(O janamejaya!) One day, early in the morning, when kR^iShNa was engaged in rati, ariShTa was seen, terrifying the entire vraja.

He was black as coal and rain cloud. He had sharp horns and his eyes were red as sun. His hooves were sharp as a knife. He appeared as black death personified.

As he approached he began to bite his lips in anger and lick them again and again. He bellowed raising his tail. He had a large hard hump on his back.

His hump was extremely large. No one could control him. His rear body was smeared with dung and urine. He frightened the cows.

He had a broad waist, a large face, strong knees and a large belly. He walked shaking his horns. The skin from his neck hung down.

He appeared keen to mate with the cows. His head had bruises, due to hitting the trees. He had horns ready for fighting. He was strong to fell down enemy bulls.

The cows were frightened by the terrible ariShTa. The daitya entered the vraja in the form of a bull and created havoc.

He attacked pregnant cows and caused miscarriage. The proud daitya mated with cows even it was not their time. The restless bull chased the cows that had already delivered calves.

Using his horn as a weapon, the formidable daitya attacked the cows. Without fight, the bull did not derive enjoyment in the vraja.

One day, the formidable bull, whose time to go to the god of death (vaivasvata) had come, came in front of keshava.

As soon as he entered vraja, the mad bull started harassing the cows. With his attack, he made all the bulls, cows and calves flee from vraja.

At the same time, the wicked bull, who was ready to go to the god of death (vaivasvata) frightened the cows near kR^iShNa.

The great daitya roared like a thundering rain cloud. kR^iShNa clapped his hands and shouted in response.

govinda charged at the daitya in the form of a bull. Seeing kR^iShna, the bull raised its tail and looked at him.

By clapping hands, kR^iShNa made the bull angry. Ready to fight, the bull was roaring. kR^iShNa saw the wicked bull running towards him. Like a mountain, kR^iShNa did not move from his position.

The bull kept its aim on kR^iShNa's belly and lifted its head. The bull ran fast intending to kill kR^iShNa.

kR^iShNa, black as a~njana, looked like a powerful bull as he faced the bull. As the formidable bull approached, kR^iShNa caught him.

The great bull was confronted by kR^iShNa, like a great bull. Foam and saliva started coming from its mouth and nose.

kR^iShNa and the bull fought against each other. They dazzled like two confronting rain clouds in the rainy season.

Destroying the pride and power of the bull, kR^iShNa kicked it between the horns. kR^iShna twisted its neck like a wet cloth.

Pulling out the left horn of the bull, which looked like the rod of the god of death, kR^iShNa struck him in the mouth. The bull fell down, dead.

With its horns broken, face smashed and neck broken, the daitya began to vomit blood like a cloud releasing water.

Seeing the daitya, in the form of the proud bull, killed by govinda, all people were pleased by his action. They praised kR^iShna.

upendra (kR^iShNa) killed the bull during the night, when moon was shining brightly. kR^iShNa with eyes as beautiful as lotus, resumed the rAsakrIDA.

te.api govR^ittayaH sarve kR^iShNaM kamalalochanam |
upAsAMchakrire hR^iShTAH sarve shakramivAmarAH ||2-21-25

All the gopa-s happily worshipped kR^iShNa with lotus eyes, like the gods worshipping indra.

iti srimahAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe viShNuparvaNi vR^iShabhAsuravadhe ekaviMsho.adhyAyaH

Thus this is the twenty-first chapter of viShNuparva of harivaMsha, khila of shrimahAbhArata, slaying of vR^iShabhAsura.

nIlakaNTha commentary

athaikaviMshe hyadhyAye ariShTaM vR^iSharUpiNam |
devashatruM durAdharShaM kR^iShNo.ahanaditIryate || 1 ||

2-21-1 pradoShArddhe iti |
2-21-2 nirvANA~NgAra i~NgAlaH meghashcha tadubhayAbhaH kAla kR^iShNavarNaH kAlayitA saMhartA vetthyarthaH |
2-21-3 garvitaM darpaH tena AviddhaM bhrAmitaM lA~NgUlaM yena saH kaThinaM skandhabandhanaM kakudyasya ||
2-21-4 kakudeti | kakudAghAena udagram agranihitaM kR^itaM nirmANaM mahAprAsAdAdirachanaM yena sa tathA | kakudAghAtena tAdite vR^ikShaprAsAdamUle sarvamapi tadbhajyata ityarthaH |
2-21-8 gR^iShTIH sadyaH prasUtAH gAH saMprachachAra jagAma | retaH sekAyetyarthaH |
2-21-12 gAvaH gAH vaivasvatavashe sthitaH AsannamR^ityuH |
2-21-14 hR^iShTam utphalitaM lA~NgUlaM lochane cha yena saH |
2-21-16 saMprahartukAma iti sheShaH |
2-21-17 pramukhe mukhAgre OShTayorityarthaH | vegena iti vA pAThaH |
2-21-18 nastaH nAsikAtaH |
2-21-25 govR^ittayo gopAH | ayaM chArtho dAshatayyAm -
"pranemasmin dadR^ishe somo antar-
gopAnemamAvirasthA kR^iNoti
sa tigmashR^i~Ngam vR^iShabhaM yuyutsan-
druhastatstau bahule baddho antaH"
iti mantreNopabR^iMhitaH |
mantrArthastu antargopAH antaH sthitvA gopAyannantaryAmI nemasminnardhaprapa~nche sthAvare somaH somAdirUpaH pradadR^ishe prakarSheNa dR^iShTaH nemamardhe prapa~nchaM asthA asthiram ja~NgamaM AviH kR^iNoti prakaTIkaroti | sa tigmashR^i~NgaM vR^iShabhaM yuyutsan yoddhumichChan dR^i~NmAtreNa bhasmIkartuM shakt.aopi lIlayA tena saha yuyutsan druhaH drohaM kR^itavAn taM hatavAnityarthaH | tatashcha bahule vraje antaH rAsamaNDalamadhye baddhaH bhaktajanena premapAshena baddhaH san tasthau krIDitumiti sheShaH ||

iti shrIharvaMshe viShNuparvaNi TIkAyAmekaviMshodhyAyaH |

Itranslated by K S Ramachandran, ramachandran_ksr @ yahoo.ca, May 27, 2008
Further proof-read by Gilles Schaufelberger, schaufel @ wanadoo.fr
If you find any errors compared to Chitrashala Press edition, send corrections to A. Harindranath harindranath_a @ yahoo.com
Translated to English by A. Purushothaman [purushothaman_avaroth @ yahoo.com] and A. Harindranath
September 1, 2009##