Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 36
Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā
कस्यानुभावोऽस्य न देव विद्महे तवाङ्घ्रिरेणुस्परशाधिकार: । यद्वाञ्छया श्रीर्ललनाचरत्तपो विहाय कामान् सुचिरं धृतव्रता ॥ ३६ ॥
kasyānubhāvo ’sya na deva vidmahe tavāṅghri-reṇu-sparaśādhikāraḥ yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapo vihāya kāmān su-ciraṁ dhṛta-vratā
O Lord, we do not know how Kāliya has gained this great opportunity to be touched by the dust of Your lotus feet. For that very dust, the goddess of fortune, Śrī Lakṣmī, renounced all other desires, kept austere vows, and performed penance for centuries.
FAQs
This verse teaches that even the touch of the Lord’s foot-dust is an extraordinary mercy, attainable only by rare qualification born of devotion, not by ordinary status or power.
They invoke Lakṣmī as the supreme example of one who longs for the Lord’s favor, emphasizing that access to Krishna’s foot-dust is so rare that even Lakṣmī undertook long austerities for it—thereby pleading for mercy for Kāliya.
Cultivate steady vows—regular prayer, humility, and disciplined devotion—valuing Krishna’s grace above temporary enjoyments, because spiritual qualification grows through consistent bhakti.