After Krishna had slain the bull-demon Kukudmin, the twice-born sages and priests offered him their praises. Together with Balarama, he returned to the cowherd settlement, where his presence was a festival for the eyes of the gopīs, who gazed upon him with joy. Not long after, Krishna performed another wondrous feat by slaying the demon Ariṣṭa. News of this marvelous deed reached the divine sage Nārada, who beholds the gods themselves. Nārada hastened to the court of Kaṃsa to inform him of these events. He told Kaṃsa that the daughter of Yaśodā, the boy Krishna—son of Devakī—and Rāma, the son of Rohiṇī, had all been entrusted by the fearful Vasudeva. Vasudeva, seeking their safety, had placed these two children, who were now slaying Kaṃsa’s agents, in the care of his friend Nanda. Upon hearing this, Kaṃsa, the king of the Bhojas, was seized by furious agitation. In his wrath, he snatched up a sharp sword, intending to kill Vasudeva. But Nārada intervened and restrained him, revealing that these two boys were, in truth, the agents of Kaṃsa’s own death. Realizing the gravity of this, Kaṃsa instead bound Vasudeva and his wife with iron chains. Once the divine sage had departed, Kaṃsa summoned the demon Keśin and spoke to him, sending him forth with orders: “Go and kill Rāma and Keśava. Afterward, send Muṣṭika, Cāṇūra, Śala, Tośala, and others.” Kaṃsa then called together his ministers and the keepers of elephants, addressing them all: “Listen well. These are the mighty wrestlers, Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika. In Nanda’s cowherd village live the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, Rāma and Krishna, by whose hands my death has been foretold. You two must kill them here in a wrestling match. Let grand platforms be built, surrounded by the wrestling arena, so that all the citizens and country folk may witness their combat.” He continued, “Chief minister, have the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa brought to the gate of the arena. Let him kill my enemies there. And let the bow-sacrifice begin on the fourteenth day, according to prescribed rites, with pure animals brought for offering to the Lord of beings, the bestower of blessings.” Having instructed his experts, Kaṃsa summoned Akrura, the foremost among the Yadus, took his hand, and spoke with calculated warmth: “O generous lord, please establish friendship with me; among the Bhojas and Vrishnis, there is no one more well-wishing than you. Therefore, gentle one, I have taken refuge in you, as you are capable of accomplishing important tasks, just as Indra, relying on Vishnu, attained his purpose, O mighty one. Go to Nanda’s Vraja, where the two sons of Ānakadundubhi are staying. Bring them here at once in this chariot. It is said that my death has been sent by the gods who dwell in Vaikuntha; bring those two here together with the cowherds, led by Nanda, along with their gifts.” Kaṃsa’s plan was coldly thorough: “When they have been brought here, I will have them killed by the elephant, who is like death itself. If they escape, then I will have them slain by wrestlers, fierce as lightning. When those two have been killed, I will destroy Vasudeva and the others who are tormented, and I will slay their relatives—the Vrishnis, Bhojas, and Dasharhas. I will also kill Ugrasena, my aged father who desires the throne, his brother Devaka, and all others who are hostile to me. Then, my friend, this earth will be free of thorns. Jarasandha is my mentor, Dvivida my dear companion and friend. Shambara, Naraka, and Bana are devoted to me in friendship; with them, I will destroy the kings allied with the gods, and enjoy the earth. Knowing this, quickly bring Rama and Krishna, who delight in play, to witness the bow-sacrifice and to see the splendor of the Yadu city.” Akrura replied with measured words: “O King, your command is proper, and the removal of your enemies is your duty. Success or failure, however, depends equally on destiny, for destiny is the true cause of results. People strive greatly for their desires, even when hindered by fate; they are subject to both joy and sorrow. Nevertheless, I will carry out your order.” Thus, after instructing Akrura and dismissing his ministers, Kaṃsa entered his palace, while Akrura returned to his own house. Meanwhile, as Kaṃsa’s plots unfolded, the demon Keśi—sent by Kaṃsa—arrived in Nanda’s Vraja. This mighty horse, swifter than the mind, thundered across the earth, his hooves making the ground tremble, his mane shaking the sky, and his terrible neighing striking terror into all who heard it. With wild eyes, a monstrous mouth, a huge neck, and a body dark as a storm cloud, Keśi, burning with evil intent and eager to serve Kaṃsa, entered the cowherd village, making it quake. His dreadful neighing and the clouds tossed by his tail filled Krishna’s own cowherd village with fear. But Krishna, the leader of the cowherds, called out to him, roaring like a lion. As Krishna was performing a sacrifice, Keśi, furious as if to swallow the sky, rushed forward and struck the lotus-eyed Lord with his hooves—his speed fierce and unbearable. Yet the Unmanifest Lord, in wrath, deceived the demon. With both arms, Krishna seized Keśi, whirled him by the legs, and contemptuously threw him a hundred bows’ length, just as Garuda would hurl a serpent. Regaining his senses, Keśi rose again, even more enraged, and charged at Hari with open jaws. Smiling, Krishna thrust his arm into the demon’s mouth, as a serpent would enter its hole. As the Lord’s arm touched Keśi’s teeth, they shattered like heated iron. Krishna’s arm, swelling and expanding within the demon’s body like a bar of iron, blocked his breath. Keśi, his body drenched in sweat, eyes rolling, limbs flailing, collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood—lifeless. From that body, which now resembled a crab-apple fruit, the mighty-armed Lord calmly withdrew his arm. Unastonished and unboastful at this effortless victory, Krishna was honored by the gods themselves, who showered him with flowers. At that moment, the foremost of devotees, the divine sage, approached Krishna and spoke a secret message to him, whose actions are ever pure: “Krishna, Krishna! O unfathomable Self, Lord of yoga, Lord of the universe, Vāsudeva, abode of all, foremost of the Sātvatas, O Master! You are the Self of all beings, the one light among the wise, hidden in the cave of the heart, the witness, the Great Person, the Lord. By your own Self, you are your own refuge; in the beginning, by your māyā, you created the guṇas, and with them, O Lord of true resolve, you create, maintain, and dissolve this world. Therefore, you have descended for the destruction of earth’s burdens—demons, tormentors, and Rākṣasas—and for the protection of the virtuous.