Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 18
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Next, Eighteenth Chapter: "Killing of the Demon known as Pralambāsura."
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After the incidence of extinguishing the devastating fire, Kṛṣṇa, being surrounded by His relatives, friends, cows, calves and bulls, and being glorified by singing of them, returned again Vṛndāvana, which is always full of cows. While Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma was enjoying life in Vṛndāvana in the midst of the cowherds boys, girls and cowherds men, gradually the season changed into summer. The summer season in India is not very much welcome. In Western countries they prefer a place where it is warm, but in India when there is summer the temperature is very high, therefore people do not like it very much. But in spite of excessive heat of the summer outside, in Vṛndāvana everyone is pleased to remain because the season appears to be just like spring, and this is possible only on account of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma's residing there. And They are even controller of Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. In Vṛndāvana there are many falls always pouring down water, and the sound is so sweet that it covers the sound of the crickets. And the water being sprinkled over the forest, it looks always very green and beautiful.
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The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana are never disturbed by the scorching heat of the sun or the high temperature of the summer season because the lakes of Vṛndāvana, there are all around green grasses, and various kinds of lotus flower bloom from them are known as kalhāra-kaṣjotpala, and the air blowing in Vṛndāvana is carrying the flavored dust of those lotus flower. When the waves of Yamunā and the lakes and the particles of water from the waterfalls, when they touch the bodies of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, automatically they feel a cooling effect. Therefore practically they have no disturbance on account of summer season.
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Vṛndāvana is such a nice place wherein flowers are always blooming; various kinds of decorated deers and birds are chirping; the peacocks are crowing and dancing; bees are humming; the cuckoos are singing so nicely in five kinds of tunes; cranes are…
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In such nice, beautiful forest of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of pleasure, engaged in blowing His flute and accompanied by His elder brother Balarāma and other cowherds boys and cows, enter to enjoy the atmosphere. Thus in the midst of green newly grown leaves of the trees, bluish flowers resembling the peacock feather, garlanded by bunch of such flowers and decorated by the saffron-colored chalk on Their body, both Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by their cowherds boyfriends, sometimes were dancing, sometimes they were singing and sometimes wrestling with one another. When Kṛṣṇa was dancing, some of the cowherds boys were singing and some of them were playing on the flute, some of them were bugling on the buffalo horns, and some of them were clapping by their hands and some of them were eulogizing Kṛṣṇa by saying, "My dear brother, You are dancing very nicely." Actually, all these cowherds boys were demigods descended from higher planets to assist Kṛṣṇa in His pastimes. So all these demigods garbed in the dress of the cowherds boys were encouraging Kṛṣṇa in His dancing, as if one artist eulogize another artist.
Both Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, up to that time there was no haircutting ceremony; therefore Their bunch of hair was clustered around like the crows' hair. And they were playing with Their cowherds boyfriends, sometimes hide-and-seek, sometimes tug-of-war, sometimes jumping, sometimes fighting with one another. Sometimes, while other friends were chanting and dancing, Kṛṣṇa was eulogizing them with such words as "My dear friends, you are dancing and singing very nicely." Sometimes they were playing balls, catching within the grips such fruits as bael and āmalakī. Sometimes they were playing like blind bees, challenging, touching with one another, and sometimes they were imitating the forest deers and various kinds of birds. Sometimes they were joking one another by imitating the crowing sound of the frogs, and sometimes they enjoyed swinging underneath a tree. Sometimes they would play like a king and his subjects amongst themselves. In this way, Rāma-Kṛṣṇa, along with all Their cowherds boyfriends, played all kinds of recognized sporting and enjoyed the soothing atmosphere of Vṛndāvana, which was full of river, lakes, rivulets, fine trees, excellent fruit and flower gardens.
In this way, while all the cowherds boys and Rāma-Kṛṣṇa were engaged in their transcendental pastimes, one great demon of the name Pralambāsura entered in their company, with a desire to kidnap both Rāma and Kṛṣṇa from Their company.
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Kṛṣṇa, however, although He was playing the part of cowherds boy, still He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and could understand everything, past, present and future. As such, on Pralambāsura's entering in their company, He began to think of how to kill the demon. And while He was thinking so, externally He received him as a friend, calling him, "O My dear friend, it is very good that you have also come to take part in our pastimes."
Kṛṣṇa then called for all His friends and then ordered them that "Now we shall play in pairs. Now we shall challenge one another in such playing of pairs." On this proposal, all the cowherds boy assembled together, and some of them took the side of Kṛṣṇa and some of them took the side of Balarāma, and after this they arranged how to play in duel. The proposal was that somebody would take a other on his back as horse carries the master, if one is defeated. The arrangement was made that in duel fighting the defeated party will carry the victorious party on his back. In this way they began playing, at the same time taking attention of the cows, and they began to proceed through the forest which was known as Bhāṇḍīravana. In that sport, the party of Balarāma, accompanied by Śrīdāmā and Vṛṣabha, became victorious, and the party of Kṛṣṇa helped by other boys had to take each of them on their back. Thus they reached the extreme of the Bhāṇḍī forest.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, being defeated, had to carry on His back Śrīdāmā; similarly Bhadrasena carried Vṛṣabha. Imitating them the Pralambāsura, who appeared there as a cowherd boy, had to carry Balarāma on his back. The demon Pralambāsura was the greatest amongst the demons, and he thought that Kṛṣṇa was more powerful, and in order to avoid the company of Kṛṣṇa he carried Balarāma further away from the place where they were to get down. The demon Pralambāsura was undoubtedly very strong and powerful; still he was carrying Balarāma, who is compared with a mountain. Therefore while carrying Balarāma, he was feeling too much burden, and now he began to assume his real form of demon. Thus when he appeared in his real feature, he was decorated with golden helmet and earrings, and thus appeared just like the cloud with lightning lines over it carrying the moon on the head.
At that time Balarāma observed that his body was expanding up to the limit of the cloud and his eyes were dazzling like blazing fire, and his cheeks were decorated with sharpened teeth, and his helmet and earrings began to appear like fiery brightness. Baladeva was for the time being surprised by such appearance of the demon and began to think Himself, "How is it that the carrier has changed his everything all of a sudden?" When Balarāma was settled up in His mind and He could understand that He was being carried away from His friends by the demon with a view to kill Him, immediately He struck the head of the demon with a strong fist, as if the king of the heavenly planet strikes the mountain with thunderbolt. Thus being stricken by the fist of Balarāma, the demon fell down just like a snake smashed on by his head, and he was vomiting blood from his mouth. And immediately the demon became unconscious and fell down, making a great sound as if a great hill was falling down, being struck by the thunderbolt of King Indra.
When Pralambāsura the great demon was thus killed by Balarāma, at that time all the cowherds boy rushed together there. Being astonished by the ghastly scene, they began to enthuse Baladevajī with the words "Well done! Well done!" All of them began to embrace Balarāma in great affection, and all of them were thinking that Balarāma has returned from death. In this way, all of them began to eulogize Balarāma and offered their blessings of congratulation. The great demon Pralambāsura, thus being killed, all the demigods in the heavenly planet became very much satisfied and began to shower flowers on the transcendental body of Balarāma, and they also began to offer congratulation to Balarāma by saying, "Well done! Well done!"
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Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighteenth Chapter Kṛṣṇa in the matter of "Killing the Pralamba Demon."