Extinguishing the Forest Fire

Chapter Seventeen. Subject: "Extinguishing the Forest Fire."

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King Pariksit, after hearing the chastisement of Kaliya snake, inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami why the snake Kaliya left his beautiful land, and what did he do alone so that Garuḍa was so much antagonistic to Kaliya snake? After this inquiry, Sukadeva Gosvami informed him that the island known as Nagalaya is inhabited by the snakes, and Kaliya is one of the chief snake in that island. Garuḍa, being accustomed to eat snakes, he used to come to this island and killed so many snakes at his will. Some of them he actually ate, but some of them were unnecessarily killed. In this way, all the snake society became so much disturbed that their chief leader, Vasuki, appealed to Lord Brahma for their protection, and Lord Brahma made some arrangement so that this disturbance was not created by Garuḍa. The arrangement was that each half-moon day, all the families of the snakes should offer a snake to Garuḍa. The snake was kept underneath a tree as offering sacrifice to the bird, the carrier of Visnu, and he was satisfied with that offering and was not disturbing other snakes.

But gradually, this Kaliya snake took advantage of it, and he became unnecessarily too much puffed up by the volume of his accumulated poison, as well as his material power. So he thought, "Why Garuḍa should be offered this sacrifice every half-moon days?" So he himself did not offer any sacrifice. Instead of, he was eating himself the sacrifice offered to Garuḍa. Lord Garuḍa, the great devotee-carrier of Lord Visnu, understood that Kaliya was eating himself the sacrifices offered to him. So he immediately became very angry upon him, and in order to kill him, he quickly arrived on the island.

When Lord Garuḍa arrived on the island, Kaliyanaga wanted to fight with him, and he faced Garuḍa with many hoods, and equipped with sharp teeth and poison and facing him, the Kaliyanaga attempted to bite Garuḍa. Thus Garuḍa, the son of Tarksya, with great anger and with great force deserving the carrier of Lord Visnu, immediately began to splash on the body of the Kaliya by his golden wings with a great strength. Kaliya is also known as Kadrūsuta. Thus Kaliya, the son of Kadrū, being attacked by the wings with golden effulgence, immediately fled to the lake known as kaliya-hrade underneath the Yamuna River, which place was impossible to be approached by Garuḍa. Thus Kaliya took shelter there.

The reason of Kaliya's taking shelter within the water of Yamuna is stated as follows, that some times before, Garuḍa [indistinct] went to the island of Kaliya snake. Similarly, he also came to the Yamuna for catching some fish for his eating purpose. But there was a great yogi known as Saubhari Muni who used to meditate within this water, and he was sympathetic with the fishes therein. Therefore he asked Garuḍa not to come there or disturb the fishes. Under this order of Saubhari Muni, Garuḍa of course, although he was not under anyone's order, being the carrier of Lord Visnu, but still he did not disobey the order of the great yogi, and instead of eating fish there he carried one big fish, who was the leader of the fishes. After this incidence, Saubhari Muni became sorry that one of the leaders of the fish was taken away by Garuḍa, and thinking of their protection, he practically cursed Garuḍa in the following words: "Henceforward from this day, if Garuḍa comes here to catch fish, then I say with all my strength that he would be immediately out of his life."

This cursing by Saubhari Muni of Garuḍa was only known to Kaliya. As such, Kaliya was confident that Garuḍa would not be able to come there on account of Saubhari Muni, and he thought it wise to take shelter of the lake within the Yamuna, being afraid of Garuḍa. Unfortunately, Kaliya's taking shelter under Saubhari Muni was not successful because he was driven away from that place by Krsna, the master of Garuḍa. In this connection it may be noted that Garuḍa is so powerful and directly related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead that he was never subjected to anyone's order or cursing. So the cursing by Saubhari Muni for ordering Garuḍa, who is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan, is an offense on the part of Saubhari Muni. And although Garuḍa did not try to retaliate Saubhari Muni's cursing, still, Saubhari Muni was not saved from his offensive act on the personality of a great Vaisnava; and due to this offense to Garuḍa, the greatest of all Vaisnavas, Saubhari Muni, fell down from his yogic process and afterwards became a householder, or a sense enjoyer in the material world. The falling down of Saubhari Muni, who was supposed to be absorbed in spiritual bliss by meditation, is an instruction to the offender of Vaisnavas.

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Now coming to the point of Krsna's coming out of the Kaliya lake. He was seen by all His friends and relatives on the bank of Yamuna very nicely decorated, and He is smeared with candana pulp all over the body, bedecked with valuable jewels and stones and almost all over the body covered in gold. When the inhabitants of Vrndavana, the cowherds boy, the cowherds men, mother Yasoda, Maharaja Nanda and all the cows and calves, saw Krsna in that way coming out of the Kaliya lake from Yamuna, they thought it that they have got again their life. Eventually when one person gets back his life, naturally he becomes too much absorbed in pleasure and joyfulness. As such, all of them began to press Krsna on their chest, and thus they felt a great relief, specifically mother Yasoda and Rohini, along with Maharaja Nanda and other cowherds men became so much engladdened that they embraced Krsna and began to think that they had achieved their goal of life.

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Balarama also embraced Krsna and was laughing, because He knew what was to happen to Krsna when everyone was so much overwhelmed with anxiety. In this way, all the trees on the bank of the Yamuna, all the cows, all the bulls, all the calves were all full of pleasure on account of Krsna's appearance there. The brahmana inhabitants of Vrndavana immediately came to congratulate Krsna and His family members, with their wives. And because brahmanas are considered to be the spiritual master of the society, they also offered their blessings upon Krsna and the family on account of Krsna's release. They also asked Maharaja Nanda to give them some charity on that occasion. Then Maharaja Nanda, also being too much pleased on account of Krsna's return, began to give in charity many cows and gold to the brahmanas. While Nanda Maharaja was engaged in giving charity to the brahmanas, mother Yasoda simply embraced Krsna and made Him sat on his [her] lap and began to shed tears continually.

In this way it was almost night, and all the inhabitants of Vrndavana, including the cows and calves, they were too much tired and began to take rest on the bank of Yamuna. While they were all taking rest, in the Minute 0 Hour 0 midnight there was a great forest fire around them, and it appeared that the fire was progressing to devour all the inhabitants of Vrndavana. While the inhabitants of Vrndavana were feeling the warmth of the fire all around, they immediately took shelter of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He was playing just like an ordinary child of the cowherds men there.

They began to say, "My dear Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! My dear Balarama, the reservoir of all strength! Please try to save us from this all-devouring devastation of fire. We have no other shelter than Yourself. Otherwise, this devastating fire will all swallow up the inhabitants of Vrndavana." All the inhabitants of Vrndavana thus prayed to Krsna, saying that they could not take any other shelter except His lotus feet. Lord Krsna, thus being compassionate to His own men, immediately swallowed up the whole fire in the forest and saved them immediately. It was not impossible for Krsna, because He is unlimited. As such, He has unlimited power to do anything He desires to do.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of Krsna, the Seventeenth Chapter, in the matter of "Extinguishing the Devastating Forest Fire."