Kaliya- Hindu CreatureCreature · Monster"Serpent of the Yamuna"
Also known as: Kāliya and कालिय
Description
A great multi-hooded serpent king whose venom turned the Yamuna black, boiling its waters and killing every creature that drew near, until the child Krishna leapt into the poisoned pool and danced upon his hoods.
Mythology & Lore
The Poisoned Pool
Kaliya was a great serpent king with many hoods who had fled the ocean after offending Garuda by eating offerings meant for the eagle-god. He took refuge in a deep pool of the Yamuna near Vrindavan, the one place Garuda could not follow: the sage Saubhari had cursed those waters so that Garuda would die if he entered them. Kaliya settled there with his wives and children. His venom poisoned the entire stretch of river. The water boiled and turned black. Fish died, birds dropped from the air overhead, and cattle that drank from the banks collapsed.
The Dance on the Hoods
The child Krishna was playing with his friends near the Yamuna when a ball landed in the poisoned pool. He climbed a kadamba tree overhanging the water and leapt in. Kaliya emerged and coiled around him, constricting. The cowherds ran to the village. Nanda, Yashoda, and the gopis rushed to the bank, certain the boy was dying.
Krishna expanded his body and broke free of the coils. He leapt onto Kaliya's hoods and began to dance. His feet struck each hood in rhythm, and the force was more than any serpent could bear. Kaliya's hoods cracked and bled. He vomited poison and blood. His strength failed.
The Footprints
Kaliya's wives, the Nagapatnis, rose from the water and prostrated before Krishna, pleading for their husband's life. Krishna relented. He ordered Kaliya to leave the Yamuna and return to the ocean with his entire family. When Garuda saw the marks of Krishna's feet on Kaliya's hoods, Krishna promised, the eagle would let him pass. Kaliya obeyed. The water cleared. The Yamuna ran clean again.