338 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

strong; all your relatives have passed away in due course of time. Time is
so strong and powerful because it is a representation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; time is therefore stronger than the strongest. By
the influence of time, changes in subtle things can be effected without any
difficulty. No one can check the process of time. As an animal tamer
tames the animals according to his own will, so time also enters things
according to its own will. None can supersede the arrangement made by
the supreme time.”

Thus addressing Mucukunda, the demigods requested him to ask for
any kind of benediction he might be pleased with, excepting the benedic-
tion of liberation. Liberation cannot be awarded by any living entity except
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. Therefore another name of
Lord Visnu or Krsna is Mukunda, He who can award liberation.

King Mucukunda had not slept for many, many years. He was engaged
in the duty of fighting, and therefore he was very tired. So when the
demigod offered benediction, Mucukunda simply thought of sleeping. He
replied as follows: ‘““My dear Karttikeya, the best of the demigods, I want
to sleep now, and I want from you the following benediction. Grant me
the power to burn, by my mere glance, anyone to ashes who tries to
disturb my sleeping and awakens me untimely. Please give me this bene-
diction.” The demigod agreed and also gave him the benediction that he
would be able to take complete rest. Then King Mucukunda entered the
cave of the mountain.

On the strength of the benediction of Karttikeya, Kalayavana was burnt
into ashes simply by Mucukunda’s glancing at him. When the incident was
over, Krsna came before King Mucukunda. Krsna had actually entered the
cave to deliver King Mucukunda from his austerity, but He did not first
appear before him. He arranged that first Kalayavana should come before
him. That is the way of the activities of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; He does one thing in such a way that many other purposes are
served. He wanted to deliver King Mucukunda, who was sleeping in the
cave, and at the same time He wanted to kill Kalayavana, who had
attacked Mathura city. By this action He served all purposes.

When Lord Krsna appeared before Mucukunda, the King saw Him
dressed in a yellow garment, His chest marked with the symbol of Srivatsa,
and the Kaustubha-mani hanging around His neck. Krsna appeared before
him with four hands, as Visnu-murti, with a garland called vaijayanti
hanging from His neck down to His knees. He was looking very lustrous,
His face was very beautifully smiling, and He had nice jeweled earrings in
both His ears. Krsna appeared more beautiful than a human can conceive.
