[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Purāṇas](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana) › [Vishnupurana](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu) › 5.20.25 # Vishnupurana 5.20.25 Viṣṇupurāṇa 5.20.25 - **Language:** Sanskrit ### [5.20.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu.5.20.25) mallaprāśnikavargaś ca raṅgamadhyasamīpataḥ kṛtaḥ kaṃsena kaṃso 'pi tuṅgamañce vyavasthitaḥ // > In the morning the citizens assembled on the platforms set apart for them, and the princes, with the ministers and courtiers, occupied the royal seats. Near the centre of the circle judges of the games were stationed by Kansa, whilst he himself sat apart close by upon a lofty throne. Separate platforms were erected for the ladies of the palace, for the courtesans, and for the wives of the citizens. Nanda and the cowherds had places appropriated to them, at the end of which sat Akrúra and Vasudeva. Amongst the wives of the citizens appeared Devakí, mourning for her son, whose lovely face she longed to behold even in the hour of his destruction. When the musical instruments sounded, Cháńúra sprang forth, and the people cried, "Alas!" and Musht́ika slapped his arms in defiance. Covered with must and blood from the elephant, whom, when goaded upon them by his driver, they had slain, and armed with his tusks, Balabhadra and Janárddana confidently entered the arena, like two lions amidst a herd of deer. Exclamations of pity arose from all the spectators, along with expressions of astonishment. "This then," said the people, "is Krishńa! this is Balabhadra! This is he by whom the fierce night-walker Pútaná was slain; by whom the waggon was overturned, and the two Arjuna trees felled! This is the boy who trampled and danced on the serpent Kálíya; who upheld the mountain Govarddhana for seven nights; who killed, as if in play, the iniquitous Arisht́a, Dhenuka, and Keśin! This whom we see is Achyuta! This is he who has been foretold by the wise, skilled in the sense of the Puráńas, as Gopála, who shall exalt the depressed Yádava race! This is a portion of the all-existing, all-generating Vishńu, descended upon earth, who will assuredly lighten her load!" Thus did the citizens describe Ráma and Krishńa, as soon as they appeared; whilst the breast of Devakí glowed with maternal affection; and Vasudeva, forgetting his infirmities, felt himself young again, on beholding the countenances of his sons as a season of rejoicing. The women of the palace, and the wives of the citizens, wide opened their eyes, and gazed intently upon Krishńa. "Look, friends," said they to their companions; "look at the face of Krishńa; his eyes are reddened by his conflict with the elephant, and the drops of perspiration stand upon his cheeks, outvieing a full blown lotus in autumn, studded with glittering dew. Avail yourself now of the faculty of vision. Observe his breast, the seat of splendour, marked with the mystic sign; and his arms, menacing destruction to his foes. Do you not notice Balabhadra, dressed in a blue garment; his countenance as fair as the jasmine, as the moon, as the fibres of the lotus stem? See how he gently smiles at the gestures of Musht́ika and Cháńúra, as they spring up. And now behold Hari advance to encounter Cháńúra. What! are there no elders, judges of the field? How can the delicate form of Hari, only yet in the dawn of adolescence, be regarded as a match for the vast and adamantine bulk of the great demon? Two youths, of light and elegant persons, are in the arena, to oppose athletic fiends, headed by the cruel Cháńúra. This is a great sin in the judges of the games, for the umpires to suffer a contest between boys and strong men." > — Horace Hayman Wilson 1840, The Vishnu Purana: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition - [Previous: 5.20.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu.5.20.24) - [Next: 5.20.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu.5.20.26) - [Up: 5.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu.5.20) ## Translations (2) - [The Vishnu Purana: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu~en-wilson.5.20.4) — Horace Hayman Wilson 1840, English - [A Prose English Translation of Vishnupuranam](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu~en-dutt.5.20.p4) — Manmatha Nath Dutt 1896, English ## Other recensions (1) - [Viṣṇupurāṇa (vulgate)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu*vulgate.5.20.26) — Sanskrit ## Linked texts (1) - [Brahmapurāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.brahma.193.25) — Vyāsa, Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu.5.20.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.purana.visnu.5.20.25) · Pramāṇa