Srimad Bhagavatam – day 782
Krishna kills the dreaded elephant Kuvalayapida
Krishna Narayana
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Having reached the main entrance of the arena, Srikrishna noticed the elephant Kuvalayapiḍa which had been stationed there and which was being controlled by a mahout. Krishna immediately tightened the cloth around His waist and tied up His curly locks.
In a loud voice resembling the deep thundering clouds He addressed the mahout saying, ‘O mahout, without any delay move to the side and give way for us to proceed else, along with this elephant, I shall dispatch you to the abode of Lord Yama (lord of death)’.
Hearing this the mahout was angered. He was after all the mahout who controlled the uncontainable, terrible elephant named Kuvalayapiḍa and the words of this puny boy annoyed him. With this, he goaded the elephant till it was enraged. He then directed the angered elephant which resembled Yama, the Lord of death who shortens the lives of the living entities, towards Srikrishna. The elephant came rushing towards Krishna and quickly caught Him with its trunk. Quickly releasing himself from its trunk, the Lord squeezed between its legs such that it couldn’t see him.
With this, the elephant was even more infuriated. Although it could not see the Lord, it located Him through its sharp sense of smell and caught him using its trunk. Deftly and forcibly the Lord escaped from its grip. He then caught the tail of this mighty elephant and then as playfully as an eagle drags a cobra, dragged it backwards by a distance of 25 bows i.e. 100 cubits.
Just as a boy would hold the swinging tail of the calf, Lord Srikrishna held on to the elephant which was vigorously swinging from right to left, trying to wriggle from his grip. He then came face to face with the elephant, hit it forcefully with his fist and then ran so close to it giving the impression as if He would be caught by it at every step”.
Although He was running close to the elephant such that it appeared He could be trampled by it in every step, He failed to be caught by it.
“The Lord who was thus running before the elephant, suddenly sportily fell to the ground. Seeing the boy to have fallen to the ground, the violent elephant pierced him with both its tusks. Nevertheless, the Lord speedily got up and escaped due to which the tusks of the elephant pierced the earth.
Using their goads, the mahouts further enticed the elephant which was already enraged that its attempts had turned futile. Frustrated and angered due to this, the elephant madly ran towards Srikrishna.
Lord Srikrishna, the destroyer of demon Madhu, approached the elephant which was rushing towards him and firmly caught hold of its trunk and threw it to the ground. Like a lion He trampled upon the elephant and then playfully plucking out the tusks from the fallen elephant, he killed the elephant and its mahouts with them”.
It is said that a herd of lions use their might to topple an elephant. Here Krishna, who was probably 1/20th the size of that elephant, single-handedly toppled the mountain-sized elephant, which had the might of many thousands of elephants. Not stopping with that, he deftly plucked out its tusk and using the tusk killed it and its mahouts. Needless to say, these mahouts were mighty enough to control these wild elephants. Krishna easily killed such powerful mighty mahouts.
“Thereafter Krishna abandoned the dead elephant and, holding the tusks in his hands, entered the wrestling arena”.
The Lord who holds the discus and conch in His hands now entered the arena with elephant tusks”.
Krishna Narayana