16 / Subduing Kaliya

When He understood that the water of the Yamuna was being polluted
by the black serpent Kaliya, Lord Krsna took action against him and
made him leave the Yamuna and go elsewhere, and thus the water became
purified.

When this story was being narrated by Sukadeva Gosvami, Maharaja
Pariksit became eager to hear more about Krsna’s childhood pastimes. He
inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami how Krsna chastised Kaliya, who was
living in the water for many years. Actually, Maharaja Pariksit was
becoming more and more enthusiastic to hear the transcendental pastimes
of Krsna, and his inquiry was made with great interest.

Sukadeva Gosvami narrated the story as follows. Within the River
Yamuna there was a great lake, and in that lake the black serpent Kaliya
used to live. Because of his poison, the whole area was so contaminated
that it emanated a poisonous vapor twenty-four hours a day. If a bird
happened to even pass over the spot, he would immediately fall down in
the water and die.

Due to the poisonous effect of the Yamuna’s vapors, the trees and
grass near the bank of the Yamuna had all dried up. Lord Krsna saw the
effect of the great serpent’s poison: the whole river that ran before
Vrndavana was now deadly.

Krsna, who advented Himself just to kill all undesirable elements in the
world, immediately climbed up in a big kadamba tree on the bank of the
Yamuna. The kadamba is a round yellow flower, generally seen only in the
Vrndavana area. After climbing to the top of the tree, He tightened His
belt cloth, and, flapping His arms just like a wrestler, jumped in the midst
of the poisonous lake. The kadamba tree from which Krsna had jumped
was the only tree there which was not dead. Some commentators say
that due to touching the lotus feet of Krsna, the tree became immediately

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