Shloka 30
Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā
तच्चित्रताण्डवविरुग्नफणासहस्रो रक्तं मुखैरुरु वमन्नृप भग्नगात्र: । स्मृत्वा चराचरगुरुं पुरुषं पुराणं नारायणं तमरणं मनसा जगाम ॥ ३० ॥
tac-citra-tāṇḍava-virugna-phaṇā-sahasro raktaṁ mukhair uru vaman nṛpa bhagna-gātraḥ smṛtvā carācara-guruṁ puruṣaṁ purāṇaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ tam araṇaṁ manasā jagāma
Wahai Raja Parikshit, tarian tandava Sri Krishna yang menakjubkan dan berkuasa memijak dan mematahkan kesemua seribu tudung Kaliya. Kemudian ular itu, yang memuntahkan banyak darah dari mulutnya, akhirnya mengenali Sri Krishna sebagai Keperibadian Tuhan Yang Kekal, penguasa tertinggi semua makhluk bergerak dan tidak bergerak, Sri Narayana. Maka dalam fikirannya, Kaliya berlindung kepada Tuhan.
In Chapter Sixteen of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that whereas previously Kāliya was vomiting poison, now his poison was exhausted and he began to vomit blood. Thus he had been cleansed of the vile contamination within his heart that had manifested as serpent’s venom. The word smṛtvā, “remembering,” is very significant here. The wives of Kāliya were actually serious devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and according to the ācāryas they had often tried to convince their husband to surrender to Him. Finally, finding himself in unbearable agony, Kāliya remembered his wives’ advice and took shelter of the Lord. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that Kāliya’s archrival had traditionally been Garuḍa, the carrier of Viṣṇu. But now Kāliya realized that he was fighting an opponent who was thousands of times stronger than Garuḍa and who therefore could be only the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus Kāliya took shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse shows Kāliya, crushed by Kṛṣṇa’s divine dance, remembering the primeval Lord Nārāyaṇa and mentally taking refuge in Him—illustrating that remembrance and surrender to the Supreme is the ultimate shelter.
Śukadeva highlights the theological point that Kṛṣṇa is the same Supreme Person as Nārāyaṇa; even an offender, when overwhelmed, can turn toward the Supreme Lord as the one true refuge.
When overwhelmed by consequences or crisis, shift from panic to remembrance—turn the mind toward God through prayer, mantra, and humility, accepting the Lord as the real shelter rather than relying only on temporary supports.