Radha Krishna - Chapter 42: The Breaking of the Sacrificial Bow

(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: (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.'

(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?'

(4) With her mind overwhelmed by the beauty, charm and sweetness of the talking, the smiles and glances gave she them plenty of ointment. (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 anointed beautifully. (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. (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. (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. (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. (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.'

(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: (12) ''I'll visit 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.'

(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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (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. (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!'. (20) Seeing their evil intentions Balarâma and Kes'ava thereupon each of Them taking a piece of the bow vehemently struck them down.

(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. (22) The citizens who had witnessed that amazing heroic act of Them deemed Them, for Their strength and boldness, the finest gods. (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. (24) The words about benedictions in Mathurâ that by the gopîs, who were tormented by feelings of separation, were spoken when Mukunda left [10.39: 23-25], proved themselves as 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 was of such a hankering that she therewith forgot about the others who worshipped her. (25) After the both of Them had bathed their feet and eaten boiled rice with milk, spent They there fully aware of Kamsa's scheme, the night quite comfortably. (26-27) But Kamsa with his bad mind for long couldn't catch sleep having heard of the game Govinda and Râma had played in breaking the bow and killing his little army of guards. In his fear saw he as well in his sleep as being awake many bad omens and messengers of death before his mind's eye. (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 that mortally afraid that he couldn't sleep anymore.

(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. (33) The king's men ceremoniously vibrated in the arena musical instruments and drums and decorated the galleries with garlands, flags, ribbons and arches. (34) Upon them were comfortably seated the citizens and the people from elsewhere preceded by the state officials and the brahmins who together with the royalty received special seats. (35) Kamsa surrounded by his ministers sat, positioned in the midst of his governors, trembling at heart on the royal dais. (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. (37) Canura, Mushthika, Kûtha, S'ala and Tos'ala enthused by the pleasing music all took their place on the wrestling mat. (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.'