Shloka 17
Kṛṣṇa Slays Kuvalayāpīḍa and Enters Kaṁsa’s Wrestling Arena
मल्लानामशनिर्नृणां नरवर: स्त्रीणां स्मरो मूर्तिमान्गोपानां स्वजनोऽसतां क्षितिभुजां शास्ता स्वपित्रो: शिशु: । मृत्युर्भोजपतेर्विराडविदुषां तत्त्वं परं योगिनांवृष्णीनां परदेवतेति विदितो रङ्गं गत: साग्रज: ॥ १७ ॥
mallānām aśanir nṛṇāṁ nara-varaḥ strīṇāṁ smaro mūrtimān gopānāṁ sva-jano ’satāṁ kṣiti-bhujāṁ śāstā sva-pitroḥ śiśuḥ mṛtyur bhoja-pater virāḍ aviduṣāṁ tattvaṁ paraṁ yogināṁ vṛṣṇīnāṁ para-devateti vidito raṅgaṁ gataḥ sāgrajaḥ
Quand Kṛṣṇa entra dans l’arène avec Son frère aîné, chacun Le vit selon sa propre vision : les lutteurs comme un éclair foudroyant; les hommes de Mathurā comme le meilleur des hommes; les femmes comme l’Amour incarné; les vachers comme un proche; les rois impies comme un châtieur; Ses parents comme leur enfant; Kaṁsa, seigneur des Bhojas, comme la mort; les ignorants comme la Forme cosmique; les yogis comme la Vérité absolue; et les Vṛṣṇis comme leur suprême Divinité adorable.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes the following verse, which explains the ten attitudes toward Kṛṣṇa described here:
FAQs
Because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person, each observer perceived Him according to their inner disposition—fear, desire, love, ignorance, or spiritual realization—revealing both His līlā and His absolute nature.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while narrating Kṛṣṇa’s Mathurā līlā, describing Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entering Kaṁsa’s wrestling arena.
It teaches that our perception of God mirrors our consciousness; by cultivating bhakti—hearing, chanting, and serving—we learn to see Kṛṣṇa not as an object of fear or desire, but as our dearest Lord and the Supreme Truth.