In the heart of Mathurā, King Kaṁsa, haunted by ominous prophecies, confided in his ministers. He spoke of the two sons of Ānakadundubhi—Rāma and Krishna—who now resided in Nanda’s cowherd village. It had been foretold that his death would come at their hands. Determined to thwart fate, Kaṁsa devised a plan: “You two must kill them here in a wrestling match,” he commanded. “Let platforms be built, encircling the wrestling arena, so all citizens and villagers may witness their combat.” Turning to his chief minister, Kaṁsa ordered, “Bring the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa to the arena’s gate. Let him slay my enemies there.” He further instructed that the great bow-sacrifice be commenced on the fourteenth day, in accordance with sacred rites, and that pure animals be brought for offering to the Lord of beings, the bestower of blessings. Having thus given his orders, Kaṁsa summoned Akrūra, the foremost among the Yadus. Taking Akrūra’s hand, he spoke with feigned warmth: “O generous lord, out of respect, please establish friendship with me. Among the Bhojas and Vrishnis, none is a greater well-wisher than you. Therefore, gentle one, I take refuge in you, capable as you are of accomplishing great tasks—just as Indra, relying on Vishnu, attained his purpose.” “Go to Nanda’s Vraja,” Kaṁsa continued. “There, the two sons of Ānakadundubhi are staying. Bring them here at once in this chariot. It is said that my death has been ordained by the gods who dwell in Vaikuntha. Bring those two, together with the cowherds led by Nanda, along with their gifts.” “When they are here, I will have them killed by the elephant, who is like death itself. If they escape, they will face my wrestlers, fierce as lightning. Once those two are slain, I will destroy Vasudeva and the others who suffer, and I will exterminate their kin—the Vrishnis, Bhojas, and Dasharhas. I will also kill Ugrasena, my aged father who covets the throne, his brother Devaka, and all others hostile to me. Then, my friend, the earth will be free of thorns. Jarāsandha is my mentor, Dvivida my dear companion and friend. Shambara, Naraka, and Bāṇa are devoted to me; with them, I shall destroy the kings allied with the gods and enjoy the earth’s dominion.” “Knowing this, quickly bring Rāma and Krishna, who delight in play, to witness the bow-sacrifice and to behold the splendor of the Yadu city.” Akrūra, wise and composed, replied, “O King, your command is proper; the removal of your enemies is your duty. Yet, success or failure depends equally on destiny, for destiny is the cause of results. People strive for their desires, even when fate hinders them, subject to both joy and sorrow. Nevertheless, I shall carry out your order.” Thus, after instructing Akrūra and dismissing his ministers, Kaṁsa withdrew into his palace, while Akrūra returned to his own home. Meanwhile, Kaṁsa sent forth Keśī, a mighty horse-demon, swift as the mind. Keśī thundered across the earth, his hooves shaking the ground, his mane stirring the sky, and his fierce neighing striking terror into all hearts. With monstrous eyes, a cavernous mouth, a massive neck, and a body dark as a storm cloud, Keśī, intent on serving Kaṁsa’s will, made his way to Nanda’s Vraja, causing it to tremble. He frightened Krishna’s cowherd village with his terrible neighing, and the clouds swirled from the sweep of his tail. But Krishna, leader of the cowherds, called out to him, his voice resounding like a lion’s roar. As Krishna was performing sacrifice, Keśī charged at him in fury, as if to swallow the sky, striking the lotus-eyed Lord with his powerful hooves. Yet the Unmanifest Lord, deceiving the demon with divine wrath, seized Keśī with both arms, whirled him by the legs, and hurled him aside a hundred bows’ length, just as Garuda would cast aside a serpent. Regaining his senses, Keśī rose again, more furious than before, and rushed at Krishna with his mouth agape. Smiling, Krishna thrust his arm into the demon’s jaws, as a serpent enters its hole. As the Lord’s arm touched Keśī’s teeth, they shattered like heated iron, and Krishna’s arm, swelling within the demon’s body, expanded like an iron bar. With his breath blocked and limbs flailing, Keśī, drenched in sweat and his eyes rolling, collapsed to the earth, vomiting blood and lifeless. From that body, which resembled the fruit of a crab-apple, Krishna calmly withdrew his arm, showing neither astonishment nor pride at his effortless victory. The gods showered him with flowers in reverence. At that moment, the foremost of devotees, the divine sage Nārada, approached Krishna and spoke these secret words: “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; at 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. By good fortune, this horse-demon has been slain by you in sport, whose neighing terrified even the gods, causing the sleepless ones to abandon heaven.” “Soon, O Lord, I shall see you slay Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, the other wrestlers, the elephant, and Kaṁsa himself. After that, you will defeat Śaṅkha, Yavana, Murā, Naraka; you will steal the Pārijāta tree and humble Indra. I shall witness your marriages to heroic maidens, won by feats of valor, and the liberation of King Nṛga from his curse in Dvārakā. You will obtain the Syamantaka jewel along with its keeper’s wife, and restore the dead son to the Brahmin by your own power. You will slay Pauṇḍraka, burn Kāśī, destroy Dantavakra, and bring about the death of Śiśupāla at the great sacrifice. All your other heroic deeds in Dvārakā, O Lord, I shall witness—deeds sung by poets on earth. And, in the end, I shall behold the destruction of armies by you, the very embodiment of Time, with Arjuna as your charioteer.” Thus, the stage was set for the divine play to unfold, with Krishna at its heart, the protector of virtue and the destroyer of evil.