Shloka 4
Kāliya-damana: Kṛṣṇa Subdues the Serpent and Purifies the Yamunā
श्रीशुक उवाच कालिन्द्यां कालियस्यासीद् ह्रद: कश्चिद् विषाग्निना । श्रप्यमाणपया यस्मिन् पतन्त्युपरिगा: खगा: ॥ ४ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca kālindyāṁ kāliyasyāsīd hradaḥ kaścid viṣāgninā śrapyamāṇa-payā yasmin patanty upari-gāḥ khagāḥ
圣者舒迦提婆·高斯瓦弥说：在迦林底河（阎牟那）中有一处湖泊，为迦利耶大蛇所居；它火焰般的毒液不断使湖水灼热沸腾。由此升起的毒雾极其致命，连从上空飞过的鸟也会坠入湖中。
In this regard the ācāryas explain that the Kāliya lake was situated apart from the main current of the river; otherwise the Yamunā’s waters would have been poisonous even in cities like Mathurā and in other places farther away.
FAQs
This verse describes Kāliya’s lake in the Yamunā as burning with poisonous fire, with scalding waters so dangerous that even birds flying above would fall into it.
He sets the scene for Kṛṣṇa’s Kāliya-damana līlā by showing how severe the threat was—poison had made the river region deadly—so the listener can understand the magnitude of Kṛṣṇa’s protective mercy.
It warns that “poisonous” environments and influences can harm even those merely passing overhead; a devotee should avoid toxic association and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, who can purify what seems incurably contaminated.