King Parikeshit, after hearing of the chastisement of Käliya, inquired from Çukadeva Gosvämé as to why Käliya left his beautiful land and why Garuòa was so antagonistic to him. Çukadeva Gosvämé informed the King that the island known as Nägälaya was inhabited by serpents and that Käliya was one of the chief serpents there. Being accustomed to eating snakes, Garuòa used to come to this island and kill many serpents at will. Some of them he actually ate, but some were unnecessarily killed. The reptile society became so disturbed that their leader, Väsuki, appealed to Lord Brahmä for protection. Lord Brahmä made an arrangement by which Garuòa would not create a disturbance: on each half-moon day, the reptile community would offer a serpent to Garuòa. The serpent was to be kept underneath a tree as a sacrificial offering to Garuòa. Garuòa was satisfied with this offering, and therefore he did not disturb any other serpents.

But gradually, Käliya took advantage of this situation. He was unnecessarily puffed up by the volume of his accumulated poison, as well as by his material power, and he thought, “Why should Garuòa be offered this sacrifice?” He then ceased offering any sacrifice; instead, he himself ate the offering intended for Garuòa. When Garuòa, the great devotee-carrier of Vishnu, understood that Käliya was eating the offered sacrifices, he became very angry and rushed to the island to kill the offensive serpent. Käliya tried to fight Garuòa and faced him with his many hoods and poisonous sharp teeth. Käliya attempted to bite him, and Garuòa, the son of Tärkñya, in great anger and with the great force befitting the carrier of Lord Vishnu, struck the body of Käliya with his effulgent golden wings. Käliya, who is also known as Kadrusuta, son of Kadru, immediately fled to the lake known as Käliya-hrada, which lay within the Yamunä River and which Garuòa could not approach.

When He understood that the water of the Yamunä was being polluted by the black serpent Käliya, Lord Krishna took action against him and made him leave the Yamunä and go elsewhere, and thus the water became purified.

When this story was being narrated by Çukadeva Gosvämé, Mahäräja Parékñit became eager to hear more about Krishna’s childhood pastimes. He inquired from Çukadeva Gosvämé how Krishna chastised Käliya, who had been living in the water for many years. Actually, Mahäräja Parékñit was becoming more and more enthusiastic to hear the transcendental pastimes of Krishna, and his inquiry was made with great interest.

Çukadeva Gosvämé narrated the story as follows. Within the river Yamunä there was a great lake, and in that lake the black serpent Käliya used to live. Because of his poison, the whole area was so contaminated that it emanated a poisonous vapor twenty-four hours a day. If a bird happened to even pass over the spot, it would immediately die and fall down in the water.

Due to the poisonous effect of the Yamunä’s vapors, the trees and grass near the bank of the Yamunä had all dried up. Lord Krishna saw the effect of the great serpent’s poison; the whole river that ran before Våndävana was now deadly.

Krishna, who advented Himself just to kill all undesirable elements in the world, immediately climbed up into a big kadamba tree on the bank of the Yamunä. The kadamba is a tree bearing round yellow flowers that is generally seen only in the Våndävana area. After climbing to the top of the tree, He tightened His belt cloth and, flapping His arms just like a wrestler, jumped into the midst of the poisonous lake. The kadamba tree from which Krishna had jumped was the only tree there which was not dead. Some commentators say that due to being touched by the lotus feet of Krishna, the tree immediately became alive. In some other Puräëas it is stated that Garuòa, the eternal carrier of Vishnu, knew that Krishna would take this action in the future, and so he put some nectar on this tree to preserve it. When Lord Krishna jumped into the water, the river overflooded its banks to a distance of one hundred yards, as if something very large had fallen into it. This exhibition of Krishna’s strength is not at all uncommon, because He is the reservoir of all strength.

Thus Çré Krishna, along with His elder brother Balaräma, passed the childhood age known as kaumära and stepped into the age of paugaëòa, from the sixth year up to the tenth. At that time, all the cowherd men conferred and agreed to give those boys who had passed their fifth year charge of the cows in the pasturing ground. Given charge of the cows, Krishna and Balaräma traversed Våndävana, purifying the land with Their lotus footprints.

Accompanied by the cowherd boys and Balaräma, Krishna brought forward the cows and played on His flute as He entered the forest of Våndävana, which was full of flowers, vegetables, and pasturing grass. The Våndävana forest was as sanctified as the clear mind of a devotee and was full of bees, flowers and fruits. There were chirping birds and clear-water lakes with waters that could relieve one of all fatigue. Sweet-smelling breezes blew always, refreshing the mind and body. Krishna, with His friends and Balaräma, entered the forest and, seeing the favorable situation, desired to enjoy the atmosphere to the fullest extent. Krishna saw all the trees, overloaded with fruits and fresh twigs, bending down to touch the ground as if welcoming Him by touching His lotus feet. He was very pleased by the behavior of the trees, fruits and flowers, and He began to smile, realizing their desires.

Krishna then spoke to His elder brother Balaräma as follows: “My dear brother, You are superior to all of us, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by the demigods. Just see how these trees, full with fruits and flowers, have bent down to worship Your lotus feet. It appears that they are trying to get out of the darkness that has obliged them to accept the form of trees. Actually, the trees born in the land of Våndävana are not ordinary living entities. Having held the impersonal point of view in their past lives, they have been put into this stationary condition of life, but now they have the opportunity of seeing You in Våndävana, and they are praying for further advancement in spiritual life through Your personal association. Generally, living entities in the mode of darkness obtain the bodies of trees. The impersonalist philosophers are in that darkness, but they eradicate it by taking full advantage of Your presence. I think the drones that are buzzing all around You must have been Your devotees in their past lives. They cannot leave Your company because no one can be a better, more affectionate master than You. You are the supreme and original Personality of Godhead, and the drones are just trying to spread Your glories by chanting at every moment. I think some of them must be great sages, devotees of Your Lordship, and they are disguising themselves in the form of drones because they are unable to give up Your company even for a moment. My dear brother, You are the supreme worshipable Godhead. Just see how the peacocks are dancing before You in great ecstasy. The deer, whose behavior is just like that of the gopés, are welcoming You with the same affection. And the cuckoos who are residing in this forest are welcoming You with their joyful, sweet cries because they consider that Your appearance in their home is so auspicious. Even though they are trees and animals, these residents of Våndävana are glorifying You. They are prepared to welcome You to the best of their ability, as is the practice of great souls in receiving another great soul at home. As for the land, it is so pious and fortunate because the footprints of Your lotus feet are marking its body.

Brahmä said, “My dear Lord, You are the only worshipful Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead; therefore I am offering my humble obeisances and prayers just to please You. Your bodily features are of the color of clouds filled with water. You are glittering with a silver electric aura emanating from Your yellow garments.

“Let me offer my respectful repeated obeisances unto the son of Mahäräja Nanda, who is standing before me with conchshell earrings and a peacock feather on His head. His face is beautiful; He is wearing a helmet and is garlanded by forest flowers, and He stands with a morsel of food in His hand. He is decorated with a cane, a buffalo-horn bugle and a flute. He stands before me with small lotus feet.

“My dear Lord, people may say that I am the master of all Vedic knowledge, and I am supposed to be the creator of this universe, but it has been proved now that I cannot understand You, who are present before me just like a child. You are playing with Your boyfriends and calves, which might imply that You do not even have sufficient education. You are appearing just like a village boy, carrying Your food in Your hand and searching for Your calves. And yet there is so much difference between Your body and mine that I cannot estimate the potency of Your body. As I have already stated in the Brahma-saàhitä, Your body is not material.”

In the Brahma-saàhitä it is stated that the body of the Lord is all-spiritual; there is no difference between the Lord’s body and His self. Each limb of His body can perform the actions of all the others. The Lord can see with His hands, He can hear with His eyes, He can accept offerings with His legs, and He can create with His mouth.

åndävana, was described.