Hare Krsna,
I want to thank our dear teachers for sharing another version of the pastime of Kaliya as described in Sri Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta of Srila Sanatana Goswami. This pastime made for a sweet reading. According to me, this pastime explains the essence of Kaliya pastime and the final conclusions of devotional service.
“By the mercy of Sanātana Gosvāmī I have learned the final conclusions of devotional service, and by the grace of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī I have tasted the highest nectar of devotional service.” CC Adi 5.203)
If we study deeply, I can realize that the Kaliya pastime is not only about Krsna chastising ‘another’ demon. It is not only about Krsna uprooting ‘another anartha (anartha of brutality and treachery)’ from our hearts and thus purify and elevate us. It is not only about Krsna engaging the Nagapatnis in prayers honoring Himself. This pastime is not only about Krsna’s mercy extending even to seemingly wicked creatures like Kaliya. Or for that matter, this pastime goes beyond teaching us how to completely surrender to Krsna and complete love and devotion.
In fact, I would say that this pastime is less about Kaliya and more about the Vraja-vasis. Kaliya was just a medium through whom Krsna executed his plan. What is the plan? Krsna designed this plan to increase the Vraja-vasis’ love for Him.
In line with Mahaprabhu’s teachings and pastime, prema is enhanced continuously by union and separation. Therefore, from time to time, Krsna places His devotees in extreme distress just to enhance their love for Him and the subsequent bliss they feel. Thus, when Krsna jumped into the lake and allowed Himself to be enveloped in the serpent’s coils, all the Vraja-vasis fell into intense despair. The cowherd boys became as if struck down by death. When they saw Him motionless they all fainted. All the village animals — the cows, the bulls, the calves — and also the animals of the forest stood on the shore, eyes fixed on Kṛṣṇa’s face, and their cries made a great roar of suffering. Birds exhausted from loudly crying flew precipitously into the lake. Trees and plants suddenly dried up. And many terribly inauspicious omens appeared. The earth trembled, amidst other portentous omens. Mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja and even Balarama fainted. (Text 223-226)
Once He pushed the Vraja-vasis to the brink of desperation and imminent death, Krsna stopped His self-invented sport and freed Himself from the grip of Kāliya’s coils. Thereafter He provided bliss to the gopis by engaging in rasa dance on the hoods of Kaliya. Finally, He emerged from the lake making all the Vraja-vasis dance with joy.
Out of sheer spontaneous joy, the throng of cowherd men and women celebrated a charming festival of music, song, and other expressions of gaiety. Completely satisfied, Kṛṣṇa returned to His village. (Text 254)
Therefore, the key lesson and implication from this pastime is how Krsna is teaching us that devotional service to Him in feelings of separation elevates the devotee to the highest perfectional level, to the level of the gopīs. The various purpose of Krsna’s unlimited pastimes is to enhance the pleasure of the devotees. Killing the demons or establishing religion are secondary reasons. Krsna lives for the devotees and devotees live for Krsna. Each is in a transcendental competition to enhance the other side’s love and pleasure.
In line with this final conclusions of devotional service, Lord Caitanya recommended that the greatest achievement of human life is to achieve the grace of the Lord, love of God. He said, premā pumartho mahān: to achieve love of Godhead is the highest perfection of life. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was worshiped by Rūpa Gosvāmī because He distributed love of God, kṛṣṇa-premā, to everyone. Rūpa Gosvāmī praised Him as mahā-vadānya, a greatly munificent personality, because He was freely distributing to everyone love of Godhead, which is achieved by wise men only after many, many births. Kṛṣṇa-premā, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is the highest gift which can be bestowed on anyone whom we presume to love. Therefore, pure love of Godhead, Krsna-prema, the ultimate abhista-labha – the attainment of all desires. (SB 3.23.8, Purport)
Chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, as instructed by Sri Mahaprabhu, bestows the seeds of and final attainment of Krsna-prema.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 