Garga Bhagavatham : Maadhurya khanda - Chapter 24
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Slaying of Arishtasura and
Vyomasura and the completion of Maadhurya Kanda
Sri
Narada says:- One day along with Balaram, Sri Krishna was playing a
game of hide-and-seek in which some would pretend to be a thief and another
would be a guard. A demon Vyomasur came there disguised as a cowherd. Engrossed
in the game, some boys would pretend to be sheep and some would pretend to be
thieves. The thieves would take the sheep and hide them and some other boys
would act like shepherds and search for the sheep. The demon Vyomasur carried
many cowherd boys who were pretending to be sheep, one by one, and hid them in
a cave in the mountain and closed the entrance with a huge boulder. He was the
very strong son of the demon, Mayasur. Observing the real thief who had entered
their midst, Bhagwan Madhusudan caught hold of both the shoulders of the demon
and thrashed him upon the earth. The demon died instantly and a bright halo of
light emerged from his body. Illuminating all directions, it finally merged
into the body of Sri Krishna. At that time there were cries of victory in
heaven and earth. All the demigods were very happy and showered flowers.
Bahulashwa asks:- Sage! who was this
Vyomasur in his previous birth and by what holy deed did he get the fortune of
merging into Sri Krishna in the form of light?
Sri Narada says:- King! There was a
king named Bheemarath in Kasi, who always engaged in being generous and pious.
He handed over the kingdom to his son and retired to Malayaachal and began his
penance. He continued his penance for one lakh years. Once sage Pulasthya along
with his disciples came to the abode of Bheemarath. Even after seeing sage
Pulasthya, the proud king-turned-sage Bheemarath neither stood up nor paid
respects to the sage who was at the doorstep. Then Pulasthya cursed him saying
" You most wicked king! You become a demon". Thereafter, Bheemarath
fell at the feet of Sage Pulasthya in complete surrender and begged for his
pardon. Then the kind-hearted great sage Pulasthya said, "At the end of
Dwapara yuga, in the holy place of Vrajmandal in Mathura you will attain
salvation at the powerful hands of the king of the Yadava dynasty, Sri Krishna.
Even the greatest of sages wish for such a fortune. There is no doubt about
this"
Sri Narada says:- King! The same
king Bheemarath was born as the son of a demon called Maya and attained
salvation at the hands of SriKrishna.
One day, a powerful demon called
Arishta came in the form of a bull amidst the cowherd boys. He was shaking the
earth and the sky by roaring like a lion. With his strong horns, he was
smashing the base of the mountain. Seeing this, the Gopis, Gopas, and the herd
of cows were very scared and began running in all directions. The slayer of all
demons, Sri Krishna pacified all of them and said "Do not be afraid".
Madhav caught hold of both the horns of the demon and pushed him back to some
distance. The demon also pushed Sri Krishna back to a distance of two yojanas.
Then Sri Krishna caught hold of the demon's tail and twirled him in the air and
smashed him onto the earth just as a child throws down a small vessel. Arishta
got up again and his eyes were blood-red with anger. That powerful demon picked
up a huge red boulder with his horns threw it upon Sri Krishna. But Sri Krishna
caught it and threw it back at the demon. Mentally agitated by the attack of
the boulder, the demon began piercing the earth with his horns. Water spurted
out the earth. Sri Krishna then caught hold of the demon's horns and twirled
him in the air many times and thumped him onto the earth just as a gust of wind
blows away a lotus. At that instant, he gave up the form of the bull and
assumed the form of a brahmana. He prostrated at the feet of Sri Krishna and
spoke in a choked voice.
Brahmana said:- Bhagawan! I am Varantatu
a spiritual student of Brihaspathi. Once while studying under Brihaspathi, I
sat in front of him extending my feet towards him. Because of this, the sage
was enraged and he said, "You are sitting in front of me like a bull and
by this act, you have insulted your teacher. Hence you ill-mannered one! You
become a bull". Madhav! because of that curse, I became a bull in
Vangadesh. Being in the company of demons, I got all demonic characters. Now by
Your grace, I am relieved of all characteristics of a demon. Salutations to you
Lord Sri Krishna. My salutations to you Bhagawan Vasudev.Many salutations to
You Lord Govinda, who destroys the troubles of poor people."
Sri Narada says:- King! Saying this and
paying obeisance to Sri Krishna, Varantatu the student of Brihaspathi,
illuminating the entire universe, climbed onto the celestial vehicle flew away
to the divine Loka. In this manner, I have described the Madhurya Khanda to you
which clears all the sins, gives all benefits, and is the best tool to attain
Sri Krishna. Whoever reads this always, all his wishes will be fulfilled. What do you want to hear further?
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