The prophecy that haunted the cruel King Kansa from the day of his sister Devaki’s marriage had finally reached its fulfillment. Kansa had lived in constant fear, knowing that Devaki’s eighth son would be the cause of his death. Despite all his efforts to prevent destiny—from imprisoning his sister and her husband Vasudeva, to slaying their children, to ruling Mathura with terror—fate could not be changed. That son was Krishna, now standing before him in the royal wrestling arena.

After slaying Kuvalayapida, the monstrous elephant, and defeating the mighty wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika, Krishna and his brother Balarama faced the tyrant king himself. The people of Mathura watched with bated breath as the moment of truth unfolded.

Kansa, filled with rage and desperation, insulted Krishna and the Yadavas, declaring that the two brothers were mere cowherds unworthy of challenging him. He ordered his guards to capture them. But the guards, terrified after witnessing Krishna’s superhuman strength, dared not move. Realizing that his end was near, Kansa himself rose from his throne to fight.

Krishna leaped onto the high platform where Kansa sat in arrogance. Like time itself descending upon mortality, he seized the king by the hair and pulled him down into the arena. The crowd erupted in gasps of awe and fear. Kansa, though powerful, was no match for the divine strength of Krishna.

With mighty force, Krishna hurled Kansa to the ground and pressed his chest under his foot, ending his tyrannical life. The prophecy was fulfilled. The very hands that once played the flute in Vrindavan now delivered justice to a cruel oppressor.

In that instant, the atmosphere of Mathura transformed. The citizens, long oppressed under Kansa’s reign of terror, rejoiced with relief and devotion. The gods showered flowers from the heavens, and divine music resounded in celebration of the demon king’s downfall.

But Krishna’s act was not merely one of vengeance—it was an act of restoration. Kansa, though wicked in his deeds, was ultimately granted liberation at the hands of the Lord. By dying at Krishna’s feet, his soul was freed from the cycle of birth and death. Such is the mercy of the Divine, who even while punishing, grants salvation.

After the battle, Krishna and Balarama freed their imprisoned parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, bowing humbly before them. The brothers then restored the rightful ruler, Ugrasena, Kansa’s father, to the throne of Mathura. Peace and righteousness once again returned to the land.

The slaying of Kansa stands as one of the most dramatic moments in the Bhagavatam—a moment where divine justice prevailed over tyranny, and where the fears of the oppressed were finally lifted.

This story reminds us that no matter how strong evil may appear, truth and righteousness will ultimately triumph. Just as Krishna ended Kansa’s reign, so too does divine grace destroy the darkness in our own lives, leading us towards light and liberation.