The Serpent Kaliya
The following essay was printed in the May 1932
edition of
The Harmonist, or Sree Sajjanatoshani.
There is a beautiful lake of very sweet water in the
Yamuna which bears the name of Kaliya. This lake happened to be infested
by a most venomous Serpent from whom the lake derives its name. On a
certain day while the cow-boys of Braja were out pasturing their calves on
the wooded banks of the Yamuna they happened to feel thirsty and not
knowing that the water of the lake had been poisoned by Kaliya drank of
its water which resulted in their instantaneous death. On being apprised
of their plight Krishna came to the spot and restored them to life.
Thereafter Krishna got down into the lake with the
intention of sporting in its water. This enraged the hideous monster who
forthwith came out of the depths of the lake in the company of his
adherents and fell upon Krishna coiling Him up in their great hoods for
Kaliya was a thousand-hooded Serpent and his brood were equally
formidable.
Thus attacked by Kaliya with his whole brood Krishna
appeared to faint away under their murderous onslaught. On seeing Him
apparently slain by His enemies the cow-boys and all the assembled milkmen
filled the air with their loud lamentations. But Krishna soon showed that
He was quite safe and He forthwith climbed up the hoods of Kaliya and
began to dance on his thousand heads. He danced in an infinite variety of
the most marvelous of figures. The pressure of Krishna's Feet crushed the
towering pride of the myriad-hooded monster. Kaliya lowered his hoods and
vomited blood. But the Dance of Krishna did not cease. Kaliya was found
tottering towards death when his wives came out of the lake and with palms
joined in prayer begged Krishna to spare the life of their husband. The
prayers of the wives of Kaliya who had faith in Krishna moved the Son of
Nanda to have mercy on Kaliya. Krishna now desisted from His terrific
Dance on condition that Kaliya was to quit the lake at once and to betake
himself to his original home in the island of Ramanaka. Krishna gave him
His assurance that Garuda would now do him no harm as he would respect the
print of His Feet on hoods of Kaliya. The water of the Kaliya lake was now
rendered immune from all poison and became as sweet as it was before the
advent of Kaliya.
The taming of Kaliya is one of the Brindaban Pastimes
of Boy-Krishna. Kaliya is the type of cunning and malice. He is the
embodiment of unrelenting cruelty. There is no place for Kaliya in the
happy realm of Braja. Deceit and cruelty are as poison to the artless
loving nature of the denizens of Braja. It is quite conceivable for the
confiding chums of Krishna not to entertain any suspicion regarding the
malicious intention of cruel and deceitful persons whose purpose is to
poison them against Krishna. They may even unwittingly fall into the
counsel of such evil persons. But Krishna is sure to rescue His Own from
the wiles of His enemy.
Nay Krishna has also a plan for curing the evil
propensity of Kaliya himself. The process consists in making him feel the
touches of His Dancing Feet. But Kaliya attempts to bear up against all
curative chastisement. Instead of feeling the joy of supporting the Feet
of Krishna on his nasty hoods the monster finds it impossible to bear his
good fortune without undergoing the pangs of actual death. Even the loyal
wives of Kaliya who desire the reformation of the monster and whose good
wishes for his well-being are the cause of Krishna's mercy towards him are
at last forced to intercede by a prayer for his banishment from the realm
of Braja. But the pride of Kaliya had received a mortal check.
The banishment of Kaliya from the lake of the Yamuna
has a most important spiritual significance. Those who have a purpose to
create trouble among the pure devotees of Krishna by infecting their
nature with their own malicious disposition meet with a certain degree of
initial success in their nefarious undertaking. This emboldens them to
make a direct attack on Krishna Himself when He appears on the scene of
their depraved activities in order to restore the living faith of His Own
bonafide associates.
Those who are not exceedingly clever can never be
servants of Krishna. But the service of Krishna is also never available to
those whose cunning is employed for depriving Krishna of the fullness of
His enjoyment. Kaliya and those who are actuated by a naturally malicious
disposition are also styled clever in the ordinary phraseology of this
damned world. Such rascals may also have the impudence of taking their
stand upon the texts of the Scriptures by using their cunning in the
graceless attempt of depriving Krishna of the service His Own. This kind
of conduct may also pass undetected and may even be regarded as possessing
the perfect skill of confidential service. But Krishna is sure to expose
the real nature of the villainy just at the moment when it has been
successful in misleading His best-beloved ones.
It is, indeed, very difficult to understand the Ways
of Krishna. Krishna apparently permits almost every form of offense to be
perpetrated with impunity against His most beloved ones. This has the
effect of providing an opportunity to His Own for proving their
incomparable love for Himself and by means of this unique exhibition of
their love to defeat in the most fruitful manner the machinations of His
worst enemies. The friends and chums of Krishna are offered to the malice
of cunning and relentless brutes in order to bring out the difference
between the two and thereby enable the latter to desist from troubling the
devotees of their own accord.
But these brutes are never allowed to associate with
the servants of Krishna even after they forego their malice towards them.
They are eternally debarred from the service of Krishna in Braja. But the
touch of Krishna's Feet makes a real difference between the recipient of
His mercy and the other brutes. Kaliya is no longer regarded by Garuda as
the enemy of Krishna. Kaliya is, therefore, allowed a place among the
protected of Krishna.
It does not follow that it is a paying business to
poison the hearts of His servants against Krishna which is sure to be
rewarded by the grant of His protection. Yes, this is so after the pride
of the miscreant is thoroughly broken by being trod upon by Krishna
Himself. His is thereby inspired with a most wholesome dread which
effectively prevents him from trying to breed mischief among the bonafide
devotees by owning an unwilling allegiance to Krishna and assuming the
badge of His servitude by wearing on his head the print of His lotus Feet.
The mercy shown to Kaliya is so obviously and
disproportionately great in its magnitude in face of the extreme gravity
of his offense that no rationalistic explanation can do justice to its
full beneficent significance.
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