Years after his journey across the seas, the wise hero Odysseus felt adventure's call once more. He departed from his wife, Penelope, and left rocky Ithaca in the charge of now-grown Telemachus. He set off wherever the gods would take him with his mighty bow on his back.

 

Odysseus came to a kingdom in the far south, and he went to the gilded palace to introduce himself to the ruler. However, he was surprised to find a crowd had gathered in the courtyard, and many young men struggled to move a massive bow.

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Odysseus was startled. The unstrung bow looked like his own. It was made of chestnut-colored wood carved with beautiful designs, and the grip was grooved to fit its master’s fingers. 

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Odysseus entered the arena to get a closer look.

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The crowd gasped.

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“You are too old to bend this bow!” one of the young men remarked. “It is too heavy for you to even lift.”

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Odysseus examined the bow on the dais without touching it. “What is the purpose of this competition?” he asked, remembering the trial he’d proposed long ago to rid his palace of the cowardly suitors.

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One of the participants pointed to a raised platform, where a robust man with a long, black beard looked down upon the competition.

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“I am King Kamsa, and this is part of the yajna,” the dark-bearded king said. “Anyone may try to lift and string the bow, but only one touched by the great god Vishnu will succeed.”

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Odysseus inclined his head as was proper for two men of high rank to greet one another in his homeland. Kamsa stiffened as though he expected more obeisance.

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“I am Odysseus, king of Ithaca,” the Greek hero said. “I know not of Vishnu, but my goddess Athena is with me in all ways, and she will help me meet your trial.”

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Odysseus braced his arms and pulled on Vishnu’s bow with all his might, but the weapon did not move. Odysseus didn’t understand what was wrong. The bow was the twin of his own. Why could he not even lift this one?

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Odysseus was suddenly aware of an emptiness inside him, like one of his limbs had been cut off. Something was missing that had always been there. His connection with Athena was gone.

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Then a handsome youth shoved through the crowd and marched toward Odysseus. His hair flowed regally behind him, but he wore a cowherd's simple garments. A similarly dressed young man wrestled with guards to keep them from assaulting the newcomer.

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Kamsa’s grip tightened on the arms of his throne.

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The cowherd addressed the king. “Kamsa, I will lift the bow of Vishnu and end your rule!”

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Kamsa sneered. “I knew you’d come someday, Krishna, but I doubt the divinity of Vishnu rests upon your shoulders. You’ll never lift that bow.”

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Odysseus stepped back. He was unsure of what drama he’d stumbled into. He knew nothing of Krishna. He also knew nothing of Kamsa and his crimes, but the Greek laws of hospitality meant he should defend the rightful king of the land.

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Krishna seized the bow of Vishnu and bent it easily. His muscles barely strained as he looped the string around the notches.

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Odysseus gaped, but he wanted to defend Kamsa. He pulled the bow from behind his back and strung it as quickly as Krishna had.

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Krishna hesitated. “Foreigner, where did you get that bow?” he asked.

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“It once belonged to a friend,” he said, and he remembered how he had met Iphitus, an ill-fated young hero, before the Trojan War. “Athena said I was meant to have it.”

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Krishna straightened. “That bow is the twin to Vishnu’s bow. It's meant for the great god Shiva. It has been wielded by many great heroes but never a foreigner. You must be a special man to be able to string it.”

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Even though Athena was not with him in this land, Odysseus could feel the thrum of divinity in his bow. Perhaps it really was more than just a piece of heavy wood that he’d inherited. Perhaps it had found him.

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“Tell me, youth,” Odysseus said. “Why do you rebel against your king?”

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Krishna levelled his chin, and Odysseus had seen enough gods and demigods during his many years to recognize the determined sharpness of divine bearing in his face.

 

“Kamsa is no king of mine. He is a tyrant and a murderer. He imprisoned my parent and killed my siblings, so the only brother I have now is Balarama." He nodded at the second muscle-bound youth who had defeated many of Kamsa's guards. "It is my destiny to rid the earth of his demonic presence.”

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Odysseus was loathe to violate the laws of hospitality by fighting alongside Krishna, but the avatar’s words rang with righteous truth. 

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The great Greek hero aligned himself with Krishna and Balarama, and they launched into battle against Kamsa’s guards.

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Odysseus slew many of Kamsa’s minions with his divine bow. Krishna was so strong that minutes after the battle began, his bow snapped. Kamsa froze because he knew his death was near.

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Finally, Krishna cornered Kamsa and slew the tyrant, and Odysseus was glad to see a righteous hero succeed against evil.

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Odysseus stayed with Krishna long enough to free his parents and establish stability in the newly liberated kingdom.

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“You are lucky to carry a divine bow,” Krishna said as Odysseus was leaving.

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“I am glad that your gods have entrusted me with it for now,” Odysseus responded. He intended to pass the bow to his son, but he wondered if the gods steered its path more carefully. It had come to him through fortuitous circumstances when Iphitus had gifted it to him, and he felt as though Athena or even Krishna's gods would ensure it found the hands of whatever hero needed it most.

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