Shloka 53
कालियदमना: यमुनाशुद्धिः, करुणा-निग्रहः, स्तुति-तत्त्वम्
कोपः स्वल्पो ऽपि ते नास्ति स्थितिपालनम् एव ते कारणं कालियस्यास्य दमने श्रूयताम् अतः
kopaḥ svalpo 'pi te nāsti sthitipālanam eva te kāraṇaṃ kāliyasyāsya damane śrūyatām ataḥ
ในพระองค์ไม่มีแม้เศษเสี้ยวแห่งโทสะ เหตุแห่งการกระทำของพระองค์คือการพิทักษ์ระเบียบแห่งธรรมะ ดังนั้นจงฟังบัดนี้ถึงเหตุแห่งการปราบกาลิยะนี้เถิด
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya in the Krishna-cycle)
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: He intervenes to protect the world and its moral order, subduing harmful forces without personal anger.
Leela: Loka-rakshana
Dharma Restored: Protection of beings and restoration of safe, righteous order (sthitipālana).
Concept: The Lord’s corrective action arises from protective governance (sthitipālana), not from anger or partiality.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Discipline others—especially the harmful—without hatred, grounding action in protection and responsibility.
Vishishtadvaita: Shows īśvara’s compassion and sovereignty: punitive līlā is still grace aimed at restoring dharma within His cosmic administration.
Vishnu Form: Krishna
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
This verse frames the subduing of Kāliya not as personal wrath but as compassionate correction undertaken to protect cosmic stability (sthiti-pālana).
Parāśara presents it as purposive governance: the Lord acts to preserve dharma and the world’s order, and then explains the specific cause for Kāliya’s chastening.
Krishna is shown as the sovereign preserver whose interventions restore harmony; even when He disciplines, it expresses supreme, orderly providence rather than human-like anger.