back by a distance of eighteen feet and knocked him down.
In no time, the demon stood on all its four feet. In mad frenzy, bellowing boisterously and perspiring profusely, he darted once again towards Srikrishna. This time Srikrishna caught hold of both his horns and forcefully threw him to the ground. Holding the demon tightly under His feet, the Lord squeezed him tightly as if he were a mere piece of wet cloth. He then plucked out the horns and pierced him with those horns.
The demon, who had collapsed to the ground, began to vomit blood. Discharging urine and stools, he began to throw up his feet in despair. His eyeballs rolled. Undergoing excruciating agony, he reached the lap of the Lord of death. His carcass occupied a lot of ground space in Brindavan. The celestials who were witnessing this from heavens, joyfully rained flowers upon Srikrishna and extolled Him in various ways.
In this way, Srikrishna killed the wicked demon Vrushabhasura. Seeing this marvellous deed, the residents of Brindavan sang in His praise. Having killed the demon, Krishna, the Lord who showered bliss upon the Gopikas, stepped into his hamlet along with brother Balarama”.
Krishna Krishna Narayana.