Parāçara said:—Once on a time Krishna went to Vrindavana, without
Balarāma; and there, adorned with garlands of wild flowers, roamed he,
encircled by the cow-herds, He then repaired to the banks of Kalindi,
undulating and sparkling with foam and as if smiling when the waves
dashed against the banks. There he saw the pool with the dreadful
serpent Kāliya, boiling with the fires of poison. By the touch of that
poison the huge trees on the banks were withered and being touched by
the waters raised by the wind the birds were scorched. Beholding that
dreadful serpent, like the second mouth of death, the illustrious Slayer
of Mahdhu thought—"Forsooth, the wicked and poisonous serpent Kāliya
lives here, who, being defeated by me, was constrained to leave the
ocean whose waters were defiled. By him the waters of the Yamuna,
flowing to the ocean, have been poisoned, and the thirsty cows and
cow-herds cannot satisfy their thirst. I must slay this serpent, so that
the inhabitants of Vraja may live here happily freed from fear. I have
descended upon the land of mortals to chastise the wicked, led astray
into vicious paths; I shall therefore climb up the neighbouring Kadamba
tree and jump down into the pool".
Parāçara said:—Having thus thought within himself he bound his clothes
tightly about him and jumped boldly into the pool of the serpent-king.
The huge lake was agitated as soon as he fell into it, and the waves
raised thereby began to sprinkle the distant trees, which being touched
by the water and wind, thus poisoned, were immediately set on fire, and
the whole horizon was ablaze. Having dived into the lake, Krishna struck
his arms defiantly. Hearing that noise the serpent-king immediately
issued out—whose eyes were coppery and hoods were flaming with deadly
venom. He was encircled by many other powerful and poisonous snakes
living upon air and hundreds of serpent-nymphs adorned with rich
ornaments, whose earrings glittered with brilliance as the wearers moved
along. Coiling themselves around Krishna, they all bit him with teeth
from which fiery poison came out. Beholding him in the lake thus
surrounded by serpents, his companions immediately went to Vraja
bewailing aloud his fate. "Krishna has foolishly jumped into the lake of
the serpent Kāliya, and is being devoured by that serpent-king; do ye
come and behold him". Hearing those words, resembling the fall of
thunder, the cow-herds and their wives headed by Yasoda, proceeded
speedily towards the lake. "Alas where is Krishna gone" cried the wives
of the cow-herds greatly bewildered; and Yasoda, terrified, with
faltering steps, proceeded quickly. Rāma, gifted with great prowess,
Nanda and other cow-herds being anxious to see Krishna, arrived quickly
at the bank of the Yamuna and beheld him surrounded by, snakes,
possessed by the serpent-king and motionless. O foremost of Munis,
looking at the countenance of their son, the cow-herd Nanda and the
noble Yasoda became stupified. And the wives of the other cow-herds
stricken with grief and keeping, saw him; and with words expressive of
fear and affliction, they, out of love towards Keshava, said—"We shall
all with Yasoda enter this huge lake of the serpent-king; we shall not
be able to go back to Vraja. What is day without the sun, night without
the moon, cow without a bull and Vraja without Krishna? Without Krishna
we shall not return to Vraja, like unto a pond without water, in his
absence, nor shall we roam in the forest. We do not like to live there,
even if it be the house of our mothers, where there is not Hari, having
the countenance like lotus-petals. How shall we live sorrowfully without
beholding Hari in pasture having eyes resembling full-blown
lotus-petals? We shall not go back to the house of Nanda in Gokula
without the lotus-eyed Krishna, who with his pleasant conversation has
stolen all our hearts. O ye cow-herds! behold, Krishna is still casting
smiling looks upon us, although he is encircled by snakes engaged by the
serpent-king".
Parāçara said:—Hearing those wards of the wives of the cow-herds and
beholding the cow-herds stricken with fear the highly-powerful son of
Rohini looked settled (for some time.) And then seeing Nanda, with fixed
looks towards Krishna and Yasoda almost in a swoon, he began to chant by
signs the glories of Krishna—"O god of gods, why art thou displaying
these human characteristics? Dost thou not perceive thyself at one with
one without end? Thou art the centre of creation, as the nave is of the
spokes of a wheel. A portion of thee, I have even also born, as thy
eldest brother. To share in thy sports as men, the celestials have all
descended under a like disguise. Having made all the goddesses descend
in Gokula for thy sport, thou hast afterwards descended, although thou
art existing perpetually. Wherefore Krishna dost thou neglect these
celestials who, as cow-herds, are thy friends and kin—and these
sorrowing females, who also are thy relations? Thou hast assumed, the
character of man; thou hast displayed the tricks of childhood. Now let
this dreadful snake although armed with poisoned fangs, be vanquished
(by thee)".
Being thus reminded of his real character by Rāma, Krishna smiled gently
and immediately freed himself from the coils of the snakes. And catching
with both his hands the middle hood of the serpent-king, that highly
powerful (Krishna) bent it down and set his foot upon the
hitherto-unbended hood; and danced upon it victoriously. And the hood of
the serpent was bruised by the treading of Krishna's feet, and wherever
the snake attempted to raise his head, it was again trodden down.
Trampled upon by the feet of Krishna as they changed position in the
dance, the snakes fainted and vomitted froth much blood. Seeing the head
and neck of their king thus bruised and blood flowing from this mouth,
the females of the snake-king implored the mercy of the Slayer of Madhu.
The females of the serpent-king said—"We have recognized thee, O god of
gods, O supreme lord of all. Thou art a portion of that supreme light
and the mighty lord. Thou art the self-existent lord and even the
celestials are unable to praise thee worthily, and how can the females
truly chant thy glories? How can we sing his glories whose portions are
earth, sky, water, fire and air? Even the holy ascetics have in vain
sought to know thy real essence. We bow to that form, which is the most
subtiles of atoms, the largest of the large; to him whose birth is
without a creator, whose end knows no destroyer and who alone is the
cause of duration. There is no anger in thee, thou protectest the world
and hence this punishment of Kāliya. Hear us. The virtuous should pity
women; and creatures are pitied even by the fools; let therefore the
foremost of the forgiving have compassion upon this poor creature. Thou
art the upholder of the universe and this snake is gifted with but
little strength, if and oppressed by thee, he shall in no time give up
his life. There is a vast difference between this poor serpent of
limited strength and thyself in whom the world reposes. Friendship and
enmity are felt towards equals and superiors and not for those who are
infinitely inferior to us. This unfortunate snake is about to die,—give
us therefore, as a matter of charity, our husband!"
Parāçara said:—When the wives of the serpent-king had said this, he,
too, although wearied, repeated feebly his prayers for clemency. "Pardon
me" he said—"O god of gods, how shall I address thee, who art possessed,
through thine own strength and essence, of the eight great faculties and
art in energy unmatched? Thou art the Supreme, the originator of the
supreme; thou art the supreme spirit and from thee, the Supreme
proceeds: thou art beyond all finite objects: how can I sing thy
glories? How can I chant his greatness from whom have sprung Brahmā,
Rudra, Chandra, Indra, the Maruts, the Aswins, the Vasus and the
Adityas—of whom but, a small portion is the whole universe, which is
destined to represent his essence and whose nature, primitive or derived
is beyond the conception of Brahmā and other immortals. How can I
approach him who is worshipped by the celestials with incense and
flowers culled from the groves of Nandana? How can I adore him whose
incarnate portion are being worshipped even by the king of celestials
and whose real nature he is not conscious of? How can I approach him,
whom the sages, having their minds withdrawn from external objects,
worship in thought and enshrining whose image in their hearts present to
it the flowers of sanctity? I am quite unable, O god of gods, to worship
thee or sing thy glories—by thy mercy only, be thou propitiated with me.
O Kesava, the serpents are by nature, crooked. I am born in that race,
so I am also wily, which is the characteristic of my own race, so I am
not to blame in this, O Achyuta. Every thing has been created by thee
and every thing is being destroyed by thee—and the species, form and
nature of all things in the world, are thy work. Even such and I as thou
hast created me in kind, in form and in nature. Such am I and such are
my actions. Should I act differently then indeed should I deserve
punishment; so thou hast destined. And that I have been punished by
thee, is indeed a blessing—for punishment from thee alone is a favour.
"Behold I am now divested of strength and poison—deprived of both by
thee. Save my life—I ask no more. Order me what shall I do".
Being thus addressed by Kaliya, Krishna said—"You must not wait here any
more; go immediately, with your family and followers, to the sea.
Garuda, the enemy of the serpents, will not injure thee if he sees the
impressions of my feet upon your hood". Having said this, Hari liberated
the serpent-king, who, respectfully bowing to his victor, went to the
ocean accompanied by all his wives, servants and children, leaving the
sight of all and the pool he had lived in. When the snake had departed,
the cow-herds received back Govinda as one risen from dead and embraced
him and bathed his forehead with tears of joy. Others, considering the
water of the river pure, were filled with surprise, and chanted the
glory of Krishna, who is above the influence of actions. Being thus
glorified by his illustrious exploits and eulogized by the cow-herds and
their wives, Krishna came back to Vraja.