Krsna's Demon Pastimes in Dwaraka, Part 3

BY: SUN STAFF - 6.9 2023

Krsna Fights the Seven Bulls

Lila pastimes with the transcendental demons.

The Seven Bulls

"The king of Kosala province was called Nagnajit. He was very pious and was a follower of the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. His most beautiful daughter was named Satya. Sometimes Satya was called Nagnajiti, for she was the daughter of King Nagnajit. King Nagnajit wanted to give the hand of his daughter to any prince who could defeat seven very strong, stalwart bulls maintained by him. No one in the princely order could defeat the seven bulls, and therefore no one could claim the hand of Satya.

The seven bulls were very strong, and they could hardly bear even the smell of any prince. Many princes approached this kingdom and tried to subdue these bulls, but instead of controlling them, they themselves were defeated. This news was spread all over the country, and when Krsna heard that the girl Satya could be achieved only by defeating the seven bulls, He prepared Himself to go to the kingdom of Kosala. With many soldiers, He approached that part of the country, known as Ayodhya, making a regular state visit. When it was known to the King of Kosala that Krsna had come to ask the hand of his daughter, he became very pleased. With great respect and pomp, he welcomed Krsna to the kingdom.

Krsna Book, Chapter 58

"By subduing seven bulls whose noses were not pierced, the Lord achieved the hand of Princess Nagnijiti in the open competition to select her bridegroom. Although the Lord was victorious, His competitors asked the hand of the princess, and thus there was a fight. Well equipped with weapons, the Lord killed or wounded all of them, but He was not hurt Himself."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 3:3:4

"After this, Satya addressed Draupadi in this way: "My dear Draupadi, my father arranged for an assembly for my svayamvara [the personal selection of a husband], and in order to test the strength and heroism of the prospective bridegrooms, my father stipulated that they each fight with his seven ferocious bulls, which had long, serpentine horns. Many heroic prospective bridegrooms tried to defeat the bulls, but unfortunately they were all severely struck, and they returned to their homes as defeated invalids. When Lord Sri Krsna came and fought with the bulls, they were just like playthings for Him. He captured the bulls and roped each one of them by their nostrils. Thus they came under His control, just like a goat's small kids come very easily under the control of children. My father became very pleased and married me to Lord Krsna in great pomp, giving as my dowry many divisions of soldiers, horses, chariots and elephants, along with hundreds of maidservants. Thus Lord Krsna brought me to His capital city, Dvaraka. On the way back, He was also assaulted by many princes, but Lord Krsna defeated all of them, and thus I have the privilege of serving His lotus feet as a maidservant."

Krsna Book, Chapter 83

The Mura Demon

Krsna Kills the Mura Demon

"The story of Bhaumasura--how he kidnapped and made captive sixteen thousand princesses by collecting them from the palaces of various kings and how he was killed by Krsna, the Supreme Lord of wonderful character--is all described by Sukadeva Gosvami to King Pariksit in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Generally, the demons are always against the demigods. The demon, Bhaumasura, having become very powerful, took by force the umbrella from the throne of the demigod Varuna. He also took the earrings of Aditi, the mother of the demigods. He conquered a portion of heavenly Mount Meru and occupied the portion which was known as Mani-parvata. The king of the heavenly planets, Indra, therefore came to Dvaraka to complain about Bhaumasura before Lord Krsna.

Hearing this complaint by Indra, the King of heaven, Lord Krsna, accompanied by His wife Satyabhama, immediately started for the abode of Bhaumasura. Both of them rode on the back of Garuda, who flew them to Pragjyotisa-pura, the capital city of Bhaumasura. It was not a very easy task to enter the city of Pragjyotisa-pura, because it was very well fortified. First of all, there were four formidable forts guarding the four directions of the city, and it was well-protected on all sides by formidable military strength. The next boundary was a water canal all around the city, and in addition the whole city was surrounded with electric wires. The next fortification was of anila, a gaseous substance. After this, there was a network of barbed wiring constructed by a demon of the name Mura. It appeared that the city was well-protected even in terms of today's scientific advancements.

When Krsna arrived, He broke all the forts to pieces by the strokes of His club, and the military strength scattered here and there by the constant onslaught of the arrows of Krsna. With His celebrated Sudarsana cakra He counteracted the electrified boundary; the channels of water and the gaseous boundary were made null and void, and He cut to pieces the electrified network fabricated by the demon Mura. By the vibration of His conchshell, He not only broke the hearts of the great fighters, but also the fighting machines which were there. Similarly, the walls around the city were broken with His invincible club.

The vibration of His conchshell sounded like the thunderbolt at the time of the dissolution of the whole cosmic situation. The demon Mura heard the vibration of the conchshell, awakened from his sleep, and personally came out to see what had happened. He had five heads and had long been living within the water. The Mura demon was as brilliant as the sun at the time of the dissolution of the cosmic manifestation, and his temper was like blazing fire. The effulgence of his body was so dazzling that it was difficult to see him with open eyes. When he came out, he first took out his trident and began to rush the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The onslaught of the demon Mura was like a big snake attacking Garuda. His angry mood was very severe, and he appeared ready to devour the three worlds. First of all he attacked the carrier of Krsna, Garuda, by whirling his trident and he began to vibrate sounds through his five faces like the roaring of a lion. The roaring produced by the vibration of his mouths spread all over the atmosphere until it extended not only all over the world, but also into outer space, up and down and in and out to the ten directions. In this way, the sound was rumbling throughout the whole universe.

Lord Krsna saw that the trident of the Mura demon was gradually rushing toward His carrier, Garuda. Immediately, by a trick of His hand, He took two arrows and threw them toward the trident, cutting it to pieces. Simultaneously, using many arrows, He pierced the mouths of the demon Mura. When he saw himself outmaneuvered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Mura demon immediately began to strike Him in great anger with his club. But Lord Krsna, with His own club, broke the club of Mura to pieces before it could reach Him. The demon, bereft of his weapon, decided to attack Krsna with his strong arms, but by the aid of His Sudarsana cakra, Krsna immediately separated the demon's five heads from his body. The demon then fell into the water, just as the peak of a mountain falls into the ocean after being struck by the thunderbolt of Indra."

Krsna Book, Chapter 59

Sudaksina, the Fire Demon

Fire Demon

"The King of Kasi had one son whose name was Sudaksina. After observing the ritualistic funeral ceremonies, he took a vow that since Krsna was the enemy of his father, he would kill Krsna and in that way liquidate his debt to his father. Therefore, accompanied by a learned priest qualified to help him, he began to worship Mahadeva, Lord Siva. The lord of the kingdom of Kasi is Visvanatha (Lord Siva). The temple of Lord Visvanatha is still existing in Varanasi, and many thousands of pilgrims still gather daily in that temple. By the worship of Sudaksina, Lord Siva was very much pleased, and he wanted to give a benediction to his devotee. Sudaksina's purpose was to kill Krsna, and therefore he prayed for a specific power by which he could kill Him. Lord Siva advised that Sudaksina, assisted by the brahmanas, execute the ritualistic ceremony for killing one's enemy. This ceremony is also mentioned in some of the tantras. Lord Siva informed Sudaksina that if such a black ritualistic ceremony were performed properly, then the evil spirit named Daksinagni would appear to carry out any order given to him. He would have to be employed, however, to kill someone other than a qualified brahmana. In such a case he would be accompanied by Lord Siva's ghostly companions, and the desire of Sudaksina to kill his enemy would be fulfilled.

When Sudaksina was encouraged by Lord Siva in that way, he became assured that he would be able to kill Krsna. With a determined vow of austerity, he began to execute the black art of chanting mantras, assisted by the priests. After this, out of the fire came a great demoniac form, whose hair, beard and mustache were exactly the color of hot copper. This form was very big and fierce. As the demon arose from the fire, cinders of fire emanated from the sockets of his eyes. The giant fiery demon appeared still more fierce due to the movements of his eyebrows. He exhibited long sharp teeth and, sticking out his long tongue, licked both sides of his lips. He was naked, and he carried a big trident, which was blazing like fire. After appearing from the fire of sacrifice, he stood wielding the trident in his hand. Instigated by Sudaksina, the demon proceeded toward the capital city, Dvaraka, along with his many hundreds of ghostly companions, and it appeared that he was going to burn all outer space to ashes. The surface of the earth trembled because of his striking steps. When he entered the city of Dvaraka, all the residents panicked, just like animals at the time of a forest fire.

At that time Krsna was engaged in playing chess in the royal assembly council hall. All the residents of Dvaraka approached and addressed Him, "Dear Lord of the three worlds, there is a great fiery demon ready to burn the whole city of Dvaraka. Please save us." Thus, after approaching Lord Krsna, all the inhabitants of Dvaraka began to appeal to Him for protection from the fiery demon who had just appeared in Dvaraka to devastate the whole city.

Lord Krsna, who specifically protects His devotees, saw that the whole population of Dvaraka was most perturbed by the presence of the great fiery demon. He immediately began to smiled and assured them, "Don't worry. I shall give you all protection." The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is all-pervading. He is within everyone's heart, and He is without also in the form of the cosmic manifestation. He could understand that the fiery demon was a creation of Lord Siva, and in order to vanquish him He took His Sudarsana cakra and ordered him to take the necessary steps. The Sudarsana cakra appeared with the effulgence of millions of suns, his temperature being as powerful as that of the fire created at the end of the cosmic manifestation. By his own effulgence, the Sudarsana cakra began to illuminate the entire universe, on the surface of the earth as well as in outer space. Then the Sudarsana cakra began to freeze the fiery demon created by Lord Siva. In this way the fiery demon was checked by the Sudarsana cakra of Lord Krsna, and being defeated in his attempt to devastate the city of Dvaraka, he turned back.

Having failed to set fire to Dvaraka, he went back to Varanasi, the kingdom of Kasiraja. As a result of his return, all the priests who had helped instruct the black art of mantras, along with their employer, Sudaksina were burned into ashes by the glaring effulgence of the fiery demon. According to the methods of black art mantras instructed in the tantras, if the mantra fails to kill the enemy, then, because it must kill someone, it kills the original creator. Sudaksina was the originator, and the priests assisted him; therefore all of them were burned to ashes. This is the way of the demons: the demons create something to kill God, but by the same weapon the demons themselves are killed.

Following just behind the fiery demon, the Sudarsana cakra also entered Varanasi. This city had been very opulent and great for a very long time. Even now, the city of Varanasi is opulent and famous, and it is one of the important cities of India. There were then many big palaces, assembly houses, marketplaces and gates, with very important large monuments by the palaces and gates. Lecturing platforms could be found at each and every crossing of the roads. There was a treasury house, and elephant heads, horse heads, chariots, granaries, and places for distribution of foodstuffs. The city of Varanasi had been filled with all these material opulences for a very long time, but because the King of Kasi and his son Sudaksina were against Lord Krsna, the visnu-cakra Sudarsana (the disc weapon of Lord Krsna) devastated the whole city by burning all these important places. This excursion was more ravaging than modern bombing. The Sudarsana cakra, having thus finished his duty, came back to his Lord Sri Krsna at Dvaraka.

This narration of the devastation of Varanasi by Krsna's disc weapon, the Sudarsana cakra, is transcendental and auspicious. Anyone who narrates this story or anyone who hears this story with faith and attention will be released from all reaction to sinful activities. This is the assurance of Sukadeva Gosvami, who narrated this story to Pariksit Maharaja."

Krsna Book, Chapter 66

 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Excerpted from various texts and purports of HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.