Krsna Erects the Dvaraka Fort 335

Kalayavana saw Him, however, in His Visnu form, with a well-built body,
with four hands, and eyes like newly blooming lotus petals. Krsna appeared
blissful, with a handsome forehead and beauitful face, with smiling restless
eyes and moving earrings. Before seeing Krsna, Kalayvana had heard about
Him from Narada, and now the descriptions of Narada were confirmed. He
noticed Krsna’s specific marks and the jewels on His chest, His beautiful
garland of lotus flowers, His lotus-like eyes and similarly beautiful bodily
features. He concluded that this beautiful personality must be Vasudeva,
because every description of Narada’s which he had heard previously was
substantiated by the presence of Krsna. Kalayavana was very much
astonished to see that He was passing through without any weapon in His
hands and without any chariot. He was simply walking on foot. Kalayavana
had come to fight with Krsna, and yet he had sufficient principles not to
take up any kind of weapon. He decided to fight with Him hand to hand.
Thus he prepared to capture Krsna and fight.

Krsna, however, went ahead without looking at Kalayavana, and Kala-
yavana began to follow Him with a desire to capture Him. But in spite of
all his swift running, he could not capture Krsna. Krsna cannot be cap-
tured even by the mental speed attained by great yogis. He can be
captured only by devotional service, and Kalayavana was not practiced in
devotional service. He wanted to capture Krsna, and as he could not do so
he was following him from behind.

Kalayavana began running very fast, and he was thinking, ““Now I am
nearer; I will capture Him,” but he could not. Krsna led him far away,
and He entered the cave of a hill. Kalayavana thought that Krsna was
trying to avoid fighting with him and was therefore taking shelter of the
cave. He began to chastise Him with the following words: “Oh You,
Krsna! I heard that You are a great hero born in the dynasty of Yadu, but
I see that You are verily running away from fighting, like a coward. It is
not worthy of Your good name and family tradition.” Kalayavana was
following, running very fast, but still he could not catch Krsna because he
was not freed from all contaminations of sinful life.

According to Vedic culture, anyone who does not live following the
regulative principles of life observed by the higher castes like the brah-
manas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and even the laborer class is called mleccha. The
Vedic social situation is so planned that persons who are accepted as
Siidras can gradually be elevated to the position of brahmanas by the
cultural advancement known as samskara, or the purificatory process. The
version of the Vedic scriptures is that no one becomes a brahmana or a
mleccha simply by birth; by birth everyone is accepted as Sidra. One has
