The Killing of Karnsa 279
impersonal brahmajyoti. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all
good, anyone thinking of Him, either as enemy or as friend, gets liberation.
But the liberation of the devotee and the liberation of the enemy are not
the same. The enemy generally gets the liberation of sayujya, and some-
times he gets sdriipya liberation.

Kamsa had eight brothers, headed by Kanka. All of them were younger
than he, and when they learned that their elder brother had been killed,
they combined together and rushed towards Krsna in great anger to kill
Him. Kamsa and his brothers were all Krsna’s maternal uncles. They were
all brothers of Krsna’s mother, Devaki. When Krsna killed Kamsa He killed
His maternal uncle, which is against the regulation of Vedic injunction.
Although Krsna is independent of all Vedic injunction, He violates the
Vedic injunction only in inevitable cases. Kamsa could not be killed by
anyone but Krsna; therefore Krsna was obliged to kill him. As far as
Kamsa’s eight brothers were concerned, Balarama took charge of killing
them. Balarama’s mother, Rohini, although the wife of Vasudeva, was not
the sister of Karnsa; therefore Balarama took charge of killing all of
Kamsa’s eight brothers. He immediately took up an available weapon
(most probably the elephant’s tusk which He carried) and killed the eight
brothers one after another, just as a lion kills a flock of deer. Krsna and
Balarama thus verified the statement that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead appears to give protection to the pious and to kill the impious
demons who are always enemies of the demigods.

The demigods from the higher planetary systems began to shower
flowers, congratulating Krsna and Balarama. Among the demigods were
powerful personalities like Lord Brahma and Siva, and all joined together
in showing their jubilation over Kamsa’s death. There was beating of drums
and showering of flowers from the heavenly planets, and the wives of the
demigods began to dance in ecstasy.

The wives of Kamsa and his eight brothers became aggrieved on account
of their husbands’ sudden deaths, and all of them were striking their fore-
heads and shedding torrents of tears. They were crying very loudly and
embracing the bodies of their husbands. The wives of Karisa and his
brothers began to lament, addressing the dead bodies: ‘Our dear husbands,
you are so kind and are the protectors of your dependents. Now, after
your death, we are also dead, along with your homes and children. We are
no longer looking very auspicious. On account of your death, the au-
spicious functions which were to take place, such as the sacrifice of the
bow, have all been spoiled. Our dear husbands, you treated persons ill who
were faultless, and as a result you have been killed. This is inevitable
