Vasudeva, foreseeing danger, had once entrusted his two sons—by whom many of Kaṃsa’s men had been slain—to his dear friend Nanda for safekeeping. When news of this reached Kaṃsa, the king of the Bhojas, he was seized by violent anger. His senses overwhelmed, Kaṃsa snatched up a sharp sword, intending to kill Vasudeva in his fury. But at that very moment, the sage Nārada intervened and stopped him, declaring that these two sons were destined to be the cause of Kaṃsa’s own death. Realizing the weight of Nārada’s words, Kaṃsa instead bound Vasudeva and his wife Devakī with iron chains. After the divine sage departed, Kaṃsa summoned the demon Keśin and gave him secret instructions. “Go at once,” he commanded, “and kill Rāma and Keśava. Afterwards, send for Muṣṭika, Cāṇūra, Śala, Tośala, and the other wrestlers.” Gathering his ministers and the keepers of his elephants, Kaṃsa addressed them: “Listen well! Here are our mighty wrestlers, Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika. In Nanda’s cowherd village dwell the two sons of Ānakadundubhi—Rāma and Krishna. It is foretold that my death will come at their hands. You two must slay them here in a public wrestling match. Prepare grand platforms and surround the arena so that all the citizens and villagers may witness their combat.” Turning to his chief minister, Kaṃsa ordered, “Bring the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa to the gate of the arena; let him destroy my enemies there. Begin the bow-sacrifice on the fourteenth day, according to sacred rites, and bring forth pure animals for offering to the Lord of beings, the bestower of blessings.” Having issued these commands, Kaṃsa summoned the illustrious Akrura, foremost among the Yadus. Taking his hand, Kaṃsa spoke with feigned warmth: “O generous lord, please honor me with your friendship. Among the Bhojas and Vrishnis, none is as well-wishing as you. Therefore, gentle one, I take refuge in you, just as Indra relied on Vishnu to attain his purpose.” “Go to Nanda’s Vraja,” Kaṃsa continued, “where the two sons of Anakadundubhi are staying. Bring them here at once in this chariot. It is said that the gods of Vaikuntha have sent my death in their form. Bring those two here, along with the cowherds led by Nanda and their gifts. When they arrive, the elephant—like death itself—shall kill them. If they escape, my wrestlers, fierce as lightning, will finish them. Once they are dead, I will destroy Vasudeva, all who suffer with him, and their relatives—the Vrishnis, Bhojas, and Dasharhas. I will also slay Ugrasena, my aged father who covets the throne, his brother Devaka, and all others hostile to me.” Kaṃsa’s ambition burned as he continued, “Then, friend, the earth will be free of thorns. Jarāsandha is my mentor, Dvivida my companion, and friends like Shambara, Naraka, and Bana are devoted to me. With them, I will destroy the kings allied with the gods and enjoy the earth. Knowing this, quickly bring Rāma and Krishna, who delight in play, to witness the bow-sacrifice and see the splendor of the Yadu city.” Akrura replied respectfully, “O King, your command is proper, and the removal of your enemies is your duty. Yet, success or failure rests equally on destiny, for destiny is the true cause of all results. People strive for their desires, even when fate opposes them, and they experience both joy and sorrow. Nonetheless, I will carry out your order.” Having thus instructed Akrura and dismissed his ministers, Kaṃsa returned to his palace, while Akrura departed for his own house. Meanwhile, Kaṃsa’s wicked agent, the demon Keśin, took on the form of a mighty horse. Swift as thought, he thundered across the earth, his hooves shaking the ground, his mane tossing and neighing so fiercely that all who heard him were seized with terror. With monstrous mouth, huge neck, and a body dark as a raincloud, Keśin, filled with malice and eager to serve Kaṃsa, galloped toward Nanda’s Vraja, making it tremble. As the horse demon’s neighing and the wind from his tail unsettled Krishna’s own cowherd village, Krishna, leader of the cowherds, called out to him, his voice roaring like a lion. As Krishna was engaged in sacrifice, Keśin, maddened with rage, charged as if to swallow the sky itself and struck the lotus-eyed Lord with his mighty hooves. But Krishna, the Unmanifest Lord, feigning anger, seized the demon with both arms. Whirling Keśin by the legs, Krishna contemptuously hurled him a hundred bows’ length away, just as Garuda would toss aside a serpent. Regaining consciousness, Keśin rose again, more furious than ever, and charged at Krishna with jaws wide open. Smiling, Krishna thrust his arm into the demon’s gaping mouth, as a serpent enters its hole. The moment Krishna’s arm touched Keśin’s teeth, they fell out as if shattered by red-hot iron. Krishna’s arm expanded inside the demon’s body, growing like an iron bar. Gasping for breath, his limbs flailing, Keśin, drenched in sweat and eyes rolling, collapsed to the earth, vomiting blood and lifeless. From the demon’s body, which now resembled the fruit of a crab-apple, Krishna calmly withdrew his arm—unastonished and without pride at his effortless victory. The gods, overjoyed, honored him with showers of flowers. At that moment, O King, the divine sage Nārada, foremost among devotees, approached and spoke confidentially to Krishna, whose actions are ever pure. With reverence, Nārada praised him: “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.” “By good fortune, this demon in the form of a horse has been slain by you in sport. His neighing terrified the gods so much that the sleepless ones abandoned heaven. Tomorrow or the day after, O Lord, I shall see you slay Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, the other wrestlers, the elephant, and Kaṃsa. After that, the defeat of Śaṅkha, Yavana, Murā, Naraka, the theft of the Pārijāta tree, and Indra’s defeat shall follow.” Thus, the divine acts of Krishna continued to unfold, each step guided by destiny and the will of the Supreme.