SrI: SrImathE satakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama: SrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
<< krishNa’s blessing and anger in mathurA
In this manner, krishNa and balarAma, after decorating themselves, went directly to the place where the bow festival was happening. While the guards were stopping them, krishNa picked up the bow which was kept there and broke it. Both krishNa and balarAma defeated the guards who tried to attack them.
They both then roamed around in mathurA and enjoyed. In the night they went to their place of stay and rested there. On the next morning, they started going towards kamsa. At that time, first they were stopped by the elephant named kuvalayApeedam at the entrance of the fort. This elephant was huge and very strong. Its mahout was an expert. Even if someone knocked down the elephant, he could make it get up again with his talent. He fed it with lots of intoxicating food items and made it mad. The elephant was waiting to kill krishNa and balarAma.
As the elephant saw krishNa, by the instigation of the mahout, it started marching towards krishNa. krishNa escaped and sneaked in between its feet and tormented it. He then plucked out its tusk and killed it and the mahout. He walked victoriously carrying its tusks.
AzhwArs have shown this incident in many pAsurams. poygai AzhwAr in his mudhal thiruvandhAdhi says “venRi sUzh kaLiRRai UnRip porudhudaivu kaNdAnum” (One who defeated the victorious elephant and broke it). For the commentary of ANdAL’s thiruppAvai pAsuram “kOttuk kAl kattil mEl“, AchAryas explain that krishNa used the tusks of kuvalayApeedam for his bed’s legs. kulaSEkara AzhwAr in his perumAL thirumozhi says “vengattin kaLiRadarththAy” (Oh one who killed [kamsan’s] elephant [kuvalayApeedam] which had a strong heart!). thirumangai AzhwAr in his periya thirumozhi says “viRperu vizhavum kanjanum mallum vEzhamum pAganum vIzha” (To fell the great bow festival, kamsa, wrestlers, elephant and its mahout),
Essence in this incident:
- bhagavAn came rushing from SrIvaikuNtam to help the elephant named gajEndhra seeing its devotion. But as krishNa, he killed the elephant which opposed him. Whether it is elephant, human or celestial beings, he naturally protects those who love him and naturally destroys those who oppose him.
- bhagavAn eliminates the most difficult and great hurdles, easily.
Source –
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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