Gathering his ministers and elephant-keepers, the king of the Bhojas, Kamsa, addressed them with urgency. “Listen well,” he said, “here stand the mighty wrestlers, Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika. In Nanda’s cowherd village reside the two sons of Ānakadundubhi, Rāma and Krishna. It has been foretold that my death will come at their hands.” Turning to the wrestlers, Kamsa commanded, “You two must kill them here, in a wrestling match. Prepare platforms surrounded by the arena, so all the citizens and country folk may witness their combat.” He then instructed his chief minister, “Bring the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa to the gate of the arena; let him kill my enemies there.” Kamsa ordered that the bow-sacrifice be commenced on the fourteenth day, according to the prescribed rites, and that pure animals be brought for offering to the Lord of beings, the bestower of blessings. Having given these instructions to his expert in practical affairs, Kamsa summoned Akrura, the foremost among the Yadus, took his hand, and spoke to him with earnestness. “O generous lord,” Kamsa said, “please, out of respect, 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, for you are capable of accomplishing important tasks, just as Indra relied on Vishnu to attain his purpose.” He continued, “Go to Nanda’s Vraja, where the two sons of Anakadundubhi 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. 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.” Kamsa’s ambition was clear. “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.” He concluded, “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 respectfully, “O King, your command is proper, and the removal of your enemies is your own duty. Success or failure depends equally on destiny, for destiny is the 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.” Having thus instructed Akrura and dismissed his ministers, Kamsa entered his palace, and Akrura likewise returned to his own house. Meanwhile, Kamsa sent forth Keśī, a mighty horse demon, as swift as the mind. Keśī trampled the earth with his hooves, shaking the sky with his wild mane, and neighing so fiercely that all were terrified. With wide eyes, a monstrous mouth, a huge neck, and dark as a great raincloud, Keśī, harboring evil intent and wishing to aid Kamsa, went to Nanda’s Vraja, making it tremble. As Keśī frightened Krishna’s cowherd village with his neighing and the clouds tossed by his tail, the Lord, Krishna, leader of the cowherds, called out to him, roaring like a lion. As Krishna performed the sacrifice, Keśī, facing him, rushed forward in anger as if to swallow the sky, and struck the lotus-eyed one with his fierce and unbearable speed. But the Unmanifest Lord, deceiving Keśī in wrath, seized him with both arms, whirled him by the legs, and contemptuously threw him aside a hundred bows’ length, just as Garuda would a serpent. Regaining consciousness, Keśī rose again in fury and charged swiftly at Hari with open mouth. Smiling, Hari thrust his arm into the demon’s jaws, as a serpent enters its hole. As the Lord’s arm touched Keśī’s teeth, they fell out, just as heated iron shatters. The mighty one’s arm, entering the demon’s body, expanded like a bar of iron, disregarded. With Krishna’s arm swelling inside him, his breath blocked and limbs flailing, Keśī, his body drenched in sweat and eyes rolling, collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood and lifeless. From that body, resembling the fruit of a crab-apple, the mighty-armed Lord withdrew his arm; unastonished, unboastful at slaying his enemy effortlessly, he was honored by the gods with showers of flowers. At this moment, the foremost of devotees, the divine sage, approached Krishna and spoke this secret to him, whose actions are untainted: “Krishna, Krishna, O unfathomable Self, Lord of yoga, Lord of the universe, O 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; 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.” The sage continued, “By good fortune, this demon in the form of a horse has been slain by you in sport, whose neighing terrified the gods, causing the sleepless ones to abandon heaven. Tomorrow or the day after, O Lord, I shall see you slay Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, 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. Your marriages to heroic maidens, won by feats of valor and other qualities, and the liberation of King Nṛga from his curse in Dvārakā, O Lord of the world. The obtaining of the Syamantaka jewel along with the wife, the restoration of the dead son to the Brahmin by your own abode. The slaying of Pauṇḍraka, the burning of Kāśī city, the destruction of Dantavakra, and the death of Śiśupāla at the great sacrifice. And whatever other heroic deeds you perform while residing in Dvārakā, O Lord, I shall witness them; they are sung by poets on earth.” Thus, the stage was set for the unfolding of Krishna’s divine exploits, as the gods and sages looked on in reverence and anticipation.