Shloka 58

Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā

Devanagari script

वयं च तत्र भगवन् सर्पा जात्युरुमन्यव: । कथं त्यजामस्त्वन्मायां दुस्त्यजां मोहिता: स्वयम् ॥ ५८ ॥

Transliteration

vayaṁ ca tatra bhagavan sarpā jāty-uru-manyavaḥ kathaṁ tyajāmas tvan-māyāṁ dustyajāṁ mohitāḥ svayam

Translation

ഹേ ഭഗവാനേ! നിന്റെ സൃഷ്ടിയിലെ ജാതികളിൽ ഞങ്ങൾ സർപ്പങ്ങൾ സ്വഭാവതഃ അത്യന്തം ക്രോധികളാണ്. ഉപേക്ഷിക്കാൻ അതിദുഷ്കരമായ നിന്റെ മായയാൽ സ്വയം മോഹിതരായ ഞങ്ങൾ, അതിനെ സ്വന്തം ശക്തിയിൽ എങ്ങനെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കും?

Synonyms

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• tatra: there/in that matter
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक)

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular

• sarpāḥ: snakes
• sarpāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to vayam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• jāti-uru-manyavaḥ: having great innate wrath
• jāti-uru-manyavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of sarpāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक) + uru (प्रातिपदिक) + manyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; bahuvrīhi: ‘those whose (jāti-) innate/characteristic anger is great’

• katham: how
• katham: Prakāra (प्रकार/Mode)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; interrogative adverb (प्रश्नार्थक)

• tyajāmaḥ: do we abandon
• tyajāmaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Uttama-puruṣa (1st person/उत्तम), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tvat-māyām: your māyā
• tvat-māyām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक) + māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa: ‘your māyā’

• dustyajām: hard to give up
• dustyajām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of māyām)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dus (उपसर्ग/प्रादि) + tyaj (धातु) + anīyar (अनीयर्)
• Form: Gerundive (कृत्य—अनीयर्), Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with māyām

• mohitāḥ: deluded
• mohitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muh (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; agrees with vayam/sarpāḥ

• svayam: by ourselves
• svayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic/reflexive adverb

Purport

Kāliya is here indirectly begging for the Lord’s mercy, realizing that on his own he can never become free from illusion and suffering. Only by surrendering to the Lord and obtaining His mercy can one be released from the painful conditions of material life.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Kāliya

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about why māyā is difficult to give up?

This verse states that the Lord’s māyā is intrinsically “dustyajā”—hard to abandon—because conditioned beings are already “mohitāḥ,” bewildered by it, and thus cannot easily free themselves by their own strength.

Why did Kāliya say this to Lord Kṛṣṇa?

After being subdued by Kṛṣṇa in the Yamunā, Kāliya offers prayers admitting his natural tendency toward anger and harm, and he appeals to Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, acknowledging that only the Lord can free one from illusion.

Practical application of overcoming anger and illusion in modern life?

Recognize harmful tendencies as obstacles, stop justifying them as “my nature,” and actively seek transformation through humility, prayer, and devotional discipline—relying on God’s grace rather than ego-driven self-reform alone.