Verse Text
yathā –
gopo ’py aśikṣita-raṇo ’pi tam aśva-daityaṁ
hanti me hanta mama jīvita-nirviśeṣam |
krīḍā-vinirjita-surādhipater alaṁ me
durjīvitena hata-kaṁsa-narādhipasya ||
atra nirvedasyābhāsaḥ | ||226||
Translation
An example of hostile manifestation of self-deprecation: When the cowherd boy without training killed the horse demon who was my very life and soul, what is the need for me, the unfortunate king Kaṁsa, who defeated Indra as play, to maintain my life?
Purport (Nectar of Devotion)
When the Keśī demon was assassinated by Kṛṣṇa, Kaṁsa became hopeless. He said, “Keśī-daitya was as dear to me as my own life, but he has been killed by some cowherd boy who is crude, uneducated and ignorant in fighting. Even though I have defeated the King of heaven without difficulty, still I do not know the value of life.” Because this hopelessness has a slight touch of attraction for Kṛṣṇa, it is considered to be a reflection of ecstatic love in hopelessness.