Question: Pertaining to the demons involved in Krishna’s pastimes, how were these powerful entities manifested and from where and why were they emanated?
Answer by Romapada Swami: The Lord enacts His pastimes in both the material and spiritual worlds. The demons are present only in the material world. Our acaryas describe that in the spiritual world there are only “rumors of demons”; that is to say, the bhava of intensified shelter-taking is present as if there were real demons present, but there are not demons in Goloka.
We shouldn’t think that Krsna is somehow disturbed by the demons. They are tiny, insignificant creatures whom Krsna can easily kill with His material energy if He so desires, without being directly involved. But sometimes for sake of lila — showing His devotee that Krishna will protect them, but first intensifying their shelter-taking spirit, PLUS enhancing His own happiness by engaging in chivalrous activity, He allows them to become relatively powerful in the material world. His fighting with them is, in this way, both for His own pleasure and the pleasure of His devotees.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the tendencies that may be found in the living entity, for He is the chief living entity. Therefore it is natural that sometimes the Lord wants to fight. Just as He has the tendencies to create, to enjoy, to be a friend, to accept a mother and father, and so on, He also has the tendency to fight. Sometimes important landlords and kings keep wrestlers with whom they practice mock fighting; Krsna makes similar arrangements. The demons who fight with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the material world are sometimes His associates. In exceptional cases, when there is a scarcity of demons and the Lord wants to fight, He instigates some of His associates of Vaikuntha to come and play as demons. Examples are that of Jaya and Vijaya who descended to this world to fulfill the Lord’s desire. Therefore in each of their three births- Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, second as Ravana and Kumbhakarna, and third as Sisupala and Dantavakra – the Lord personally killed them.
While it is said that Sisupala merged into the body of Krsna, it should be noted that in this case he was not Jaya or Vijaya; he was actually a demon.
