Shloka 1
Kaṃsa’s Council of Asuras and the Strategy Against the ‘Powerful Child’
कंसस् ततौद्विग्नमनाः प्राह सर्वान् महासुरान् प्रलम्बकेशिप्रमुखान् आहूयासुरपुंगवान्
kaṃsas tataudvignamanāḥ prāha sarvān mahāsurān pralambakeśipramukhān āhūyāsurapuṃgavān
Then Kaṃsa, his mind shaken by anxious dread, summoned the foremost Asuras—Pralamba and Keśin at their head—and addressed all those mighty demons.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
FAQs
It shows adharma reacting in fear to the coming of Vishnu’s avatāra—Kaṃsa’s anxiety becomes the narrative trigger for repeated asuric attempts that ultimately reveal divine protection and the inevitability of dharma’s victory.
Parāśara presents Kaṃsa’s agitation as a sign of fate turning: the tyrant’s schemes are narrated as part of Krishna’s līlā, where hostile forces gather only to be overcome by the Lord’s higher order.
The verse sets the stage for Vishnu’s avatāra activity as Krishna: demonic power mobilizes, yet the Purana’s underlying claim is that the Supreme Lord’s will governs outcomes, making asuric opposition ultimately self-defeating.