Krishna ExperienceThe poisoned pool
A many-headed serpent named Kaliya had taken over a deep pool in the Yamuna near Vrindavan, fleeing from Garuda, the eagle who preyed on serpents. His venom made the water boil. Cows and cowherd boys who drank from it fell lifeless on the bank, until Krishna brought them back with a glance.
The leap
Krishna climbed a kadamba tree on the bank, tightened his belt and dived into the pool. Kaliya wrapped him in his coils and bit him again and again. On the bank, the cowherds and all of Braj gathered in despair, Yashoda and Nanda ready to throw themselves in after him. Only Balaram, who knew his brother, stayed calm.
The dance
Krishna slipped free, leapt onto the serpent's raised hoods, and began to dance. Wherever a hood rose, he stamped it down. Kaliya vomited blood and began to lose consciousness. The Bhagavata describes the gods showering flowers and playing music in the sky as Krishna danced.
Dance on Kaliya’s hoodsTap the glowing hoods to keep Krishna’s rhythm and clear the water.Mercy
Kaliya's wives came forward and prayed to Krishna for their husband's life. Krishna relented. He told Kaliya to leave the Yamuna and go back to the ocean with his family, and promised that Garuda would not harm him, because the marks of Krishna's feet would now be on his hoods. The water became clean, and Braj had its river back.
Kaliya Ghat today
In Vrindavan, Kaliya Ghat (Kalidah), beside the hill of Madan Mohan, is where this happened. A kadamba tree there is honoured as the one Krishna jumped from. The river has since moved away from the old ghat. The scene is also shown, life-size, in the gardens of Prem Mandir.
Questions people ask
Where is Kaliya Ghat?
In Vrindavan, beside the Madan Mohan temple hill on the Parikrama Marg.
Did Krishna kill Kaliya?
No. After Kaliya’s wives prayed for him, Krishna spared him and sent him back to the ocean.