KRISHNA STORY 12

The Stork Demon

by J.K. Sivan

 

“Beware of Krishna growing bigger and stronger” ---Kamsa’s mind was all the time sounding alarms. He was becoming sleepless and began frantically sending one after the other, various demons to find and kill Krishna at Gokulam and Brindhavan.

You will agree that in history and legends, no other child than Krishna lived everyday growing and surviving all the attempts to kill him. In fact the story is otherway round. He was born to kill the demons!!!

Kamsa sent Trinavarta, the demon who took the form of a whirlwind and created dark clouds and strong winds uprooting the trees everywhere. Krishna was on the lap of Yasodha in Brindhavan, when the demon was destroying everything on his way, at Brindhavan. Yasodha was wondering why this storm suddenly but at the same time felt unusually Krishna was much heavier than normal on her lap! . Because she could not bear his sudden heavy weight she dropped him down on the mat below. The demon Trinavartan was happy that Krishna was unsupported. He created pitch dark clouds making visibility difficult for Yasodha and carried Krishna high up in the air. He was happy that he could now take the boy to Kamsa and kill Krishna right under Kamsa’s nose. But Krishna had other plans for Trinavarta. As he was in the air up, Krishna suddenly became more and more heavier and was sitting now tight on the demon crushing with both hands, Trinavarta’s neck. Trinavarta could not only bear the weight of Krishna but could not fly and move. He was slowly descending despite his efforts, due to Krishna’s weight. Krishna was strangulating his neck and choking his windpipe. Unable to breathe Trinavartan dropped dead before he could attempt to fly back to Kamsa. Both the storm and Trinaavartan’s life ended at once, where it started. Krishna was again a normal small boy running towards his mother Yasodha!!

The next demon Vatsasura to enter the scene after the mission of Trinavarta failed and he assured Kamsa there will not be any need to send any further demon to kill Krishna as he will close the chapter himself.

This demon thought he was clever and took the form of a beautiful calf and neared Krishna. He enquired and learnt that Krishna loved cows and calves and played with them. When Krishna saw the beautiful new calf in the village, he approached it. Vatsasura as the attractive calf played with Krishna for a while and ran with him hither and thither. He thus slowly dragged Krishna away to the forest area, far away from others to a lonely place and assumed the form of a powerful grown up calf and ran towards Krishna to trample and kill him. But Krishna was prepared for this. Avoiding the rushing calf, he caught hold of the calf by its neck and twisted it. With his neck broken the demon was unable to move and breathed his last. Poor Vatsasura too ended thus.

Kamsa was losing one by one his powerful demons. He was happy to find a volunteer now because the next one to rise to the occasion was Baka, the demon who took the form of a stork. He saw Krishna and other cowherd children playing in Yamuna river.

“Look here, a big white stork is landing on the shore” cried a boy. All the other children were startled to observe a big stork with its too large a beak now standing close to them. As it was still, the children slowly were near it. They thought that this big bird had stranded and lost its direction and wondered what it came for. Baka was waiting to find out who was Krishna among the boys and was listening to their talks.
The boys now lost their fear and neared the big bird.

“Krishna, look at its unusual long beak” said Balarama.

Krishna nodded his head but was thinking about this big bird. Now this gave an opportunity for Baka to identify who was Krishna!! He slowly walked towards Krishna. Krishna was looking at it in close quarters along with other boys. Suddenly the stork turned towards Krishna alone and opening its huge beak instantaneously swallowed Krishna. All the children were shocked and bewildered and ran home shouting and crying in agony “the big stork swallowed Krishna”. As for Krishna, the moment he entered the mouth of the stork he assumed the form of fire and began scorching the demon’s body. Bakan could not do anything as he had the problem within his own body!! Helplessly, he circled, spread his wings and tried best to eject Krishna from his body. But Krishna was burning him with increased heat. Unable to withstand the pain and agony anymore, Bakan opened his huge beak and with great difficulty, was able to spit out Krishna. There was no other way for him to get relieved from the scorching heat within him! Krishna already had done enough damage to the demon. Baka slowly fell down losing his life. His red eyes were now steady as his body was. Meantime all the Gopas and Gopis and the children have assembled to somehow save Krishna if they could. But Krishna needed no help. He was standing unperturbed looking at the deceased demon lying before him. Perhaps he was wondering “who it is going to be the next?”

                                   The author can be reached at: jksivan@gmail.com