Chapter 26 - Death of demon Kalidatta and search for village children

Demon Kalidatta trying to kill Shri Hari, loses his life. 

Suvrat said:- 

The sage Suvrat continued the narration, O sinless king when the children were playing in the garden and eating juicy mango fruits, the sun moved toward the western mountain and slowly the darkness spread over the garden. 1. 

At that time the preacher of demons Kalidatta came hurriedly there. All his attempts to kill the son of Bhakti were fruitless before and that made him desperately upset. 2. 

That cunning and jealous demon knowing the loop holes of the enemy, having the evil power of jugglery, started playing with the children. While playing, he had a hidden wish in his mind to kill the son of Bhakti whenever he would get a chance. 3. 

Playing with them, suddenly he frightened the children with his awkward red eyes and wicked facial expressions, and then moved rapidly towards the son of Dharma to catch and kill him. 4. 

As he threw his arms up to catch the child, a light of fire of apocalyptic proportion arising there made him unable to see anything. 5. 

Having learnt that the child was undefeatable, the crooked charmer demon, tried to create a vicious web of magic spell to kill the child, a distinctive quality of demons. 6. 

That demon Kalidatta had gained the illusory power after many attempts and so many trials. He tried that power to kill the child. His people-frightening black-magic began to grow every minute. 7. 

His vicious magic created a tree-uprooting hurricane, owing to which thick clouds gathered in the sky, thunder-bolts began to flash every now and then. 8. 

The thundering clouds pouring down heavily as though creating a heart breaking final flood, to end the world. 9. 

Due to heavy rain and powerful storm, huge trees uprooted, habitat of birds and animals were destroyed. 10. 

Pitch darkness enveloped due to covering of thick black clouds in the sky that made vision absolutely impossible. 11. 

Due to crying less nature of Shri Hari, other lads keeping him on the ground, made mirth with him, playing and laughing. 12. 

Then with sudden downpour, lads were drenched and became confused and worried. They taking shelter under a tree began to shiver. 13. 

In anticipation of calm weather resuming, at any moment, they stood there. 14. 

As the rain and storm becoming heavier and unbearable by the moment, now ceaseless, they grew anxious and nervous with fear. 15. 

Having forgotten in the anxiety the tree in the wild, where they laid the child (son of Shri Hariprasad), all of them began to search here and there for him. 16. 

Loudly calling his names ‘Shri Hari Krishna, Krishna, Nilakantha’ so on and so forth, their voice began to tremble in the shock. 17. 

Because of heavy rain and stormy wind, neither they could hear him nor could he hear them. 18. 

When the children could not trace Shri Shri Hari, they became depressed, nervous and worried. 19. 

‘What have we done? We are unfortunates. What an evil minds of ours that we brought the son of Dharma here to play. 20. 

How shall we explain to the people after going to village? What will be our answer to their queries? How can we dare to show our faces to Dharma and Bhakti? 21. 

Those disheartened lads trembling in fear with endless grief now most of them began to faint. 22. 

Shri Hari, knowing from within about the web of vicious illusion thrown by demons to cause his end, was perturbed the least, stood unmoved. 23. 

A huge mango tree uprooted by the storm, like a mega-lithe rolling down from the top of snow-mountain, fell on him suddenly. 24. 

The tree that fell on him with its curvy branches now turned into an umbrella, giving respite from rain and storm, for the child. 25. 

Having seen the child still alive under the huge tree, he threw his arms once again to catch him. 26. 

No sooner the child’s glance fell on him, he began to run helter-skelter, puzzled in the forest, as though haunted by an evil. 27. 

The frightened children saw him falling, rising, again falling, staggering and wandering aimlessly in the forest. 28. 

Wounded and thrashed by the falling and the fallen trees. The demon drained, looked like a Kimshuka tree blossomed with red flowers, and ultimately ran to death. 29. 

Thus, wise Krishna, though weapon-less, killed him by his own wish. 30. 

When the demon Kalidatta was dead, consequently, his illusion vanished and the heavy rain and storm stopped slowly, the unconscious children regained their senses. 31. 

As the dusk approached in the town, Bhakti, Dharma and other Brahmins went in search of their children who have not yet returned. 32. 

Seeing the terrific atmosphere of storm and heavy rain, and not finding their children, they were overwhelmed by fear and concern. 33. 

As a wicked sign, left parts of men, and right parts women started trembling, hence they thought, their children might have been struck with misfortune. 34. 

Because of the rain, storm and darkness, they started worrying about the children and fainted now and then. 35. 

As the first hour of night gone, wind calming, rain almost stopping, by Shri Hari’s will, the lads regained their consciousness. Those anxious parents holding kerosene lamp, big torches, entered that garden. Some were possessing swords, bows and some with sticks in their hands, all the town people went there calling their children loudly. 36-38.

(His) shoulders supported by close relatives, Dharma with his drooping robes that covered his slender frame, his vital breath as though coming out to depart, to look for the son who is the enemy of demons, trudged slowly on his way. 39. 

Bhakti with her face faded as a sun-lotus gloom at the observance of moon, uttering her child’s name ‘Krishna repeatedly, with her shoulders held by girls, moved on her way as if she has lost her life, for Shri Krishna being her life. 40. 

Sorrow-stricken Ramapratap, the elder son of Dharmadeva, with much agony owing to his attachment towards his brother also trudged slowly on his way with relatives trembling, bewailing helplessly. 41. 

Shraddha and other women-divinities who followed Dharma, moving rapidly in their celestial forms, into the garden, found for themselves the child under a mango tree. 42. 

Shri Hari appeared himself in twelve forms. 

When they saw him, the milk from their golden pot-shaped breasts started flowing. O king, then they lifted the child shivering in cold, put him on the lap and let him drink the milk from their breasts. Observing the passionate and unique love of them for himself, Shri Hari appeared himself in twelve forms. 43- 44. 

The child cherished the sweet milk from their breasts. Every lady was sure that Shri Hari was on her lap and not on other’s. 45. 

Then having been fulfilled of desires, all of them realized Krishna the wish-yielding tree for those who love him. 46. 

Then there came the villagers with tears in their eyes, seeking their children who regained senses and thus were crying extremely. 47. 

Seeing their children alive, they felt free from sorrow and started asking about the safety of the son of Dharmadev. 48. 

The children replied ‘we kept the child of Dharmadev under this tree and started playing, but now he is not here’. 49. 

Having heard the shocking reply, they became disheartened, and shouting loudly, began searching him here and there. 50. 

Shraddha and others who were in possession of Krishna kept him under the tree; they vanished, and became invisible to the people. 51. 

Shri Hari’s maternal aunt Sundari came there to trace him and saw the child under the tree. 52. 

‘O, I got the child, I got the child’ thus she cried and lifting him up, handed over to Bhaktidevi. When she found her child, overpowered with joy she gave her necklace to Sundari as a gift. 53. 

She embraced Shri Hari to her heart. Her breasts started flowing milk. When she gave her milk to him she felt as if her child had taken a new birth. 54. 

Then Dharmadev, Ramapratap, the brother of Shri Hari, relatives and villagers seeing Shri Hari uninjured and safe, all of them felt happy. 55. 

When they saw the demon preacher’s body lying there, they were surprised and full of doubts; they asked the children ‘Who is this fellow? Whose dead body is lying here?’ Then the children narrated them: 56. 

‘He is the one who frightened us with his ugly eyes, throwing his arms, ferociously desirous of killing Shri Hari. 57. 

Innocently, with a mere glance of Nilakantha, he died an awful death running here and there.’ 58. 

Having heard the words of lads, they very surprised, happily announcing that the demon had died of his sinful deeds. 59. 

O king! Then they being astonished at the same time inspiring, returned to the village, in moon light, when the moon rose in the sky. 60. 

Hearing the words from the children, Dharma and Bhakti were lost in thought over it, began to recall Krishna in their minds, even that ability occurring in them with his wish. 61. 

‘This dead man indeed, is Kalidatta the preacher of demons, by whom we have often been haunted in the past. 62. 

And this child is not an ordinary one. The great sage Narayan has dramatized himself as a human being in the illusionary body of this child. We remember that in Vrindavan he blessed us that he will take birth in our house and to ensure the blessing, he has become our son. 63. 

Being pleased then he took a vow that he would destroy our evil enemy i.e. demons and would protect both of us. 64. 

So we are sure that he himself has killed the demon; because nobody other than him is able to kill the enormous demon. 65. 

Because of the strength of this demon, other demons also became powerful. Indeed his death will result in their destruction. 66. 

This Kalidatta was the root of demons on this earth; and when the root is destroyed, there is no need to destroy the branches. 67. 

Dharma’s thoughts about Shri Hari, as the protector of his devotees. 

Alas! Being weapon-less but wise, he terminated the leader of demons in his infancy alone, what to speak of the future then? 68. 

He will protect us on this earth undoubtedly, we are now fearless and so must be our relatives and friends. 69. 

How to describe Krishna’s love for his devotees, who is an ocean of compassion himself,’ thus pondering, they embraced him, becoming delightful. 70. 

Then Shri Hari took away their remembrance and then both of them came back to original sense of Shri Hari as their son. 71. 

They thought that because of the blessings of Krishna and their family God’s, the child was saved through the great tragedy. 72. 

As the night passed, Dharma, the best among the religious, performed a sacrifice to ward off obstacles, with other Brahmins. 73. 

Observing the procedure with recitations of Shri Narayanvarman, he offered food to Brahmins gave them gold and cows. 74. 

The Brahmin worshipped and offered oblations to his family-deity Maruti, with the help of Vedic ritualistic Brahmin preceptors. 75. 

He made his son to pay tributes to Brahmins; they also showered auspicious blessings on him. 76. 

Being handsome by nature, the child seemed to be cuter after all the rites performed on him, as the mine-sapphire getting attractive when polished. 77. 

O King! This story of benevolent Shri Hari has been narrated to you. Whoever sings his glory or hears it, attains advancements of life here and hereafter. They will not be deprived of temporal comforts and bliss of salvation. 78. 

Thus ends the twenty-sixth chapter entitled ‘The end of illusion of demon Kalidatta and his death’ in the first Prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 26