Kāliya Patnī Stotra

The Kāliya Patnī Stotra is the hymn of the wives of the serpent Kāliya (the nāgapatnīs). They offered it to Bhagavān Kṛshṇa during the Kāliya Mardana, when he danced on Kāliya’s hoods and the serpent was close to death. It is found in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skandha, chapter 16.

The hymn joins deep praise of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa with a plain prayer for the life of their husband. It speaks of his punishment as grace, of the great worth of the dust of his feet (pāda-dhūli), and of his true nature as Parabrahman.

The setting

During the Kāliya Mardana, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa danced on the one hundred and one hoods of Kāliya. The serpent’s strength was failing and blood poured from his mouths.

Kāliya’s wives came to Bhagavān Kṛshṇa with their children in front of them. Their clothes and ornaments were in disorder because they had come in haste. They bowed to the ground in full prostration and, with folded hands, offered this stotra. Their plea was for the life of their husband and for his release.

The stotra

Punishment as grace

The wives said: “O Bhagavān Kṛshṇa! The punishment you give this wrongdoer is right, for your eyes see enemies and sons with equal sight. You have come down to punish the wicked. But you always punish after thinking how the wicked one may be corrected and redeemed. By punishing in this way you have already shown us grace, because your punishment removes pāpa (sin). It was the pāpa-karma (deed of sin) that caused this jīva to be born as a serpent. We accept that even your kopa (anger) is anugraha (grace).”

The merit of the serpent

“This serpent must have given up pride in earlier lives and served others while keeping some tapas. Or he must have moved through the world showing dayā (compassion) to all beings. For you, the sarvāntaryāmī (the one who lives within all), are pleased by exactly such tapas and dharma. By those acts the serpent has gained what Lakshmī herself sought for ages, giving up all pleasures and keeping tapas: the touch of the dust of your feet. What past tapas earned him this rare fortune?”

The dust of the feet

“Those who have taken refuge in the dust of your feet do not ask for svarga (heaven). They do not ask for rule over bhūloka, nor for the post of Brahmā, nor for the kingdom of Pātāla, nor for the eight yoga-siddhis, nor even for moksha that ends rebirth. The dust of your feet alone is the highest aim. For one bound in the cycle of saṃsāra, a single moment of touch with that dust gives siddhi directly.”

The nature of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa

The wives then praised him in these words.

• “O Pūrṇa (the Full One)! Namaskāra to you. O Sarvāntaryāmin! O Sarvādhishṭhāna (support of all)! You live as ātmarūpa (the very self) in all living beings. Namaskāra to you, who are not limited by any place, time or object.”
• “The true form of knowledge and of what is known, Parabrahman, is you. Though you are nirguṇa (without the guṇas), your śakti is endless. Though you are beyond prakṛti, you have no change in you. Namaskāra to you.”
• “You are kālarūpa (the form of time), the support of kālaśakti (the power of time) and the witness of its divisions, such as kshaṇa (a moment) and nimesha (a blink). You are both the nimitta-kāraṇa and the upādāna-kāraṇa (the efficient and the material cause) of the jagat (world). You are jagat-sākshī (witness of the world). Namaskāra to the witness of all.”
• “The true nature of the five bhūtas, the tanmātras beginning with śabda (sound), the indriyas (senses), the vāyus such as prāṇa and apāna, the manas, the buddhi and the citta is you. The body made of sattva, rajas and tamas covers the ātmā with asmitā (the sense of ‘I’) and mamakāra (the sense of ‘mine’). That covering is the veil placed by you. Namaskāra.”
• “You are endless, subtle, free of change and all-knowing (sarvajña). You appear in many forms according to the many vādas (schools of thought). You are the śakti of all names and forms. Namaskāra.”
• “You are the sākshī-caitanya (witnessing awareness) at the base of all means of knowledge, such as pratyaksha (direct sight). You are both the maker of the Vedas and what the Vedas point to. The pravṛtti (the path of action) of the avatāras such as Rāma, and the nivṛtti (the path of turning away) of the avatāras such as Dakshiṇāmūrti, are all your own form. O Vedarūpa! Many namaskāras to you.”
• “You are Kṛshṇa, born as the son of Vasudeva, who draws all bhaktas. You are Balarāma, who delights the hearts of bhaktas. You are Pradyumna (of supreme radiance) and Aniruddha (the one without impediment). O chief of the Yādavas (the bhaktas of sattva-guṇa)! Namaskāra.”
• “The caitanya (awareness) that lights up the works of the guṇas, such as the body, is you. Your own form is covered by asmitā in these works of the guṇas, yet the workings of the manas and the rest still point to you as their witness. O Svayam-prakāśa-ātman (the self-shining Self), witness of body, senses and the rest! Namaskāra.”

The three orders of beings

“In the three worlds there are three orders: śānta (calm, in whom sattva rules, such as the devas), aśānta (restless, in whom rajas rules, such as humans) and mūḍha (dull, in whom tamas rules, such as serpents). All three are forms of the jagat-adhishṭhāna (the support of the world) that is you. You are now busy protecting the dharma of the sat-purushas (good people). You are pleased only by the śānta-janas (calm people).”

The prayer

“O Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, of calm mind! A master should forgive the fault of a servant once. This Kāliya, in whom tamo-guṇa rules, does not know your greatness (mahima). He deserves your forgiveness. O Bhagavān Kṛshṇa! Show grace to this serpent, or he will give up his life breath (prāṇa). The sādhus show compassion to women. We are women, and our husband is our prāṇa. Give us pati-bhikshā (the gift of our husband’s life). We are your sevikās (women servants). Command us. Whoever faithfully carries out your command (ājñā) is surely freed from the terror of saṃsāra.”

Sources

• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skandha, chapter 16