Study a Verse

• In their grief and panic, the residents of Vṛndāvana tried to find out whether Kāliya had forcibly dragged young Kṛṣṇa from the shore into the water, or whether Kṛṣṇa had Himself jumped from the shore and fallen into the clutches of the snake.
• They could not understand anything about the situation, and Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boyfriends, being unconscious, were unable to tell them anything.
• The cows and calves were crying out for Kṛṣṇa, and thus the whole situation was overwhelming and created a state of shock and panic among the residents of Vṛndāvana.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Within the water of the lake adjoining the river they saw Lord Kṛṣṇa, the very essence of their lives, enwrapped in the coils of a black snake. The residents thought the three worlds had become empty, and they all prepared to enter the water.