Shloka 29
Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā
तस्याक्षिभिर्गरलमुद्वमत: शिर:सु यद् यत् समुन्नमति नि:श्वसतो रुषोच्चै: । नृत्यन् पदानुनमयन् दमयां बभूव पुष्पै: प्रपूजित इवेह पुमान् पुराण: ॥ २९ ॥
tasyākṣibhir garalam udvamataḥ śiraḥsu yad yat samunnamati niḥśvasato ruṣoccaiḥ nṛtyan padānunamayan damayāṁ babhūva puṣpaiḥ prapūjita iveha pumān purāṇaḥ
Exuding poisonous waste from his eyes, Kāliya, would occasionally dare to raise up one of his heads, which would breathe heavily with anger. Then the Lord would dance on it and subdue it, forcing it to bow down with His foot. The demigods took each of these exhibitions as an opportunity to worship Him, the primeval Personality of Godhead, with showers of flowers.
FAQs
This verse describes Kṛṣṇa subduing Kāliya by dancing on his many hoods, pressing them down whenever they rise in rage and poison—showing the Lord’s effortless mastery over even the deadliest evil.
Because Kṛṣṇa’s divine dance on Kāliya resembles a victorious, worshipful spectacle—His feet moving like a sacred dance, as though the serpent’s raised hoods were an altar and the moment a flower-offering to the Supreme Person.
When “poison” like anger, hatred, or harmful impulses rise again and again, the teaching is to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and steady devotion—trusting that sincere surrender brings inner control and purification.