The Vishnu Purana Book V- Chapter -XVI-Kesin as Horse Slain

[Anne Terri]

p. 539

CHAP. XVI.

Ke?in, in the form of a horse, slain by Krishn?a: he is praised by Nárada.

KE?IN, confiding in his prowess, having received the commands of Kansa, set off to the woods of Vrindávana, with the intention of destroying Krishn?a. He came in the shape of a steed, spurning the earth with his hoofs, scattering the clouds with his mane, and springing in his paces beyond the orbits of the sun and moon. The cowherds and their females, hearing his neighings, were struck with terror, and fled to Govinda for protection, calling upon him to save them. In a voice deep as the roaring of the thundercloud, Krishn?a replied to them, "Away with these fears of Ke?in; is the valour of a hero annihilated by your alarms? What is there to apprehend from one of such little might, whose neighings are his only terrors; a galloping and vicious steed, who is ridden by the strength of the Daityas? Come on, wretch--I am Krishn?a--and I will knock all thy teeth down thy throat, as the wielder of the trident did to Púshan 1." Thus defying him to combat, Govinda went to encounter Ke?in. The demon ran upon him, with his mouth opened wide; but Krishn?a enlarging the bulk of his arm, thrust it into his mouth, and wrenched out the teeth, which fell from his jaws like fragments of white clouds. Still the arm of Krishn?a, in the throat of the demon, continued to enlarge, like a malady increasing from its commencement till it ends in dissolution. From his torn lips the demon vomited foam and blood; his eyes rolled in agony; his joints gave way; he beat the earth with his feet; his body was covered with perspiration; he became incapable of any effort. The formidable demon, having his mouth rent open by the arm of Krishn?a, fell down, torn asunder like a tree struck by lightning: he lay separated into two portions, each having two legs, half a back, half a tail, one ear, one eye, and one nostril. Krishn?a stood, unharmed and smiling, after the destruction of the demon, surrounded by the cowherds, who, together with their women, were filled with astonishment at

p. 540

the death of Ke?in, and glorified the amiable god with the lotus eyes. Nárada the Brahman, invisible, seated in a cloud, beheld the fall of Ke?in, and delightedly exclaimed, "Well done, lord of the universe, who in thy sports hast destroyed Ke?in, the oppressor of the denizens of heaven! Curious to behold this great combat between a man and a horse--such a one as was never before heard of--I have come from heaven. Wonderful are the works that thou hast done, in thy descent upon the earth! they have excited my astonishment; but this, above all, has given me pleasure. Indra and the gods lived in dread of this horse, who tossed his mane, and neighed, and looked down upon the clouds. For this, that thou hast slain the impious Ke?in, thou shalt be known in the world by the name of Ke?ava 2. Farewell: I will now depart. I shall meet thee again, conqueror of Ke?in, in two days more, in conflict with Kansa. When the son of Ugrasena, with his followers, shall have been slain, then, upholder of the earth, will earth's burdens have been lightened by thee. Many are the battles of the kings that I have to see, in which thou shalt be renowned. I will now depart, Govinda. A great deed, and acceptable to the gods, has been done by thee. I have been much delighted with thee, and now take my leave." When Nárada had gone, Krishn?a, not in any way surprised, returned with the Gopas to Gokula; the sole object of the eyes of the women of Vraja 3.

Footnotes

539:1 As Vírabhadra did to Púshá or Púshan, a form of Súrya, at the sacrifice of Daksha: see p. 67. n. 6.

540:2 Or Ke?i and va, 'who kills,' from vadh or badh, 'to kill:' but this is a Paurán?ik etymology, and less satisfactory than the usual grammatical one of Ke?a, 'hair,' and 'va' possessive affix: Krishn?a corresponding in this respect to the Apollo Crinitus. It is also derived from the legend of his origin from 'a hair' (see p. 497. n. 23): and again, Ke?a is said to purport 'radiance' or 'rays,' whether of the sun or moon or fire; all which are the light of Krishn?a: whence he is called Ke?ava, 'the rayed' or 'radiant.' Mahábhárata, Moksha Dharma.

540:3 The legend is told by all the other narrators of Krishn?a's juvenile exploits.

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The Vishnu Purana Book V- Chapter -XVII

  'The Vishnu Purana', translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, is public domain in the US because it was published prior to 1923.