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2024-04-19, 7:12 PM |
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Chapter 17: The
History of Kâliya and Krishna
Swallows a Forest Fire
(1) The king said: 'Why did Kâliya give up
Ramanaka, the abode of the serpents, and what caused the enmity of
Garuda especially towards him?'
(2-3) S'rî S'uka said: 'The snake people of
sacrifice here [in Nâgâlaya] were in the past urged to
pay tribute to the serpents every
month
at the base of a tree, oh
mighty-armed one. In order to
secure
their protection the serpents
every new moon each presented
their portion to Garuda, the great power over them. (4)
Kâliya, the son
of Kadru conceited
under the influence of his venom and strength, in defiance of Garuda
ate those offerings himself. (5) Hearing
about
it
oh King, that mighty and beloved devotee of the Supreme
Lord with great speed rushed forward to kill Kâliya. (6) Garuda swiftly
attacking fell upon him who,
armed with poison and full size raised with his many hoods, looked
most fearsome with his tongues and terrible eyes. The snake then bit
him
with the help of his weapons, the fangs. (7)
The carrier
of
Madhusûdana, the son of Târkshya [see 6.6: 21-22] with his formidable prowess
full of anger swiftly moving warded off Kâliya,
the
son of Kadru and struck him with his left wing that glowed
like gold. (8) Beaten
by
Garuda's
wing
Kâliya
utterly
distraught
entered a lake of the
Kâlindi
where it was difficult for Garuda to go.
(9) Saubhari Muni [mediating under water] once
had denied Garuda the right to desire
any of its water creatures, his
normal
sustenance [see 9.6], but because he was hungry he resisted him and took one. (10)
Seeing the fish who lived there in a state
of misery, most unhappy because the king of the fish had been
killed [by Garuda], Saubhari, in order to set things right, out of
compassion for the sake of their welfare said: (11) 'I swear, if
Garuda enters this lake to eat the fish, he will immediately lose
his life!' (12) Kâliya
was
the
only
one
who
knew
this,
no
other
serpent,
and
therefore hiding in fear of Garuda he dwelled there, the
very
place from where he was expelled by Krishna.
(13-14) The
moment the cowherds saw Lord Krishna rising up from the lake, divinely clad, with a garland and scented, covered by many fine jewels and
decorated with gold, all their senses sprung back to life. Filled with joy they embraced Him affectionately. (15)
When Yas'odâ, Rohinî and Nanda,
the gopîs and the gopas oh son of Kuru, rejoined
with Krishna they regained all their functions and that
even happened with the dried up
trees. (16) Râma
and
Acyuta,
the
Infallible
One,
embraced each other laughing, well aware of Their potency. Out
of love Balarâma raised Him on His lap and admired Him from all
sides. Thus They together with
the cows,
the bulls and she-calves experienced
the
highest pleasure. (17) The
learned and
respectable personalities
along with their wives all came to Nanda and said: 'Your son having
been seized by
Kâliya has now by divine ordinance been freed. (18) For the sake
of Krishna's safety please make donations to the brahmins', and Nanda,
happy minded oh King, gave them cows and gold. (19)
The chaste
Yas'odâ who had lost and retrieved her son, the One of Great
Fortune, raised Him on her lap, hugged Him and allowed her tears to
flow
freely.
(20) That night oh
best of the kings, the cows and the people of Vraja, weakened
as they were because of thirst, hunger and fatigue, remained
there at the shore of the
Kâlindi. (21) Then,
because
of
the
summer heat, in the middle
of the night from all sides a
forest fire arose that
closed
in
the
sleeping
Vrajasis
and
began
to scorch them. (22)
The people of Vraja thereupon woke up. In
distress because they would burn they turned to
Krishna for shelter, He
the
Master, who by the power of His spiritual potency had
appeared like
a human being [compare 10.8: 16]. (23) 'Krishna,
Krishna,
oh
Greatest of Fortune! Oh Râma of Unlimited Power, this
most terrible fire is about to devour us who belong to You! (24)
Please protect
us, Your people, Your friends, against this insurmountable [deadly] fire of Time . Oh Master, we at
Your
benevolent,
blessed
feet
that
drive
away
all fear, are
incapable [to escape from here]!' (25)
The Lord of
the
Universe, the Unlimited One who possesses endless potencies, this
way
seeing the desperation of His people, thereupon swallowed that
terrible fire.'
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