Along the mighty River Yamuna, there lived a huge snake called Kaliya. He was the king of serpents and so strong that he had destroyed the trees along the river-bank. Due to his presence in the water, the water had become poisonous. He had devastated all life forms in and around the river. In fact, if a bird flew across the river, and the poisonous water would splash on it, the bird would burn. The troubled people of Vrindavan complained to Lord Krishna, “Because of him, no one can drink the water of the river. He can kill anything which comes in his way.” Lord Krishna thought, ‘This evil snake will destroy more lives. I must stop it.’ “Krishna, what are you thinking?” asked Balarama, curiously. “Brother, this is the same snake that fled from Garuda and found a home here. We must kill him.” So, Lord Krishna left for the river-banks to punish the snake.
Kaliya, the Serpent King
