Shloka 34
Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā
अनुग्रहोऽयं भवत: कृतो हि नो दण्डोऽसतां ते खलु कल्मषापह: । यद् दन्दशूकत्वममुष्य देहिन: क्रोधोऽपि तेऽनुग्रह एव सम्मत: ॥ ३४ ॥
anugraho ’yaṁ bhavataḥ kṛto hi no daṇḍo ’satāṁ te khalu kalmaṣāpahaḥ yad dandaśūkatvam amuṣya dehinaḥ krodho ’pi te ’nugraha eva sammataḥ
Ce que Tu as accompli ici est en vérité miséricorde pour nous, car le châtiment que Tu infliges aux méchants dissipe assurément toute leur souillure. Notre époux, âme conditionnée, est si pécheur qu’il a pris un corps de serpent ; ainsi, même Ta colère envers lui doit être comprise comme Ta grâce.
Śrīla Madhvācārya points out in this connection that when a pious person suffers in this world, he realizes, “The punishment the Supreme Lord is meting out to me is actually His causeless mercy.” Envious persons, however, even after being punished by the Lord for their purification, continue to envy Him and be resentful, and this attitude is the reason for their continued failure to understand the Absolute Truth.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord’s punishment of the wicked removes their impurity; even His anger is understood as purifying grace (anugraha).
After being subdued by Kṛṣṇa, Kāliya offers prayers, acknowledging that his suffering and even his degraded serpent body are outcomes of karma transformed into mercy through Kṛṣṇa’s direct intervention.
See sincere correction and the consequences of wrongdoing as opportunities for inner cleansing—respond with humility, reform one’s conduct, and turn toward devotion rather than resentment.