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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

ഹേ ദേവാ! കാളിയന് നിങ്ങളുടെ പദ്മപാദങ്ങളുടെ ധൂളിസ്പർശം ലഭിക്കാനുള്ള ഈ മഹാവകാശം എങ്ങനെ ലഭിച്ചു എന്ന് ഞങ്ങൾ അറിയുന്നില്ല. അതേ ധൂളി ലഭിക്കണമെന്ന ആഗ്രഹത്തോടെ ലക്ഷ്മീദേവി മറ്റു എല്ലാ ആഗ്രഹങ്ങളും ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച്, ദീർഘകാലം വ്രതം ധരിച്ചു നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകളോളം തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു.

kasyaof whom
kasya:
Sambandha (षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (प्रातिपदिक)
FormInterrogative pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (षष्ठी) singular
anubhāvaḥpower, influence, glory
anubhāvaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता) (of implied 'is')
TypeNoun
Rootanubhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative singular
asyaof this (Lord)
asya:
Sambandha (षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Rootidam (प्रातिपदिक)
FormSarvanāma, Masculine/Neuter, Genitive singular
nanot
na:
Sambandha
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
FormNegation particle (निषेध)
devaO Lord
deva:
Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootdeva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन) singular
vidmahewe know
vidmahe:
Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vid (विद् धातु)
FormLaṭ (present) 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष) plural (बहुवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)
tavayour
tava:
Sambandha (षष्ठी)
TypeNoun
Roottvad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPronoun, Genitive singular
aṅghri-reṇu-sparaśa-adhikāraḥthe privilege of touching the dust of your feet
aṅghri-reṇu-sparaśa-adhikāraḥ:
Karta (कर्ता) (predicate-noun describing anubhāvaḥ)
TypeNoun
Rootaṅghri (प्रातिपदिक) + reṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + sparaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + adhikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMulti-member Tatpuruṣa: 'aṅghreḥ reṇoḥ sparaśe adhikāraḥ' (eligibility/right to touch the dust of the feet); Masculine Nominative singular
yad-vāñchayāby the desire for which
yad-vāñchayā:
Hetu/Karaṇa (cause/means)
TypeNoun
Rootyad (प्रातिपदिक) + vāñchā (प्रातिपदिक)
FormTatpuruṣa: 'yasya vāñchayā' (by whose desire); Instrumental (तृतीया) singular (एकवचन), Feminine
śrīḥŚrī (Lakṣmī), fortune
śrīḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootśrī (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative singular
lalanāthe beloved woman (goddess)
lalanā:
Karta (कर्ता) (appositional)
TypeNoun
Rootlalanā (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine, Nominative singular (apposition to śrīḥ)
acaratperformed, practiced
acarat:
Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√car (चर् धातु)
FormLuṅ (लुङ्, aorist) 3rd person singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada
tapaḥausterity
tapaḥ:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Roottapas (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Accusative singular (object of acarat)
vihāyahaving given up
vihāya:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (prior action)
TypeVerb
Rootvi-√hā (हा धातु)
FormAbsolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्): 'having abandoned'
kāmāndesires
kāmān:
Karma (कर्म) (object of vihāya)
TypeNoun
Rootkāma (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Accusative plural
su-ciramfor a very long time
su-ciram:
Kālādhi-karaṇa (time adjunct)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootsu (अव्यय) + ciram (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
FormAvyaya; adverb of time with intensifier (बहुकालार्थक)
dhṛta-vratāone who kept her vow
dhṛta-vratā:
Viśeṣaṇa of Karta (कर्तृविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootdhṛta (कृदन्त; √dhṛ, धृ धातु) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
FormTatpuruṣa: 'dhṛtaṁ vrataṁ yayā' (she who has maintained a vow); Feminine Nominative singular agreeing with śrīḥ/lalanā
K
Krishna
L
Lakshmi (Shri)
K
Kaliya

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.