Shloka 6
The Killing of Keśī and Vyomāsura; Nārada’s Prophetic Praise of Kṛṣṇa
दन्ता निपेतुर्भगवद्भुजस्पृश- स्ते केशिनस्तप्तमयस्पृशो यथा । बाहुश्च तद्देहगतो महात्मनो यथामय: संववृधे उपेक्षित: ॥ ६ ॥
dantā nipetur bhagavad-bhuja-spṛśas te keśinas tapta-maya-spṛśo yathā bāhuś ca tad-deha-gato mahātmano yathāmayaḥ saṁvavṛdhe upekṣitaḥ
Dès que les dents de Keśī touchèrent le bras du Seigneur, elles tombèrent aussitôt, car pour le démon ce bras était brûlant comme du fer en fusion. À l’intérieur du corps de Keśī, le bras du grand Seigneur se dilata alors immensément, tel un ventre qui enfle d’une maladie négligée.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that although Lord Kṛṣṇa’s arm is more tender and cooling than a blue lotus, to Keśī it felt extremely hot as if made of lightning bolts.
FAQs
This verse describes how, by the touch of Kṛṣṇa’s arm, Keśī’s teeth fell out and Kṛṣṇa’s arm expanded within him, overpowering and destroying the demon from within.
The comparison shows the Lord’s irresistible potency: as iron cannot withstand fire, the demon cannot withstand divine contact; and like an untreated disease that spreads inside, Kṛṣṇa’s arm expands within Keśī until the asura is finished.
It teaches that harmful tendencies grow when ignored, but sincere contact with the Lord (through bhakti—hearing, chanting, remembrance) uproots inner “demons” decisively.