Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

Krishna and Balarama begin to herd cows

Description is mainly from Garga
p After passing through the kaumara, the first Samhita (Canto 2, chapter 10),
years, K and B entered pauganda-lila. with some parts from Krishna
p By the wish of the adult gopas they were placed Book
in charge of the cows
p They were now old enough to take care of the cows
p Cows had a taste from the one year Brahma had stolen the calves
p K & B would take into the forwest
p Cows gazed at K& B’s hadsome faces
p Cows wore glittering golden necklaces, a network of small bells & tinkling anklets
p Tails decorate with peacock feather & bunches of pearls
p Necklaces of 9 jewels
p Crown jewel placed between their horns made them beautiful.
p Their horns were plated with gold
p Some had yellow tails and red hooves.
p They were decorated with red tilaka. They were like many Mount Kailäsas.
p They had virtues, good character, and beauty.
p They walked slowly,
p Their udders full.
p Some were like great red päöala flowers.
p Some were yellow, some multicolored, some black, some green, some smoke-colored,
and some cloud-colored.
p All their eyes were placed on Kåñëa, His form dark as a cloud.
p Some had short horns, some long horns, some high horns, some bent horns, and some
horns like a deer's antlers.
p Some were with many bulls.
p Some were brown and beautiful.
p Searching for tender and delicious grasses, millions and millions of cows walked at
Kåñëa's side through forest after forest.
p Its Yamunä shore very pure and sacred, and its groves decorated with many dark tamäla
trees and many beautiful népa, nimba, kadamba, praväla, panasa, kadalé, kovidära,
mango, jambu, bilva, açvattha, and kapittha trees, as well as many mädhavé vines,
beautiful in the springtime, and its glory eclipsing the nandana, sarvatobhadra, and
caitraratha forests of heaven, transcendental Våndävana forest was splendidly manifest.
p In Våndävana forest, on the beautiful hill named Govardhana, which was made of
precious gems, had many glorious caves and swiftly-moving streams, and was filled with
many beautiful mandära, çrékhaëòa, badaré, rambhä, devadäru, vaöa, paläça, plakña,
açoka, ariñöa, arjuna, kadambaka, pärijäta, päöala, campaka, karaïja, and çyäma-

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 Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

indrayava trees, and many kalakaëöhas, kokilas, puàs-kokilas, and peacocks, Kåñëa
wandered from forest to forest as He herded the cows.
p In Våndävana, Madhuvana, Tälavana, Kumudvana, Bähulavana, Divya-kämavana, on
the summit and slopes of Nandéçvara Hill, in beautiful Kokilavana, which was filled with
the singing of cuckoos, in beautiful Kuçavana, which was filled with many flowering
vines, in beautiful and sacred Bhadravana, in Bhäëòéropavana, in Lohärgala, in shore
after shore by the Yamunä, and in forest after forest, handsome Kåñëa, in yellow
garments, dressed as a dancer, holding a stick, decorated with peacock feathers, a
crown, and many garlands, playing His flute, and delighting the gopés, was splendidly
manifest.
p K played melodies on his flute
p Returned to NM’s village in the evening
p Hearing K’s flute & seeing cows’ dust fill the sky along Vamsivata path, gopis put
anxieties far away & went to see K

Krishna praises Balarama

p K says to B: My dear brother, You are superior to all of Description is found
us, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by the demigods. Srimad Bhagavatam
(Krishna Book)
p Just see how these trees, full with fruits, have bent down
to worship Your lotus feet.
p It appears that they are trying to get out of the darkness of being obliged to accept the
form of trees.
p Actually, the trees born in the land of Vrndavana are not ordinary living entities.
Having held the impersonal point of view in their past lives, they are now put into this
stationary condition of life, but now they have the opportunity of seeing You in
Vrndavana, and they are praying for further advancement in spiritual life through Your
personal association.
p Generally the trees are living entities in the modes of darkness. The impersonalist
philosophers are in that darkness, but they eradicate it by taking full advantage of Your
presence.
p I think the drones that are buzzing all around You must have been Your devotees in
their past lives.
p They cannot leave Your company because no one can be a better, more affectionate
master than You.
p You are the supreme and original Personality of Godhead, and the drones are just
trying to spread Your glories by chanting every moment.
p I think some of them must be great sages, devotees of Your Lordship, and they are
disguising themselves in the form of drones because they are unable to give up Your
company even for a moment.
p My dear brother, You are the supreme worshipable Godhead.
p Just see how the peacocks in great ecstasy are dancing before You.
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 Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

p The deer, whose behavior is just like the gopis, are welcoming You with the same
affection.
p And the cuckoos who are residing in this forest are receiving You with great joy because
they consider that Your appearance is so auspicious in their home.
p Even though they are trees and animals, these residents of Vrndavana are glorifying
You.
p They are prepared to welcome You to their best capacity, as is the practice of great
souls in receiving another great soul at home.
p As for the land, it is so pious and fortunate that the footprints of Your lotus feet are
marking its body.
p It is quite natural for these Vrndavana inhabitants to thus receive a great personality
like You.
p The herbs, creepers and plants are also so fortunate to touch Your lotus feet.
p And by Your touching the twigs with Your hands, these small plants are also made
glorious.
p As for the hills and the rivers, they too are now glorious because You are glancing at
them.
p Above all, the damsels of Vraja, the gopis, attracted by Your beauty, are the most
glorious, because You embrace them with Your strong arms

A typical day
p K and B would sometimes imitate the swans and peacocks
p When K & B would call the cows by name, they came running. “Moooo”
p K & B would imitate the sounds of peacocks, cakoras, baradvajasa and cuckoos
p When animals would flee in fear of lions and tigers K & B would imitate and also run
p When tired Bal would put head in friend’s lap and K would massage or fan w/ palm
leaves
p While B rest, K and others play
p When K tired, would take shelter of root or friend’s lap
p Others would massage and fan K

Terror in Talavan forest

p Cowherd boys: There are great fruits in the Talavan Description is an amalgamation
forest, but they are being guarded by the demon of those found in Srimad
Dhenuka & his fellowship of man-eating asses Bhagavatam (Krishna Book)
p No animals go there
and Garga Samhita (Canto 2,
chapter 11)
p All the birds have left
p But still, a sweet fragrance can be smelled

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 Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

p
p Out of fear of the ass Dhenuka, the gopas did not enter the forest
p Even K did not enter
p Only B entered
p Tying bule sash at waist B entered the forest to get fruit
p B goes and yanks at the trees with both arms
p Made many fruits fall
p Dhen heard sound & became angry
p Woken from his midday nap
p Whole earth shook as Dh moved
p Dh kicks B in chest w/ hind legs
p Bal remains quiet and doesn’t respond
p Dh tries again
p B chases, catches, whirls by hind legs, throws into trees
p Domino effect
p Dh gets up angry
p Grabs B in mouth
p B grabs Dh and whirls around
p Throws 8 miles
p Dh strikes ground
p Head was wounded
p Fell unconscious
p Stands up filled with anger
p Manifests terrifying form with 4 horns
p Scared gopas flee [but the gopas didn’t enter???]
p As boys flee, Dh chases
p Çrédama hits with a stick
p Subala with fist
p Stoka Kåñëa whipped with rope
p Arjuna and Amñu threw far away
p Viçala & Åñabha kicked
p Tejasvé tried to strangle
p Devaprastha slapped
p Varüthapa hit with ball
p K grabbed with both hands and whirled around

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 Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

p Threw to GH
p Was knocked unconscious for one hour
p Shaking off 4 horned form, manifests original form
p Grabbed K with horns and carried into sky
p 800 mi in sky they fought
p K threw Dh to earth
p Bones broken
p Fell unconscious
p Rising made terrible sound
p Uproots GH with horns
p Throws at K
p K catches
p Throws at Dh’s head
p Dh catches and throws at K
p K catches and returns to orig place
p Dh breaks ground with horns
p Charges B
p Kicks with hind hooves
p Roars – shook earth echoed through universe
p B grabs Dh with both hands and throws to ground
p Breaks head
p Falls unconscious
p B punches with fist
p Kills Dh
p Dh’s friends come
p K & B throw into trees
p Because of the dead bodies of the asses, there was a panoramic scene. It appeared as if
clouds of various colors were assembled in the trees.
p Demigods shower flowers
p
p Leaving his body, Dhenuka manifested a splendid and handsome dark form wearing
yellow garments and decorated with a forest flower garland.
p Then a chariot, filled with a hundred thousand of the Lord's associates, decorated with
a thousand flags, rumbling with a thousand wheels, pulled by ten thousand horses,
glorious with a hundred thousand cämaras, yellow, studded with many jewels, eight

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 Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

miles long, beautiful, traveling as fast as the mind, and decorated with many bells and
tinkling ornaments, suddenly appeared.
p Dh circumambulated Kåñëa and Balaräma, and then, filling the circle of the directions
with light,
p he ascended the chariot and went to Goloka, far beyond the material realm.
p
p A few days later denizens of Vraja come to collect fruits w/o fear

Dhenuka’s past life

Description is found
p Previous life was the son of Bali (who was the son of Virocana) in Garga Samhita
p Name was Sähasika (Canto 2, chapter 11)
p Enjoyed pastimes with 10,000 women on Gandhamädana
Mountain
p Durväsa Muni was in a trance in a nearby cave
p Sounds of many musical minstruments and anklebells broke trance of Durväsa Muni
p Durväsa was very thin with a long beard
p Walking with wooden sandals
p Holding a stick
p Glowing with flames of anger
p DM to Sähasika: Fool!
p Ass like person!
p Rise!
p Become an ass!
p After 400k years, in the circle of Mathurä, in the forest of Tälavana you will attain
liberation by Balaräma’s hand
p (K had given Prahläda Mahäräja the benediction that he would not kill his
descendents.)

Return to Vrindavan
p When Krsna, Balarama and Their friends entered the village Description is found
Srimad Bhagavatam
of Vrndavana, They played Their flutes,
(Krishna Book)
p And the boys praised Their uncommon activities in the forest.
p Their faces were decorated with tilaka and smeared with the dust raised by the cows,
and Krsna's head was decorated with a peacock feather.
p Both He and Balarama played Their flutes, and the young gopis were joyous to see
Krsna returning home.
p All the gopis in Vrndavana remained very morose on account of Krsna's absence.
p All day they were thinking of Krsna in the forest or of Him herding cows in the pasture.

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 Kåñëa Lélä notes – Chapter 15 (Killing of Dhenukasura)

p When they saw Krsna returning, all their anxieties were immediately relieved, and they
began to look at His face the way drones hover over the honey of the lotus flower.
p When Krsna entered the village, the young gopis smiled and laughed. Krsna, while
playing the flute, enjoyed the beautiful smiling faces of the gopis.
p
p Then Krsna and Balarama were immediately received by Their affectionate mothers,
Yasoda and Rohini, and, according to the time's demands, they began to fulfill the
desires of their affectionate sons.
p Simultaneously, the mothers rendered service and bestowed benediction upon their
transcendental sons. They very nicely took care of their children by bathing and dressing
Them.
p Krsna was dressed in bluish garments, and Balarama was dressed in yellowish garments,
and They were given all sorts of ornaments and flower garlands.
p Being relieved of the fatigue of Their day's work in the pasturing ground, They looked
refreshed and very beautiful.
p
p They were given palatable dishes by Their mothers, and They pleasantly ate everything.
p After eating, They were seated nicely on clean bedding, and the mothers began to sing
various songs of Their activities.
p As soon as They sat down on the bedding, They very quickly fell fast asleep. In this way,
Krsna and Balarama used to enjoy Vrndavana life as cowherd boys.

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