CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon

Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to encourage His cowherd boyfriends, who had been swallowed by Aghāsura and then stolen by Lord Brahmā. Therefore the Lord decided to bring them into the palm-tree forest called Tālavana, where there were many delicious ripe fruits. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual body had apparently grown slightly in age and strength, the senior men of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, decided to promote Kṛṣṇa from the task of herding calves to the status of a regular cowherd boy. He would now take care of the full-grown cows, bulls and oxen. Out of great affection, Nanda Mahārāja had previously considered Kṛṣṇa too small and immature to take care of full-grown cows and bulls. It is stated in the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa:

“The eighth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārttika is known by authorities as Gopāṣṭamī. From that day, Lord Vāsudeva served as a cowherd, whereas previously He had tended the calves.”

The word padaiḥ indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa blessed the earth by walking on her surface with His lotus feet. The Lord wore no shoes or other footgear but walked barefoot in the forest, giving great anxiety to the girls of Vṛndāvana, who feared that His soft lotus feet would be injured.

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has explained the various meanings of the word mādhava as follows: Mādhava normally indicates Kṛṣṇa to be “the Lord, who is the consort of the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī.” This name also implies that Lord Kṛṣṇa descended in the dynasty of Madhu. Since the spring season is also known as Mādhava, it is understood that as soon as Lord Kṛṣṇa entered the Vṛndāvana forest, it automatically exhibited all the opulences of spring, becoming filled with flowers, breezes and a celestial atmosphere. Another reason Lord Kṛṣṇa is known as Mādhava is that He enjoys His pastimes in madhu, the taste of conjugal love.

Lord Kṛṣṇa would loudly sound His flute as He entered the forest of Śrī Vṛndāvana, thus giving inconceivable bliss to all the residents of His hometown, Vraja-dhāma. These simple pastimes of playfully entering the forest, playing on the flute and so forth were performed daily in the spiritual land of Vṛndāvana.

Lord Kṛṣṇa saw that the Vṛndāvana forest was giving pleasure to all five senses. The bees, birds, and animals made charming sounds that brought sweet pleasure to the ears. The wind was faithfully rendering service to the Lord by blowing throughout the forest, carrying the cool moisture of a transparent lake and thus giving pleasure to the sense of touch. By the sweetness of the wind, even the sense of taste was being stimulated, and the fragrance of lotus flowers was bringing pleasure to the nostrils. And the entire forest was endowed with heavenly beauty, which was giving spiritual bliss to the eyes. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has thus explained the significance of this verse.

The words mudā smayann iva indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa was in a joking mood. He knew that the trees were actually bowing down to worship Him. But in the following verse the Lord, speaking in a friendly, lighthearted mood, gives the credit to His brother, Balarāma.

The trees of Vṛndāvana were thinking that because of past offenses they had now taken birth as trees and, being immovable, could not accompany Lord Kṛṣṇa in His wanderings throughout the Vṛndāvana area. In fact, all the creatures of Vṛndāvana, including the trees and cows, were great souls who could personally associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But because of ecstatic sentiments of separation, the trees considered themselves in ignorance and thus tried to purify themselves by bowing down at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Lord Kṛṣṇa understanding their mentality, simultaneously glanced at them with affection and praised their devotional service before His older brother, Balarāma.

The word gūḍham is significant in this verse. It indicates that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Kṛṣṇa or Balarāma appears like an ordinary human being within the material world, great sages always recognize the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. All the transcendental forms of Godhead are eternal and full of bliss and knowledge, exactly the opposite of our material bodies, which are temporary and full of misery and ignorance.

One meaning of the word tīrtha is “the means for crossing beyond material existence.” Simply by hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord or by chanting them, one immediately comes to the spiritual platform, beyond material existence. Thus the Lord’s transcendental glories are here described as a tīrtha for everyone in the world. The word gāyantaḥ indicates that great sages give up their vows of silence and other selfish processes to glorify the activities of the Supreme Lord. Real silence means to not speak nonsense, to limit one’s verbal activities to those sounds, statements and discussions relevant to the loving service of the Supreme Lord.

The word anagha indicates that the Supreme Lord never performs sinful or offensive activities. The word also indicates that the Lord immediately excuses a sin or offense committed by a sincere loving devotee who may accidentally deviate from the Lord’s service. In the specific context of this verse, the word anagha indicates that Lord Balarāma was not disturbed by the bees who were constantly following Him (anupatham). The Lord blessed them by saying, “O bees, come into My confidential grove and feel free to taste its fragrance.”

The word adya, “now,” indicates the time of Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance on the earth. In His form of Varāha, Lord Kṛṣṇa personally saved the earth, and, indeed, the earth is understood to rest perpetually on the potency of Śeṣa. Both Varāha and Śeṣa are expansions of Balarāma, who is Himself an expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement that “this earth has now become most fortunate” (dhanyeyam adya dharaṇī) indicates that nothing can equal the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His personal form as Kṛṣṇa, appearing simultaneously with His plenary expansion, Balarāma. The compound word karajābhimṛṣṭāḥ, “touched by Your fingernails,” indicates that as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would move through the forest They would pick fruits and flowers from the trees, bushes and creepers and use this paraphernalia in Their pleasure pastimes. Sometimes They would break leaves off the plants and use them with the flowers to decorate Their bodies.

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would glance lovingly and mercifully at all the rivers, hills and creatures in Vṛndāvana. But the blessing received by the gopīs — being embraced directly between the Lord’s arms — was the supreme benediction, desired even by the goddess of fortune herself. The goddess of fortune, who lives in Vaikuṇṭha on the chest of Lord Nārāyaṇa, once desired to be embraced on the chest of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus she performed severe austerities to achieve this blessing. Śrī Kṛṣṇa informed her that her actual place was in Vaikuṇṭha and that it was not possible for her to dwell upon His chest in Vṛndāvana. Therefore she begged Kṛṣṇa to allow her to remain on His chest in the form of a golden line, and He granted her this benediction. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura recounts this incident from the Purāṇas.

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa would joke with His friends, saying, “Just look, this peacock does not know how to dance properly,” whereupon the Lord would vigorously imitate the peacock’s dancing, causing great laughter among His friends. The bees in Vṛndāvana would drink the sap of the forest flowers, and the combination of this nectar and the association of Śrī Kṛṣṇa made them mad with intoxication. Thus they closed their eyes in ecstasy and expressed their satisfaction by humming. And this humming was also expertly imitated by the Lord.

The word bhīta-vat, “as if afraid,” indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa played just like an ordinary boy and ran with the smaller forest creatures in mock fear of the lions and tigers. Actually, in Vṛndāvana, the abode of the Lord, the lions and tigers are not violent, and thus there is no reason to fear them.

The word pāda-saṁvāhanādibhiḥ indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa would massage Balarāma’s feet, fan Him and bring Him river water to drink.

The word pallava-talpeṣu implies that Lord Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into many forms and lay down upon the many beds of twigs, leaves and flowers hastily constructed by His enthusiastic cowherd friends.

The word samavījayan indicates that the cowherd boys fanned the Lord very carefully and expertly, creating gentle and cooling breezes.

The word premṇā, “with love,” indicates that the request the cowherd boys are about to place before Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma is motivated by love, not personal desire. The cowherd boys were eager for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to exhibit Their pastimes of killing demons and to enjoy the delicious fruits of the Tāla forest, and therefore they made the following request.

As stated in the Śrī Varāha Purāṇa:

“Not far from the western side of Mathurā, at a distance of two yojanas [sixteen miles], is the holy place named Govardhana, which is most difficult to attain.” It is also stated in the Varāha Purāṇa:

“Not far from the western side of Mathurā, one yojana away [eight miles], is the forest known as Tālavana, which was guarded by Dhenukāsura.” Thus it appears that the Tālavana forest is located midway between Mathurā and Govardhana Hill. The forest of Tālavana is described in the Śrī Hari-vaṁśa as follows:

“The land there is even, smooth and very expansive. The earth is black, densely covered with darbha grass and devoid of stones and pebbles.”

The demon Dhenuka would not allow anyone to eat the delicious ripe palm fruits of the Tālavana, and Kṛṣṇa’s young boyfriends protested this unjust usurpation of the right to enjoy the fruits of a public forest.

The cowherd boyfriends of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma encouraged the two brothers to go at once to the Tāla forest and kill the ass demon. Indeed, here they address the brothers as amitra-han, “killer of the enemy.” The cowherd boys were engaged in ecstatic meditation upon the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and reasoned thus: “Kṛṣṇa has already killed terrible demons like Baka and Agha, so what is so special about this obnoxious jackass named Dhenuka, who has become public enemy number one in Vṛndāvana?”

The cowherd boys wanted Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to kill the demons so that all the pious inhabitants of Vṛndāvana could enjoy the fruits in the Tāla forest. Thus they requested the special favor that the ass demons be killed.

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the sweet fragrance of the tāla fruits was carried by an easterly wind, which is conducive to rain in the Vṛndāvana area. This easterly wind generally blows in the month of Bhādra and thus indicates the excellent ripeness of the fruits, while the fact that the boys could smell them indicates the nearness of the Tāla forest.

Although neither man nor bird nor beast could even approach the Tāla forest, the cowherd boys had so much faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma that they took it for granted the two Lords could effortlessly kill the sinful ass demons and acquire the delicious tāla fruits. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boyfriends are exalted, self-realized souls who would not ordinarily become greedy for sweet fruits. In fact, they are simply joking with the Lord and enthusing His pastimes, urging Him to perform unprecedented heroic feats in the Tāla forest. Innumerable demons disturbed the sublime atmosphere of Vṛndāvana during Lord Kṛṣṇa’s presence there, and the Lord would kill such demons as a popular daily event.

Since Lord Kṛṣṇa had already killed many demons, on this particular day He decided to give first honors to Lord Balarāma, who would demolish the first demon, Dhenuka. By the words yadi rocate, the cowherd boys indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma need not kill the demon simply to satisfy them; rather, They should do so only if the Lords Themselves found the concept appealing.

Lord Kṛṣṇa was thinking, “How can a mere ass be so formidable?” And thus He smiled at the petition of His boyfriends. As stated by Lord Kapila in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.28.32), hāsaṁ harer avanatākhila-loka-tīvra-śokāśru-sāgara-viśoṣaṇam aty-udāram: “The smile and laughter of the Supreme Lord Hari is most magnanimous. Indeed, for those who bow down to the Lord, His smile and laughter dry up the ocean of tears caused by the intense suffering of this world.” Thus, to encourage Their boyfriends, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma smiled, laughed and immediately set out with them for the Tāla forest.

The word upakroṣṭā indicates an ass and also one who is crying out nearby. Thus it is indicated herein that the powerful Dhenuka made horrible, angry sounds.

Lord Balarāma threw the demon Dhenuka so violently into the great palm tree that a chain reaction was unleashed, and many towering palm trees shook and then broke with a great crashing sound.

Unfortunate persons cannot appreciate the blissful pastimes of the Supreme Lord. In this connection Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that the Supreme Lord possesses unlimited potency and strength, as expressed here by the word anante. The Lord exhibits a tiny fraction of His power according to the need of a particular situation. Lord Balarāma desired to vanquish the gang of demoniac asses who had unlawfully seized the Tālavana forest, and therefore He exhibited just enough divine opulence to easily kill Dhenukāsura and the other demons.

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī makes the following comment on this verse: “It is stated here that the ass demons first attacked Kṛṣṇa and then Balarāma (kṛṣṇaṁ ca rāmaṁ ca). One reason for this is that the demons, having seen the prowess of Lord Balarāma, thought it wise to attack Kṛṣṇa first. Or it may be that out of affection for His elder brother, Lord Kṛṣṇa placed Himself between Balarāma and the ass demons. The words kṛṣṇaṁ ca rāmaṁ ca may also be understood to indicate that Lord Balarāma, out of affection for His younger brother, went to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s side.

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the bodies of the demons were dark, like dark blue clouds, and the large quantity of blood that had flowed from their bodies appeared like bright red clouds. Thus the whole scene was very beautiful. The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His various forms, such as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, is always transcendental, and when He enacts His transcendental pastimes the result is always beautiful and transcendental, even when the Lord performs violent acts like killing the stubborn ass demons.

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī comments that the demigods, great sages and other exalted beings were all astonished and ecstatic upon seeing the unusually swift and nonchalant way in which Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma killed the very powerful ass demons in the Tāla forest.

According to the ācāryas, low-class people such as the pulindas ate the fruits of the palm trees, but Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boyfriends considered them undesirable, since they had been tainted with the blood of the asses.

When the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are vibrated, both the speakers and the hearers are purified and become pious.

Superficially, the gopīs were young married girls, and therefore they would naturally be ashamed and fearful of casting loving glances at a beautiful young boy like Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all living beings are His eternal servants. Thus the gopīs, although the most pure-hearted of all great souls, did not hesitate to come forward and satisfy their love-struck eyes by drinking in the sight of beautiful young Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs also relished the sweet sound of His flute and the enchanting fragrance of His body.

In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this incident as follows: “All the gopīs in Vṛndāvana remained very morose on account of Kṛṣṇa’s absence. All day they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa in the forest or of Him herding cows in the pasture. When they saw Kṛṣṇa returning, all their anxieties were immediately relieved, and they began to look at His face the way drones hover over the honey of the lotus flower. When Kṛṣṇa entered the village, the young gopīs smiled and laughed. Kṛṣṇa, while playing the flute, enjoyed the beautiful smiling faces of the gopīs.”

The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme master of romantic skills, and thus He expertly exchanged loving feelings with the young cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana. When a chaste young girl is in love, she glances at her beloved with shyness, jubilation and submission. When the beloved accepts her offering of love by receiving her glance and is thus satisfied with her, the loving young girl’s heart becomes filled with happiness. These were exactly the romantic exchanges taking place between beautiful young Kṛṣṇa and the loving cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana.

The word paramāśiṣaḥ indicates the attractive blessings of a loving mother, which include wonderful food, beautiful clothes, jewelry, toys and constant affection. The words yathā-kāmaṁ yathā-kālam indicate that although Yaśodā and Rohiṇī satisfied all the desires of their sons, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, they also properly regulated the boys’ activities. In other words, they prepared wonderful food for their children, but they saw to it that the boys ate at the proper time. Similarly, their children would play at the proper time and sleep at the proper time. The word yathā-kāmam does not indicate that the mothers indiscriminately allowed the boys to do whatever They liked, but in the proper, civilized way they showered their blessings upon their children.

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī comments that the mothers loved their sons so much that as they embraced Them they would carefully check all Their limbs to see if They were healthy and strong.