123. Bhagavatha - Chp 10 - (42) Srikrishna Breaks the Divine Bow

 123. Srimad Bhagavatha  - Chp 10 - (42) Srikrishna Breaks the Divine Bow

Srikrishna's Grace on Maid Trivakra

Trivakra is a maid,  hunch-backed, and her body twisted at three places. She prepares sandal paste specifically for Kamsa and is most likened by him. 

Seeing the charming Srikrishna and Balarama,  she offers sandal paste to them.  

Srikrishna, in return, decides to cure her bodily ailment.  He kept His feet on her feet (fore part) and pressed it. Supporting her chin by His fingers, He raised it upwards. By His grace, her disfigured body was cured, and she turned into the most beautiful woman.

Srikrishna Breaks the Divine Bow

Srikrishna enquires the residents of Mathura the whereabouts of the divine bow and enters the yagnashala. The bow was gorgeous, studded with various jewels  and guarded by Kamsa's men. 

Srikrishna went near the bow and seized it, though He was stopped by the guards. He effortlessly strung the bow, and by pulling the string to the full extent, He broke it in a fraction of a second. The guards were clueless and began to attack Him. 

The sound of the crash was heard everywhere - in heaven, intermediary regions, and the earth. Hearing the loud sound, Kamsa was terrified and, with great anger, ordered that the intruder (Srikrishna) be seized and bounded.

Balarama and Srikrishna were angry, and using the broken pieces of the bow made short work on those men of Kamsa. 

Later, they went around the amphitheater and at sunset returned to their place outside the city and spent the night peacefully.

Terrified Kamsa Did Not Have a Wink of Sleep

Kamsa felt dismayed to hear the divine bow was broken by Srikrishna and that too effortlessly. He couldn't sleep, and when he fell asleep,  bad dreams haunted and woke him up repeatedly. 

He saw near death situations,  could visualize his reflection with his head not visible, embraced by his deceased relations, rode a donkey, swallowed poison, and other weird dreams. 

Kamsa literally did not have a wink of sleep with fear of death haunting him throughout the night.

People Gather For Wrestling Event

The next day, preparation began to celebrate the wrestling event. The arena was swept, sprinkled it with water, decorated with flowers, and trumpets sounded.  The galleries, too, were decorated with garlands, flowers, and arches.

People of the city assembled to witness the event. Kamsa, too, took his seat along with his ministers. Finally, wrestling champions - Canura, Mustika,  Kuta, and others entered the arena with much fanfare. Nanda, the chief of gopalas, offered presents to Kamsa and sat in separate dias.

Source: Bhagavatha Mahapurana