The Killing of Ariṣṭāsura and Kaṁsa’s Plot to Summon Kṛṣṇa
तमापतन्तं स निगृह्य शृङ्गयो: पदा समाक्रम्य निपात्य भूतले । निष्पीडयामास यथार्द्रमम्बरं कृत्वा विषाणेन जघान सोऽपतत् ॥ १३ ॥
tam āpatantaṁ sa nigṛhya śṛṅgayoḥ padā samākramya nipātya bhū-tale niṣpīḍayām āsa yathārdram ambaraṁ kṛtvā viṣāṇena jaghāna so ’patat
As Ariṣṭa attacked, Lord Kṛṣṇa seized him by the horns and knocked him to the ground with His foot. The Lord then thrashed him as if he were a wet cloth, and finally He yanked out one of the demon’s horns and struck him with it until he lay prostrate.
This verse describes how Kṛṣṇa stops Ariṣṭāsura’s attack, throws him down, crushes him, and finally strikes him with his own horn, causing the demon to fall dead.
Ariṣṭāsura came to terrorize Vraja; Kṛṣṇa, as the protector of His devotees and the residents of Vṛndāvana, destroys such demonic threats.
The pastime teaches faith that the Lord can subdue overwhelming dangers; devotees can respond to fear and adversity by taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa with steadiness and trust.