Chapter 43 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 43.1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O chastiser of enemies, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, having executed all necessary purification, then heard the kettledrums resounding at the wrestling arena, and They went there to see what was happening.
Essence. Having performed all necessary purifications, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma hear the kettledrums and go to see the arena. Even when entering combat, the Lord first observes purification — preparation precedes confrontation.
BG 43.2
When Lord Kṛṣṇa reached the entrance to the arena, He saw the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa blocking His way at the urging of his keeper.
Essence. At the arena entrance, the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa blocks Kṛṣṇa's way at his keeper's urging. The enemy times his obstruction precisely at the door — entry to important encounters is rarely free.
BG 43.3
Securely binding up His clothes and tying back His curly locks, Lord Kṛṣṇa addressed the elephant-keeper with words as grave as the rumbling of a cloud.
Essence. Tying back His curls and securing His clothes, Kṛṣṇa addresses the keeper with words as grave as rumbling cloud. The Lord prepares physically before speaking; grave words come from a settled body.
BG 43.4
[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] O driver, driver, move aside at once and let Us pass! If you don’t, this very day I will send both you and your elephant to the abode of Yamarāja!
Essence. 'O driver, move aside or I will send you and your elephant to Yamarāja's abode today!' The Lord warns first, decisively, with a deadline. Direct warning is mercy before action.
BG 43.5
Thus threatened, the elephant-keeper became angry. He goaded his furious elephant, who appeared equal to time, death and Yamarāja, into attacking Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Essence. Angered, the keeper goads the furious elephant — equal to time, death, and Yamarāja — to attack. Some 'drivers' choose escalation when warned; the response reveals what they always intended.
BG 43.6
The lord of the elephants charged Kṛṣṇa and violently seized Him with his trunk. But Kṛṣṇa slipped away, struck him a blow and disappeared from his view among his legs.
Essence. Kuvalayāpīḍa charges and seizes Kṛṣṇa with his trunk; the Lord slips away, strikes him, and disappears among his legs. Skillful response to overwhelming force can include disappearance into the very ground of the enemy.
BG 43.7
Infuriated at being unable to see Lord Keśava, the elephant sought Him out with his sense of smell. Once again Kuvalayāpīḍa seized the Lord with the end of his trunk, only to have the Lord forcefully free Himself.
Essence. Unable to see Kṛṣṇa, the elephant seeks Him by smell, seizes Him again, and Kṛṣṇa frees Himself forcefully. The Lord lets the demon think victory is near before reversing it; encouraged enemies fall harder.
BG 43.8
Lord Kṛṣṇa then grabbed the powerful Kuvalayāpīḍa by the tail and playfully dragged him twenty-five bow-lengths as easily as Garuḍa might drag a snake.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa grabs the elephant by the tail and playfully drags him twenty-five bow-lengths, as easily as Garuḍa dragging a snake. What was terrifying becomes playful in the Lord's hand.
BG 43.9
As Lord Acyuta held on to the elephant’s tail, the animal tried to twist away to the left and to the right, making the Lord swerve in the opposite direction, as a young boy would swerve when pulling a calf by the tail.
Essence. The elephant twists left and right, making the Lord swerve in opposite directions, like a boy pulling a calf by its tail. Even mighty opposition gets reduced to childish play in this image.
BG 43.10
Kṛṣṇa then came face to face with the elephant and slapped him and ran away. Kuvalayāpīḍa pursued the Lord, managing to touch Him again and again with each step, but Kṛṣṇa outmaneuvered the elephant and made him trip and fall.
Essence. Kṛṣṇa slaps the elephant face to face, runs, gets pursued, then outmaneuvers him into a fall. The Lord uses the enemy's own pursuit to trip him; engagement plus skillful evasion is one tactic.
BG 43.11
As Kṛṣṇa dodged about, He playfully fell on the ground and quickly got up again. The raging elephant, thinking Kṛṣṇa was down, tried to gore Him with his tusks but struck the earth instead.
Essence. Playfully Kṛṣṇa falls and quickly gets up; the raging elephant tries to gore Him but strikes only earth. Apparent vulnerability invites a wasted attack; the Lord uses His own pretend-fall to ruin the enemy's strike.
BG 43.12
His prowess foiled, the lordly elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa went into a frenzied rage out of frustration. But the elephant-keepers goaded him on, and he furiously charged Kṛṣṇa once again.
Essence. Foiled, Kuvalayāpīḍa goes into frenzied rage; goaded by keepers, he charges again. Inner demons handled poorly grow more frenzied; rage compounds when foiled instead of submitting.
BG 43.13
The Supreme Lord, killer of the demon Madhu, confronted the elephant as he attacked. Seizing his trunk with one hand, Kṛṣṇa threw him to the ground.
Essence. The Lord seizes the elephant's trunk with one hand and throws him to the ground. After play, decisive action — sometimes the long maneuver ends with a single throw.
BG 43.14
Lord Hari then climbed onto the elephant with the ease of a mighty lion, pulled out a tusk, and with it killed the beast and his keepers.
Essence. Lord Hari climbs onto the elephant like a lion, pulls out a tusk, and with it kills both beast and keepers. Once the Lord moves to finish, demons and their drivers fall together.
BG 43.15
Leaving the dead elephant aside, Lord Kṛṣṇa held on to the tusk and entered the wrestling arena. With the tusk resting on His shoulder, drops of the elephant’s blood and sweat sprinkled all over Him, and His lotus face covered with fine drops of His own perspiration, the Lord shone with great beauty.
Essence. Leaving the dead elephant aside, Kṛṣṇa carries the tusk into the arena — drops of blood, sweat, and His own perspiration on His lotus face — shining brilliantly. Even bloody pastimes leave the Lord radiant; victory wears its evidence with grace.
BG 43.16
My dear King, Lord Baladeva and Lord Janārdana, each carrying one of the elephant’s tusks as His chosen weapon, entered the arena with several cowherd boys.
Essence. Balarāma and Janārdana enter the arena each with a tusk as chosen weapon, with several cowherd boys. The Lord and His elder brother choose weapons that suit the moment; equipment is improvised, not predetermined.
BG 43.17
The various groups of people in the arena regarded Kṛṣṇa in different ways when He entered it with His elder brother. The wrestlers saw Kṛṣṇa as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathurā as the best of males, the women as Cupid in person, the cowherd men as their relative, the impious rulers as a chastiser, His parents as their child, the King of the Bhojas as death, the unintelligent as the Supreme Lord’s universal form, the yogīs as the Absolute Truth and the Vṛṣṇis as their supreme worshipable Deity.
Essence. Different groups see Kṛṣṇa differently: wrestlers as lightning, men as best of males, women as Cupid, cowherds as relative, impious as punisher, parents as child, Kaṁsa as death itself. The same Lord meets each consciousness in its own dominant rasa.
BG 43.18
When Kaṁsa saw that Kuvalayāpīḍa was dead and the two brothers were invincible, he was overwhelmed with anxiety, O King.
Essence. Seeing Kuvalayāpīḍa dead and the brothers invincible, Kaṁsa is overwhelmed with anxiety. Backup plans fail visibly; anxiety floods when the schemer realizes his options are running out.
BG 43.19
Arrayed with variegated ornaments, garlands and garments, just like a pair of excellently costumed actors, the two mighty-armed Lords shone splendidly in the arena. Indeed, They overpowered the minds of all onlookers with Their effulgences.
Essence. Adorned with ornaments and garments like excellently costumed actors, the brothers shine and overpower the minds of all onlookers with Their effulgence. The Lord doesn't perform without dressing the part; visual presence matters.
BG 43.20
O King, as the citizens of the city and the people from outlying districts gazed upon those two Supreme Personalities from their seats in the galleries, the force of the people’s happiness caused their eyes to open wide and their faces to blossom. They drank in the vision of the Lords’ faces without becoming satiated.
Essence. From their galleries, citizens gazed with eyes wide and faces blossoming, drinking in the vision. Communal darśana produces visible bodily transformation; awe is contagious in a crowd.
BG 43.21-22
The people seemed to be drinking Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma with their eyes, licking Them with their tongues, smelling Them with their nostrils and embracing Them with their arms. Reminded of the Lords’ beauty, character, charm and bravery, the members of the audience began describing these features to one another according to what they had seen and heard.
Essence. The audience drank Them with eyes, licked with tongues, smelled with nostrils, embraced with arms — describing Their beauty, character, charm and bravery while reminded. All senses become channels of devotion when Kṛṣṇa appears, not just vision.
BG 43.23
[The people said:] These two boys are certainly expansions of the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa who have descended to this world in the home of Vasudeva.
Essence. These two boys, the people say, are expansions of Nārāyaṇa, descended to this world in Vasudeva's home. Ordinary citizens correctly identify the descent — public theology can be right.
BG 43.24
This one [Kṛṣṇa] took birth from mother Devakī and was brought to Gokula, where He has remained concealed all this time, growing up in the house of King Nanda.
Essence. This one [Kṛṣṇa] took birth from Devakī, was brought to Gokula, and has been concealed all this time growing up at Nanda's. The Lord hides in plain sight for years; long concealment is part of His method.
BG 43.25
He made Pūtanā and the whirlwind demon meet with death, pulled down the twin Arjuna trees, and killed Śaṅkhacūḍa, Keśī, Dhenuka and similar demons.
Essence. He made Pūtanā, the whirlwind demon, the twin Arjuna trees, Śaṅkhacūḍa, Keśī, Dhenuka and similar demons all meet death. The Lord's resume is a list of liberations; remembering it steadies expectation.
BG 43.26-27
He saved the cows and the cowherds from a forest fire and subdued the serpent Kāliya. He removed Lord Indra’s false pride by holding up the best of mountains with one hand for an entire week, thus protecting the inhabitants of Gokula from rain, wind and hail.
Essence. He saved cows and cowherds from a forest fire, subdued Kāliya, removed Indra's pride by holding Govardhana for a week to protect Gokula from rain, wind, and hail. Specific environmental rescues belong in worship — not all His acts are personal.
BG 43.28
The gopīs overcame all kinds of distress and experienced great happiness by seeing His face, which is always cheerful with smiling glances and ever free of fatigue.
Essence. The gopīs overcame all distress and felt great happiness by seeing His face — cheerful with smiling glances, ever free of fatigue. Darśana of His face is a real treatment for distress.
BG 43.29
It is said that under His full protection the Yadu dynasty will become extremely famous and attain wealth, glory and power.
Essence. Under His full protection the Yadu dynasty will become extremely famous and attain wealth, glory and power. Aligning a dynasty with the Lord brings public fortune; private alignment has political consequences.
BG 43.30
This lotus-eyed elder brother of His, Lord Balarāma, is the proprietor of all transcendental opulences. He has killed Pralamba, Vatsaka, Baka and other demons.
Essence. Balarāma, the elder, is also proprietor of all transcendental opulences and has killed Pralamba, Vatsaka, Baka and other demons. Even when crowds attribute deeds inaccurately, the larger truth — both brothers are supreme — stands.
BG 43.31
While the people talked in this way and the musical instruments resounded, the wrestler Cāṇūra addressed Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma with the following words.
Essence. As the people talk and instruments resound, Cāṇūra — unable to tolerate the praise of Kṛṣṇa — addresses the two brothers. Public praise of Kṛṣṇa provokes envious opponents to break their silence.
BG 43.32
[Cāṇūra said:] O son of Nanda, O Rāma, You two are well respected by courageous men and are both skillful at wrestling. Having heard of Your prowess, the King has called You here, wanting to see for himself.
Essence. Cāṇūra says: O son of Nanda, O Rāma, You're respected by courageous men, skilled at wrestling; the King has called You to see for himself. Manipulative invitations are framed as honor and curiosity.
BG 43.33
Subjects of the King who try to please him with their thoughts, acts and words are sure to achieve good fortune, but those who fail to do so will suffer the opposite fate.
Essence. Subjects who please the king with thoughts, acts and words gain fortune; those who don't suffer the opposite. Threats are dressed up as common sense; the enemy invokes 'reason' to mask coercion.
BG 43.34
It is well known that cowherd boys are always joyful as they tend their calves, and that the boys playfully wrestle with each other while grazing their animals in the various forests.
Essence. Cowherd boys are joyful tending calves and playfully wrestle among themselves in the forests. Cāṇūra spins the Lord's natural skill as ordinary boyish ability; flattening transcendence is a tactic.
BG 43.35
Therefore let’s do what the King wants. Everyone will be pleased with us, for the king embodies all living beings.
Essence. So let's do what the King wants — everyone will be pleased; the king embodies all beings. The wicked invoke unity-with-king-as-cosmos to coerce participation in their schemes.
BG 43.36
Hearing this, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who liked to wrestle and welcomed the challenge, replied with words appropriate to the time and place.
Essence. Hearing this, Kṛṣṇa, who liked to wrestle and welcomed the challenge, replied with words appropriate to time and place. The Lord answers with situational discernment rather than abstract principle.
BG 43.37
[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] Although forest-dwellers, We are also subjects of the Bhoja king. We must gratify his desires, for such behavior will confer upon Us the greatest benefit.
Essence. Although forest-dwellers, We are also subjects of the Bhoja king; We must gratify his desires for the greatest benefit. Kṛṣṇa speaks the demon's own language back to him while making His own larger move.
BG 43.38
We are just young boys and should play with those of equal strength. The wrestling match must go on properly so that irreligion does not taint the respectable members of the audience.
Essence. We are just young boys and should play with those of equal strength; the wrestling match must go on properly so irreligion does not taint the audience. The Lord invokes dharma to prevent demonic mismatching.
BG 43.39
Cāṇūra said: You aren’t really a child or even a young man, and neither is Balarāma, the strongest of the strong. After all, You playfully killed an elephant who had the strength of a thousand other elephants.
Essence. Cāṇūra says: You aren't really a child or young man; You playfully killed an elephant of a thousand elephants' strength. The opponent uses the truth of Kṛṣṇa's power to justify an unfair match.
BG 43.40
Therefore You two should fight powerful wrestlers. There’s certainly nothing unfair about that. You, O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, can show Your prowess against me, and Balarāma can fight with Muṣṭika.
Essence. Therefore You two should fight powerful wrestlers; nothing unfair about that — Kṛṣṇa with Cāṇūra, Balarāma with Muṣṭika. The match is set; the Lord enters terms that look unfair to dharma but suit His real purpose.