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Symbolic Meaning of Kaliya Mardana of Bhagavan Sri Krishna

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.