Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.43.40
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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balibhiḥ
—
with those who are strong
Cāṇūra reverses Kṛṣṇa's request for tulya-balaiḥ (43.38) — now He must fight the balī, the strong ones (Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika themselves). The asura grants himself the protocol-victory; Bhagavān will grant Himself the actual one.
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anayaḥ
—
injustice
'Unjustice' — Cāṇūra claims an-anaya, that there is no injustice in pairing children with full wrestlers. He has just contradicted his own logic (43.34: gopas wrestle among themselves) within two verses. Asura-tarka is always self-contradictory; the Bhāgavatam records the contradiction without commenting on it.
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vārṣṇeya
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O descendant of Vṛṣṇi
Cāṇūra now addresses Kṛṣṇa not as nanda-suta but as Vārṣṇeya — Yadu-Vṛṣṇi clan. The asura has heard the citizens' speech (43.23) and updated. Gauḍīya note: Cāṇūra moves Kṛṣṇa from Vraja to Mathurā with this vocative, but Bhagavān's Vraja identity will outlast the wrestling match (the gopīs in Vraja still call Him their own when He is in Dvārakā).
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muṣṭikaḥ
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Muṣṭika
The second-most-celebrated of Kaṁsa's wrestlers, paired with Balarāma. He will be killed by Balarāma in 10.44. Bhāgavata economy: every name spoken in 43 will be a corpse in 44.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Forty-third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa.”
You should fight with wrestlers who are strong like me, not with boys, who are not equal in strength to you.
You should fight with many strong wrestlers. The plural is used because all wrestlers were eager to fight one after the other. Fighting them one at a time is not against the rules. “How can I fight with you?” Show whatever prowess you have to me, I will not show my prowess. “We cowherds are not suitable to play in the king’s assembly.” You are descent of Vṛṣṇi! We know this.
You should fight with many strong wrestlers. The plural is used because all wrestlers were eager to fight, one after the other. Fighting them one at a time is not against the rules. Show your prowess with me. You will not be able to bear my strength. I should not do this. You should. O person who has appeared in the Vṛṣṇi dynasty (vārṣṇeya)! You should show your valor. This is for inciting Kṛṣṇa to fight. Or you should have strength since you have appeared in the Vṛṣṇi dynasty as the son of the king’s sister. Or do not worry about your safety. He does not mention the relationship directly out of great pride. Or he feared infamy among the people by thinking of causing harm to a relative. You should fight with many strong wrestlers. The plural is used because all wrestlers were eager to fight, one after the other. Fighting them one at a time is not against the rules. “How can I fight with you?” Show whatever prowess you have to me. I will not show my prowess. “We cowherds are not suitable to play in the king’s assembly.” You are descent of Vṛṣṇi! We know this. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Forty-third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Kṛṣṇa Kills the Elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa." 10.44: The Killing of Kaṁsa verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22-23, 24-25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 Chapter Summary This chapter tells how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma killed the wrestlers, how Kṛṣṇa killed Kaṁsa and consoled Kaṁsa's wives, and how the two Lords were reunited with Their mother and father. Deciding to wrestle, Lord Kṛṣṇa faced off against Cāṇūra, and Lord Baladeva took on Muṣṭika. Battling arm to arm, head to head, knee to knee and chest to chest, the opponents attacked each other so fiercely that they appeared to be harming even their own bodies. The ladies in the arena, seeing the violent battle, began to condemn the King and all the members of the assembly: "A respectable audience should never have allowed a wrestling match between such huge wrestlers, whose limbs are as tough as lightning bolts, and such tender young boys, who are just entering youth. An intelligent person should never enter an assembly if he sees injustice being done there." Because Vasudeva and Devakī did not fully understand the power of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, they became extremely unhappy when they heard the women of the audience speak these words. Śrī Kṛṣṇa then grabbed Cāṇūra's arms, whirled him around several times and threw him to the ground, killing him. Muṣṭika met a similar fate: after being struck powerfully by Lord Baladeva's palm, he began vomiting blood and then fell down dead. Thereupon the wrestlers named Kūṭa, Śala and Tośala came forward, but Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma easily killed them with the blows of Their fists and feet. The remaining wrestlers, fearing for their lives, all fled. Except for Kaṁsa, everyone present cheered Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The King, in a rage, stopped the festive music and ordered that Vasudeva, Nanda, Ugrasena and all the cowherds be severely punished and that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma be driven from the assembly. Kṛṣṇa became furious when He heard Kaṁsa speak this way, and He instantly leapt onto the lofty royal dais. He grabbed Kaṁsa by the hair, hurled him down onto the floor of the wrestling ring and threw Himself on top of him. In this way, Kaṁsa met his death. Because out of fear Kaṁsa had always thought of Kṛṣṇa, after his death he gained the liberation of having a form like the Lord's. Kaṁsa's eight brothers then attacked Kṛṣṇa, but Balarāma easily killed each of them with His club, just as a lion kills defenseless animals. Kettledrums resounded in the sky as the joyful demigods rained down flowers and chanted the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma. The wives of Kaṁsa, grieving for their husband, lamented that he had died because of his violence toward other living beings and his lack of respect for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul, who creates, maintains and destroys the entire universe. The Lord consoled the widows, had the funeral rites performed for Kaṁsa and his brothers and then released His mother and father from bondage. Kṛṣṇa offered obeisances at His parents' feet, but they, now understanding Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, did not embrace Him.
- Where does Kṛṣṇa enter terms that look bad to outsiders because He sees a larger purpose?
- Could you accept an apparently unfair match if you trusted the larger play?
Cāṇūra divides the match: Kṛṣṇa with himself, Balarāma with Muṣṭika. The chapter closes with the pairings set, the death-warrants signed, the very combat Cāṇūra demanded now arranged. The Gauḍīya reading: every asura, given the chance, asks for the precise form of his own destruction.
My note
Source: vedabase.io