Source
Texts:
The
Breaking of the Sacrificial Bow
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Walking the king's road saw Krishna a woman
carrying a tray with ointments for the body. She hunchbacked
[*],
young and with an attractive face was by the Bestower of the
Essence with a smile asked where she was going:
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: As He walked down the King's road,
Lord Mâdhava then saw a young hunchback woman with an
attractive face, who carried a tray of fragrant ointments as
she walked along. The bestower of the ecstasy of love smiled
and inquired from her as follows.
Text
2
'Who
are you with your nice thighs? Ah, look at all those ointments!
Or tell Us, if you like, honestly for whom they are meant dear
woman. Please offer the two of Us that ointment for the body
and following will there soon be the supreme benefit for
you.'
[Lord
Krishna said:] Who are you, O beautiful-thighed one? Ah,
ointment! Who is it for, my dear lady? Please tell Us
truthfully. Give Us both some of your finest ointment and
you will soon gain a great boon.
Text
3
The
maidservant said: 'O handsome One, I am a servant of Kamsa
known as Trivakrâ ['three-bend'] respected indeed
for my work with ointments that prepared by me are very dear to
the chief of the Bojas. But okay, who else but the two of You
would deserve them?'
The
maidservant replied: O handsome one, I am a servant of King
Kamsa, who highly regards me for the ointments I make. My
name is Trivakrâ. Who else but You two deserve my
ointments, which the lord of the Bhojas likes so
much?
Text
4
With
her mind overwhelmed by the beauty, charm and sweetness of the
talking, the smiles and glances gave she them plenty of
ointment.
Her
mind overwhelmed by Krishna's beauty, charm, sweetness,
smiles, words and glances, Trivakrâ gave both Krishna
and Balarâma generous amounts of ointment.
Text
5
With
adorning Their bodies with the colors which contrasted with
their complexions proved the ointments to be of the highest
quality and appeared they thus being anoined
beautifully.
Anointed
with these most excellent cosmetics, which adorned Them with
hues that contrasted with Their complexions, the two Lords
appeared extremely beautiful.
Text
6
To
deliver proof of the benefit of meeting Him decided the
satisfied Supreme Lord to straighten the crooked back of
Trivakrâ who had such an attractive face.
Lord
Krishna was pleased with Trivakrâ, so He decided to
straighten that hunchbacked girl with the lovely face just
to demonstrate the result of seeing Him.
Text
7
With
both His feet pressing down on her toes took He with His hands
hold of her chin and raised Acyuta, pointing two fingers
upwards, her body.
Pressing
down on her toes with both His feet, Lord Acyuta placed one
upward- pointing finger of each hand under her chin and
straightened up her body.
Text
8
She
then straight by Mukunda's touch all of a sudden had become a
woman most perfect with evenly proportioned limbs and large
hips and breasts.
Simply
by Lord Mukunda's touch, Trivakrâ was suddenly
transformed into an exquisitely beautiful woman with
straight, evenly proportioned limbs and large hips and
breasts.
Text
9
With that
endowed with beauty, quality and good feelings addressed she,
to the roused idea of sleeping with Him, with a smile Kes'ava
by pulling the end of His upper garment.
Now
endowed with beauty, character and generosity Trivakrâ
began to feel lusty desires for Lord Kes'ava. Taking hold of
the end of His upper cloth, she smiled and addressed Him as
follows.
Text
10
'Come o hero
let's go to my house, I cannot bear to leave You here, please
have mercy, o Best of All Men, with me whose head is
reeling.'
[Trivakrâ
said:] Come, O hero, let us go to my house. I cannot
bear to leave You here. O best of males, please take pity on
me, since You have agitated my mind.
Text
11
With this
request of the woman glanced Krishna at Balarâma who
watched what happened and then at the gopas and said
laughing to her:
Thus
entreated by the woman, Lord Krishna first glanced at the
face of Balarâma, who was watching the incident, and
then at the faces of the cowherd boys. Then with a laugh
Krishna replied to her as follows.
Text
12
'I'll visist
your place, o beautiful eyebrows, when I have accomplished what
I came for. That will do us, travelers far from home, good. For
you are the best one might wish for.'
[Lord
Krishna said:] O lady with beautiful eyebrows, as soon
as I fulfill My purpose I will certainly visit your house,
where men can relieve their anxiety. Indeed, you are the
best refuge for Us homeless travelers.
Text
13
Leaving
her with these sweet words was He, walking down the road with
His brother, by the merchants honored with various offerings of
betel nut, garlands and fragrant substances.
Leaving
her with these sweet words, Lord Krishna walked further down
the road. The merchants along the way worshiped Him and His
elder brother by presenting Them with various respectful
offerings, including pân, garlands and fragrant
substances.
Text
14
With
Him before their eyes couldn't the women think straight any
longer agitated as they were by Cupid and stood they nailed to
the ground with their clothes, bangles and hair in
disorder.
The
sight of Krishna aroused Cupid in the hearts of the city
women. Thus agitated, they forgot themselves. Their clothes,
braids and bangles became disheveled, and they stood as
still as figures in a painting.
Text
15
After asking
the residents were the place was the sacrificial bow could be
found, entered Acyuta there. It was a bow as magnificent as a
rainbow, the bow of Indra.
Lord
Krishna then asked the local people where the arena was in
which the bow sacrifice would take place. When He went there
He saw the amazing bow, which resembled Lord Indra's.
Text
16
The bow,
guarded by many men and worshiped with the greatest wealth, was
by Krishna picked up after He with force had passed the guards
who tried to block His way.
That
most opulent bow was guarded by a large company of men, who
were respectfully worshiping it. Krishna pushed His way
forward and, despite the guards' attempts to stop Him,
picked it up.
Text
17
Before the
guards their eyes lifted He in a second it easily with His left
hand. Next pulling its string, broke Urukrama
['giant-step'] it right in half like He was an elephant
eager for a piece of sugar cane.
Easily
lifting the bow with His left hand, Lord Urukrama strung it
in a fraction of a second as the King's guards looked on. He
then powerfully pulled the string and snapped the bow in
half, just as an excited elephant might break a stalk of
sugar cane.
Text
18
The sound of
the breaking bow penetrated all directions of the sky and the
earth, which made Kamsa who heard it tremble with
fear.
The
sound of the bow's breaking filled the earth and sky in all
directions. Upon hearing it, Kamsa was struck with
terror.
Text
19
Trying to get
hold of Him were He and His comrades surrounded by the guards
who taking up their weapons enraged shouted: 'Grab Him, kill
Him!'.
The
enraged guards then took up their weapons and, wanting to
seize Krishna and His companions, surrounded them and
shouted, "Grab Him! Kill Him!"
Text
20
Seeing
their evil intentions Balarâma and Kes'ava thereupon each
of Them taking a piece of the bow vehemently struck them
down.
Seeing
the guards coming upon Them with evil intent, Balarâma
and Kes'ava took up the two halves of the bow and began
striking them down.
Text
21
After they also
slew an armed force sent by Kamsa, walked the Two out of the
gate of the arena happy to observe the exciting riches of the
city.
After
also killing a contingent of soldiers sent by Kamsa, Krishna
and Balarâma left the sacrificial arena by its main
gate and continued Their walk about the city, happily
looking at the opulent sights.
.
Text
22
The citizens
who had witnessed that amazing heroic act of Them deemed Them,
for Their strength and boldness, the finest
gods.
Having
witnessed the amazing deed Krishna and Balarâma had
performed, and seeing Their strength, boldness and beauty,
the people of the city thought They must be two prominent
demigods.
Text
23
Freely
wandering around began the sun to set and returned Krishna and
Râma accompanied by the gopas to the place outside the
city where they had left their wagons.
As
They strolled about at will, the sun began to set, so They
left the city with the cowherd boys and returned to the
cowherds' wagon encampment.
Text
24
The words about
benedictions in Mathurâ that by the gopîs,
tormented by feelings of separation, were spoken when Mukunda
left [10.39:
23-25],
came all true for those who had the full scope of the body of
this paragon of male beauty, the shelter for whom indeed the
goddess of fortune, abandoning others worshipping her, was
hankering.
At
the time of Mukunda's [Krishna's] departure from
Vrindâvana, the gopîs had foretold that the
residents of Mathurâ would enjoy many benedictions,
and now the gopîs' predictions were coming true, for
those residents were gazing upon the beauty of Krishna, the
jewel among men. Indeed, the goddess of fortune desired the
shelter of that beauty so much that she abandoned many other
men, although they worshiped her.
Text
25
After each of
Them had bathed His feet and eaten boiled rice with milk,
stayed they there, [though] aware of Kamsa's scheme,
quite comfortably that night.
After
Krishna's and Balarâma's feet were bathed, the two
Lords ate rice with milk. Then, although knowing what Kamsa
intended to do, They spent the night there
comfortably.
Text
26-27
But
Kamsa, merely by word of the play of Govinda and Râma
breaking the bow and killing his army of guards, for a long
time wicked-minded remained awake afraid to see waking and
[later] in his sleep so many bad omens and messengers
of death.
Wicked
King Kamsa, on the other hand, was terrified, having heard
how Krishna and Balarâma had broken the bow and killed
his guards and soldiers, all simply as a game. He remained
awake for a long time, and both while awake and while
dreaming he saw many bad omens, messengers of death.
Text
28-31
He couldn't see
the mirror-image of his own head and for no reason saw he the
heavenly bodies present in a double image; in his shadow he saw
a hole, the sound of his breath he couldn't hear, he saw a
golden hue over the trees and couldn't spot his own footprints.
In his sleep was he embraced by ghosts, rode he a donkey,
swallowed he poison and saw he someone going about naked,
smeared with oil wearing a garland of nalada flowers
[indian spikenards] and more of such omens. Seeing
these forebodes of death asleep as well as awake was he
all-terrified in his anxiety not able to fall asleep
again.
When
he looked at his reflection he could not see his head; for
no reason the moon and stars appeared double; he saw a hole
in his shadow; he could not hear the sound of his life air;
trees seemed covered with a golden hue; and he could not see
his footprints. He dreamt that he was being embraced by
ghosts, riding a donkey and drinking poison, and also that a
naked man smeared with oil was passing by wearing a garland
of nalada flowers. Seeing these and other such omens both
while dreaming and while awake, Kamsa was terrified by the
prospect of death, and out of anxiety he could not
sleep.
Text
32
When the night
had passed, o descendant of Kuru, and the sun rose from the
water, had Kamsa as planned the great wrestling festival
carried out.
When
the night had finally passed and the sun rose up again from
the water, Kamsa set about arranging for the grand wrestling
festival.
Text
33
The King's men
ceremoniously vibrated in the arena musical instruments and
drums and decorated the galleries with garlands, flags, ribbons
and arches.
The
King's men performed the ritual worship of the wrestling
arena, sounded their drums and other instruments and
decorated the viewing galleries with garlands, flags,
ribbons and arches.
Text
34
Upon them to
their comfort came to sit the citizens and the people from the
suburbs headed by the state officials and the brahmins who with
the royalty were allotted special seats.
The
city-dwellers and residents of the outlying districts, led
by brâhmanas and kshatriyas, came and sat down
comfortably in the galleries. The royal guests received
special seats.
Text
35
Kamsa
surrounded by his ministers sat, positioned in the midst of his
governors, trembling at heart on the royal dais.
Surrounded
by his ministers, Kamsa took his seat on the imperial dais.
But even as he sat amidst his various provincial rulers, his
heart trembled.
Text
36
As the musical
instruments were played in the meters appropriate came and sat
down the prominent, proud and richly ornamented wrestlers
together with their instructors.
While
the musical instruments loudly played in the rhythmic meters
appropriate for wrestling matches, the lavishly ornamented
wrestlers proudly entered the arena with their coaches and
sat down.
Text
37
Canura,
Mushthika, Kûtha, S'ala and Tos'ala enthused by the
pleasing music all took their place on the wrestling
mat.
Enthused
by the pleasing music, Canura, Mushthika, Kûtha, S'ala
and Tos'ala sat down on the wrestling mat.
Text
38
The gopa Nanda
leading the cowherds called forward by the king of Bhoja
[Kamsa] presented his offerings and sat down in one of
the galleries.
Nanda
Mahârâja and the other cowherds, summoned by the
King of the Bhojas, presented him with their offerings and
then took their seats in one of the galleries.
*
The
pupils of Prabhupâda elucidate: 'According to
S'rîla Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî Thâkura,
the young hunchbacked girl was actually a partial expansion of
the Lord's wife Satyabhâmâ. Satyabhâmâ
is the Lord's internal energy known as Bhû-s'akti
[see 10.39:
53-55],
and this expansion of hers, known as Prithivî, represents
the earth, which was bent down by the great burden of countless
wicked rulers. Lord Krishna descended to remove these wicked
rulers, and thus His pastime of straightening out the hunchback
Trivakrâ, as explained in these verses, represents His
rectifying the burdened condition of the earth.'
