Today is apparently Kamsa Vadh Day, the anniversary of when Krishna killed Kamsa and reinstated Ugrasena as the king of Mathura. This festival is observed on Kartik Shukla Dashami, the tenth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Kartik. It is a local festival in the Braj region, centred in Mathura. But its resonances are shared by every believer in India.
I have read that Krishna was but 11 years and six months old when he killed Kamsa. This was after he and Balarama vanquished the mighty wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika set up by Kamsa to kill the divine children.
Though Kamsa was obsessed with killing his nephew Krishna, his fixation actually led to his sharanagati or deliverance by wholly thinking of God. So, Kamsa Vadh kindles thoughts of Krishna’s ultimate teaching, which is sharanagati—to offer every word and deed to him in total trust. He says this to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita 18:66: ‘Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ’, meaning, ‘Let go of all other processes and surrender to me, I shall deliver you from all consequences of sin. Don’t be afraid’.
But Arjuna was a prince of divine origin and Krishna’s close friend. Does this assurance apply to us frail, everyday mortals?
We find the answer in the first verse of the famous Sri Krishnashtakam, author and date unknown. It says: ‘Vasudeva sutam devam/Kamsa Chanura mardanam/Devaki paramanandam/Krishnam vande jagat gurum’, meaning, ‘Salutations to the teacher of the world, Krishna; God, who appeared as the son of Vasudeva; who killed Kamsa and Chanura; who gave immense joy to Devaki’.
Krishna, teacher of the world—that definitely includes you and me, not just ancient princes.
Meanwhile, another Gita comes to mind. It’s from the unlikeliest source; namely, Kamsa. We find it in the Srimad Bhagavatam. When Yogmaya slips out of Kamsa’s death-grasp in Mathura jail, she flies up, takes the form of an eight-armed goddess, tells Kamsa his killer is born and alive elsewhere, and vanishes.
They say any association with anything holy improves us. That is why we are urged to seek the company of the good and reject the bad. This is seen to be true in Kamsa’s case. That brief contact with Yogmaya deeply affects Kamsa. He feels sorry and ashamed. He uncuffs Devaki and Vasudeva and tearfully begs their pardon for treating them so cruelly. He then delivers a potted Gita himself on the delusional effects of attachment and desire, the harm caused by the ignorance of ego, and the impermanent nature of the physical body compared to the eternal nature of the soul.
Alas, the fit of goodness passes when Kamsa returns to his courtiers, who encourage his dark side. His moment of surrender to good is overtaken by plots to find and kill his appointed killer. But as a result, Kamsa can think of nothing but Krishna. Without meaning to, he becomes centred on God. It’s a strange route to sharanagati but that’s how it is.
Consider the dark history behind it. The grim circumstances of Krishna’s birth in jail, and Yogmaya’s warning to Kamsa that his killer is alive, put Krishna in danger at once. He killed his first demon when he was only seven days old, by sucking the life out of Putana’s poisoned breast.
The Yadavas in their bewilderment and love normalised baby Krishna’s feats, but a modern person shudders to think of how many attempts were made, and what powerful forces were sent to kill that baby.
Krishna was barely three months old when he killed Shakatasura the cart demon. This demon entered an ordinary wooden handcart and lurked there, waiting for an opportunity to run over Krishna. But Krishna, who was left under it by Yashoda, kicked it with his baby foot, killing the demon on the spot.
After that, Krishna was whirled away by Trinavarta the tornado demon. He tried to dash Krishna to death by dropping him from a great height. But the infant grew so heavy that Trinavarta himself was dragged down. He hit a boulder when he fell and died instantly.
Vatsasura, the calf demon blended in with Nanda’s herds disguised as a tender young calf, hoping to kill Krishna when the chance arose. But Krishna recognised him. To the horror of the cowherds, who loved their cattle and never mistreated them, Krishna seized the demon calf by its hindlegs and dashed it to death against a tree. The demon’s real form appeared when he died and only then did the cowherds realise the truth.
Bakasura, the crane demon, was Putana’s brother and a close friend of Kamsa. He appeared as an oversized crane and tried to pierce Krishna with his sharp beak. But Krishna wrenched his beak apart until it snapped, and Bakasura died.
Aghasura, the eldest brother of Bakasura and Putana, then assumed the form of a monstrous snake. He opened his jaws wide like a cave, hoping to swallow Krishna. A number of little gopa boys even trooped in unknowingly. But Krishna killed Aghasura with fierce blows and saved them.
Next, Arishtasura, the bull demon, charged at Krishna to trample him to death. Krishna seized him by the horns and threw him back 18 paces. Arishtasura charged again and this time, the little boy killed him.
If we think about it, Kamsa’s deliverance at Krishna’s hands and Krishna’s promise of sharanagati are backgrounded by all the evil Krishna fought and destroyed. An enduring message that God delivers.
(Views are personal)
(shebaba09@gmail.com)
Renuka Narayanan