Episode 18: Krishna Kills Kamsa
Everyone loves a gladiator-style arena scene. It’s super dramatic and it puts all of the important characters in the same place in a dramatic setting where they are surrounded by spectators. It’s a fitting place for Krishna to take down Kamsa because all the people of the city can see it and know that Krishna fought honorably.
It’s cool that Krishna has a sidekick in Balram. Krishna could probably do everything necessary on his own, but he and Balram have been together their whole lives. It solidifies their relationship that they fight together.
Krishna and Balram have to overcome a whole series of obstacles in order to make it to Kamsa. First, they fight the wrestlers. They’re the “Level 1” obstacle and don’t pose a challenge to the brothers, but it does hype up the crowd. Since Kamsa has been so oppressive to the people of Mathura, everyone is on Krishna’s side, which adds to the excitement of the scene.
Next, Krishna and Balram have to face Parashuram’s bow in a similar challenge to Rama’s when he went to claim Sita. I like that the video takes the time to explain the history of the bow because it’s an important piece of the story. It’s an ancient relic created by Shiva for Vishnu. Krishna can lift it because he’s an avatar of Vishnu. The bow has even been part of Krishna’s family for generations, which has a lot of prophetic significance.
I always wonder why the bow breaking has significance in this story and the one with Rama. It seems like breaking the bow would be bad, but I think it’s done to signal just how strong and divine the avatars are.
The story doesn’t explain the “yagya” very well, so I looked it up. It’s a sacrifice ritual that Kamsa must have been performing when Krishna showed up. Because of the prophecy, Kamsa knows that his death is imminent.
Kamsa tries to run away while Krishna and Balram fight the guards, which shows how cowardly he is. He’s not an honorable king and can’t accept his fate with dignity.
Krishna goes god-mode while fighting Kamsa, which is really cool. Very “Avatar State-“like. He keeps Balram by his side during the fight, and that’s cool because Balram is just a regular human. He can still make a difference, though, and Krishna doesn’t baby him just because he’s not an avatar.
There’s a big triumphant scene at the end when Kamsa is dead because the people are free from the tyrant. I love triumphant scenes—like the throne room scene from Star Wars—because it ties the story together and the heroes get their rewards!
Bibliography:
Krishna Episode 18: Krishna Kills Kama. Epified. Youtube.
Featured Image: Gladiator Arena at Sunset. Trey Ratcliff. Flickr.