ABSTRACT
The Jamnā, a great river of northern India, adjoins Brindaban, the haunt of Krishna, Rādhā and the cowgirls. In Krishna’s youth, it was infested by a giant snake, Kāliya, whose poison fouled its waters. On one occasion, Krishna leapt into the river, subdued the snake but spared it on condition that it left the river and troubled the cowherds no more. ‘Dreaded stream’ may either refer to the snake or the river’s treacherous currents.
