With a smile all-wise Krishna looked at the wrestlers, then, with eye aslant, he gazed on Kangsa, who trembled at the look; and answered Chānoor thus: "Though subjects of King Kangsa, yet only boys of the forest are we, unlearned in the art of wrestling. Therefore, we pray you, match us with boys of our age and not with men whose muscles are iron and whose hearts are bold as a lion's. If we are to meet men like these, unfair is the game, and unjust, and we decline the arrangement." Then Chānoor became insolent, because of the confession of Krishna which he thought was made in weakness, and cried: "O thou who hast killed the furious elephant as if in sport, thou askest to be matched with one of thine own age! With me thou shalt wrestle, me the most powerful, the strongest man of the age, and Rāma shall match with Mushtik; and, be it just or unjust, fair or unfair, thee I will fight and fight to kill." And so a combat began between the man that was mortal and the youth that was God. The man a giant was of colossal brute force, of stature great, with muscles all knotted and crooked as the boughs of an oak-tree of many years' growth. And the Boy, smooth as a sweet maiden, all curved with grace, smilingly awaited the onslaught. Forward the wrestler came, with the snort of a wild bull, to meet the Boy, who, calm and serene, smiled in his eye. The people arose and sprang from their benches, and hissed, and threw their head gear and staffs into the ring, as they shouted: "Give up, the fight is unfair!" "Oh, shame!" they cried, "coward and beast! put a stop to the slaughter!" on seeing the seemingly unequal fight. Several times Chānoor struck furious blows at the fair, slight body of Krishna, the youth, but provoked naught but a smile from Him; while beads of blood sprang to the brow and arms of Chānoor, and his huge legs trembled and broke at the knee as he tried to reach the belt of Him, who, after several circles about the ring, seized Chānoor by the arms, and, lifting him high above His head, to the wonderment of the crowd, dashed him down to the ground, as a playing child doth throw the pebbles. And the wrestler breathed his last with a yearning look of love in his eyes, as they rested on Him, whom a moment before he beheld with hate. And Rāma, too, victorious was. But when Krishna stood and faced the mass of people there, they shouted and cheered with mad delight and jumped on the railings in panic wild: "He is more than human, He is God come down to earth! It is He, for whom the world hath waited! He will free our land from oppression! Hari is He, the Invincible! Oh, mighty art Thou and possessest in Thy frame the forces of all the universe!"