Narayana Krishna

Tenth Canto Chapter Sixteen

In this chapter, Krishna dancing on serpent Kaliya and liberating it is covered.

Maharishi Śuka said to Emperor Parikshit, “The ever-competent Śrikrishna cast a glance at River Yamuna which had been rendered poisonous by the black snake. Deciding to purify the waters, he drove away the snake from that location”.

Hearing this Emperor Parikshit enquired, “O revered saint! How did Krishna, the Supreme Lord, overpower the poisonous snake that was situated in the centre of that deep river?”

Yamuna was a very deep river. How could Krishna subdue the snake which was living deep within those waters?

“How was it possible for that snake to reside in those waters for many eons? O saint, kindly explain this in detail to me. The supreme pastimes of Krishna and Balarama, who played the roles of cowherd boys, are nectarous to the ears”.

The more one listens to the divine pastimes, the more his/her sins get destroyed. The more one listens to the divine pastimes, the more supreme knowledge he gains. The more one listens to the divine pastimes, the quicker he travels towards the Lord and merges into His Supreme Essence.

“Even after listening endlessly to these tales of the Lord, my mind is not fully satisfied. It craves to hear to them more and more. O great saint, please narrate this story to me”.

Maharishi Śuka replied, “In one of the ponds created by River Yamuna, the serpent called Kaliya resided. This pond which was known as Kalindi, was disconnected from the main flowing river. The poisonous fumes released by the serpent caused the waters of the pond to boil rapidly. The hot poisonous fumes emerging from the pond, killed the birds that flew over it and they fell into it. The wind that blew over the pond was filled with poisonous water droplets and hence, the living entities which came into contact with this wind lost their lives instantly”.

The gigantic birds that flew over the pond were burnt due to the hot, poisonous fumes which emerged from the pond. The snake residing within would gobble up the dead bird which fell into its waters. All the animals and humans touched by the wind, which was rendered poisonous due to blowing upon the pond, met death instantly. The snake could attract such animals towards himself and gobble them up.

“Even the trees that stood on the banks of this pond dried up completely as a result of the poisonous wind that blew over them. The strength of serpent Kaliya lay in his dreaded poison. Due to the presence of this terrible serpent, the area around it was never inhabited. Even animals dreaded to walk in its vicinity and hence this became an isolated pond in Brindavan.

Śrikrishna, who observed that through his poison, Kaliya was rendering impure the waters of Yamuna, immediately determined to purify these waters.

Deciding to subdue the serpent, the Lord who had incarnated solely for the destruction of the wicked, climbed a tree nearby. He adjusted the cloth that was tied across His waist and then, from that height jumped directly into the centre of the vast pond which was filled with poisoned waters. Poisonous fumes being emanated by the snake were travelling upwards towards the skies in great force. Due to the heat generated, a poisonous spray was being sprinkled upwards. The poison caused the waters of the lake to be coloured and it was creating forceful ripples.

When the Supreme Lord jumped into the waters from atop the tree, the waters of the pond splashed in all directions for a distance of 800 feet. Such was the force with which he jumped into the pond! This of course is no astonishing feat for the Lord who possesses infinite energies.

Having jumped into the pond, Śrikrishna began to swim in it like a mighty elephant, creating huge ripples as He rapidly moved His powerful arms. The sound generated due to this action was heard by serpent Kaliya, who used his eyes as his ears”.

Snakes do not have external ears. They use their eyes and body to hear sounds. They grasp the sound waves that travel.

“Kaliya who heard this huge splash, was agitated that his home had been attacked. In great fury, he rushed towards Śrikrishna.”

‘Who is this that dares to swim in my poisonous waters? Who is it that dares to challenge me?”- thought the enraged serpent.

“Śrikrishna, the charming boy with delicate bodily features, was dark complexioned like the pure dark cloud. On His chest was the Srivatsa mark. He was wearing golden-silken clothing around His waist. As he swam fearlessly across the waters of the pond his charming face was lit up with a beautiful smile. His feet resembled the reddish inner portion of the lotus flower. Biting him on his neck and other delicate portions of his body, the snake enclosed him within its coil”.

Krishna Jagadiśwara