The Kesi Story in English for Kids

A heavenly prophesy motivated King Kamsa to kill Lord Krishna. In order to murder Krishna, he did this by sending a group of asuras (demons) after him. In this story, King Kamsa sent Kesi, a horse demon to Vrindavan. Krishna lived in Vrindavan with Balarama, his cowherd friends, his mother Yashoda and his father Nanda.

Summary of the Kesi Story in English

Throughout his time on earth, Krishna interacted with several people. He was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who had come to Earth to purge it of evil and establish virtue. He killed the horse-demon Kesi in one such instance.

When he saw his attempts to murder Krishna fail, King Kamsa became enraged and dispatched Kesi, a strong, mystic demon to kill Krishna. Kesi transformed into a huge, enraged horse. He sprinted to get to Vrindavan. He was moving at a breakneck pace. His feet were thought to shatter the earth and trigger earthquakes. His tail extended disproportionately into the sky, scattering the clouds along its path.

The cowherd lads were grazing the cows and having an enjoyable time with Lord Krishna right there in Vrindavan, unaware of what was in store for them. One of the laddu-loving cowherd lads, named Madhumangala, humorously said, "Hey Krishna! My friend, you always get scrumptious laddoos. Please lend me your flute, peacock feather, and blazing, brilliant yellow attire. I shall get to eat Laddus to my heart's delight while dressed like you. Krishna gave Madhumangala all he requested out of love for his friend.

Kesi, meantime, began hunting for the young man who was playing the flute, wearing yellow clothing, and sporting peacock feathers in accordance with commands he got from Kansa. Kesi saw Madhumangala disguised as Krishna and assaulted him. Looking at the terrifying creature Madhumangala immediately hurried to Krishna for assistance.

The horse then rushed at Krishna while howling horrifyingly like a lion. He attempted to crush him with his powerful legs. But Krishna quickly grabbed hold of his legs and started spinning the horse. After a few shots, he was thrown 100 yards away. The horse was thrown by Krishna and instantly fell unconscious. However, after a little while, he regained consciousness and galloped towards Krishna once more with open jaws, this time with enormous energy and rage.

Krishna Killing Demons

Symbolism of Kesi in the Story 

In some interpretations of this story, Kesi represents the vice of arrogance or pride in one's own acts of effort and accomplishments. Kesi acts as a symbol for vanity and ego. Keshi was a stallion.  Just as ropes are used to tug on the mouth of horses to control them, Krishna directly placed his hand in his mouth to subdue Kesi. People who are arrogant, frequently disparage others which results in negative consequences. So, in order to control these negative impulses, one should refrain from gossiping needlessly (prajalpa), or they will not be successful.

Note to Parents 

It is suggested that parents read their children tales from Indian mythology. While also entertaining them, they deepen their ties to Indian culture. Afterall,  understanding mythology helps us put our reality, our literature, and our personal views into context. It is important to consider the relevance of these myths; and even an understanding of the same will be helpful for children.

Conclusion

When Kesi approached Krishna, he thrust his left arm into Kesi's mouth. Kesi was in excruciating pain from it, as Krishna’s arm felt like a hot iron branding him. He lost his teeth right away. Once he was within Kesi's mouth, Krishna expanded his arm, suffocating Kesi to death. After the horse had passed away, Krishna removed his hand with ease from Kesi's mouth.