Shloka 5
The Killing of Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, and Kaṁsa; Liberation and Restoration of Dharma in Mathurā
उत्थापनैरुन्नयनैश्चालनै: स्थापनैरपि । परस्परं जिगीषन्तावपचक्रतुरात्मन: ॥ ५ ॥
utthāpanair unnayanaiś cālanaiḥ sthāpanair api parasparaṁ jigīṣantāv apacakratur ātmanaḥ
Indem sie einander mit Gewalt hochhoben und trugen, rüttelten, wegstießen und zu Boden drückten, verletzten sie in ihrer Siegesgier sogar den eigenen Körper.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that although Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma did not, of course, harm Themselves, it appeared that way to Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika and others of mundane vision. In other words, the Lords were fully absorbed in the pastime of being wrestlers.
FAQs
It depicts the technical flow of the bout—lifts, hoists, shifts, and placements—as Kṛṣṇa and Cāṇūra circle each other, each trying to gain victory.
To convey the intensity of Kṛṣṇa’s Mathurā-līlā and how the Lord, while appearing humanlike, effortlessly displays mastery and control in the very arena arranged by Kaṁsa.
Focus, skill, and steadiness matter in any struggle; for devotees, the deeper reminder is that Kṛṣṇa remains fully in control even amid conflict and public challenge.