Bhagavatham Stories

As Krishna and Balarama traveled from Vrindavan toward Mathura, the seat of Kamsa's power, the atmosphere around them seemed to shift and crystallize. For all of Krishna's life, Kamsa had represented the primary demonic force that threatened the welfare of Vrindavan and the spiritual principles that Krishna embodied. Kamsa had sent demon after demon to attack the village, had attempted to forestall Krishna's birth through imprisonment of Devaki, had orchestrated the slaughter of thousands of infants in an attempt to eliminate the one being who was destined to bring about his downfall. Now, finally, the moment was approaching when Krishna would directly confront his uncle and when the consequences of years of demonic action would manifest in a final confrontation.

The road from Vrindavan to Mathura was not particularly long, yet as Krishna and Balarama walked it, the journey seemed to take on a symbolic quality—as if they were walking not merely through physical space but through the progression of time itself. They were walking toward destiny, toward a confrontation that would determine not merely their own fate but the fate of an entire kingdom and the future direction of civilization itself. The brothers were no longer children or adolescents but were entering into their full power and their full awareness of their cosmic role. Balarama, though not as extensively involved in Krishna's earlier pastimes, was equally powerful and equally important to the unfolding cosmic plan. The two brothers together represented a completeness—the balance between different dimensions of divine action.

As they approached the outskirts of Mathura, Krishna and Balarama encountered several events that demonstrated that the cosmic machinery was accelerating toward its predetermined conclusion. First, they encountered a hunchbacked woman named Trivakra who was carrying fragrant oils and cosmetics to the palace of Kamsa. Trivakra, as she walked, was suddenly transformed by Krishna's touch—her hunched back straightened, her face became beautiful, and she was freed from the curse that had deformed her for years. This incident was not merely an act of mercy toward an individual but was also a sign that Krishna's mere presence was transforming the quality of the world around him, liberating beings from the consequences of past karmic entanglements. Through this act, Trivakra became one of Krishna's devotees, and she would later provide him with crucial information about conditions in Mathura and in Kamsa's court.

As Krishna and Balarama continued their journey, they also received a visit from a celestial messenger who brought them information about the preparations that Kamsa had made for their arrival. Unknown to Krishna and Balarama, Kamsa had been expecting their arrival and had prepared elaborate schemes to kill them. He had arranged a wrestling competition to be held in the great arena of Mathura, and he had invited fighters and wrestlers from across the kingdom, including the great wrestler Chanura, who was known throughout the land for his strength and his dominance in the arena. Kamsa's plan was to have Krishna and Balarama killed by these wrestlers, eliminating his enemies through what would appear to be an accident or a contest gone tragically wrong. The cosmic forces, however, ensured that Krishna and Balarama were fully aware of this scheme.

What was significant about this moment was that Krishna and Balarama approached the confrontation without anger or hatred toward Kamsa. They understood that Kamsa was driven by fear—fear of Krishna, fear of losing power, fear of the consequences of his demonic actions. They recognized that Kamsa was in many ways a victim of his own nature, trapped in patterns of thought and behavior that prevented him from experiencing the peace and happiness that would come from surrender to divine will. Yet they also understood that sometimes the only way to liberate a being from destructive patterns is through a direct confrontation that forces that being to face the consequences of their actions. Krishna and Balarama did not approach Mathura seeking vengeance or conquest but seeking to establish dharma (righteous order) and to create the conditions for spiritual evolution.

As they entered Mathura for the first time since their infancy, Krishna and Balarama observed the city with the awareness of beings who were seeing a situation that they had always known about from an inner perspective but were now encountering directly and physically for the first time. Mathura was a great city, prosperous and well-organized, yet there was a quality of oppression and fear that pervaded the city due to Kamsa's tyrannical rule. People went about their business with a sense of caution and constraint. The palace of Kamsa, while architecturally magnificent, had an almost threatening quality to it—its fortifications and guards made it seem like a fortress designed to protect against enemies rather than a palace designed for the welfare of its people. Kamsa had created around himself a situation that reflected his internal state—he was surrounded by security and power, yet was isolated by his own fear and his own demonic nature.

Krishna and Balarama made their way to the venue where the wrestling competition was to be held. As news spread that two extraordinary young men had arrived in Mathura, the people of the city began to gather to observe the proceedings. There was a quality of anticipation in the air, as if something momentous was about to occur, as if the entire history of the kingdom was approaching a pivot point. Kamsa, watching from his elevated position in the arena, felt a strange combination of emotions—anticipation, fear, and also a strange fascination with the two young men who were being brought before him. In some part of his being, Kamsa sensed that his confrontation with Krishna would determine not merely who would rule the kingdom but would answer the ultimate questions about the nature of reality and the ultimate outcome of the cosmic struggle between divine order and demonic chaos.

The wrestling competition was about to begin, and in that moment before the confrontation, the entire cosmos seemed to hold its breath. All the forces of heaven and earth were watching to see how the divine would manifest when encountering the demonic head-on in the arena of physical reality. The cowherd brothers from Vrindavan were about to step into their larger role as warriors and protectors, and the tyrant king who had ruled through fear and aggression was about to encounter the consequences of his actions in the form of the very being he had most feared and tried most desperately to eliminate. The road to Mathura had led Krishna and Balarama to this threshold, and on the other side of this threshold, the entire world would be transformed.