8/13/2019 The Serpent Kaliya by Bhaktisddhanta
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The Serpent KaliyaThe following essay was printed in the May
1932 edition of
The Harmonist, or Sree Sajjanatoshani.
There is a beautiful lae of !ery sweet water in the "amuna whi#h
bears the name of $aliya. This la
happened to be infested by a most !enomous Serpent from whom the
lae deri!es its name. %n a
#ertain day while the #ow&boys of 'raja were out pasturing
their #al!es on the wooded bans of the
"amuna they happened to feel thirsty and not nowing that the
water of the lae had been poisoned b
$aliya dran of its water whi#h resulted in their instantaneous
death. %n being apprised of their pligh$rishna #ame to the spot and
restored them to life.
Thereafter $rishna got down into the lae with the intention of
sporting in its water. This enraged the
hideous monster who forthwith #ame out of the depths of the lae
in the #ompany of his adherents an
fell upon $rishna #oiling Him up in their great hoods for $aliya
was a thousand&hooded Serpent and
his brood were e(ually formidable.
Thus atta#ed by $aliya with his whole brood $rishna appeared to
faint away under their murderous
onslaught. %n seeing Him apparently slain by His enemies the
#ow&boys and all the assembled
milmen filled the air with their loud lamentations. 'ut $rishna
soon showed that He was (uite safe
and He forthwith #limbed up the hoods of $aliya and began to
dan#e on his thousand heads. He
dan#ed in an infinite !ariety of the most mar!elous of figures.
The pressure of $rishna)s *eet #rushedthe towering pride of the
myriad&hooded monster. $aliya lowered his hoods and !omited
blood. 'ut
the +an#e of $rishna did not #ease. $aliya was found tottering
towards death when his wi!es #ame
out of the lae and with palms joined in prayer begged $rishna to
spare the life of their husband. The
prayers of the wi!es of $aliya who had faith in $rishna mo!ed
the Son of anda to ha!e mer#y on
$aliya. $rishna now desisted from His terrifi# +an#e on
#ondition that $aliya was to (uit the lae at
on#e and to betae himself to his original home in the island of
-amanaa. $rishna ga!e him His
assuran#e that aruda would now do him no harm as he would
respe#t the print of His *eet on hoods
of $aliya. The water of the $aliya lae was now rendered immune
from all poison and be#ame as
sweet as it was before the ad!ent of $aliya.
The taming of $aliya is one of the 'rindaban /astimes of
'oy&$rishna. $aliya is the type of #unning
and mali#e. He is the embodiment of unrelenting #ruelty. There
is no pla#e for $aliya in the happy
realm of 'raja. +e#eit and #ruelty are as poison to the artless
lo!ing nature of the deni0ens of 'raja.
is (uite #on#ei!able for the #onfiding #hums of $rishna not to
entertain any suspi#ion regarding the
mali#ious intention of #ruel and de#eitful persons whose purpose
is to poison them against $rishna.
They may e!en unwittingly fall into the #ounsel of su#h e!il
persons. 'ut $rishna is sure to res#ue Hi
%wn from the wiles of His enemy.
ay $rishna has also a plan for #uring the e!il propensity of
$aliya himself. The pro#ess #onsists in
maing him feel the tou#hes of His +an#ing *eet. 'ut $aliya
attempts to bear up against all #urati!e
#hastisement. nstead of feeling the joy of supporting the *eet
of $rishna on his nasty hoods themonster finds it impossible to
bear his good fortune without undergoing the pangs of a#tual
death.
!en the loyal wi!es of $aliya who desire the reformation of the
monster and whose good wishes for
his well&being are the #ause of $rishna)s mer#y towards him
are at last for#ed to inter#ede by a prayer
for his banishment from the realm of 'raja. 'ut the pride of
$aliya had re#ei!ed a mortal #he#.
The banishment of $aliya from the lae of the "amuna has a most
important spiritual signifi#an#e.
Those who ha!e a purpose to #reate trouble among the pure
de!otees of $rishna by infe#ting their
nature with their own mali#ious disposition meet with a #ertain
degree of initial su##ess in their
nefarious undertaing. This emboldens them to mae a dire#t atta#
on $rishna Himself when He
