Category:Wrestle
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda vividly describes the historic events in Mathurā when King Kaṁsa arranged a grand wrestling arena with the sinister plot to kill Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Deploying his most formidable wrestlers—such as Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, Śala, and Tośala—Kaṁsa hoped to end his own anxieties. While the compassionate ladies in the audience lamented the apparent injustice of pitting tender young boys against giant, mountainous wrestlers, the Supreme Lord effortlessly defeated them all. On a profound philosophical level, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the fighting spirit originates in Kṛṣṇa. Just as a powerful king engages a paid wrestler to enjoy mock combat, the Supreme Lord sometimes arranges to wrestle with His powerful devotees simply to relish the transcendental exchange of chivalry.
- Kaṁsa's Sinister Wrestling Plot: Driven by fear of his prophesied death, King Kaṁsa organized a grand wrestling festival as a trap, instructing his gigantic wrestlers to kill the young boys, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
- The Anxiety of the Audience: The citizens of Mathurā, particularly the compassionate women, were deeply disturbed by the inequitable match, viewing the gentle boys as too tender to face the mountainous wrestlers.
- The Effortless Victory of the Lord: Despite the ferocious appearance and skill of Kaṁsa's champions, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma nonchalantly dismantled and killed them, displaying Their supreme, unmatched strength.
- The Divine Purpose Behind the Fighting Spirit: The fighting spirit originally exists in the Supreme Lord. Just as an earthly king hires a wrestler for sporting pleasure, Kṛṣṇa engages His great devotees in mock combat to relish transcendental fighting.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Transcendental Wrestle Match in the Arena of Mathurā.
Subcategories
This category has the following 4 subcategories, out of 4 total.
Pages in category "Wrestle"
The following 53 pages are in this category, out of 53 total.
A
- A wrestler of the name Sala came forward, and Krsna immediately cracked his head with a kick. A wrestler named Tosala came forward and was killed in the same way
- After Kamsa's wrestlers expressed their determination, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the killer of Madhu, confronted Canura, and Lord Balarama, the son of Rohini, confronted Mustika
- After taking Their baths and finishing all other morning duties, Krsna and Balarama could hear the beating of the kettledrums in the wrestling arena. They immediately prepared Themselves to proceed to the spot to see the fun
- After the two wrestlers were killed, a wrestler named Kuta came forward. Lord Balarama immediately caught him in His left hand and killed him nonchalantly
- Another example of being stunned took place when Krsna was surrounded by various wrestlers in the sacrificial arena of Kamsa. His mother, Devaki,* then became stunned, and her eyes dried up when she saw Krsna amongst the wrestlers
- As Kamsa saw various signs of death while both awake and sleeping, he could understand that death was certain, and thus in great anxiety he could not rest that night. Just after the night expired, he busily arranged for the wrestling match
B
- Being compassionate and favoring Krsna and Balarama, the many ladies in the audience began to talk as follows, "Dear friends, there is injustice here." Another said, "Even in front of the King this wrestling is going on between incompatible sides"
- Being enlivened by the musical concert, they (the wrestlers) passed through with great alacrity. All the respectable cowherd men who came from Vrndavana, headed by Nanda, were also welcomed by Kamsa
I
- If a king wants to practice mock fighting, he will engage some very qualified wrestler. Similarly, Krsna does not fight with anyone ordinary, but rather with some of His great devotees
- In the Padma Purana it is said that those who are envious and always angry at the Lord are unfit to know the actual and eternal form of the Lord. In the Bhagavatam also it is said that the Lord appeared like a thunderbolt to those who were wrestlers
- It is described that the lotus-eyed Krsna entered amongst the wrestlers without being impolite to them, glanced over them with determination, and seemed to them just like an elephant attacking some plants
K
- Kamsa began to think in perplexity, "Shall I go immediately and surrender unto Him? But how can a great warrior do this?" The next moment he thought, "Why should I be afraid of Him? There are still so many wrestlers standing to support me"
- Kamsa called for his expert elephant trainers, as well as for the wrestlers Canura, Mustika, Sala, Tosala, etc., & he told them, “My dear friends, try to hear me attentively. At Nanda's place in Vrndavana there are two brothers, Krsna & Balarama
- Kamsa said, "If somehow or other Krsna & Balarama escape, They will next meet the wrestlers & will be killed by them. That is my plan. & after killing these two boys, I shall kill Vasudeva & Nanda, who are supporters of the Vrsni and Bhoja dynasties"
- Kamsa said, "My dear sister, having seen your dear son Krsna, I think that He is so strong that He can kill even wrestlers strong as the mountains"
- Kamsa told the wrestlers, "People from different parts of the country will come to see the festival. I will arrange to get those two boys (Krsna and Balarama) here, and you will try to kill Them in the wrestling arena"
- Kamsa told the wrestlers, "They (Krsna and Balarama) are actually two sons of Vasudeva. As you know, I have been destined to be killed by Krsna; there is a prophecy to this effect. Now I am requesting you to arrange for a wrestling match
- Krsna continued, "This offer of wrestling is a great favor of his, but the fact is that We (Krsna and Balarama) are simply boys. We sometimes play in the forest of Vrndavana with Our friends who are Our own age"
- Krsna thus indicated that the celebrated, strong wrestlers should not challenge Krsna and Balarama to fight
N
- Nanda continued, "If Krsna were not a great personality, how could He have killed Kamsa, who possessed the strength of ten thousand elephants? Besides Kamsa, there were the very strong wrestlers, as well as the giant elephant Kuvalayapida"
- Narada Muni said, "My dear Lord (Krsna), I am therefore sure that the day after tomorrow I shall see demons like Canura, Mustika and the other wrestlers and elephants, as well as Kamsa himself, killed by You. I shall see this with my own eyes"
S
- Sometimes important landlords and kings keep wrestlers with whom they practice mock fighting, and Visnu makes similar arrangements
- Sometimes Krsna would take a palm fan and fan the body of Balarama, causing a pleasing breeze to relieve Him of His fatigue. Other boys would sometimes dance or sing while Balarama took rest, and sometimes they would wrestle amongst themselves or jump
- Sometimes they used to snatch His clothing or snatch away the flowers from His hands. Sometimes one would try to induce another to decorate his body for him, and failing this, they were ready to fight, challenging one another to combat in wrestling
T
- The audience in the wrestling arena was not very much satisfied because the combatants did not appear to be equally matched. They considered Krsna and Balarama to be mere boys before Canura and Mustika
- The cowherd boys walked into the midst of newly grown leaves of trees whose flowers resembled peacock feathers. They were garlanded by those flowers and decorated with saffron chalk. They were dancing and singing and sometimes wrestling with one another
- The famous wrestler Canura then began to talk with Krsna and Balarama. "My dear Krsna and Balarama," he said, "we have heard about Your past activities. You are great heroes, and therefore the King has called You"
- The Gurukula and poor feeding programs should be developed and it will make us very popular. The wrestling is all right. The program for Nitai Cand to visit the villages and preach and make men join is very good
- The King then arranged for big wrestlers to try to pull the car, and even the King himself joined in, but the car could not be moved
- The ladies continued, "Those taking part in watching this wrestling match are not very much enlightened; therefore whether they speak or remain silent, they are being subjected to the reactions of sinful activities"
- The wrestler is paid to fight with the king. He is not the king's enemy; rather, he gives pleasure to the king by mock fighting. But when Krsna wants to fight, who will fight with Him? Not anyone ordinary
- The wrestling arena was nicely cleansed and decorated with flags, festoons and flowers, and the match was announced by the beating of kettledrums. The platform appeared very beautiful due to streamers and flags
- There was picking up, dragging and pushing, and then the legs and hands were locked together. All the arts of wrestling were perfectly exhibited by the parties as each tried his best to defeat his opponent
- They saw Krsna as thunderbolt, the wrestlers. Yes. And the elderly persons, elderly ladies, they saw Krsna as loving child
- This text (of CC Adi-lila 4.156) from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 10.44.14) was spoken by the women of Mathura when they saw Krsna and Balarama in the arena with King Kamsa’s great wrestlers Mustika and Canura
- Thus all the great wrestlers were killed by Krsna and Balarama, and the remaining wrestlers fled from the assembly out of fear for their lives
- Thus appreciated differently by different kinds of people present, Krsna entered the wrestling arena with Balarama and His cowherd boyfriends
W
- We are samples of Krsna. Wherefrom do we get the fighting spirit? It is present in Krsna. Therefore, just as a king sometimes engages a wrestler to fight with him, Krsna also engages living entities to engage in fighting
- When everything was complete, the wrestlers who were to exhibit their skills before the assembly walked into the arena. They were decorated with nice ornaments and dress. Some of the famous wrestlers were Canura, Mustika, Sala, Kuta and Tosala
- When Krsna and Balarama reached the gate of the wrestling arena, They saw a big elephant of the name Kuvalayapida being tended by a caretaker riding on its head. The caretaker was deliberately blocking Their entrance
- When Krsna was present in the sacrificial arena of His enemy King Kamsa, the wrestlers present, although appreciating the softness of the body of Sri Krsna, were afraid and perturbed when they thought of engaging with Him in battle
- While they (the citizens of Mathura) were thus talking about the activities of Krsna and Balarama, they heard the vibrations of different bands announcing the wrestling match
- Wrestling matches are still enjoyed by people in northern India, & it appears from the statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam that five thousand years ago wrestling was popular. Kamsa planned to arrange such a wrestling competition & to invite people to visit