The Taming of Kaliya

King Parikshit listened with wide eyes and asked, “Could a single snake poison such a huge river like the Yamuna all by itself? Could any snake have such power?”

Shukadeva Goswami replied, “O King, there is a great difference between ordinary snakes and Kaliya. Just as no bird can equal Garuda, so among snakes no one could equal Kaliya. It would not be enough to call him only a king. He was the emperor of the whole snake race. His form was enormous. He had at least a thousand heads and a thousand hoods. On each head a shining jewel glittered. Even his breath spread poison far and wide.”

Parikshit said, “Who really was Kaliya, O great sage? I have never heard of such a snake.”

Shukadeva began to explain.

“Kadrur was the mother of snakes, and Kaliya was one of her sons. Everyone knew of the enmity between Kadrur and Vinata. So there was never any friendship between Garuda, the son of Vinata, and the Nagas, the sons of Kadrur. Rather, Garuda would catch the Nagas and eat them one by one. The Nagas could not defeat Garuda, who was the carrier of Lord Vishnu. At last, all of them together prayed to Lord Brahma.

“‘Lord Brahmadev, protect us. To whom else can we go except you? Save us, Lord, save us.’

“Brahma said, ‘Be calm, Nagas. Tell me clearly what has happened.’

“They replied, ‘Lord, Garuda, the son of Vinata, has begun to oppress us terribly. Because he is the carrier of Shri Vishnu, his pride has become very great. The moment he sees a snake, he catches and eats it. If this goes on, we will be finished, O Lord. What will happen to us?’

“Brahma said, ‘Do not be afraid, children. I am calling Garuda. He must be warned. Garuda, child, where are you? Come to me quickly.’

“Garuda came and bowed. ‘Please accept the greetings of your servant, O Creator. You have remembered me. Give your order, Lord.’

“Brahma said, ‘What is this I hear, Garuda? Are you destroying the snake race? Do you have such boldness? The Nagas are also my creation. From today, you must not eat them freely. If you do, I will give harsh punishment.’

“Garuda folded his wings and pleaded, ‘Forgive me, Lord, forgive me. Please do not give me this order. I fall at your feet. If I do not eat snakes, what will I eat? How will I fill my stomach? I cannot eat anything else.’

“Brahma said, ‘Very well. Since you are pleading so much, I will tell you a way to satisfy your tongue. Listen. From now on, on every new moon day, one Naga from the Naga family will be sent to you. Whoever’s turn comes will send himself to you as prey.’

“Garuda said, ‘Your mercy is endless, Lord.’

“Brahma warned him again, ‘Other than this, you must not destroy the snake race on your own. It will not be good if you do not keep this promise, Garuda.’

“Garuda bowed. ‘As you command, Brahmadev. I accept your order.’”

Shukadeva continued, “By Brahma’s order, Garuda received one snake as food on every new moon day, and he no longer hunted by himself. In this way things went on peacefully for some time. But Kaliya did not obey that order. Among all the Nagas, his strength was the greatest, and his poison was the worst. His body was also the largest. In the whole snake race, no one had such a huge form as he did. Because of this, he was terribly proud.

“When the new moon day came and it was Kaliya’s turn, he spoke with great scorn.

“‘I am Kaliya. There is no Naga as powerful as I am. I do not accept that Garuda. Let that bird come. This time I will drown him in poison and kill him.’

“The other Nagas warned him, ‘Such pride is not good, Kaliya. Now it is your turn. If no one goes from your side, Garuda will destroy all of us.’

“But Kaliya said, ‘I am not frightened like all of you. Let that Garuda come. Today I will teach him a proper lesson.’

“Soon the Nagas cried out, ‘Look there, look! Garuda is coming.’

“Garuda arrived and demanded, ‘What is this? Why was no Naga sent to me on this new moon day? Whose turn is it this time?’

“The Nagas answered, ‘This time it is Kaliya’s turn.’

“Kaliya rose up and shouted, ‘From now on not a single Naga will go to you. I do not accept you. With my poison I will kill you, kill you.’

“Garuda thundered back, ‘Fool! How dare you insult me? Come, fight with me. Let me see how much power you have.’”

Then a terrible battle began. Kaliya poured out poison, trying to kill Garuda. But the poison could not harm Garuda at all. Garuda struck with his mighty wings and moved with blazing speed. Slowly Kaliya lost all his strength. At last, to save his own life, he fled with his family. Garuda chased him a long distance.

“In the end,” Shukadeva said, “Kaliya left his home on Ramanak Island and came to a lake beside the Yamuna. There he took shelter with his wives, children, and family. He knew that only there he would be safe, because Garuda could never come there.”

Parikshit asked, “Why, O sage? What was there in that lake?”

Shukadeva answered, “Garuda was under a curse. Sage Soubhari had cursed that if Garuda came to that lake, he would die. So Garuda never went there. No one else knew this. Only Kaliya knew it. That is why he hid there in the lake with his whole family.

“That lake was connected to the Yamuna. Because of Kaliya’s terrible poison, the waters of the Yamuna also became poisoned. Even the air was mixed with poison. Wherever the water vapor spread, poison spread there too. So no one could live near the Yamuna anymore. Even a bird flying over it would die at once.”

Parikshit then asked, “When King Nanda came from Gokul to Vrindavan, did they not know about this Kaliya, O sage?”

“Everyone knew about that deadly poison,” Shukadeva replied. “But there are some things that must simply be accepted because they cannot be avoided. So the cowherd men and women kept away from the Yamuna. They never used its water, not even by mistake. They knew that the poisonous snake would not leave the water and come onto land, so they remained safe on the shore.

“But one day the boys forgot about the poison. At once death came near them. Then the dark boy understood that this poison must end. It could not be allowed to remain any longer. Standing on the bank of the Yamuna, that boy began to prepare himself.”

Parikshit leaned forward. “What happened there after that? Please tell me everything, O sage.”

Shukadeva said, “Until then, every danger had come upon that boy himself, and he had protected himself. But this time danger had come upon his friends. Their bodies had turned blue from the poison. Also, the Yamuna was the greatest source of water for Vrindavan. So it was necessary to free the river from poison. Thinking this, that fearless boy climbed a tree standing before him.”

His friends guessed what he meant to do, and they cried out in alarm.

“Come down, Kanai, come down, come down I say.”

“O Kanai, what are you doing? There is poison in the Yamuna.”

“Kanai, Kanai, come down. I say come down.”

“You must not do anything until brother Balai comes.”

“I am going to call brother Balai, Kanai. Do not go anywhere alone.”

But the boy heard all this and paid no attention. He climbed higher, slapped his two hands together like a wrestler, and then jumped straight from the tree into the water.

The thick black water rose up wildly.

At once the boys standing on the bank cried out in pain.

“Kanai, Kanai, dear Kanai! Kanai, Kanai, what have you done?”

“Kanai, dear Kanai, I am going home right now to give the news to everyone.”

“Yes, go then. Call brother Balai. Bring brother Balai.”

“Kanai, Kanai, Kanai has jumped into the Yamuna. Do you hear? Kanai has jumped into that poisoned water. Whoever is wherever you are, come quickly.”

“Brother Balai, come quickly.”

Soon the cry spread through Braj.

“What did you say? What are you saying? Kanai has jumped into the Yamuna? What a terrible thing!”

“Yes, in front of our eyes Kanai jumped. What will happen now?”

“Nanda, we must give the news right now. Nanda Maharaj, Nanda Maharaj, can you hear? Disaster has happened to Kanai.”

“What a terrible thing!”

“Kanai is in the poisoned Yamuna. What will happen now? Alas, alas.”

“O Lord, what have you done? What have you done?”

Yashoda heard the cries and came in fear.

“What has happened? What am I hearing? Tell me truly, all of you. My Kanai, what has happened to my Kanai?”

Voices answered from every side, “First let us go to the Yamuna. Come, let us all go, go, go.”

Yashoda rushed forward in anguish. “Oh wait, wait, all of you, wait. I will go. My Kanai, what has happened to my Kanai? Kanai, what have you done, child? No one survives after falling into the Yamuna. There is terrible poison there, O Kanai. What will happen to me?”

Then Balaram spoke gently, “Mother, mother, be calm. Why are you crying like this? Nothing will happen to Kanai, mother.”

But Yashoda cried, “Kanai has jumped into the Yamuna. Do you not know how terrible the poison of Kaliya Naga is there, child? You are small, I know. If even one drop of that poison enters the stomach, no one lives.”

Others too remembered the bad signs of the day.

“Listen,” someone said, “from this morning one bad sign has come after another. There was an earthquake, then suddenly lightning struck. Did you all notice anything?”

Another replied, “Yes, you are absolutely right. Even then it felt like some danger would come.”

Yashoda wailed, “Yes, yes. Then why did my son have to fall into such great danger? O Kanai, O Kanai, how will I live without you, child? Tell me, how will I live? O Kanai!”

Again Balaram tried to steady her. “You are worrying for nothing. Listen to me, nothing will happen to Kanai.”

Yashoda looked at him through tears. “You... you are saying this, Balaram? Really nothing will happen to Kanai?”

Balaram said, “Kanai is well.”

“Tell me,” she begged, “Kanai is alive, isn’t he? Tell me, tell me.”

Balaram pointed toward the river. “Mother, dear mother, look there. Kanai is swimming under the water. Can you not see? See how the water is rising in waves? Mother, do not cry. Trust me. Kanai will surely return. Mother, be calm. Do not cry.”

Then he said to the others, “Father, all of you, please have some patience. Kanai will come at once.”

While all the people of Braj stood crowded on the bank of the Yamuna, weeping with broken hearts, that wonderful boy was under the water, stirring everything with great force. The strength of his movement raised a storm in the waters of the Yamuna.

From his hidden home below, Kaliya looked on in surprise.

“Who has such courage?” he thought. “No one ever enters this water. Then how are such waves rising in the Yamuna? The force of the water may even break apart my deep home. Who has such courage and strength?”

Parikshit asked, “Acharyadev, did that terrible snake feel fear now?”

Shukadeva replied, “Not fear, O King—curiosity. Roaring loudly, Kaliya came out from his home. But when he looked ahead, he was astonished. ‘What is this?’ he thought. ‘It is only a small boy swimming in the water and making a storm. He is playing happily. This water is full of poison. Not a single creature can live here. Then how is this boy alive? Does he have no fear for his life?’”

With his huge body Kaliya rushed toward the boy. He poured strong poison into the child’s small body. Then he wrapped him tightly in his great coils.

In Kaliya’s coils, that boy became still.

Parikshit asked in wonder, “Why did Narayan, who is adorned by Ananta Naga himself, become still in the coils of Kaliya, Lord?”

Shukadeva answered, “All this is his divine play, O King. Whatever strength anyone has in this creation is truly his strength alone. He is the Supreme Powerful One. If he himself does not honor the power he has given, then where is the value of that power? So he gave respect to the power of mighty Kaliya. His divine play is very hard to understand, Parikshit.”

Parikshit bowed his head. “Today I have heard something new, Lord. My eyes have opened. Truly, one must give proper honor to strength. What happened after that, O sage?”

Shukadeva said, “The blue jewel of their lives was bound in Kaliya’s coils. Standing on the bank, everyone saw that sight and cried out in deep pain. That playful boy of Braj had now become completely still. It could not even be understood whether he was alive. Kaliya spread hundreds and thousands of hoods above him, swaying over his head. The jewels on the snake’s heads shone like the sun. By his poison the water of the Yamuna became even darker black.

“When Mother Yashoda saw this, she could no longer be restrained. Crying loudly, she ran toward the Yamuna like an arrow.”

She cried, “Kanai, Kanai, dear Kanai, O Lord! Kanai, wherever you have gone, I will go there too. I am coming, child, I am coming, Kanai.”

The people tried to stop her.

“Mother, what are you doing? Mother, do not go. That is terrible poison, mother. You cannot do it. Do not go.”

But Yashoda cried out, “Mother? He is gone from my sight, gone. Can you not see, Balaram? You are stopping me? Will I, being his mother, not go to him?”

Balaram held her back and said, “No, you will not go, mother. Your Kanai has not gone anywhere. Please be calm, mother. I fall at your feet—be calm for a little while.”

Yashoda answered in pain, “What are you saying, Balaram? Kanai is fighting with death there, child, and how can I be calm? Tell me, how can I be? I, I alone will go into the river. I will fight that deadly snake too. I will save Kanai, save Kanai, save Kanai and bring him back. You will see. Rani, see, I will return with Kanai. I will return with Kanai, Rani.”

Others cried, “I will go too.”

But Balaram stopped them all. “No, no one will go anywhere. Everyone will stay where they are. None of you will go past me. Trust me. Have faith in Kanai. Have a little patience. You will see everything with your own eyes. Have a little patience.”

All the people of Vrindavan had now come and stood on the bank of the Yamuna. Many fainted. They could not bear to see their beloved Kanai in such a helpless condition. Mother Yashoda could not even stand. She trembled all over. Devi Rohini held her close. Little Balaram supported Nanda Raja by holding his hand.

Though still only a boy in age, everyone was amazed that day to see Balaram’s firmness. He was the elder brother who loved Kanai more than his own life. Yet even after seeing such danger for his little brother, how could he remain so calm? And even more wonderful, hearing the strength in his voice, no one dared move toward the Yamuna anymore.

Parikshit asked softly, “What happened after that, Lord? Tell me the story of Kaliya Naga, O sage.”

Shukadeva said, “Hearing the heart-breaking cries of the people of Braj, Shri Hari showed mercy. Other than him, there was no protector of Braj. Giving up his hidden illusion, he began to shine with power through his boy body. The people of Braj watched in wonder as that divine boy slowly began to regain consciousness.

“They cried out, ‘There, there, Kanai is standing upright. Victory to the Lord, victory to the Supreme God. Our Kanai is alive, our Kanai is alive.’

“Now the boy slowly stood up. His little body gradually began to grow bigger. It became so large that Kaliya’s huge coils could no longer hold him. Under the pressure of that great body, Kaliya’s grip began to loosen. In those loosened coils Kanai now stood upright.

“Then the blue jewel leaped onto Kaliya Naga’s heads.”

Shukadeva continued, “Kaliya had 101 heads. On each head was a precious jewel, and from each mouth poisonous hoods flashed out. Upon those heads that tender boy began to dance with his two small red feet. What a wonderful dance it was, and what hard blows of the feet. The boy danced in a strange rhythm. The blows of his feet grew stronger and stronger. Blood began to pour from Kaliya’s nose and mouth. Whichever head tried to rise proudly, little Kanai jumped onto that very head, and under the weight of his feet it bent down again.

“In this way all the heads bent one by one. Blood, poison, and life-force came from Kaliya’s mouths. His life was almost gone. Blow after blow had broken him. Not a bit of pride remained in him. All the poison and all the pride he had were now crushed beneath those two little feet.”

Seeing Kaliya in that dying condition, his wives came running. They fell at the reddish feet of the little boy and begged for their husband’s life.

They said, “Hail, Lord of the world, Supreme Person. Our husband has received punishment for his offense. You have touched him in order to punish him, and by this touch he has been freed. All his sins have been destroyed. Lord, now forgive him. Our husband is ignorant, sinful, and proud. He is full of dark qualities. It is not possible for him to know you. Lord, you save the low, the fallen, and the helpless. By your own goodness, forgive him, Narayan. Protect his life. We beg you, Lord. Do not kill him.”

The Lord said, “So be it. Rise, Kaliya. You have nothing more to fear. I now set you free.”

Kaliya bowed low and said, “O Lord, O shelter of the world, accept my bow, Master. I am ignorant. Drunk with pride, I could not know you, Lord. Please forgive my offense. I have surrendered to you. Protect me, Shri Hari, protect me.”

Krishna said, “You have troubled many living beings without reason, Kaliya. Do you know what the result of that will be?”

Kaliya answered, “I know, Lord. But this nature of mine is also your gift. Because you wished it, my nature became so terrible. Whatever result must be suffered for this, I will suffer it, Lord.”

Then the Lord said, “Listen, Kaliya. I am pleased with your devotion. Leave this Yamuna and return to Ramanak Island. The marks of my feet are now on your heads. When Garuda sees those marks, he will bow to you. So now there is no more fear. Go, leave now.”

Kaliya bowed again. “As you command, Lord. Your order is on my head.”

With his family, Kaliya left the Yamuna and went away. The waters of the Yamuna became free from poison. Not only that, the taste of the water became like nectar. For the people of Vrindavan, the Yamuna became a blessing once more.

Parikshit asked, “Even after defeating such a terrible Kaliya Naga, did the people of Vrindavan still not know him as God, Lord?”

Shukadeva smiled and said, “If Vrindavan always worshiped him only as God, then how would affection, tenderness, and sweetness be shown? Vrindavan is his sweet land. There Narayan is not God, but a friend. So under the power of Yogamaya, everyone knows everything, and yet forgets again. In their danger they run to Krishna. And when Krishna seems to be in danger, they become restless with fear. That is the nature of love, O King.”

Parikshit then asked, “Did anything else happen to the people of Braj even after Kaliya was defeated?”

Shukadeva answered, “O King, where God himself lives, danger never fully ends. I told you this before. But not every danger comes in the form of demons or monsters. Natural dangers are also enough. And where there are so many trees, forests, and woods, nature too sometimes shows its fierce power.”

Parikshit said, “Are you speaking of the forest fire, O sage?”

“Yes, O King,” said Shukadeva. “The forest fire.”

“In the strong summer,” Shukadeva continued, “the fields and forests of Vrindavan dried up. The breeze from the Yamuna gave life, but for the land of Braj that wind was not always gentle. Dry leaves and dry wood rubbed against each other, and fire broke out in the thick forest. It spread from one tree to another, from one forest to another. Driven by the wind, the small fire became a terrible forest fire.

“But the cowherd boys did not know that a fire had started in the distant woods. That day they had gone out happily to graze the cows with Kanai and Balai. After going some distance, they saw smoke far away, but they could not understand the reason. Those who had gone far could not return. And those who were near were shocked.”

The boys began to shout.

“Yes, smoke, smoke, look Kanai, see how smoke is rising.”

“What smoke is that? What has happened there?”

“Fire, fire, the forest has caught fire. Save us, save us, whoever is wherever you are, save us!”

“Kanai, O Kanai, can you hear?”

“Yes, can you hear? Is that Subal’s cowshed?”

“Listen, listen, listen—fire, fire. This forest is on fire. Save us.”

One boy cried, “I think, I think they are trapped in that forest, Kanai.”

Another said, “If the fire harms them, what will happen, Kanai? I am so afraid, so afraid.”

“O Kanai!”

Krishna said calmly, “Do not be afraid, Shridam. Nothing will happen to Subal and the others. The fire cannot harm them.”

But the boys looked around in fear. “Listen, the fire is coming closer. Now I can smell burning, burning. We cannot find our cows and calves. What will happen now?”

Krishna replied, “Listen to me, Shridam. Everyone is safe. No one is in danger. Do not be afraid. Just watch what happens.”

The flames kept coming closer. From far away, trees burned one after another and turned to ashes. The cowherd boys stood around Kanai with frightened faces. But on the face of that divine boy was the same soft smile as always. There was no worry in him.

Kanai looked calmly at the fire.

When the flames came still nearer, Shridam, Sudam, and the others moved even closer to him in fear. Now the animals and birds of the forest had also begun to cry terribly. Danger seemed to be closing in from every side.

“What will happen now, Kanai? We... we will all die.”

Krishna said, “Do not be afraid, Shridam. All of you close your eyes. Do not open them until I tell you.”

Some protested, “But no, no.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Yet at last they obeyed. “Here, here, we have closed our eyes.”

After telling his friends to close their eyes, little Kanai came and stood before the fire. Then, with a huge wide-open mouth stretching across the horizon, he remained there.

Pulled by that great open mouth, the forest fire rushed forward at great speed. Before that destroying blaze, Agnidev himself came and stood there. Bowing to the Supreme Lord, he entered that deep vastness with all his power. The Supreme Lord held the terrible forest fire of Vrindavan in his open mouth.

Slowly everything in all directions became calm.

The birds sat quietly on the branches. The animals fell silent. From far away Kanai’s friends now returned. The cows and calves also came back. When all was peaceful again, the cowherd boys returned home with Kanai. Vrindavan was saved from the terrible fire.

Parikshit asked, “Why did Krishna hold that fire in his own mouth? Was there some reason behind it, O sage?”

Shukadeva replied, “In the mouth of the Lord there is endless mercy and endless love. The taste of his mouth is like nectar. Anything offered by a devotee becomes sweet nectar when it reaches his mouth. Agnidev longed to taste that nectar, so he came to Vrindavan. Understanding his wish, Shri Hari gave him a place in his own mouth. At once the forest fire of Vrindavan was extinguished.”

Parikshit said with deep feeling, “The more I hear of the sweetness of Vrindavan, the more my longing grows, Lord. Please tell me of the love of this land of Braj. I want to hear more of that love which has drawn all the gods of heaven to come and stand in Braj, Lord.”

Shukadeva said, “You will hear of the love of Braj, O King.”