Slaying of the demon Kamsa
Once upon a time, the demon Kamsa was the prince of the Vrishni kingdom (Northern part of Bharat) with its capital at Mathura. He was a wicked. He even overthrew his own father from the throne, put him into the prison and became a king. People were very fearful of him. Nobody was happy in his kingdom.
At that time, Krishna was living in Gokul (a place near Mathura). Though he was a boy, cruel Kamsa was very much afraid of him. He knew that Krishna would be a danger to him in future. He made many attempts to kill him in Gokul. However, all attempts were failed. As a last chance, Kamsa invited Krishna to a wrestling contest in Mathura.
Krishna knew about the evil mind of Kamsa, but he did not reject his invitation because he was also looking for an opportunity to punish him. Mother Yashoda earlier resisted and tried to persuade him not to go. However, as always, Krishna managed to convince her. He and his older brother Balarama were ready to go to Mathura. The people of Gokul came out to wish them good luck and to see them off.
Krishna and Balarama reached the capital Mathura. The people of Mathura had already heard many adventurous stories about Krishna. They were excited to meet him. When Krishna and Balarama entered Mathura, people welcomed them by showering them with flowers. They wandered around the beautiful Mathura and enjoyed it. Balarama particularly enjoyed watching the royal elephants mingling in the crowd.
The palace courtyard, where the contest was held, was already crowded. Kamsa came and sat on the throne. As soon as he came, there was a pin-dropsilence. He was dangerous-looking but ugly because of his big moustache. He firmly looked at the crowd and challenged, “Which brave man can fight with my wrestlers? The fight will end only after one dies.” One voice came from the crowd, “I can! I can do it!” Of course, that was Krishna’s voice.
Krishna and Balarama challenged the wrestlers Chanur and Mushtik respectively. “Come on, boys! We will crush you like a lemon!” The mountainous wrestlers thundered. Krishna and Balarama were just boys but they were powerful and spirited. The most important – righteousness was on their side. The wrestlers tried to thrash them out, but the boys failed their every move. Everyone was watching the fight holding their breath. Suddenly, Krishna came into action. He jumped up and pulled down the Chanur by the hair. He twisted his hairs round and round. Chanur cried painfully. Krishna, then, reached at his chest and punched him hard on his heart. Chanur instantly died because of heart breakdown. On the other hand, Balarama also killed Mushtik.
The entire crowd was taken aback. For a moment, they couldn’t believe that the two boys killed the giant wrestlers. Then, suddenly, they started shouting, clapping and praising the two boys. Kamsa himself couldn’t believe it. He was panic, pale and puzzled. Krishna seized the opportunity. All the people, including Kamsa’s soldiers, were on his side. He took a long jump to come out of the wrestling area and rushed towards Kamsa. Kamsa saw it, but he was so frightened that he couldn’t move an inch. Krishna attacked Kamsa and pulled him down from his throne (exactly the same how Kamsa did to his father!). He then lifted him above his head and threw him down with a thud. Kamsa never opened his eyes again.
When the people of Mathura saw that Kamsa was dead, they began cheering. They shouted, “At last, we are free from Kamsa’s shackles. Long Live Krishna!” There was jubilation. Krishna freed his true parents – Vasudev and Devaki – and Kamsa’s father Ugrasen from the prison. Krishna’s parents were delighted to see him after long years of gap. Then, Krishna respectfully asked Ugrasen to sit on the throne. Ugrasen again became a king. Krishna and Balarama stayed their few days to protect the kingdom from outsiders. Krishna’s one mission was over!