SB 10.37.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच केशी तु कंसप्रहित: खुरैर्महीं महाहयो निर्जरयन् मनोजव: । सटावधूताभ्रविमानसङ्कुलं कुर्वन् नभो हेषितभीषिताखिल: ॥ १ ॥ तं त्रासयन्तं भगवान् स्वगोकुलं तद्धेषितैर्वालविघूर्णिताम्बुदम् । आत्मानमाजौ मृगयन्तमग्रणी- रुपाह्वयत् स व्यनदन्मृगेन्द्रवत् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca keśī tu kaṁsa-prahitaḥ khurair mahīṁ mahā-hayo nirjarayan mano-javaḥ saṭāvadhūtābhra-vimāna-saṅkulaṁ kurvan nabho heṣita-bhīṣitākhilaḥ taṁ trāsayantaṁ bhagavān sva-gokulaṁ tad-dheṣitair vāla-vighūrṇitāmbudam ātmānam ājau mṛgayantam agra-ṇīr upāhvayat sa vyanadan mṛgendra-vat

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; keśī — the demon named Keśī ; tu — and then ; kaṁsa — prahitaḥ — sent by Kaṁsa ; khuraiḥ — with his hooves ; mahīm — the earth ; mahā — hayaḥ — a huge horse ; nirjarayan — ripping apart ; manaḥ — like that of the mind ; javaḥ — whose speed ; saṭā — by the hairs of his mane ; avadhūta — scattered ; abhra — with the clouds ; vimāna — and the airplanes (of the demigods) ; saṅkulam — crowded ; kurvan — making ; nabhaḥ — the sky ; heṣita — by his neighing ; bhīṣita — frightened ; akhilaḥ — everyone ; tam — him ; trāsayantam — terrifying ; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord ; sva — gokulam — His cowherd village ; tat — heṣitaiḥ — by that neighing ; vāla — by the hairs of his tail ; vighūrṇita — shaken ; ambudam — the clouds ; ātmānam — Himself ; ājau — for a fight ; mṛgayantam — searching after ; agra — nīḥ — coming forward ; upāhvayat — called out ; saḥ — he, Keśī ; vyanadan — roared ; mṛgendra — vat — like a lion .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The demon Keśī, sent by Kaṁsa, appeared in Vraja as a great horse. Running with the speed of the mind, he tore up the earth with his hooves. The hairs of his mane scattered the clouds and the demigods’ airplanes throughout the sky, and he terrified everyone present with his loud neighing.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The demon Keśī, sent by Kaṁsa, appeared in Vraja as a great horse. Running with the speed of the mind, he tore up the earth with his hooves. The hairs of his mane scattered the clouds and the demigods' airplanes throughout the sky, and he terrified everyone present with his loud neighing. KB 10.37.1-2 After being instructed by Kaṁsa, the demon Keśī assumed the form of a terrible horse. He entered the area of Vṛndāvana with the speed of the mind, his great mane flying and his hooves digging up the earth. He began to whinny and terrify the whole forest. Kṛṣṇa saw that the demon was terrifying all the residents of Vṛndāvana with his whinnying and his tail wheeling in the sky like a big cloud. Kṛṣṇa could understand that the horse was challenging Him to fight. The Lord accepted his challenge and stood before the Keśī demon, calling him to fight. The horse then ran toward Kṛṣṇa, making a horrible sound like a roaring lion, … When the Supreme Personality of Godhead saw how the demon was frightening His village of Gokula by neighing terribly and shaking the clouds with his tail, the Lord came forward to meet him. Keśī was searching for Kṛṣṇa to fight, so when the Lord stood before him and challenged him to approach, the horse responded by roaring like a lion.

Purport

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead saw how the demon was frightening His village of Gokula by neighing terribly and shaking the clouds with his tail, the Lord came forward to meet him. Keśī was searching for Kṛṣṇa to fight, so when the Lord stood before him and challenged him to approach, the horse responded by roaring like a lion.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The thirty seventh chapter describes the killing of Kesi, Narada praising Krsna’s future pastimes, the thieving activities of Vyomasura, and the killing of Vyomasura.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

The sentence in the first verse should be completed with the word “Keśī came to Vraja.” With the hairs (satā) on his mane he scattered the clouds and airplanes. Thus he was called Keśī (possessing hairs).

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

The word tu indicates that Keśī is distinct from Ariṣṭa. He is described. By his nature he was extremely evil. Because of that he was sent by Kaṁsa. Constantly he crushed the earth, and ran as swift as the mind. His name is explained: his mane scattered the clouds.