The Serpent Kaliya

The following essay was printed in the May 1932 edition of The Harmonist, or Sree Sajjanatoshani.

There is a beautiful la e of !ery sweet water in the "amuna whi#h bears the name of $aliya. This la e happened to be infested by a most !enomous Serpent from whom the la e deri!es its name. %n a #ertain day while the #ow&boys of 'raja were out pasturing their #al!es on the wooded ban s of the "amuna they happened to feel thirsty and not nowing that the water of the la e had been poisoned by $aliya dran of its water whi#h resulted in their instantaneous death. %n being apprised of their plight $rishna #ame to the spot and restored them to life. Thereafter $rishna got down into the la e with the intention of sporting in its water. This enraged the hideous monster who forthwith #ame out of the depths of the la e in the #ompany of his adherents and 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 mil men 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 #rushed the 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 la e 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 la e at on#e and to beta e himself to his original home in the island of -amana a. $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 la e 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. 1t 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 His %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 ma ing him feel the tou#hes of His +an#ing *eet. 'ut $aliya attempts to bear up against all #urati!e #hastisement. 1nstead of feeling the joy of supporting the *eet of $rishna on his nasty hoods the monster finds it impossible to bear his good fortune without undergoing the pangs of a#tual death. 2!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 la e 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 underta ing. This emboldens them to ma e a dire#t atta# on $rishna Himself when He

appears on the s#ene of their depra!ed a#ti!ities in order to restore the li!ing faith of His %wn bonafide asso#iates. Those who are not e3#eedingly #le!er #an ne!er be ser!ants of $rishna. 'ut the ser!i#e of $rishna is also ne!er a!ailable to those whose #unning is employed for depri!ing $rishna of the fullness of His enjoyment. $aliya and those who are a#tuated by a naturally mali#ious disposition are also styled #le!er in the ordinary phraseology of this damned world. Su#h ras#als may also ha!e the impuden#e of ta ing their stand upon the te3ts of the S#riptures by using their #unning in the gra#eless attempt of depri!ing $rishna of the ser!i#e His %wn. This ind of #ondu#t may also pass undete#ted and may e!en be regarded as possessing the perfe#t s ill of #onfidential ser!i#e. 'ut $rishna is sure to e3pose the real nature of the !illainy just at the moment when it has been su##essful in misleading His best& belo!ed ones. 1t is, indeed, !ery diffi#ult to understand the 4ays of $rishna. $rishna apparently permits almost e!ery form of offense to be perpetrated with impunity against His most belo!ed ones. This has the effe#t of pro!iding an opportunity to His %wn for pro!ing their in#omparable lo!e for Himself and by means of this uni(ue e3hibition of their lo!e to defeat in the most fruitful manner the ma#hinations of His worst enemies. The friends and #hums of $rishna are offered to the mali#e of #unning and relentless brutes in order to bring out the differen#e between the two and thereby enable the latter to desist from troubling the de!otees of their own a##ord. 'ut these brutes are ne!er allowed to asso#iate with the ser!ants of $rishna e!en after they forego their mali#e towards them. They are eternally debarred from the ser!i#e of $rishna in 'raja. 'ut the tou#h of $rishna)s *eet ma es a real differen#e between the re#ipient of His mer#y and the other brutes. $aliya is no longer regarded by .aruda as the enemy of $rishna. $aliya is, therefore, allowed a pla#e among the prote#ted of $rishna. 1t does not follow that it is a paying business to poison the hearts of His ser!ants against $rishna whi#h is sure to be rewarded by the grant of His prote#tion. "es, this is so after the pride of the mis#reant is thoroughly bro en by being trod upon by $rishna Himself. His is thereby inspired with a most wholesome dread whi#h effe#ti!ely pre!ents him from trying to breed mis#hief among the bonafide de!otees by owning an unwilling allegian#e to $rishna and assuming the badge of His ser!itude by wearing on his head the print of His lotus *eet. The mer#y shown to $aliya is so ob!iously and disproportionately great in its magnitude in fa#e of the e3treme gra!ity of his offense that no rationalisti# e3planation #an do justi#e to its full benefi#ent signifi#an#e.