Verse 5

In plain words

38. The Subduing of Kāḷiya The maharṣi Śuka, describing Śrī Kṛṣṇa's childhood līlās, said: "That Bālagopāla, the Līlā-mānuṣa-vigraha, growing little by little, had reached the age of five. One day — who knows what He had in mind! His līlās He never disclosed to anyone but Himself, neither beforehand nor afterwards. One could only recognise His deeds as they unfolded and act accordingly; to imagine in advance that they would be such-and-such was never possible for anyone at all. Every day He used to take His elder brother along with Him. That day, without telling His brother, or His mother and father, Yaśodā and Nanda, He took the cows very secretly, together with the cowherd children, and went to a certain pool in the river Yamunā. The Strange, Poison-Filled Pool The story of that pool was a very strange one. Ordinarily it is natural for the water in pools to be somewhat murky. But the water of this pool was blue in colour and would seethe, heated to a pitch that would raise blisters. Bubble upon bubble welling up, hot vapour rising from the surface of that pool would spread all round, up into the sky. That living creatures touched by that air lost their lives the very next moment was a source of astonishment to everyone. Even birds flying above that pool, the moment that air touched them, would flap their wings frantically, die, drop into that pool, and be boiled.

Because this strange thing was well known to all the people of Repalle, no one would go anywhere near that pool or send their children or their cattle there; they went about with the greatest caution. That day, however much the cowherd boys pleaded that that way must not be taken, Gopāla would not listen. Insisting firmly, "It is there that I must go," He shot off with a whoosh. Though the other cowherds tried in every way they could, He shook Himself free of them, went to the edge of the pond, took off His clothes and said, "I must swim in this." The children — 'Alas! If even its air is so poisonous, how deadly must its poison be!' — lacked the courage to say it firmly, and when they said it softly He would not listen; clinging stubbornly to His resolve, He climbed a tree that stood beside it and jumped into it. Gopāla, having jumped, did not come up however long they watched from above; and to the cowherd boys, who passed their days holding Kṛṣṇa as their very life, this became a most terrifying situation. They all gathered round the pond and began calling out to Him in every way and wailing. Bālakṛṣṇa Grapples with the Serpent Meanwhile Gopāla came up to the surface and was swimming about, throwing the whole pool into turmoil as though in an earthquake; and seeing the sight of a mighty serpent chasing Gopāla to seize Him, spewing poison, its eyes flashing like fire, the boys, in grief beyond bearing, raised one single uproar: 'Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Come to the bank! Come here! Come here!' Gopāla, acting as though He had not heard their words at all, displayed His exuberance ever more wondrously; and at last, seizing the serpent by its tail — He in front, the snake behind — in a great fury, the whole pond, like the sea's

waves, leaping upward. At last, seeing the snake coil itself wholly around Gopāla and torment Him, some of the children ran off to Gokula, told Nanda and Yaśodā the whole matter, and lamented in great grief. The moment they heard that news, Nanda and Yaśodā and the gopas and gopīs of Gokula, wailing that some harm had befallen Gopāla — the whole village went running to that pool. As Balarāma too was with them, and since he knew Gopāla's power and prowess, he went along consoling Nanda and Yaśodā, telling them that no harm whatever would come to Gopāla and that there was no need to be alarmed, and calming them in many ways. The Anguish of Gopāla's Companions The riverside was wholly filled with people. Wherever one looked, there were people shouting 'Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!' and weeping, and their lamentations rang out like echoes. Drawn by such cries, they all come up to the pond and look — and oh! That sight made them lose their senses. Lose their senses indeed! Seeing Kṛṣṇa in that pool, bound by a dreadful serpent; seeing those drops of poison-fire the serpent was spewing; seeing that sight of the whole pond turned to blood and the two of them rolling over and under each other — Yaśodā and some of the gopikās fainted and fell. Some kept watch over them and consoled them; somehow coming back to their senses and looking again, Yaśodā lamented in a voice choked with sorrow, 'Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Where did this wretched snake come upon us from, my darling!' — while some of the cowherds wept, 'Could that snake not bite even us, and let our Gopāla go!' — and some other gopikās

cried, 'To save Gopāla we will give even our lives!' and were making ready, thinking that if they jumped into that pond the snake might let Gopāla go and come to seize them instead. Balarāma held such people back, gave them courage by assuring them that no harm of any kind would come to Gopāla, and kept shouting to Kṛṣṇa to free Himself quickly and come. Some of the gopikās, offering prayers — 'Only if Gopāla is safe can the worlds be safe. Since our Gopāla alone is the one sole King who rules the worlds, may that Gopāla soon be freed from that poisonous serpent!' — prayed thus to Gopāla Himself; now and again they would open their eyes and look to see, 'Has it let Him go?' In this way, all round that pond, in fear and bewilderment as to what might happen at any minute, they stood gazing towards Gopāla without blinking an eyelid. "Āha! What can I tell you of the wonder of Gopāla, O King!" — and unable to hold back the emotion welling up in him, of bliss and grief, of wonder and amazement, Śuka covered his face with both his hands. Seeing the tears trickling out from between his fingers, Mahārāja Parīkṣit grew afraid, and pleaded in every way: "Svāmī! Svāmī! What is this strange thing? What happened next? What calamity befell Gopāla, so great that you grieve like this? Tell me quickly and take away my fear!" Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Kāḷiṅga-Dance Śuka wiped away his tears with the kāṣāya cloth that served as his upper garment. "Mahārāja! No calamity befell Him. But because Kṛṣṇa's body kept growing larger minute by minute, the serpent's coils came loose one after another! To see that little child Gopāla become of immense form brought the gopas and gopikās joy as well as astonishment. At last, letting go of Kṛṣṇa, in rage that He had slipped from its grasp, spewing poison and worn out, the serpent kept raising its heads again and again, trying to reach Kṛṣṇa —

— and Kṛṣṇa seized the serpent by its tail, whirled it round and round, and dashed it upon the water. Drawing itself in, it lifted up all its heads and began to rear upright upon the water; and Gopāla leapt up and stood upon the serpent's head, and holding its tail in His hand, began to dance. Unable to bear this punishment, the serpent was letting blood run from its nostrils and from its mouth and making a kind of wailing cry, ready to give up its life. Seeing this, the people standing all round took some courage and kept calling out in many ways: 'Kṛṣṇa! Come to the bank now, dear one! You have saved us; with this day your peril is over. The puṇya of Repalle has ripened!' Fearlessness Granted to Kāḷīya At that moment, the nāga women who were that serpent's wives came up from within, wailing piteously, and fell at Kṛṣṇa's feet: "You who have descended as an Avatāra to punish the wicked — for you to chastise and cut down a cruel serpent is no injustice at all. You have carried out your own duty. Father! However cruel our husband may have been, in the end you have set your foot upon his head, and so his sins have been wiped away. Forgive him, grant us our husband's life as alms, and protect him, never again letting such cruel dispositions arise in him," they prayed. Śrī Kṛṣṇa granted their prayer and released Kāḷīya, and blessed him: "From now on, may you become sāttvika and do no harm to anyone at all without cause, and may you live without harm coming to you at the hands of others. Since my footprints are upon your head, may even Garuḍa do nothing to you." And so blessing him, He stepped down.