Shloka 38
Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā
तदेष नाथाप दुरापमन्यै- स्तमोजनि: क्रोधवशोऽप्यहीश: । संसारचक्रे भ्रमत: शरीरिणो यदिच्छत: स्याद् विभव: समक्ष: ॥ ३८ ॥
tad eṣa nāthāpa durāpam anyais tamo-janiḥ krodha-vaśo ’py ahīśaḥ saṁsāra-cakre bhramataḥ śarīriṇo yad-icchataḥ syād vibhavaḥ samakṣaḥ
Oh Señor, aunque Kāliya, rey de las serpientes, nació en la oscuridad de la ignorancia y está dominado por la ira, ha alcanzado lo que a otros les es difícil alcanzar. Las almas encarnadas, llenas de deseos y errantes en la rueda del saṁsāra, pueden ver manifestadas ante sus ojos todas las bendiciones con solo recibir el polvo de Tus pies de loto.
It is very rare for a conditioned soul to free himself from the contamination of illusion and thus become established in perfect consciousness of the Absolute Truth. And yet this benediction was achieved by the serpent Kāliya because the Lord personally danced upon the serpent’s hoods with His lotus feet. Although we conditioned souls may not receive the mercy of having the Lord dance on our head, we can receive the dust of the lotus feet of the Absolute through the Lord’s representative, the bona fide spiritual master, and thus go back home, back to Godhead, forever freed from the misery and ignorance of the mundane universe.
FAQs
This verse teaches that even Kāliya—angry and “born of darkness”—received rare fortune because Kṛṣṇa’s mercy can become directly manifest to any embodied soul who genuinely turns toward Him.
They pleaded for Kāliya’s protection and acknowledged that his contact with Kṛṣṇa was an extraordinary blessing, highlighting Kṛṣṇa’s compassion even toward the undeserving.
Instead of despairing over past faults, cultivate sincere desire for Kṛṣṇa through prayer, humility, and devotion—trusting that grace can appear even in difficult circumstances.