Srila Rupa Goswamis : Sri Astadasa chandah stava vers 6

[Paramananda das]

Govardhana Sila of Srila Raghunath das Goswami given to him by Lord Caitanya with Lord Caitanys lotus  thump imprint:

 

 Srila Rupa Goswamis : Sri Astadasa chandah stava vers 6

Mama Matir uccala carane

bhagavati paryankita sayite

kapata krandita kusale

sakata vighattini parisphuratu

I pray that my mind may become fixed on the Supreme Personality of Godhead who expertly pretended to cry as He rested on a bed, kicked His Lotusfeet and broke the Sakata demon.

Comments:

Srila Sukadeva Goswami has explained so nicely the killing of the Sakatasura demon in Srimad Bhagavatam  10 Canto chapter 7.

And Pariksit the authority in the process of hearing Krsna katha has stated:

SB 10.7.1-2: King Parīkṣit said: My lord, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, all the various activities exhibited by the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are certainly pleasing to the ear and to the mind. Simply by one's hearing of these activities, the dirty things in one's mind immediately vanish. Generally we are reluctant to hear about the activities of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa's childhood activities are so attractive that they are automatically pleasing to the mind and ear. Thus one's attachment for hearing about material things, which is the root cause of material existence, vanishes, and one gradually develops devotional service to the Supreme Lord, attachment for Him, and friendship with devotees who give us the contribution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you think it fit, kindly speak about those activities of the Lord.

In his commentaries to SB 10.7 4 Srila Visvanath Chakravati Thakura has stated Krsna was 3 months old when this lila took place and he quotes SB 2.7.27

SB 2.7.27: There is no doubt about Lord Kṛṣṇa's being the Supreme Lord, otherwise how was it possible for Him to kill a giant demon like Pūtanā when He was just on the lap of His mother, to overturn a cart with His leg when He was only three months old, to uproot a pair of arjuna trees, so high that they touched the sky, when He was only crawling? All these activities are impossible for anyone other than the Lord Himself.

So during this Utthana festival when a child is to leave the house for     first time Krsna was placed under the cart.

Actaully Mother Yasoda held Krsna in her lap  ,and then she lie down with him on a cot under a cart situated in a spacious court yard at Nanda bhavan in Gokula. Then when Krsna was sleep she slowly went away and greeted the guests for the Utthana festival, this is the summary  of Srila Visvanath  Chakravati Thakuras purport  to SB 10.7.5

Srila Prabhupada explained this Utthana festival like another birthday celebration in his Krsna book and states it was Krsnas first birthday however from SB .2.7,27 this Utthana festival after 3 months after his birth :

from Chapter 7 of the Krsna book:

When Krsna grew up a little more, He began to turn Himself backside up; He did  not merely lie down on His back. And another function was observed by Yasoda and  Nanda Maharaja: Krsna's first birthday. They arranged for Krsna's birthday  ceremony, which is still observed by all followers of the Vedic principles.  (Krsna's birthday ceremony is observed in India by all Hindus, irrespective of  different sectarian views.) All the cowherd men and women were invited to  participate, and they arrived in jubilation. A nice band played, and the people  assembled enjoyed it. All the learned brahmanas were invited, and they  chanted Vedic hymns for the good fortune of Krsna. During the chanting of the  Vedic hymns and playing of the bands, Krsna was bathed by mother Yasoda. This  bathing ceremony is technically called abhiseka,and even today this is  observed in all the temples of Vrndavana as Janmastami Day, or the of Lord  Krsna.

On this occasion, mother Yasoda arranged to distribute a large quantity of  grains, and first-class cows decorated with golden ornaments were made ready to  be given in charity to the learned, respectable brahmanas. Yasoda took  her bath and dressed herself nicely, and taking child Krsna, duly dressed and  bathed, on her lap, she sat down to hear the Vedic hymns chanted by the brahmanas. While listening to the chanting of the Vedic hymns, the child  appeared to be falling asleep, and therefore mother Yasoda very silently laid  Him down on the bed. Being engaged in receiving all the friends, relatives and  residents of Vrndavana on that holy occasion, she forgot to feed the child milk.  He was crying, being hungry, but mother Yasoda could not hear Him cry because of  the various noises. The child, however, became angry because He was hungry and  His mother was not paying attention to Him. So He lifted His legs and began to  kick His lotus feet just like an ordinary child. Baby Krsna had been placed  underneath a hand-driven cart, and while He was kicking His legs, He accidentally  touched the wheel of the cart, and it collapsed. Various kinds of utensils and  brass and metal dishes had been piled up in the handcart, and they all fell down  with a great noise. The wheel of the cart separated from the axle, and the  spokes of the wheel were all broken and scattered hither and thither. Mother  Yasoda and all the gopis, as well as Maharaja Nanda and the cowherd men,  were astonished as to how the cart could have collapsed by itself. All the men  and women who were assembled for the holy function crowded around and began to  suggest how the cart might have collapsed. No one could ascertain the cause, but  some small children who were entrusted to play with baby Krsna informed the  crowd that it was due to Krsna's striking His feet against the wheel. They  assured the crowd that they had seen how it happened with their own eyes, and  they strongly asserted the point. Some were listening to the statement of the  small children, but others said, "How can you believe the statements of these  children?" The cowherd men and women could not understand that the all-powerful  Personality of Godhead was lying there as a baby, and He could do anything. Both  the possible and impossible were in His power. While the discussion was going  on, baby Krsna cried. Without remonstration, mother Yasoda picked the child up  on her lap and called the learned brahmanas to chant holy Vedic hymns to  counteract the evil spirits. At the same time she allowed the baby to suck her  breast. If a child sucks the mother's breast nicely, it is to be understood that  he is out of all danger. After this, all the stronger cowherd men put the broken  cart in order, and all the scattered things were set up nicely as before. The brahmanas thereafter began to offer oblations to the sacrificial fire  with yogurt, butter, kusagrass, and water. They worshiped the Supreme  Personality of Godhead for the good fortune of the child.

The brahmanas who were present at that time were all qualified because  they were not envious; they never indulged in untruthfulness, they were never  proud, they were nonviolent, and they never claimed any false prestige. They  were all bona fide brahmanas, and there was no reason to think that their  blessing would be useless. With firm faith in the qualified brahmanas,  Nanda Maharaja took his child on his lap and bathed Him with water mixed with  various herbs while the brahmanas chanted hymns from the Rg, Yajus  and Sama Vedas.

Actually in SB 10.7.18  it is stated that after Krsna turned 1 he killed Trinivarta:

so in summary :

1. When mother Yasoda's baby Krsna was slanting His body to attempt to rise and turn around, this attempt was observed by a Vedic ceremony. In such a ceremony, called utthana, the child is properly bathed. Just after Krsna turned three months old, mother Yasoda celebrated this ceremony with other women of the neighborhood.
2. After completion of the , Yasoda found that her child closed His eyes in sleep and so she put Him to bed under a cart which contained vessels full of milk and curd. After some time, the child opened His eyes and cried for His milk. As Yasoda was busily engaged in receiving her guests, she did not hear Sri Krishna’s cry.
3. At that time, the child Krsna, demanding to drink the milk of His mother's breast, angrily threw His legs upward. Although His little legs were as soft as leaves, when He struck the cart with His legs, it turned over violently and collapsed. The wheels separated from the axle, the hubs and spokes fell apart, and the pole of the handcart broke. All the vessels scattered hither and thither.
4. When mother Yasoda and the other ladies who had assembled for the utthana festival, and all the men, headed by Nanda Maharaja, saw the wonderful situation, they began to wonder how the handcart had collapsed by itself. They began to wander here and there, trying to find the cause, but were unable to do so.
5. At that time, the small children present asserted that the cart had been kicked apart by the baby Krsna. As soon as the had kicked the cart's wheel, the cart had collapsed.
6. The assembled gopis and gopas, unaware that Krsna is always unlimited, could not believe that baby Krsna had such inconceivable power. They could not believe the statements of , and therefore they neglected these statements as being childish talk. They did not realise the immeasurable strength of that child.

In SB 10.7. 7 Srila Prabhupada quotes  from Srila Visvanath Chakravatis purport:

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam10.7.7

adhaḥ-śayānasya śiśor ano 'lpaka-

pravāla-mṛdv-ańghri-hataḿ vyavartata

vidhvasta-nānā-rasa-kupya-bhājanaḿ

vyatyasta-cakrākṣa-vibhinna-kūbaram

SYNONYMS

adhaḥ-śayānasya — who was put underneath the handcart; śiśoḥ — of the child; anaḥ — the cart; alpaka — not very much grown; pravāla — just like a ; mṛdu-ańghri-hatam — struck by His beautiful, delicate legs; vyavartata — turned over and fell down; vidhvasta — scattered; nānā-rasa-kupya-bhājanam — utensils made of various metals; vyatyasta — dislocated; cakra-akṣa — the two wheels and the axle; vibhinna — broken; kūbaram — the pole of the handcart.

TRANSLATION

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was lying down underneath the handcart in one corner of the courtyard, and although His little legs were as soft as leaves, when He struck the cart with His legs, it turned over violently and collapsed. The wheels separated from the axle, the hubs and spokes fell apart, and the pole of the handcart broke. On the cart there were many little utensils made of various metals, and all of them scattered hither and thither.

PURPORT

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has commented on this verse as follows. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was of a very tender age, His hands and legs resembled soft new leaves, yet simply by touching the handcart with His legs, He made the cart fall to pieces. It was quite possible for Him to act in this way and yet not exert Himself very much. The Lord in His Vāmana avatāra had to extend His foot to the greatest height to penetrate the covering of the universe, and when the Lord killed the gigantic demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, He had to assume the special bodily feature of Nṛsiḿhadeva. But in His Kṛṣṇa avatāra, the Lord did not need to exert such energy. Therefore, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In other incarnations, the Lord had to exert some energy according to the time and circumstances, but in this form He exhibited unlimited potency. Thus the handcart collapsed, its joints broken, and all the metal pots and utensils scattered.

The Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī remarks that although the handcart was higher than the child, the child could easily touch the wheel of the cart, and this was sufficient to send the demon down to the earth. The Lord simultaneously pushed the demon to the earth and superficially broke the handcart.

This is a very significant purport:

So who was this Sakatasura and did he hide behind the cart or was he assuming the role of the cart?

: Srila Visvanath Chakravati Thakura answers part of  the question in his purport to SB 10.7.7 : "The Brahmanda Purana states that because a heavy demon entered the cart's height decreased .Thus Krsnas short baby legs could touch the cart."

In Garga Samhita we find the pastime of Sakatasura:

Sakatasura-trinavarta-mokshah The Liberation of Sakatasura and  Trinavarta

Text 1

sri-garga uvaca
ity evam kathitam divyam sri-krishna-caritam  varam yah srinoti naro bhaktya sa kritartho na samsayah

Sri Garga Muni  said: A person who with devotion hears Lord Krishna's transcendental pastimes  becomes perfect and successful. Of this there is no doubt.

Text 2

sri-saunaka uvaca
sudha-kandat param  mishtam sri-krishna-caritam subham srutva tan-mukhatah  sakshat kritarthah smo vayam mune

Sri Saunaka said:  O sage, hearing from your mouth Sri Krishna's beautiful pastimes, which are  sweeter than nectar, we have now become successful.

Text 3

sri-krishna-bhaktah santatma bahulasvah satam varah atho munim kim  papraccha tan me bruhi tapo-dhana

What did  Bahulasva, who was a peaceful-hearted devotee of Lord Krishna, and who was the  best of the pious, ask the sage then? O saint wealthy in austerity, please tell  me this.

Text 4

sri-garga uvaca
atha raja maithilendro harshitah  prema-vihvalah naradam praha dharmatma paripurnatamam smaran

Sri Garga Muni  said: Happy, overcome with love, and meditating on the Supreme Personality of  Godhead, the saintly- hearted king of Mithila spoke to Narada.

Text 5

sri-bahulasva uvaca
dhanyo 'ham ca kritartho 'ham bhavata  bhuri-karmana sango bhagavadiyanam durlabho durghato 'sti hi

Sri Bahulasva  said: Because of you, whose devotional service is very great, I have become  fortunate and successful. Association with the Lord's great devotees is very  rare and difficult to attain.

Text 6

sri-krishnas tv arbhakah sakshad adbhuto bhakta-vatsalah agre cakara  kim citram caritam vada me mune

What wonderful  activities did wonderful infant Krishna, who loves His devotees, do? O sage,  please tell me.

Text 7

sri-narada uvaca
sadhu prishtam tvaya rajan bhavata  krishna-dharmina sangamah khalu sadhunam sarvesham vitanoti sam

Sri Narada said:  O king, as a devotee of Lord Krishna, you have asked a very good question.  Association with saintly devotees brings happiness and auspicious to everyone.

Text 8

ekada krishna-janmarkshe yasoda nanda-gehini gopi-gopan  samahuya mangalam cakarod dvijaih

On the day of  Krishna's birth-star, Nanda's wife Yasoda called together the gopas and gopis  and had the brahmanas perform auspicious ceremonies.

Text 9

raktambaram kanaka-bhushana-bhushitangam balam pragrihya  kalitanjana-padma-netram syamam  sphurad-dhari-nakhavrita-candra-haram devan pranamya su-dhanam pradadau  dvijebhyah

Taking her dark  boy, who was dressed in red garments and who, His limbs decorated with golden  ornaments and His lotus eyes with black anjana, wore a glittering moon necklace  of lion's nails, she offered respectful obeisances to the demigods and gave  great wealth to the brahmanas.

Text 10

prenkhe nidhaya nijam atmajam asu gopi sampujya mangala-dine prati  gopikas tah naivasrinot su-ruditasya sutasya sabdam gopeshu  mangala-griheshu gatagateshu

On that  auspicious day she placed her son in His cradle, and quickly greeted the gopis.  As the cowherd people came and went in the auspicious rooms, the gopi Yasoda did  not hear the sound of her crying son.

Text 11

tatraiva kamsa-khala-nodita utkacakhyo daityah prabhanjana-tanuh  sakatam sa etya balasya murdhni paripatayitum pravrittah krishno 'pi tam  kila tatada padarunena

Then, when a  demon named Utkaca, who had been sent by the demon Kamsa, and who had a body  made of air, went to a cart and tried to make it fall on Krishna's head, infant  Krishna kicked the cart with the red sole of His foot.

Text 12

curne gate 'tha sakate patite ca daitye tyaktva prabhanjana-tanum  vimalo babhuva natva harim sata-hayena rathena yukto goloka-dhama  nija-lokam alam jagama

When the cart  broke into pieces the demon fell. Leaving his body of air, he attained a pure  spiritual body and, after respectfully bowing down before Lord Hari, in a  chariot pulled by a hundred horses went to the Lord's own abode of Goloka.

Text 13

nandadayo vraja-jana vraja-gopikas ca sarve sametya yugapat prithukams  tad ahuh esha svayam ca patitah sakatah katham hi janitha he vraja-sutah  su-gatas ca yuyam

Headed by Nanda,  the men and gopis of Vraja at once converged on that place and asked the  children, "How could this cart have fallen by itself? O children of Vraja, you  were here. You know."

Text 14

sri-bala ucuh
prenkha-stho 'yam kshipan padau rudan dugdhartham  eva hi tatada padam sakate tenedam patitam khalu

The children  said: Staying in the cradle, crying for milk, and kicking His feet, the child  hit the cart with one foot and it fell.

Text 15

sraddham na cakrur balokte gopa gopyas ca vismitah traimasikah kva  balo 'yam kva caitad bhara-bhrit tv anah

Astonished, the  gopas and gopis did not believe the childrens' words. "What is this three-month  old infant in comparison to this heavily-burdened cart?"

Text 16

balam anke sa grihitva yasoda graha-sankita karayam asa  vidhi-vad yajnam vipraih su-tarpitaih

Fearing a ghost  had come, Yasoda took the infant on her lap, gave offerings to the brahmanas and  had them perform a traditional yajna.

Text 17

sri-bahulasva uvaca
ko 'yam purvam tu kusali daitya  utkaca-nama-bhak aho krishna-pada-sparsad gato moksham maha-mune

O great sage, in  his previous birth who was this fortunate demon named Utakaca, who attained  liberation by the touch of Lord Krishna's foot?

Text 18

sri-narada uvaca
hiranyaksha-suto daitya utkaco nama  maithila lomasasyasrame gacchan vrikshams curni-cakara ha

Sri Narada said:  O king of Mithila, one day the demon named Utkaca, who was Hiranyaksha's son,  went to Lomasa Muni's hermitage and broke some trees.

Text 19

tam drishtva sthula-dehadhyam utkacakhyam maha-balam sasapa  rosha-yug vipro videho bhava durmate

Seeing the  powerful giant named Utkaca, the brahmana became angry and cursed him, "O  evil-hearted one, become bodyless!"

Text 20

sarpa-kancukavad-deho 'patat karma-vipakatah sadyas  tac-caranopante patitva praha daitya-rat

From this deed  his body at once fell away as a snake's old skin also falls away. The king of  demons then fell at the brahmana's feet and spoke.

Text 21

utkaca uvaca he mune he kripa-sindho kripam kuru mamopari te  prabhavam na janami deham me dehi he prabho

Utcaka said: O  sage, O ocean of mercy, please be kind to me. I did not know your power. O lord,  please give me a body.

Text 22

sri-narada uvaca
tada prasannah sa munir drishtam naya-satam  vidheh satam rosho 'pi varado varo mokshartha-dah kim u

Sri Narada said:  Then the sage, who had studied a hundred lessons in morality from the demigod  Brahma, became pleased. The anger of saintly persons brings a blessing. How  great is that blessing, which brings liberation?

Text 23

sri-lomasa uvaca
vata-dehas tu te bhuyad vyatite  cakshushantare vaivasvatantare muktir bhavita ca pada hareh

Sri Lomasa said:  You may have a body made of air. When the cakshush-manvantara is over and the  vaivasvata-manvantra has come, Lord Hari's foot will give you liberation.

Text 24

sri-narada uvaca
tasmad utkaca-daityas tu mukto  lomasa-tejasa sadbhyo namo 'stu ye nunam samartha vara-sapayoh

Sri Narada said:  In this way the power of Lomasa Muni gave liberation to the demon Utkaca. I  offer my respectful obeisances to the saintly devotees of the Lord, who have the  power both to bless and to curse.

So this tells of Utkaca how he got cursed  and became Sakatasura and became liberated by Krsnas grace and went to Goloka Vrindavana ,this is confirmed by Garga Muni:

curne gate 'tha sakate patite ca daitye tyaktva prabhanjana-tanum  vimalo babhuva natva harim sata-hayena rathena yukto goloka-dhama  nija-lokam alam jagama

When the cart  broke into pieces the demon fell. Leaving his body of air, he attained a pure  spiritual body and, after respectfully bowing down before Lord Hari, in a  chariot pulled by a hundred horses went to the Lord's own abode of Goloka.

In his Krsna  lila Stava ,Srila Sanatana Goswami has described this lila of Krsna killing Sakatasura in prayer form:

Author: Sanatana Goswami

Book Name: Krsna Lila Stava

Language: Sanskrit

LYRICS:

(1)

autthānikotsavāmbābhi-

śikta sañjāta-pnidra-dṛk

mahocca-śakaṭādhaḥ-stha-

bāla-paryaṇka-śāyita

(2)

aṇjana-snigdha-nayana

paryāyānkurita-smita

līlākśa-taralāloka

mukhārpita-padāṇgule

(3)

jayotsava-kriyāsakta-

dhātrī-stanyārtha-rodana

utkśipta-caraṇāmbhoja

he'no-viparivartaka

(4)

vrajānirṇeya-carita

śakaṭāsura-bhaṇjana

dvijodita-svasty-ayana

mantra-pūta-jlaāpluta

TRANSLATION

1) O Krsna, when You were  three or four months old, Your mother performed a great festival to celebrate  the auspicious occasion of Your being able to attempt to rise and turn around.  She ceremoniously bathed You at that ceremony, but when  she saw that Your eyes had all the of sleepiness, she let You in a small bed placed under a large  cart.

2) O Krsna, Whose eyes are  anointed with black cosmetic, after a time a smile sprouted (upon Your face), Your playful eyes began to restlessly look about,  and You placed Your toe in Your mouth.

3) O Krsna, because Your mother was absorbed in the festive activities, she did  not hear when you cried for her breast milk. O Lord, You then lifted Your lotus-foot and upturned the cart.

4) O Krsna, when You killed that demon who had assumed the form of a cart, all  the people of Vraja were not able to understand what  had happened or how. for Your protection, the brahmanas performed a ritualistic ceremony to attain  good-fortune, Vedic hymns were chanted to purify You, and You were bathed with  water

[Paramananda das]

"While churning the butter, mother Yasoda was singing about the childhood activities of Krsna. It was formerly a custom that if one wanted to remember something constantly, he would transform it into poetry or have this done by a professional poet. It appears that mother Yasoda did not want to forget Krsna's activities at any time. Therefore she poeticized all of Krsna's childhood activities, such as the killing of Putana, Aghasura, Sakatasura and Trnavarta, and while churning the butter, she sang about these activities in poetical form. This should be the practice of persons eager to remain Krsna conscious twenty-four hours a day. This incident shows how Krsna conscious mother Yasoda was. To stay in Krsna consciousness, we should follow such persons."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10:9:1-2 Purport

[Paramananda das]

When Sri Krsna was only three months old and was just trying to turn backside up, before He even attempted to crawl, mother Yasoda wanted to observe a ritualistic ceremony with her friends for the good fortune of the child. Such a ritualistic ceremony is generally performed with ladies who also have small children. When mother Yasoda saw that Krsna was falling asleep, because of other engagements she put the child underneath a household cart, called sakata, and while the child was sleeping, she engaged herself in other business pertaining to the auspicious ritualistic ceremony. Underneath the cart was a cradle, and mother Yasoda placed the child in that cradle. The child was sleeping, but suddenly He awakened and, as usual for a child, began to kick His small legs. This kicking shook the cart, which collapsed with a great sound, breaking completely and spilling all its contents. Children who were playing nearby immediately informed mother Yasoda that the cart had broken, and therefore she hastily arrived there in great anxiety with the other gopis. Mother Yasoda immediately took the child on her lap and allowed Him to suck her breast. Then various types of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies were performed with the help of the brahmanas. Not knowing the real identity of the child, the brahmanas showered the child with blessings."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10:7 Summary

[Paramananda das]

"The Sakatasura was a ghost who had taken shelter of the handcart and was looking for the opportunity to do mischief to Krsna. When Krsna kicked the cart with His small and very delicate legs, the ghost was immediately pushed down to the earth and his shelter dismantled..."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10:7:9 Purport

"Krsna had been placed underneath a household handcart, but this handcart was actually another form of the Sakatasura, a demon who had come there to kill the child. Now, on the plea of demanding to suck His mother's breast, Krsna took this opportunity to kill the demon. Thus He kicked Sakatasura just to expose him. Although Krsna's mother was engaged in receiving guests, Lord Krsna wanted to draw her attention by killing the Sakatasura, and therefore he kicked that cart-shaped demon. Such are the pastimes of Krsna. Krsna wanted to draw the attention of His mother, but while doing so He created a great havoc not understandable by ordinary persons. These narrations are wonderfully enjoyable, and those who are fortunate are struck with wonder upon hearing of these extraordinary activities of the Lord. Although the less intelligent regard them as mythological because a dull brain cannot understand them, they are real facts. These narrations are actually so enjoyable and enlightening that Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Gosvami took pleasure in them, and other liberated persons, following in their footsteps, become fully jubilant by hearing about the wonderful activities of the Lord."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 10:7:6 Purport

[Paramananda das]

Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained: Sakatasura (the cart demon) - carrying the
burden of a cart-load of old and new bad habits, lethargy and
vanity.

[Paramananda das]

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Sri Caitanya Siksamrita describes the demons Krishna killed in His Vrindavana pastimes and the anarthas (unwanted things) that they represent.

In all the cases listed, Krishna is not killing a demon.  Putana - the pseudo guru

Sakatasura (the cart demon) - carrying the burden of a cart-load of old and new bad habits, lethargy and vanity.

Trinavarta (the whirlwind demon) - false pride which comes from material , which leads to bogus philosophies.

Deliverance of Nalakuvara and Manigriva (breaking the twin arjuna trees) - Arrogant pride which comes from puffed-up prestige, which is rooted in a madness for wealth.

Vatsasura (the calf demon) - a childish type of mentality which gives rise to a type of greediness which results in a wicked type of mischievousness.

Bakasura (stork demon) - Cunning duplicity, deceptiveness and false types of behavior.

Aghasura (the snake demon) - Cruelty and violence.

Brahma-vimohana Pastime (Lord Brahma steals the cowherd boys and calves) - mundane activities and speculative scholasticism.

Dhenukasura (the ass demon) - gross materialistic intelligence, ignorance of spiritual knowledge.

Kaliya (chastising the Kaliya serpent) - brutality and treachery.

Extinguishing the Forest Fire - inter-communal discord among Vaishnavas.

Pralambasura (killing the Pralamba demon) - lusty inclinations; desire for personal gain and honor.

Second Forest Fire - disturbance of religious principles and interference with religious people who are atheist.

Brahmanas Performing Sacrifice - indifference toward Krishna caused by pride because of one's status (position) in varnasrama.

Overcoming the Pride of Indra - demigod worship, and the tendency to think "I am Supreme."

Nanda Maharaja Captured by Varuna - thinking that spiritual life can be enhanced by intoxication.

Nanda Maharaja Swallowed by Vidyadhara (the snake) - rescuing the truth of Krishna consciousness from being swallowed by the impersonalists.

Sankhacuda (killing the conch-shell demon and getting the jewel that was stolen by him) - proneness toward acquiring name and fame, and desire for sensuous enjoyment, under the plea of devotion.

Aristasura (the bull demon) - pride arising from indulging in false religions invented by cheaters which causes neglect of devotional service (bhakti).

Kesi (the horse demon) - The feeling that "I am a great devotee and spiritual master."

Vyomasura (the demon in the sky) - associating with thieves and other rascals, and with people who put themselves forward as avataras.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says: "The devotee who worships the holy name should first petition for the strength to cast out all these unfavorable tendencies and should thus before Lord Hari on a daily basis. By doing this regularly, the devotee's heart will eventually become purified. Sri Krishna has killed a number of demons which may arise in the kingdom of the heart, so in order to destroy these problems, a devotee must cry very humbly before the Lord and admit defeat then the Lord will nullify all contaminations."