Five Things To Recall From The Name Kaliya-mardana

“The inhabitants of Vrindavana were perplexed by great difficulties because a certain portion of the Yamuna was poisoned by the chief of the reptiles [Kaliya]. The Lord chastised the snake-king within the water and drove him away, and after coming out of the river, He caused the cows to drink the water and proved that the water was again in its natural state.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3.2.31)

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विपन्नान् विषपानेन निगृह्य भुजगाधिपम्
उत्थाप्यापाययद्गावस्तत्तोयं प्रकृतिस्थितम्

vipannān viṣa-pānena
nigṛhya bhujagādhipam
utthāpyāpāyayad gāvas
tat toyaṁ prakṛti-sthitam

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recommends chanting the names of God. He places special emphasis on the name “Krishna”, which refers to a personality from history and also someone who is all-attractive. But still, there is no strict requirement to invoke only one name. The Vaishnava is liberal, in this sense. Choose any authorized name for the Almighty and chant it repeatedly. With love, attention, affection, attachment, and without stopping. Simply from chanting with such dedication, everything desirable will occur.

प्रीति प्रतीति सुरीति सों राम राम जपु राम
तुलसी तेरो है भलो आदि मध्य परिनाम

prīti pratīti surīti soṃ rāma rāma japu rāma
tulasī tero hai bhalo ādi madhya parināma

“Chanting Shri Rama’s holy name with love, faith and according to regulative principles will be beneficial for you from beginning to end, says Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 23)

Goswami Tulsidas and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu recommend the same. The practice is ideal for this specific era, which is known as Kali. In the age of Kali, there is increased quarrel and hypocrisy. From the humorous depiction of the argument over whether an adult beverage is preferred because it tastes great or has less filling, to the more serious disputes over territory and religious ideology, there appears to be conflict at every turn. It is as if no one is satisfied unless and until they have another argument.

Chanting is the way to bring down the temperature. Chant the holy names as a way to calm down: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Chant in order to settle the mind. The literal meaning to the word mantra is that which delivers the mind. The mantra focusing on God’s name, without any strings attached to the process, with no expectation of personal reward, is the most potent at uplifting spirits.

This sounds nice, no pun intended. The theory is well and good, but what is the mechanism for the transformation? How can a single name carry so much potency? How is it able to deliver elevation where other methods fail? This is just sound, after all. It is not money. It is not a bigger house. It is not resolution in a legal dispute, with a judgment in favor of the plaintiff. It is not getting a raise at work or having the spouse finally stop yelling in the home.

To assist in our understanding, we take a single name and see just how many things can be remembered from it. We have the name Kaliya-mardana. This is a compound Sanskrit word. The first term refers to a special serpent who is described in sacred texts like Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana. The second term refers to crushing, massaging, tormenting, destroying, or even rubbing. It sometimes relates to snakes, in helping someone who has been bitten by one. In this sense, Kaliya-mardana is the perfect name to describe something amazing that God once did all by Himself.

1. Poison

The setting is a rural community from thousands of years back. The one known as Bhagavan was roaming the earth as Shri Krishna, who was the foster son of Nanda Maharaja and his wife Yashoda. Bhagavan is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. God is always one. Whether I realize that or not. Whether I think my religion is better than yours and that God is exclusively my property or not makes no difference. There is always one source. There is always one person standing above everything else.

The name Kaliya-mardana reminds us of poison. Not something we are typically fond of, but in order to have a resolution, there has to be some sort of conflict. It is said that Bhagavan descends to this world as the avatara in order to scratch an itch, so to speak. In a desire for conflict, there has to be a corresponding playing field. The spiritual world of Vaikuntha literally has no anxieties, and so there is no fighting.

2. Water

There is poison in the area. The young cowherd boys are having trouble. They roam the beautiful land during the daytime. They take their animals with them. One time, they happen to come in contact with poison. This is from the waters of the Yamuna River, which is otherwise sacred. The Yamuna is good to the people. It is dear to Krishna. The river is considered a goddess. Why would there be poison? There must be a cause. More importantly, time is of the essence.

3. A leap

The first-responder on the scene is a young Krishna. He brings the affected individuals back to life. He can do this simply by His glance. Kaliya-mardana also reminds us of a leap. Krishna understood that the poison was coming from the river, but that the original cause was a serpent named Kaliya. Krishna decided to leap into the river to address the issue directly. Who could ever imagine someone so brave? It is like running into a burning building, but without reinforcements. No protections. No vest or armor. Krishna was going to save the people, all by Himself.

4. A struggle

Kaliya was there because of fear of Garuda, who is an eagle. Garuda is the dedicated servant carrier of Vishnu in the spiritual world. Garuda is known to be an enemy of the snakes. After Krishna dove into the water, there was a struggle. It looked like Kaliya was winning. The name Kaliya-mardana brings to mind the false sense of victory the demon-class sometimes feels. They think that by their temporary gains they can completely nullify the influence of God. They can eliminate Him from this world altogether. When God is dead, the devotees will have lost their hope. Their savior will be gone, and they will be left to reconcile a life devoid of meaning.

5. A dance

Kaliya-mardana ultimately brings to mind the wonderful picture of a young and beautiful male dancing on top of the many hoods of a powerful serpent. Krishna emerged victorious. Things looked so bad for Kaliya that his wives, known as the Nagapatnis, felt the need to beg for clemency. They prayed to Krishna to be kind, to forgive their husband.

“Our dear Lord, we are offering our loving service unto You because we are all eternal servitors of Your Lordship. You can order us and ask us to do whatever You please. Every living being can be relieved from all kinds of despair if he agrees to abide by Your orders.” (Nagapatnis offering prayers to Krishna, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 16)

The kind-hearted and compassionate Krishna let Kaliya go. There were footprints left on the hoods. This would serve as a sacred mark to pacify Garuda, if ever there were trouble in the future. Krishna proved to the community that the water of the Yamuna was now safe. Who can be kinder than Krishna? Who can be more beautiful? Who can be more glorious than the one who passed along such a name, such that I can remember day after day and spend my time in an ocean of bliss?

In Closing:

Greatest danger to face,
When poison in that place.

From Kaliya the powerful snake,
Krishna the opportunity to take.

Daring leap without fear,
Eventually obstacle to clear.

Such that on top of hoods to dance,
Prayers that vision to enhance.