Shloka 21
कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः
इत्य् आदिश्य स तौ मल्लौ ततश् चाहूय हस्तिपम् प्रोवाचोच्चैस् त्वया मल्लसमाजद्वारि कुञ्जरः
ity ādiśya sa tau mallau tataś cāhūya hastipam provācoccais tvayā mallasamājadvāri kuñjaraḥ
Tendo assim instruído os dois lutadores, chamou então o elefante real e proclamou em alta voz: “Ó elefante de presas! À entrada mesma da arena, deves enfrentá-los.”
Narrator (Sage Parasara) describing Kamsa’s orders (indirect speech)
FAQs
It shows Kamsa’s calculated attempt to block Krishna before the public contest, yet the narrative frames such obstacles as ultimately powerless before the Lord’s ordained victory.
Parasara presents it as a sequence of deliberate commands by Kamsa—wrestlers and the elephant—setting the stage where adharma confronts the Supreme, and is overturned by divine order.
Even when worldly power organizes violence and spectacle, Vishnu as Krishna remains the sovereign reality: the plot of the tyrant becomes the arena for dharma’s restoration.