Kaliya

KALIYA.

1) Birth. Kasyapa, grandson of Brahma and son of Marici begot of his wife Kadru powerful nagas like Sesa, Airavata, Taksaka, Karkotaka, Kaliya, Maninaga, Purananaga etc. and from them were born all kinds of ragas on earth. (Adi Parva, Chapter 35) . Kaliya possessed one thousand heads. (Bhagavata, loth Skandha).

2) Kdliya took his abode in Kdlindf. Vinata and Kadru were wives of Kasyapa. The former was the mother of Garuda and the latter of the ragas. In a wager Vinata was defeated and had to become the slave of Kadru. Garuda brought Amrta from Devaloka and redeemed his mother from slavery. Yet Garuda and the ragas continued to be enemies, Garuda killing and eating ragas whenever he got a chance for it. At last the ndgas entered into an understanding with Garuda agreeing to give him the havis (offering) which they got on certain days, and thus Garuda stopped eating the ragas. But Kaliya did not subscribe to the above agreement ; he treated Caruda with contempt. But, in an encounter with Garuda Kaliya was put to so much of hardships that he, along with his family, shifted his residence to a particular sector in Kalindi.

3) Admission denied to Garulla. Owing to the curse of a sage called Saubhari, who was performing penance on the banks of Kalindi, that Garuda would die urokenheaded if he entered Kalindi, it was a prohibited area to Garuda.

4) Suppression of YLdliya. Owing to the virulent poison of Kaliya the waters of Kalindi became poisonous and the trees on its banks dried up. Once, while Krsna and his companions, the Gopalas came to the banks of the river grazing their cows. The Gopalas drank water from the river and fell down dead. Then Krsna jumped into the river from the top of a tree on its bank and danced upon the hoods of Kaliya who had rushed to attack him. Kaliya vomited blood and saluted Krsna. His wives and children also saluted the Lord. Krsna sent all of them away to Ramanaka island assuring Kaliya that Garuda would not attack him en seeing the marks of his (Krsna’s) feet on Kaliya. Thus did Kaliya and his family shift their residence to Ramanaka island. (Bhagavata, loth Skandha).

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