SB 10.37.2 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच केशी तु कंसप्रहित: खुरैर्महीं महाहयो निर्जरयन् मनोजव: । सटावधूताभ्रविमानसङ्कुलं कुर्वन् नभो हेषितभीषिताखिल: ॥ १ ॥ तं त्रासयन्तं भगवान् स्वगोकुलं तद्धेषितैर्वालविघूर्णिताम्बुदम् । आत्मानमाजौ मृगयन्तमग्रणी- रुपाह्वयत् स व्यनदन्मृगेन्द्रवत् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca keśī tu kaṁsa-prahitaḥ khurair mahīṁ mahā-hayo nirjarayan mano-javaḥ saṭāvadhūtābhra-vimāna-saṅkulaṁ kurvan nabho heṣita-bhīṣitākhilaḥ taṁ trāsayantaṁ bhagavān sva-gokulaṁ tad-dheṣitair vāla-vighūrṇitāmbudam ātmānam ājau mṛgayantam agra-ṇīr upāhvayat sa vyanadan mṛgendra-vat

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; keśī — the demon named Keśī ; tu — and then ; kaṁsa — prahitaḥ — sent by Kaṁsa ; khuraiḥ — with his hooves ; mahīm — the earth ; mahā — hayaḥ — a huge horse ; nirjarayan — ripping apart ; manaḥ — like that of the mind ; javaḥ — whose speed ; saṭā — by the hairs of his mane ; avadhūta — scattered ; abhra — with the clouds ; vimāna — and the airplanes (of the demigods) ; saṅkulam — crowded ; kurvan — making ; nabhaḥ — the sky ; heṣita — by his neighing ; bhīṣita — frightened ; akhilaḥ — everyone ; tam — him ; trāsayantam — terrifying ; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord ; sva — gokulam — His cowherd village ; tat — heṣitaiḥ — by that neighing ; vāla — by the hairs of his tail ; vighūrṇita — shaken ; ambudam — the clouds ; ātmānam — Himself ; ājau — for a fight ; mṛgayantam — searching after ; agra — nīḥ — coming forward ; upāhvayat — called out ; saḥ — he, Keśī ; vyanadan — roared ; mṛgendra — vat — like a lion .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The demon Keśī, sent by Kaṁsa, appeared in Vraja as a great horse. Running with the speed of the mind, he tore up the earth with his hooves. The hairs of his mane scattered the clouds and the demigods’ airplanes throughout the sky, and he terrified everyone present with his loud neighing.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The demon Keśī, sent by Kaṁsa, appeared in Vraja as a great horse. Running with the speed of the mind, he tore up the earth with his hooves. The hairs of his mane scattered the clouds and the demigods' airplanes throughout the sky, and he terrified everyone present with his loud neighing. KB 10.37.1-2 After being instructed by Kaṁsa, the demon Keśī assumed the form of a terrible horse. He entered the area of Vṛndāvana with the speed of the mind, his great mane flying and his hooves digging up the earth. He began to whinny and terrify the whole forest. Kṛṣṇa saw that the demon was terrifying all the residents of Vṛndāvana with his whinnying and his tail wheeling in the sky like a big cloud. Kṛṣṇa could understand that the horse was challenging Him to fight. The Lord accepted his challenge and stood before the Keśī demon, calling him to fight. The horse then ran toward Kṛṣṇa, making a horrible sound like a roaring lion, … When the Supreme Personality of Godhead saw how the demon was frightening His village of Gokula by neighing terribly and shaking the clouds with his tail, the Lord came forward to meet him. Keśī was searching for Kṛṣṇa to fight, so when the Lord stood before him and challenged him to approach, the horse responded by roaring like a lion.

Purport

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead saw how the demon was frightening His village of Gokula by neighing terribly and shaking the clouds with his tail, the Lord came forward to meet him. Keśī was searching for Kṛṣṇa to fight, so when the Lord stood before him and challenged him to approach, the horse responded by roaring like a lion.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Krsna called out to the demon who had been sent by Kamsa. Kesi made the earth tremble with the stomping of his hooves. Shaking his mane, he disturbed the clouds and the deva’s airplanes. His neighing instilled fear in all people. His tail hair (balah) disturbed the sky.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The demon was causing terror in Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja (sva-gokulam). This is described by Vaiśampāyana: nṛśabdānusaraḥ kruddhaḥ sa kadācit dināgame jagāma ghoṣa-saṁvāsam noditaḥ kāla-dharmaṇā taṁ dṛṣtvā dudruvur gopāḥ striyabhiś ca śiśubhiḥ saha With the sound of a lion angry Keśī, impelled by time, came to the cowherd village one morning. Seeing him, all the cowherds, along with the women and infants, fled. How to describe Gokula? It was the shelter of prema (tam), though it was completely terrified by Keśī’s neighing. Or Kṛṣṇa called to the horse, with similar neighing. Leaving the frightened villagers behind him, Kṛṣṇa went on the path to the Yamunā and came face to face (agranīḥ) with Keśī. This place is famous as Keśī-ghaṭṭa, on the Yamunā, north of Govinda-sthāna. Varāha Purāṇa, in glorifying the Yamunā says gaṅgā-śāta-guṇaṁ puṇyā yatra keśī nipātitaḥ: there is a place hundred times purer than the Gaṅgā where Keśī was killed. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says: trāhitrāhiti govindaḥ śrutvā teṣāṁ tato vacaḥ / satoya-jalad-adhvāna-gaṁbhīram idam uktavān alaṁ trāsena gopālāḥ keśinaḥ kiṁ bhayāturaiḥ / bhavidbhir gopajātī yair vīravīryaṁ vilopyate kim anenālpa-sāreṇa haṣitāṭopa-kāriṇā / daiteya-bala-vāhyena valgatā duṣṭa-vājinā Hearing the words of the people “Save us, save us!” Kṛṣṇa spoke in a voice deep as thunder clouds. ‘Do not fear, O cowherds! Why do you have fear of Keśī? Because of him your courage has disappeared? What use is this wicked horse, which has no strength, is proud, and gallops around, taking strength from the demons?” Hari-vaṁśa says: tam āpatantaṁ saṁprekṣya keśinaṁ haya-dānavam / praty ujjagāma govindas toya-daḥ śaśinaṁ yathā // keśinas tu tam abhyāśe dṛṣṭvā kṛṣṇam avasthitam / manuṣya buddhayo gopāḥ kṛṣṇam ūcur hitauṣiṇaḥ // kṛṣṇa tāta na khalv eṣa sahasā te hayādhamaḥ / upasarpyo bhavān bālaḥ pāpaś caiṣa durāsadaḥ // eṣa kaṁsasya sahajaḥ prāṇas tāta bahiścaraḥ / uttamaś ca hayendrāṇāṁ dānavo 'pratimo yudhi // trāsanaḥ para-sainyānāṁ tura-gāṇāṁ mahā-balaḥ / avadhyaḥ sarva-sattvānāṁ prathamaḥ papa-karmaṇām // Seeing Keśī the horse demon attack him, Kṛṣṇa attacked him, just as a cloud covers the moon. Seeing Keśī approach Kṛṣṇa and thinking of Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary person, the cowherds, thinking of his safety, said, “O Kṛṣṇa, do not approach that wicked horse. You are a child and he is unconquerable. He is Kaṁsa’s original life air in external form. He is the best of the king of horses, incomparable in fighting. He causes fear in all armies, is the strongest of horses, cannot be killed by any being and is the greatest sinner.” Keśī is compared to the moon in Hari-vaṁśa because he was white.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The demon was causing terror in Kṛṣṇa’s Vraja (sva-gokulam). Gokulam also means all the cows and cowherds. He came in the morning, when the cows were grazing in Vṛndāvana. This took place on the bank of the Yamunā, for later it is mentioned bhagavān api govindaḥ: the lord, who tends the cows. (verse 25) This event is described by Vaiśampāyana: nṛśabdānusaraḥ kruddhaḥ sa kadācit dināgame jagāma ghoṣa-saṁvāsam noditaḥ kāla-dharmaṇā taṁ dṛṣtvā dudruvur gopāḥ striyabhiś ca śiśubhiḥ saha With the sound of a lion, angry Keśī, impelled by time, came to the cowherd village one morning. Seeing him, all the cowherds, along with the women and infants, fled. This description is from another kalpa. Or later Keśī went to the bank and was killed there, for it is said in Varāha Purāṇa, gaṅgā-śāta-guṇaṁ puṇyā yatra keśī nipātitaḥ: there is a place hundred times purer than the Gaṅgā where Keśī was killed. The word sva (his own) indicates that he must protect Gokula since he was bhagavān, manifester of unlimited powers. Sva can also mean his relatives the cowherds, and gokulam can mean the cows. The demon terrified Gokula by his neighing. Or Kṛṣṇa called him by neighing. Keśī pursued Kṛṣṇa for battle (ājau). Kṛṣṇa thought of him as insignificant. Seeing the cowherds terrified, Kṛṣṇa came forward to pacify them. He went out of the village. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says: trāhitrāhiti govindaḥ śrutvā teṣāṁ tato vacaḥ / satoya-jalad-adhvāna-gaṁbhīram idam uktavān alaṁ trāsena gopālāḥ keśinaḥ kiṁ bhayāturaiḥ / bhavidbhir gopajātī yair vīravīryaṁ vilopyate kim anenālpa-sāreṇa haṣitāṭopa-kāriṇā / daiteya-bala-vāhyena valgatā duṣṭa-vājinā Hearing the words of the people “Save us, save us!” Kṛṣṇa spoke in a voice deep as thunder clouds. “Do not fear, O cowherds! Why do you have fear of Keśī? Because of him your courage has disappeared? What use is this wicked horse, which has no strength, is proud, and gallops around, taking strength from the demons?” Hari-vaṁśa says: tam āpatantaṁ saṁprekṣya keśinaṁ haya-dānavam / praty ujjagāma govindas toya-daḥ śaśinaṁ yathā // keśinas tu tam abhyāśe dṛṣṭvā kṛṣṇam avasthitam / manuṣya buddhayo gopāḥ kṛṣṇam ūcur hitauṣiṇaḥ // kṛṣṇa tāta na khalv eṣa sahasā te hayādhamaḥ / upasarpyo bhavān bālaḥ pāpaś caiṣa durāsadaḥ // eṣa kaṁsasya sahajaḥ prāṇas tāta bahiścaraḥ / uttamaś ca hayendrāṇāṁ dānavo 'pratimo yudhi // trāsanaḥ para-sainyānāṁ tura-gāṇāṁ mahā-balaḥ / avadhyaḥ sarva-sattvānāṁ prathamaḥ papa-karmaṇām // Seeing Keśī the horse demon attack him, Kṛṣṇa attacked him, just as a cloud covers the moon. Seeing Keśī approach Kṛṣṇa and thinking of Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary person, the cowherds, thinking of his safety, said, “O Kṛṣṇa, do not approach that wicked horse. You are a child and he is unconquerable. He is Kaṁsa’s original life air in external form. He is the best of the king of horses, incomparable in fighting. He causes fear in all armies, is the strongest of horses, cannot be killed by any being and is the greatest sinner.” Keśī is compared to the moon in Hari-vaṁśa because he was white. He made a loud sound like a lion roaring. Or Kṛṣṇa, very strong (bhagavān), roared.