Read the wonderful pastimes and also watch videos of Lord Krishna and Balarama killing various demons during Their childhood days.

VATSASURA THE CALF DEMON

One day while Balarama and Krishna, along with Their playmates, were tending the calves on the bank of the River Yamuna, another demon arrived there, desiring to kill Them.

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead saw that the demon had assumed the form of a calf and entered among the groups of other calves, He pointed out to Baladeva, “Here is another demon.” Then He very slowly approached the demon, as if He did not understand the demon’s intentions.

Thereafter, Sri Krishna caught the demon by the hind legs and tail, twirled the demon’s whole body very strongly until the demon was dead, and threw him into the top of a tree, which then fell down, along with the body of the demon, who had assumed a great form.

DHENUKASURA THE ASS DEMON

Krishna’s most intimate friends tell him and Balarama about an ass demon in the nearby Talavana forest. “This forest is full of palm trees, and all the trees are filled with fruits. It is a very nice place, but because of a great demon, Dhenukasura, it is very difficult to go there. Dear Krishna and Balarama, this demon is present there in the form of an ass, and he is surrounded by similar demon friends who have assumed the same shape. You are the only persons who can kill such demons. Not even animals go there, and no birds are living there. It appears that up until now, no one has tasted the sweet fruits there, either on the tree or on the ground. Dear Krishna, to tell You frankly, we are very attracted by this sweet aroma. Dear Balarama, if You like, let us all go there and enjoy these fruits. Don’t You smell it from here?”

When Balarama and Krishna were thus petitioned by Their intimate friends, They were inclined to please them, and with smiling faces They proceeded towards the forest, surrounded by all Their friends. Immediately upon entering the Talavana, Balarama began to yank the trees with His arms, exhibiting the strength of an elephant. Because of this jerking, all the ripe fruits fell down on the ground. Upon hearing the sound of the falling fruits, the demon Dhenukasura, who was living there in the form of an ass, approached with great force, shaking the whole field so that all the trees moved as if there were an earthquake. The demon appeared before Balarama and kicked His chest with his hind legs. At first Balarama did not say anything, but with great anger the demon kicked Him again more vehemently. This time Balarama immediately caught hold of the legs of the ass with one hand and, wheeling him around, threw him into the treetops. While he was being wheeled around by Balarama, the demon lost his life. Balarama threw the demon into the biggest palm tree about, and the demon’s body was so heavy that the palm tree fell upon other trees, and several fell down. It appeared as if a great hurricane had passed through the forest, and all the trees were falling down, one after another.

After the demon had been thrown into the trees, all the friends and associates of Dhenukasura immediately assembled and attacked Balarama and Krishna with great force. They were determined to retaliate and avenge the death of their friend. But Krishna and Balarama caught each of the asses by the hind legs and, exactly in the same way, wheeled them around. Thus They killed all of them and threw them into the palm trees.

PRALAMBASURA

Once while the boys were engaged in their transcendental pastimes, a great demon of the name Pralambasura entered their company, desiring to kidnap both Balarama and Krishna. So when Pralambasura entered their company, Krishna began to think how to kill the demon, but externally He received him as a friend. “O My dear friend,” He said. “It is very good that you have come to take part in our pastimes.” Krishna then called all His friends and ordered them: “Now we shall play in pairs. We shall challenge one another in pairs.” With this proposal, all the boys assembled together. Some of them took the side of Krishna, and some of them took the side of Balarama, and they arranged to play in duel. The defeated members in duel fighting had to carry the victorious members on their backs, as a horse carries its master. They began playing, and at the same time tended the cows as they proceeded through the Bhandiravana forest.

The party of Balarama, accompanied by Sridama and Vrishabha, came out victorious, and Krishna’s party had to carry them on their backs through the Bhandiravana forest. Krishna, being defeated, had to carry Sridama on His back, and Bhadrasena carried Vrishabha. Imitating their play, Pralambasura, who appeared there as a cowherd boy, carried Balarama on his back. Pralambasura was the greatest of the demons, and he had calculated that Krishna was the most powerful of the cowherd boys.

In order to avoid the company of Krishna, Pralambasura carried Balarama far away. The demon was undoubtedly very strong and powerful, but he was carrying Balarama, who is compared to a mountain; therefore he began to feel the burden, and thus he assumed his real form. Balarama observed the demon’s body expanding up to the limits of the clouds, his eyes dazzling like blazing fire and his mouth flashing with sharpened teeth. At first, Balarama was surprised by the demon’s appearance. But with a clear mind He could quickly understand that He was being carried away from His friends by a demon who intended to kill Him.

Immediately He struck the head of the demon with His strong fist, just as the King of the heavenly planets strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt. Being stricken by the fist of Balarama, the demon fell down dead, just like a snake with a smashed head, and blood poured from his mouth. When the demon fell, he made a tremendous sound, and it sounded as if a great hill were falling upon being struck by the thunderbolt of King Indra. All the boys then rushed to the spot.

KALIYA THE SERPENT DEMON

Within the river Yamuna there was a great lake, and in that lake the black serpent Kaliya used to live. Because of his poison, the whole area was so contaminated that it emanated a poisonous vapor twenty-four hours a day. If a bird happened to even pass over the spot, it would immediately die and fall down in the water.

Due to the poisonous effect of the Yamuna’s vapors, the trees and grass near the bank of the Yamuna had all dried up. Lord Krishna saw the effect of the great serpent’s poison; the whole river that ran before Vrindavana was now deadly.

Krishna climbed up into a big Kadamba tree on the bank of the Yamuna and jumped into the water. When Krishna was swimming about He made a tumultuous sound, which the great black serpent Kaliya could hear. Kaliya felt great anger within his heart, and thus he grabbed Krishna with his mighty coils.

For two hours Krishna remained like an ordinary child gripped in the coils of Kaliya, but when He saw that all the inhabitants of Gokula—including His mother and father, the gopis, the boys and the cows—were just on the point of death and that they had no shelter for salvation from imminent death, Krishna immediately freed Himself. He began to expand His body, and when the serpent tried to hold Him, he felt a great strain. On account of the strain, his coils slackened, and he had no alternative but to let loose the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, from his grasp.

Kaliya then became very angry, and his great hoods expanded. He exhaled poisonous fumes from his nostrils, his eyes blazed like fire, and flames issued from his mouth. As Krishna and Kaliya moved in a circle, the serpent gradually became fatigued. Krishna immediately pressed down the serpent’s hoods and began to dance upon the hoods of the serpent, although they were moving to and fro.

Kaliya tried to push Him down with some of his other hoods. Kaliya had about a hundred hoods, but Krishna took control of them. He began to dash Kaliya with His lotus feet, and this was more than the serpent could bear. Gradually, Kaliya was reduced to struggling for his very life. He vomited all kinds of refuse and exhaled fire.

Demons Killed by Krishna – Part 1
Demons Killed by Krishna – Part 3