An extremely terrible duel took place between them. It was as terrible as two elephants fighting in the forest. They used their arms to engage with each other and countered each other in wonderful ways. They raised the opponent and brought him down. They pushed and tugged. They struck each other with fists and made sounds like boars. They rained blows, which were like the vajra, on each other. They used their nails as spikes. They used terrible kicks. They struck with their thighs and butted with their hands, making sounds like stones striking against stones. There was a fierce duel, using the strength of arms and without resorting to weapons. In the midst of the assembly, those brave ones used their strength alone. Everyone present was delighted and roars of approval arose. Other people in the galleries uttered words of praise. ‘Kamsa’s face was full of sweat and he glanced towards Krishna. Using his left hand, he indicated that the trumpets should cease. He instructed that the trumpets and the drums should stop. The innumerable divine trumpets that were blaring in the sky also stopped. However, as Hrishikesha, the lotus-eyed one, continued to fight, all the trumpets began to sound of their own accord. The gods were in celestial vehicles that could travel as they wished, together with beautiful vidyadharas. Though remaining invisible, they assembled, desiring Krishna’s victory. All the saptarshis who were in the sky exclaimed, “May Krishna defeat the danava Chanura who has assumed the form of a wrestler.” Devaki’s son played with Chanura for a long time. But on discerning Kamsa’s sentiments, he summoned up all his strength. The earth trembled. The arena started to move around. The best of gems fell down from Kamsa’s crown. Chanura had already lived his life. With his arms, Krishna bent him. He struck him on the head with his fist and on the chest with his knee. Tears and blood flowed from his eyes and his eyeballs emerged from their sockets, hanging like bells from a seat on an elephant. With his eyes gouged out, he fell down in the middle of the arena. Bereft of life and with his lifespan over, Chanura lay down on the ground. Bereft of life Chanura’s body lay down in the arena. The large road was seen to be obstructed, as if by a mountain.’ Vaishampayana said, ‘Chanura was proud of his strength. On seeing that he had been killed, in that arena, Rohini’s son seized Mushtika. Krishna seized Tosalaka.807 At first, those two wrestlers808 were senseless with rage. Having come under the subjugation of time, they engaged with Rama and Krishna. The powerful Krishna raised up Tosalaka, who was like the summit of a mountain. He whirled him around one hundred times and dashed him down on the ground. That powerful one was afflicted and oppressed by Krishna. Copious quantities of blood emerged from his mouth and he was about to die. The immensely strong Samkarshana fought for a long time. The wrestler from Andhra809 was a great wrestler and exhibited various techniques. The energeticand brave one810 struck him on the head with a blow of his fist and it was like the vajra. It was as if the vajra had shattered a huge mountain. His head was shattered. On his face, the eyes emerged from their sockets. Uttering a loud roar, he fell down there. After killing the wrestler from Andhra andTosalaka, Krishna and Samkarshana leapt around in the middle of the arena, their eyes red with anger. They were terrible to behold. When the wrestler from Andhra811 and the great wrestler, Mushtika, had been killed, no other wrestlers were left in the arena. On seeing this, all the gopas, with Nandagopa at the forefront, stood rooted at the spot. Their limbs trembled because of fear. Full of questions, Devaki also trembled and glanced towards Krishna. Tears of joy flowed from her eyes. On having seen Krishna, her eyes were filled with tears. Because of his affection, Vasudeva discarded his old age and became young. With their eyes, the best among courtesans drank in Krishna’s face, like bees doing this to lotuses in the twinkling of an eye. ‘There were beads of sweat on Kamsa’s face and between his brows. Having seen Krishna, his inner hatred led to these manifestations. The fire in his inner heart and mind blazed and it was as if his breath was fanned by the wind of rage, emitting smoke towards Keshava. His lips trembled and he furrowed his eyebrows. Because of his rage, Kamsa’s face assumed the form of the red sun. There were beads of sweat on a face that was red with rage. This looked like dew created by the rising sun. Angrily, he instructed many men, “These gopas roam around in the forest. Expel them from the assembly. They are wicked and deformed. I do not wish to see them. The gopas do not deserve to remain in my kingdom. Nandagopa is wicked in intelligence and regards me as someone who is evil in conduct. Bind him in iron chains and iron shackles. Vasudeva is wicked in conduct and has always acted deceitfully towards me. He deserves a punishment that is not meant for the aged. I will quickly kill him. These ordinary gopas are devoted to Damodara. Seize their cattle and any other riches that they possess.” In harsh words, Kamsa issued these commands. Krishna, with truth as his valour, glanced towards his face. Keshava was angry at what had been said about his father and Nandagopa. He saw the distress of his relatives and that Devaki was senseless. The mighty-armed Achyuta climbed up, for Kamsa’s destruction. He was as forceful as a maned lion, born with valour. From the middle of the arena, Krishna jumped up. to near Kamsa’s throne. He was like a cloud tinged with lightning, fanned by the wind. All those who were in the middle of the arena didn’t actually see him leap up.812 The residents of the city only saw him standing next to Kamsa. Kamsa was under the subjugation of the dharma of time. He saw Govinda near him and thought that the lord had descended there from the sky. In the midst of that assembly in the arena, Krishna used his arms, which were like clubs, and seized Kamsa by the hair on his head. The crown, decorated with gold and diamonds, fell down. His head was seized by Krishna’s hands. With the hair grasped by the hands, Kamsa was unable to make any efforts. He was senseless and didn’t know what to do. Seized by the hair, he sighed gently. Kamsa was incapable of looking towards Krishna’s face. The earrings were dislodged from his ears. The necklace was torn away from his chest. With his arms hanging down, the ornaments were dislodged from his body. His upper garment was dislodged. The throne moved violently. Thus grabbed by Krishna’s energy, Kamsa trembled. Keshava dragged him down from the gallery on to the middle of that great arena. With his hair seized with great force, Kamsa confronted a great hardship. The immensely radiant king of Bhoja was thus dragged by Krishna along that arena. As his body was dragged along, potholes were created there. In that arena, Krishna played around and dragged him along. When he had lost his life, Krishna flung Kamsa’s body a long distance away. A body that was used to happiness lay down on the ground It was pale and covered with dust, the opposite of what used to happen earlier. He was without a crown and his face was dark. The eyes were closed. The radiance was destroyed. It was as if a lotus no longer had its petals. Kamsa wasn’t slain in a battle, wounded by arrows. He died from being grasped by the neck. He thus deviated from the path meant for the brave. He had been violently dragged along. Marks could be seen on the body, wounds made in the flesh by Keshava’s nails, while he was still alive. Having slain him, Pundarikaksha’s joy doubled. With the thorn dead, he worshipped at Vasudeva’s feet. The delight of the Yadu lineage lowered his head and kneaded his mother ’s feet. Krishna was sprinkled with the milk that flowed from this happiness. Krishna, blazing in his own energy, asked about the welfare of all the Yadavas, in due order and according to age. Kamsa’s brother was named Sunama. Using his arms, Baladeva, with dharma in his soul, brought him down and defeated him. Those two brave and victorious ones had conquered their anger. They had been reared in Vraja for a long period of time. Cheerful in their minds, they went to the residence of their own father.’
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