Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seeing that the Yamuna River had been contaminated by the black snake Kaliya, desired to purify the river, and thus the Lord banished him from it.
King Pariksit inquired: O learned sage, please explain how the Supreme Personality of Godhead chastised the serpent Kaliya within the unfathomable waters of the Yamuna, and how it was that Kaliya had been living there for so many ages. O brähmaëa, the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead freely acts according to His own desires. Who could be satiated when hearing the nectar of the magnanimous pastimes He performed as a cowherd boy in Vrndavana?
Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: Within the river Kalindi [Yamuna] was a lake inhabited by the serpent Kaliya, whose fiery poison constantly heated and boiled its waters. Indeed, the vapors thus created were so poisonous that birds flying over the contaminated lake would fall down into it. The wind blowing over that deadly lake carried droplets of water to the shore. Simply by coming in contact with that poisonous breeze, all vegetation and creatures on the shore died. Lord Krishna saw how the Kaliya serpent had polluted the Yamuna River with his terribly powerful poison. Since Krishna had descended from the spiritual world specifically to subdue envious demons, the Lord immediately climbed to the top of a very high kadamba tree and prepared Himself for battle. He tightened His belt, slapped His arms and then jumped into the poisonous water. When the Supreme Personality of God-
head landed in the serpent’s lake, the snakes there became extremely agitated and began breathing heavily, further polluting it with volumes of poison. The force of the Lord’s entrance into the lake caused it to overflow on all sides, and poisonous, fearsome waves flooded the surrounding lands up to a distance of one hundred bow-lengths. This is not at all amazing, however, for the Supreme Lord possesses infinite strength.
Krishna began sporting in Kaliya’s lake like a lordly elephant-swirling His mighty arms and making the water resound in various ways. When Kaliya heard these sounds, he understood that someone was trespassing in his lake. The serpent could not tolerate this and immediately came forward. Kaliya saw that Sri Krishna, who wore yellow silken garments, was very delicate, His attractive body shining like a glowing white cloud, His chest bearing the mark of Çrévatsa, His face smiling beautifully and His feet resembling the whorl of a lotus flower. The Lord was playing fearlessly in the water. Despite His wonderful appearance, the envious Kaliya furiously bit Him on the chest and then completely enwrapped Him in his coils. When the members of the cowherd community, who had accepted Krishna as their dearmost friend, saw Him enveloped in the snake’s coils, motionless, they were greatly disturbed. They had offered Krishna everything-their very selves, their families, their wealth, wives and all pleasures. At the sight of the Lord in the clutches of the Kaliya snake, their intelligence became deranged by grief, lamentation and fear, and thus they fell to the ground. The cows, bulls and female calves, in great distress, called out piteously to Krishna. Fixing their eyes on Him, they stood still in fear, as if ready to cry but too shocked to shed tears.
In the Vrndavana area there then arose all three types of fearful omens-those on the earth, those in the sky and those in the bodies of living creatures-which announced imminent danger. Seeing the inauspicious omens, Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men were fearful, for they knew that Krishna had gone to herd the cows that day without His elder brother, Balarama. Because they had dedicated their minds to Krishna, accepting Him as their very life, they were unaware of His great power and opulence. Thus they concluded that the inauspicious omens indicated He had met with death, and they were overwhelmed with grief,
lamentation and fear. All the inhabitants of Vrndavana, including the children, women and elderly persons, thought of Krishna just as a cow thinks of her helpless young calf, and thus these poor, suffering people rushed out of the village, intent upon finding Him. The Supreme Lord Balarama, the master of all transcendental knowledge, smiled and said nothing when He saw the residents of Vrndavana in such distress, since He understood the extraordinary power of His younger brother. The residents hurried toward the banks of the Yamuna in search of their dearmost Krishna, following the path marked by His footprints, which bore the unique signs of the Personality of Godhead.
The footprints of Lord Krishna, the master of the entire cowherd community, were marked with the lotus flower, barleycorn, elephant goad, thunderbolt and flag. My dear King Pariksit, seeing His footprints on the path among the cows’ hoofprints, the residents of Vrndavana rushed along in great haste. As they hurried along the path to the bank of the Yamuna River, they saw from a distance that Krishna was in the lake, motionless within the coils of the black serpent. They further saw that the cowherd boys had fallen unconscious and that the animals were standing on all sides, crying out for Krishna. Seeing all this, the residents of Vrndavana were overwhelmed with anguish and confusion. When the young gopés, whose minds were constantly attached to Krishna, the unlimited Supreme Lord, saw that He was now within the grips of the serpent, they remembered His loving friendship, His smiling glances and His talks with them. Burning with great sorrow, they saw the entire universe as void. Although the elder gopés were feeling just as much distress as she and were pouring forth a flood of sorrowful tears, they had to forcibly hold back Krishna’s mother, whose consciousness was totally absorbed in her son. Standing like corpses, with their eyes fixed upon His face, these gopés each took turns recounting the pastimes of the darling of Vraja. Lord Balarama then saw that Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men, who had dedicated their very lives to Krishna, were beginning to enter the serpent’s lake. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Balarama fully knew Lord Krishna’s actual power, and therefore He restrained them.
The Lord remained for some time within the coils of the serpent, imitating the behavior of an
ordinary mortal. But when He understood that the women, children and other residents of His village of Gokula were in acute distress because of their love for Him, their only shelter and goal in life, He immediately rose up from the bonds of the Kaliya serpent. His coils tormented by the expanding body of the Lord, Kaliya released Him. In great anger the serpent then raised his hoods high and stood still, breathing heavily. His nostrils appeared like vessels for cooking poison, and the staring eyes in his face like firebrands. Thus the serpent looked at the Lord. Again and again Kaliya licked his lips with his bifurcated tongues as He stared at Krishna with a glance full of terrible, poisonous fire. But Krishna playfully circled around him, just as Garuda would play with a snake. In response, Kaliya also moved about, looking for an opportunity to bite the Lord. Having severely depleted the serpent’s strength with His relentless circling, Sri Krishna, the origin of everything, pushed down Kaliya’s raised shoulders and mounted his broad serpentine heads. Thus Lord Sri Krishna, the original master of all fine arts, began to dance,
His lotus feet deeply reddened by the touch of the numerous jewels upon the serpent’s heads. Seeing the Lord dancing, His servants in the heavenly planets-the Gandharvas, Siddhas, sages, Cäraëas and wives of the demigods immediately arrived there. With great pleasure they began accompanying the Lord’s dancing by playing drums such as mådaìgas, paëavas and änakas. They also made offerings of songs, flowers and prayers. My dear King, Kaliya had 101 prominent heads, and when one of them would not bow down, Lord Sri Krishna, who inflicts punishment on cruel wrong-doers, would smash that stubborn head by striking it with His feet. Then, as Kaliya entered his death throes, he began wheeling his heads around and vomiting ghastly blood from his mouths and nostrils. The serpent thus experienced extreme pain and misery. Exuding poisonous waste from his eyes, Kaliya, would occasionally dare to raise up one of his heads, which would breathe heavily with anger. Then the Lord would dance on it and subdue it, forcing it to bow down with His foot. The demigods took each of these exhibitions
as an opportunity to worship Him, the primeval Personality of Godhead, with showers of flowers. My dear King Pariksit, Lord Krishna’s wonderful, powerful dancing trampled and broke all of Kaliya’s one thousand hoods. Then the serpent, profusely vomiting blood from his mouths, finally recognized Sri Krishna to be the eternal Personality of Godhead, the supreme master of all moving and nonmoving beings, Sri Narayana. Thus within his mind Kaliya took shelter of the Lord. When Kaliya’s wives saw how the serpent had become so fatigued from the excessive weight of Lord Krishna, who carries the entire universe in His abdomen, and how Kaliya’s umbrellalike hoods had been shattered by the striking of Krishna’s heels, they felt great distress. With their clothing, ornaments and hair scattered in disarray, they then approached the eternal Personality of Godhead. Their minds very much disturbed, those saintly ladies placed their children before them and then bowed down to the Lord of all creatures, laying their bodies flat upon the ground. They desired the liberation of their sinful husband and the shelter of the Supreme Lord, the giver of ultimate shelter, and thus they folded their hands in supplication and approached Him.
- Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) ª Canto 10: The Summum Bonum ª Chapter Sixteen ª Verses: 1-32.
the irresistible time
By the disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Çré Hari-vaàça states, çiraù sa kåñëo jagräha sva-hastenävanamya: "Krishna grabbed Kaliya's head with His hand and forced it to bow down." Most people in this world are quite reluctant to bow down to the Supreme Person, the Absolute Truth. In the contaminated state called material consciousness, we conditioned souls become proud of our insignificant position and are thus reluctant to bow our heads before the Lord. Yet just as Lord Krishna forcibly pushed Kaliya's heads down and thus defeated him, the Supreme Lord's energy in the form of irresistible time kills all conditioned souls and thus forces them to bow down their arrogant heads. We should therefore give up the artificial position of material life and become
faithful servants of the Supreme Lord, enthusiastically bowing down at His lotus feet.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that Lord Krishna's lotus feet became red like copper because of their contact with the numerous hard jewels upon the heads of Kaliya. Lord Krishna, with those glowing reddish feet, then began to demonstrate His artistic skill by dancing on the unsteady, moving surface of the serpent's hoods. This extraordinary demonstration of dancing skill was meant for the pleasure of the young women of Vrndavana, who at this phase of their relationship with Krishna were seriously falling in love with Him.
- Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) ª Canto 10: The Summum Bonum ª Chapter Sixteen ª Verse: 26, Purport by the disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
aCtual independenCe Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura
Those who are independent are proud, and those willing to subordinate themselves are humble. If after taking shelter of devotional service we become proud, and if after worshiping the Lord we neglect to serve His devotees and thus commit offenses at their feet, we will find ourselves facing inconveniences and then becoming detached from the Lord’s service. This human form of life is not meant for misfortune. Rather, it is meant to attain auspiciousness. Why do we always forget this? Why do I forget that I am the most useless, insignificant wretch? To be tempted by Mäyä to become great or to enjoy is an insignificant and unnecessary occupation. If we really want to become humble, thus decreasing our hankering for greatness, then we should follow and associate with the Lord’s humble devotees, who are servants of the great.
The desire to become independent in this world means to become the servant of others. Material independence is simply a covered form of dependence. Complete independence is obtained by becoming dependent on the Lord, who is full of eternality, knowledge, and bliss, and desiring only to serve Him. As long as the living entities hold the rope of Lord’s mercy they are known as His servants. Those who think themselves self-dependent or independent should know that they are actually
dependent on others. Only those who depend on the Supreme Lord are truly independent. When we attain actual independence then the conception that we are eternally dependent on Sri Hari becomes prominent. Any object that is a complete whole is transcendental. Service to or dependence on that transcendental Absolute Truth, Sri Hari, is actual, joyful independence. Otherwise, the show of independence while identifying oneself as the doer or master brings only distress. It is nothing but subordination under Mäyä.
a spotless heart Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura tåëäd api su-nécena taror api sahiñëunä amäninä mäna-dena kértanéyaù sadä hariù
The word amani describes the quality of the devotee who chants offenselessly—a spotless heart free from false ego and false prestige. All gross and subtle bodily designations are derived from the mode of ignorance. Yogic mystic powers, material opulence, natural beauty, high birth, strength, social status, influence over others, etc., are but a function of false ego and are incompatible with real spiritual identity. To completely reject these false designations is to have a spotless heart, devoid of mundane ego and false prestige. He who in spite of having every reason to be proud, demonstrates tolerance, humility, and a spotless heart is a fit candidate to chant purely. A devotee of Krishna, whether he is a brähmaëa living in the house, must subdue the pride of being a brähmaëa; and if he is living a renounced life in the forest, must conquer the supercilious attitude careful to avoid becoming proud of being a brähmaëa, of being a renunciant. He should simply concentrate on the lotus feet of Krishna and chant His holy name.
- Çré Sanmodana Bhäñyam on Çré ÇikñäñöakaTranslated by Sarvabhavana dasaeven A MoSt proud perSon beComes extremely humble Srila Vrindavan Das Thakura
When Nimai Pandita was residing in Navadvipa as the crest-jewel of all teachers, a great Digvijayé Paëòita who had received a benediction from Sarasvati arrived there. The Digvijayé had already defeated in argument the learned scholars of all provinces, and after hearing that the scholars of Navadvipa were famous for their learning throughout India, he proudly arrived in Navadvipa in order to defeat the scholars there. Hearing about the arrival of the Digvijayé Paëòita, the entire scholarly community of Navadvipa became most restless and worried. When the students of Nimai Pandita gave Him this news, He told them, “The Supreme Lord and destroyer of everyone’s pride always destroys the pride of arrogant persons. Trees with fruits and persons with good qualities are always humble. Because great Digvijayé kings like Haihaya, Nahusa, Vena, Bana, Naraka, and Ravana were excessively intoxicated with pride, the Lord ultimately destroyed their pride. Therefore the Lord will soon destroy the pride of this Digvijayé who has come to Navadvipa.” After speaking in this way, the Lord sat on the bank of the Ganges that evening and began to contemplate how to conquer this Digvijayé. At that time, as the full moon shone in the sky, the Digvijayé arrived before the Lord and was informed by the students about the identity of the wonderfully effulgent Nimai Pandita. The Lord first exchanged a few words with the Digvijayé and then respectfully and tactfully requested him to describe the glories
of the Ganges. Thereupon the Digvijayé began to quickly and incessantly compose and recite verses in glorification of Gangadevi like the rumbling of hundreds of clouds. Everyone there was struck with wonder on seeing the amazing poetic ability of the great Digvijayé. When the Digvijayé stopped after incessantly reciting verses for three hours, the Lord requested him to explain the verses. As soon as Digvijayé began to explain, the Lord pointed out innumerable faults in alaìkära and other literary rules in the beginning, middle, and end of his description. The Digvijayé could not reply to any of the Lord’s challenges; all his ingenuity became overshadowed. When on seeing this, the Lord’s students were about to laugh, the Lord checked them and solaced the Digvijayé in various ways. He told the Digvijayé to go home, take rest, and, after studying further, return the next day. Being extremely embarrassed and saddened within, the Digvijayé began to think, “I have defeated even the extraordinary scholars of the six branches of philosophy, but due to providence I have finally been defeated by a young ordinary grammar teacher! How is it possible? It must be that I have committed some offense at the feet of Sarasvati-devi.” Thinking in this way, he began to chant the Sarasvati mantra and soon fell asleep. That very night, Sarasvati appeared before Digvijayé Paëòita and disclosed to him the real identity of Nimai Pandita. She said, “Nimai Pandita is not an ordinary worldly scholar. He is the omnipotent and original Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sarasvati-devi is only a shadow of His internal potency. This Sarasvati, who is the shadow of the internal potency of the Lord, is ashamed to stand before Narayana, therefore she remains in the background.” Devé further told the Digvijayé Paëòita that he had now actually achieved the fruit of his worship, because he had the good fortune of seeing the Lord of innumerable universes. Then, after instructing the Digvijayé to quickly go to the Lord and surrender at His lotus feet, she disappeared. When the Digvijayé awoke from his sleep, he immediately went to the Lord and informed Him with faltering words of the details of his dream and the instructions of Sarasvati-devi. The Lord, who is the master of Sarasvati, also instructed Digvijayé about the superiority of spiritual knowledge, which is favorable for worshiping the Supreme Lord, and the abomination of material knowledge, which is the source of false
pride and domination. The Lord said, “The fruit of cultivating knowledge is to fix the mind at the lotus feet of Krishna, and devotion to Visnu, or spiritual knowledge, is the only truth and desirable object.” After speaking these words of instruction, the Lord particularly forbade Digvijayé from revealing to anyone the truths that he had heard from Sarasvati, which are confidential to even the Vedas. By the mercy of the Lord, devotion, detachment, and spiritual knowledge simultaneously manifest in the body of Digvijayé Paëòita and, being fully satisfied by achieving pure devotional service, he became tåëäd api sunéca—“more humble than a straw in the street.” While describing the nature of Gaura’s mercy, the author has written, “Even a most proud person becomes extremely humble by the mercy of Gaura. Even persons who are intoxicated with pride due to material wealth give up royal happiness to live in the forest and worship Hari. If the most alluring objects desired by materialistic persons are abundantly available to persons who have received the mercy of the Lord, they can easily abandon them. What to speak of royal happiness, the devotees of Krishna consider even the happiness of liberation as insignificant.” When the scholars of Navadvipa saw the wonderful prowess of Nimai Pandita and His victory over the Digvijayé in this way, they desired to confer on Him the title of Bädisiàha, and thus His matchless glories were declared.
- Ädi-khaëòa 13, Çré Caitanya-bhägavata, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura Edited and Published by Pundarika Vidyanidhi dasa Vrajraj Press.
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ISKCON
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Founder-Acarya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. ©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective artists.
