One evening whilst Janārddana was engaged in Rāsa, the demon Aristha, disguised as a bull, came there striking terror into the hearts of all. His appearance was like a cloud saturated with waters—his two horns were very sharp and his two eyes were bright like the sun. As he proceeded, he ploughed up the ground with his hoofs: his tongue was repeatedly licking his lips; his tail was erect; the sinews of his shoulders were strong and between them rose a hump of enormous proportions; his haunches were soiled with ordure and he was a dread to the herds; his dewlap hung low and his face was marked with scars from butting against the trees. Terrifying all the kine, and destroying hermits and ascetics that demon, in the guise of a bull, haunts all the forests. Being greatly stricken with fear on beholding that dreadful bull, the cow-herds and their females cried out "Krishna, Krishna". Krishna then shouted and slapped his arms in defiance. When the demon heard the noise, he turned upon his challenger, and fixing his eyes and pointing his horns at the belly of Kesava, he ran furiously upon the youth. Krishna did not stir from his place, but smiling in sport and derision, awaited the near approach of the bull, when he seized him, as an alligator would have done and held him firmly by the horns, whilst he pressed his sides with his knees. Having thus humiliated his pride and held him captive by his horn, he wrung his throat as if it had been a piece of wet cloth; and then tearing off one of the horns, he beat the dreadful demon with it until he died vomiting blood from his mouth. Seeing him slain the herdsmen glorified Krishna, as the companies of the celestials of old praised Indra, when he triumphed over the Asura Jambha.
SECTION XV.
After these things had happened, Aristha, the bull demon and Dhenuka and Pralamba had been destroyed, Govardhana had been uplifted, the serpent Kailya had been vanquished, the two trees had been broken, the female fiend Putanā had been destroyed and the wagon had been overturned, Nārada went to Kansa and related to him the whole, beginning with the transference of the child from Devaki to Yosadā. Hearing this from Nārada, Kansa was greatly enraged with Vasudeva and remonstrated with him hard, and with all the Yadavas in an assembly of the race. Then thinking what was to be done he determined to destroy both Krishna and Rāma whilist they were yet young and before they had attained to man-hood. Accordingly he made up his mind, to invite them from Vraja under the plea of the solemn rite of the lustration of arms, when he would engage them in a trial of strength with his chief boxers Chānura and Mushtika, by whom they would undoubtedly be slain. "I will send" he said "the noble Akrura, the son of Swapalka to Gokula to bring them hither. I will order the dreadful Kesin, who frequents the forest of Vrindavan, to attack him, and he is of unequalled prowess and will, for certain, kill them; or if they come here, my elephant Kuvalayapida shall trample to death these two cow-boy sons of Vasudeva". Having thus planned to kill Rāma and Janārddana, the vicious Kansa sent for the heroic Akrura and said to him, "O master of liberal gifts, hear my words: and out of friendship for me perform my orders. Ascend your chariot and go to the house of the milkman Nanda. The two vicious boys, portions of Vishnu, have been born there, for the very object of bringing about my destruction. On the fourteenth lunation I intend celebrating the rite of the lustration of arms. I wish them to be brought here by you to take part in the games and that the people may behold them engage in a boxing match with my too skilled boxers Chānura and Mushtika; or by chance, my elephant, driven against them by his rider, shall destroy these vicious youngsters—the sons of Vasudeva. When they are out of the way, I shall kill Vasudeva himself, the cow-herds and my foolish father Ugrasena and I will get there by the flocks, herds and all the properties of the rebelious cow-herds who have ever been inimical to me. Save thou, lord of liberality, all the Yadavas have been my enemies and I will find out means for their destruction; and I shall then govern my kingdom with thee without any disturbance. If you regard me, do thou go as I direct thee; and thou shalt command the cow-herds to bring in speedily their supplies of milk and butter and curds".
Being thus advised the illustrious Akrura the immediately undertook to see Krishna and ascending his magnificent chariot he went, out from the city of Mathura.
SECTION XVI.
Parāçara said:—Being commissioned by Kansa's emissary, Kesin, elated with the confidence of his prowess, reached Vrindavana, being desirous of bringing about the destruction of Krishna. He assailed the cow-herds, spurning the ground with his hoofs, scattering the clouds with his mane and obstructing the paths of the sun and the moon. Being terrified by the neighings of the demon, assuming the shape of a steed, the cow-herds and their females fled to Govinda for shelter exclaiming "Save us! Save us!!" Hearing their cries, Govinda replied in a voice deep as the roaring of the thunder cloud. Srikrishna said: "Away with the fears of Keshin, O cowherds; being born as Gopals, why do you destroy my valour and heroism? Why are you afraid of one of such little might whose neighings are his only terrors, a galloping and vicious horse who is ridden by the strength of Daityas? Come on, wretch. I am Krishna and I will knock all thy teeth down thy throat, as the wielder of trident did to Pushan". Thus defying him, Govinda went to fight with Kesin. The demon with his mouth wide open, ran upon Krishna. But Krishna, enlarging his arms, thrust it into his mouth and knocked down the teeth which fell from his jaws like fragments of white clouds. Still the arm of Krishna in the throat of Krishna continued to enlarge, as a disease, neglected in the beginning, increasing till the dissolution. The torn lips of the demon vomitted forth foam and blood; his eyes rolled in affliction; his joints gave way; he struck the earth with his feet; his body was covered with perspiration and he became incapable of any exertion. Having his mouths rent open by the arm of Krishna, that dreadful demon fell down like a tree struck and shattered by lightning, divided into two portions. Each of those portions had two legs, half a back, half a tail, one ear, one eye and one nostril. Krishna stood, unhurt and smiling after the destruction of the demons encircled by the cow-herd, who, together with their females, were filled with surprise at the death of Kesin and glorified the lotus-eyed deity. Beholding the destruction of Kesin, the Brāhmin Nārada, invisible and seated in a cloud, delightedly exclaimed—"Well done, O lord of the universe who has easily destroyed Kesin, the oppresser of the celestials. I have never heard of such a combat between a man and a horse; being curious to behold it, I have come from heaven. My heart is filled with joy and surprise, O slayer of Madhu, on beholding the wonderful works thou hast done in thy descent upon earth. O Krishna Indra and other celestials lived in fear of this horse, who tossed his mane and neighed and looked down upon the clouds, Because thou hast slain the impious Kesin thou shalt be celebrated in the world by the name of Kesava. Farewell! I will now go. I shall meet thee again, O subduer of Kesin, in two days more, when thou shalt be engaged in a conflict with Kansa, When the son of Ugrasena, with his follwers shall have been slain, then, O upholder of the earth earth's burden will have been lightened by thee. Many are the battles of the kings that have to see, in which thou shalt be renowned; I will now go away, O Govinda. Thou hast accomplished a great deed admired by the celestials, I have been much pleased with thee and take my leave". When Nārada had departed, Krishna, who was the cynosure of the eyes of the damsels of Vraja, not the least surprised, went back with the cow-herds to Gokula.
SECTION XVII.
Parāçara said:—Having issued out of the house of Kansa, Akrurā being desirous of seeing Krishna, proceeded towards the house of Nanda in a swift-coursing car. He thought within himself. "There is none more fortunate than I, for I shall behold the countenance of a portion of the holder of discus. To-day my life has borne fruit, my night is followed by the dawn of day, for I shall behold the countenance of Vishnu resembling full-blown lotuses. Blessed are my eyes and blessed are my words, for on beholding Vishnu a conversation shall take place between him and me. I shall behold the countenance of Vishnu having lotus eyes, which, when seen only in imagination, removes all sins. I shall behold to-day the mouth of Vishnu—the glory of glories, whence proceeded the Vedas and all their divisions. I shall behold the lord of the universe by whom the world is sustained, who is worshipped as the best Purusha and as the male of sacrifice in sacrificial rites. I shall behold Keseva, who is without beginning or end, by worshipping whom with a hundred sacrifices, Indra obtained the sovereignty over the celestials. That Hari, whose nature is unknown to Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, the Aswins, the Vasus, the Adityas and Maruts, will this day touch my body. He, who is the soul of all omniscient, is identical with everything, omnipresent, permanent, undecaying, all-pervading, shall converse with me. He, the unborn, who has preserved the world in diverse forms of a fish, a tortoise, a boar, a horse, a lion, will this day talk with me. The lord of the universe, who assumes shapes at will, has taken upon him the condition of humanity to satisfy some object of his heart. The endless, who holds the earth upon his crest and who has descended upon earth for its protection, will this day call me by my name. Glory to that being, whose deceptive adoption of father, son, brother, friend, mother, and relative, the world is unable to comprehend. Salutation unto him, who is identical with true knowledge, who is inscrutable and through whom, when seated in his heart the ascetic gets over the worldly ignorance and illusion, I bow to him, who, by the performers of holy rites, is denominated Yajnapurusha (the male of a sacrifice), Vāsudeva, by the devotees and Vishnu by the adepts in Vedānta philosophy. May he, who comprises in himself, cause and effect and the world itself, be pleased with me, through his truth, for I always confide in that unborn and eternal Hari, by meditating on whom man becomes the repository of all auspicious things".
Parāçara said:—Thus meditating upon Vishnu, Akrura, having his mind animated by devout faith, reached Gokula a little before sun-set; and there he beheld Krishna amongst the cattle, dark as the leaf of the full-blown lotus; his eyes of the same colour and his breast adorned with Srivatsa mark; long-armed, broad-chested; having a high nose, a graceful countenance with smiles; treading firmly on the ground with feet whose nails were tinted red; dressed in yellow raiments and be-decked with a garland of forest flowers; having a creeper just collected in his hands, and a chaplet of white lotus-flowers on his head. Akrura also saw there Balabhadra, white as a jasmine, a swan or the moon dressed in a blue dress; having large and mighty arms and a countenance as radiant as a blue lotus, like the Kailāsa mountain adorned with a wreath of clouds.
When Akrura, beheld these two young men, his countenance expanded with joy and the down of his body stood erect with delight. And he thought—"This is the supreme happiness and repository; this the double manifestation of the divine Vāsudeva; blessed are my eyes for I have seen the protector of the universe and my bodily form shall yield fruit, when by the favour of the deity it shall come in contact with his person. Shall that assumer of infinite forms place his hand on my back by the touch of whose fingers alone all sins are dispelled and imperishable, felicity is secured. And by this hand holding the fierce irresistible discus blazing with all the flames of fire, lightning, and the sun, were slain the Daitya chiefs, and the collyrium from the eyes of their females was washed. Into this hand Bali poured water and obtained enjoyments in the region under the earth and immortality and dominion over the celestials for a whole Manwantara without danger from any enemy. Although I am not sinful, perhaps he will despise me for my connection with the vicious Kansa. If so, cursed is my birth who is counted amongst the wicked. What is there unknown to him who resides in the hearts of all men, who is ever existent, freed from imperfection, the aggregate of the quality of purity and at one with true knowledge? With a heart animated with devout faith I approach the lord of lords, the descended portion of that excellent Purusha, Vishnu, who his without beginning, middle or end".