Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, 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
Điều Ngài làm ở đây thật sự là lòng thương xót đối với chúng con, vì hình phạt Ngài ban cho kẻ ác chắc chắn tẩy sạch mọi ô nhiễm của họ. Chồng chúng con, một linh hồn bị ràng buộc, tội lỗi đến mức mang thân rắn; bởi vậy, ngay cả cơn thịnh nộ của Ngài đối với ông ấy cũng phải được hiểu là ân huệ của Ngài.
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.