Kalayavana and King Muchukunda

Krishna led Kalayavana into a cave where the ancient king Muchukunda lay asleep; one glance from the awakened king burned the invader to ashes, and Muchukunda received the Lord's darshan.

While Jarasandha was preparing his eighteenth attack on Mathura, a fierce warrior named Kalayavana, who had heard from Narada that the Yadavas were his only match, marched on the city with a vast army of foreign warriors. Krishna knew that if the Yadavas were caught between two enemies, his people would suffer. So he had the city of Dwarka built in the sea and moved everyone there by his yogic power, as told elsewhere. Then he came out of Mathura alone, unarmed, wearing a lotus garland.

Kalayavana recognised him from Narada's description and decided to fight him on foot, without weapons. Krishna turned and ran, always staying just out of reach, as if inviting the chase. Kalayavana followed, shouting insults, until Krishna entered a deep mountain cave. Inside, Kalayavana saw a man lying asleep. Thinking that Krishna was pretending to sleep, he kicked him hard. In the popular telling, Krishna had laid his own yellow cloth over the sleeper.

The sleeper was Muchukunda, a great king of the Ikshvaku line and son of Mandhata. Long ago he had protected the gods from the demons for ages. When their own general was ready, the gods released him and offered him a boon. Since his family and kingdom had long since passed away, he asked only for deep sleep, and the gods granted that whoever woke him would be burned by his gaze. Now, roused by the kick, Muchukunda opened his eyes in anger, and the moment he looked at Kalayavana, fire arose from the invader's body and turned him to ashes.

Then Krishna appeared before Muchukunda, dark and radiant, with four arms and wearing the Kaustubha jewel. Muchukunda asked who he was, and Krishna told him. Overwhelmed, the old king offered heartfelt prayers. He said that he had wasted ages chasing kingdoms and pleasures, and that now he wanted nothing except shelter at the Lord's feet. Krishna was pleased and promised that in his next birth he would be born a Brahmin and attain the Lord. Muchukunda came out of the cave, saw that people had grown smaller in the new age, and went north to Badarikashrama for austerities.

Krishna returned to Mathura, and when Jarasandha's army came again, he and Balarama seemed to flee from the field and later went on to Dwarka. For this reason Krishna is lovingly called Ranchhod, the one who left the battlefield. In Gujarat he is worshipped as Ranchhodrai, most famously at Dakor.

This leela teaches that the Lord's ways are deep. What looks like retreat is part of a larger plan, and every soul is led, in its own time, to his feet.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, ch. 51–52

Place

Mathura – Muchukunda's cave – Badarikashrama

Lesson

What looks like retreat may be part of the Lord's larger plan.