Kaliya

In Hindu mythology, a thousand-headed
serpent who is defeated by the adolescent god Krishna in one of the earliest
acts foreshadowing the god’s future
greatness. Kaliya has settled into a deep
pool in the Yamuna River, rendering the
pool and its surroundings uninhabitable
because of the noxious poison he
constantly emits. One day as Krishna
and his companions tend the cows,
Krishna decides to get rid of Kaliya.
Despite his friends’ pleas, Krishna
climbs to the top of a tall tree and dives
deep into the pool. A tremendous battle
ensues. Krishna finally subdues Kaliya
by dancing on his hoods, stamping each
of the serpent’s heads until blood runs
out of Kaliya’s mouths. Kaliya’s wives beg
Krishna to spare his life, and Krishna
grants this request but banishes him to a
more appropriate place. His mercy mirrors the Hindu world view that even
beings such as Kaliya have a rightful
place in the world. Although problems
arise when such beings are in the wrong
place, these can be corrected by sending
them to a more appropriate one. For further elaboration of this idea, See John
Stratton Hawley, “Krishna’s Cosmic
Victories,” in Journal of the American
Academy of Religion, Vol. 47, No. 2, 1979.
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Kaliya