Canto 10: The Summum BonumChapter 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.16.6

taḿ caṇḍa-vega-viṣa-vīryam avekṣya tena

duṣṭāḿ nadīḿ ca khala-saḿyamanāvatāraḥ

kṛṣṇaḥ kadambam adhiruhya tato 'ti-tuńgam

āsphoṭya gāḍha-raśano nyapatad viṣode

SYNONYMS

tam — him, Kāliya; caṇḍa-vega — of fearsome power; viṣa — the poison; vīryam — whose strength; avekṣya — seeing; tena — by him; duṣṭām — contaminated; nadīm — the river; ca — and; khala — the envious demons; saḿyamana — for subduing; avatāraḥ — whose descent from the spiritual world; kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa; kadambama kadamba tree; adhiruhya — climbing up on; tataḥ — from it; ati-tuńgam — very high; āsphoṭya — slapping His arms; gāḍha-raśanaḥ — tying His belt firmly; nyapatatHe jumped; viṣa-ude — into the poisoned water.

TRANSLATION

Lord Kṛṣṇa saw how the Kāliya serpent had polluted the Yamunā River with his terribly powerful poison. Since Kṛṣṇa had descended from the spiritual world specifically to subdue envious demons, the Lord immediately climbed to the top of a very high kadamba tree and prepared Himself for battle. He tightened His belt, slapped His arms and then jumped into the poisonous water.

PURPORT

According to the ācāryas, Lord Kṛṣṇa also tied back the locks of His hair as He prepared to do battle with Kāliya.

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