shouts of joy, slapping of arms and striking of palms they pleased all the people there (40-41). O descendant of Bharata, beholding them and the attachment and joy of the citizens the vain Kansa was filled with sorrow (42). Having thus slain the roaring elephant the lotus-eyed Krishna, along with his elder brother, arrived at the ocean-like arena (43). ²⁶⁵ It is a Persian word for _Mada_ which means a juice that exudes from the temples of a rutting elephant. CHAPTER LXXXV. TRIAL OF ARMS. Vaishampayana said:—Shaking the earth with the sound of the slapping of his arms Krishna, the lotus-eyed son of Devaki, entered the arena, with his elder brother before him. His raiment was being shaken by the wind, his body was wounded with the tusks of the elephant and his limbs were covered with must and blood; he was bounding like a lion and entered there quickly like a cloud for bringing about the destruction of Kansa. He was very careful to find out the defects and his beautiful arms were adorned with the tusks of the elephant. Beholding him thus enter with great force the face of Ugrasena’s son grew pale and he began to eye them in anger (1–4). With the tusks in his hand Keshava shone there like a mountain of one summit stricken with the image of the half-moon (5). While he ranged by leaps and bounds, that ocean-like arena shone there filled with the echoes of the crowd (6). Thereupon with his eyes reddened in anger the highly wrathful Kansa ordered the greatly powerful Chānura to fight with Krishna (7). He ordered the powerful wrestlers Andhra, Nikriti and Mushthika, resembling so many mountains, to engage with Balarāma (8). Chānura had already been ordered by Kansa to fight with Krishna carefully. And again commanded thus, he, with his eyes reddened with ire, went forward to fight like a cloud surcharged with water (9-10). Afterwards when the royal mandate "Be all silent" was announced on all sides and the entire crowd was hushed into silence the Yādavas, assembled together, said (11): "This trial at arms was first introduced by the Creator as one in which no weapons should be used, in which skill and strength are necessary, in which there should be judges and no cowards should take part (12). In it (the parties) should await the appointed hour and remove their toil with water. It is also laid down that wrestlers should besmear their body with cow-dung (13). In it one standing should fight with another such, one lying on the ground should engage with another such; in whatever condition one may be one should fight with him in that order; such the judges say (14). A boy, a youth, an old man, a strong man or a weak man, whoever he may be, they should be informed of the particulars of the trial waiting in their respective quarters (15). Persons, conversant with the modes of wrestling, say that one, conversant with this mode, should not display his strength or skill while his antagonist is defeated (16).