Krishna's Wrath

The legend of the demon lord Bana was known far and wide. He was a monstrous being with cruel and unusually awful intentions. Bana thrived off of terrorizing others and making the lives of humans unbearable. It brought him great delight to know that others were suffering as a result of his actions. His hatred for the human race had brought him great notoriety and adoration amongst his fellow demons. The humans from the surrounding areas had been driven off to the point where only the demon race was thriving under Bana's rule. He enjoyed many awful things. One of his favorite things was to fight in battle with those that considered themselves worthy opponents. Bana would utterly destroy the confidence of his opponents on the battlefield. He would humiliate his opponents before ending their life. Bana had grown to the point where he was overflowing with confidence. He had a very strong sense of entitlement and arrogance. He did not think there was one person that could even rival him in a battle. So, he did something that many would not. He begged the god Shiva to send a worthy opponent his way. 

Shiva was very reluctant to do this because Bana had no idea what was about to come his way. He granted Bana's wish, but he gave him fair warning of what was about to come. Bana ignored this warning and went about his life. Bana continued his spree of arrogance and cruelty. He was eagerly waiting for the challenger to approach his kingdom for some time. However, the challenger did not arrive when he had expected. Weeks turned into months and Bana had not been in battle for some time. His arrogance still remained. However, he came to forget the wish he had asked the god Shiva. Everything would soon take a turn south for Bana when Krishna arrived at his kingdom's doorstep.

The grown hero Krishna would be the one to challenge the demon Bana. Krishna's sole purpose on earth was to rid the world of demons. He had been prolific at this even at a very young age. Krishna did not care for the legend of the demon Bana. Krishna knew what he was capable of and did not falter when he heard of Bana's strength. The demon had one thousand arms that he used to wield weapons of terror. This did not faze Krishna. He was the hero of the people. He had the life-blood of Lord Vishnu running through his veins. When the time came to battle Bana, Krishna was ready. He took his discus in his hand and slashed each arm from the body of Bana. The demon could do nothing as Krishna dismantled him limb by limb. Bana was in utter disbelief at what had happened to him on the battlefield. He was so certain that he could never be defeated by anyone in combat. However, he did not know of Krishna and his capabilities. The hero Krishna then proceeded to free the slaves of the kingdom and restore peace to those living in the realm. This was a humbling experience for Bana. Shiva and Krishna granted Bana mercy and did not kill him. However, this came at the cost of his kingdom and his ability to succeed in battle.

(A photo of a statue of Krishna at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(A photo of Krishna fighting against Banasura. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: The story that I told was a direct retelling from its source. Krishna was created from the body of Lord Vishnu. He contained the might and power of Lord Vishnu. Krishna's purpose on earth was to rid the world of Kansa and his allies. He also had extra motivation in this instance because he was trying to rescue his grandson Aniruddha. His grandson was captured because he was in love with Bana's daughter. Krishna comes across many demons during his travels and he easily defeats them. Krishna was even able to do this when he was just a toddler. The demon lord Kansa sent many powerful demons throughout the land to track down young Krishna and kill him. Krishna was able to swiftly defeat these demons to everyone's surprise. This exemplifies his extraordinary strength and abilities. This specific story details Krishna and his battle with the demon lord Bana who had one thousand arms. Bana was a very confident and boastful demon. He had never been challenged on the battlefield. He prayed to the god Shiva for a worthy challenger. Bana would get this wish and Krishna would come to face him. In the end, Krishna easily defeats Bana. The demon begs for forgiveness and he is spared from his foolish judgement and actions. I briefly made note of this at the end of the story. I wanted to focus more on exemplifying Krishna's strength and the arrogance of the demon Bana.

Bibliography: Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories, by C. A. Kincaid. Source: Blogger.