उच्चैःश्रवस् तुल्यबलं वायुवेगसमं जवे ॥
जघान हयराजं यो यमुनावनवासिनम् ॥
दानवं घोरकर्माणं गवां मृत्युम् इवोत्थितम् ॥
वृषरूपधरं बाल्ये भुजाभ्यां निजघान ह ॥
प्रलम्बं नरकं जम्भं पीठं चापि महासुरम् ॥
मुरुं चाचलसंकाशम् अवधीत् पुष्करेक्षणः ॥
uccaiḥśravas tulyabalaṃ vāyuvegasamaṃ jave ||
jaghāna hayarājaṃ yo yamunāvanavāsinam ||
dānavaṃ ghorakarmāṇaṃ gavāṃ mṛtyum ivotthitam ||
vṛṣarūpadharaṃ bālye bhujābhyāṃ nijaghāna ha ||
pralambaṃ narakaṃ jambhaṃ pīṭhaṃ cāpi mahāsuram ||
muruṃ cācalasaṃkāśam avadhīt puṣkarekṣaṇaḥ ||
He who slew the giant horse [Keshin], mighty as Uccaihshravas, swift as a whirlwind in speed, dwelling in the riverside groves of the Yamuna; the demon of fierce nature, who arose like death to the cattle in the form of a bull [Arishtha] — [while still] in boyhood, he crushed [it] with his bare hands. Pralamba, Naraka, Jambha, and Pitha, the mighty demon, and Muru, huge as a mountain, the lotus-eyed [Krishna] felled.
24dfc95fd880 · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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The roll-call of slain demons reveals Krishna as the destroyer of evil, descending to protect the righteous and the cattle that sustain them. It is significant that He overcomes many "with bare hands, in boyhood": divine might needs no weapon and awaits no maturity — it is native to the Lord from the outset. The name "lotus-eyed" (pushkarekshana), amid the account of fearsome deeds, preserves the memory of His indescribable beauty: the Lord who strikes down evil is not fierce but beautiful. The verse teaches that the Supreme's descent is accomplished to destroy evil and preserve the good; that His might is self-existent and borrowed from none; and that fearsomeness toward the demonic and tender beauty toward the devoted are joined in Him inseparably — He is at once the crusher of evil and the delight of those who love Him.