Through the episode of Kaliya Mardana (the defeat of
Kaliya), Paramatma taught the world a sublime and beautiful lesson on
individual constitution and bashing up of ego.
The venomous and arrogant serpent, Kaliya, surrendered to
Lord Krishna when his entire prowess was systematically destroyed. Sri Krishna,
the Lord of all moving and non-moving things, upon the surrender of Kaliya along
with his family, graciously advised Kaliya to leave the waters without
polluting it and causing any further harm to life. This was also part of His
purpose of visit to the earth – the preservation of Dharma.
The banishment of Kaliya from the river has important
worldly and spiritual significances.
Beings with malicious intent try their level best to infect
the nature with malicious dispositions. They get some initial success in their
sadistic thoughts. With this background, they try to make a direct attack on Dharma
and sometimes even the Lord. However, the embodiments of unrelenting cruelty of
such deceitful persons whose purpose is to poison the surroundings and people
will be exposed by the Supreme Being at right moment when the unruliness appear
to be misleading the people. Sri Purusha overpowers the brutal habits of such
adharmic lot and stripping them of all their ways will eradicate them too – in
the process helping them in their upward divine unfoldment and Self-realization.
Source – Saptagiri Magazine August 2017 published by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. The article was written by Vamanan Namboodiri.
Clearing the Waters: Kaliya's Banishment and its Meaning
The story of Kaliya, the venomous serpent banished from the Yamuna River by Lord Krishna, holds deep lessons for us, both about the world we live in and our inner spiritual lives.
Think of it this way: people or forces with bad intentions often try to spread negativity and harm in the world. They might even succeed for a while, causing trouble and trying to undermine what's right (Dharma) or even challenge the divine.
However, the story tells us that this kind of evil, this "unrelenting cruelty" that seeks to poison everything around it, will eventually be exposed. At just the right moment, when things seem most confusing or when people are being led astray, a higher power (represented by the Supreme Being, Lord Krishna) steps in to reveal the truth and clear the path.
In essence, it's a message of hope: even when darkness seems to prevail, good will ultimately triumph, and those who spread negativity will be brought to light and removed from where they can do harm.
