Text 147
kasyānubhāvo ’sya na deva vidmahe
tavāṅghri-reṇu-sparaśādhikāraḥ
yad-vāñchayā śrīr lalanācarat tapo
vihāya kāmān su-ciraṁ dhṛta-vratā
kasya — of what; anubhāvaḥ — a result; asya — of the serpent (Kāliya); na — not; deva — my Lord; vidmahe — we know; tava aṅghri — of Your lotus feet; reṇu — of the dust; sparaśa — for touching; adhikāraḥ — qualification; yat — which; vāñchayā — by desiring; śrīḥ — the goddess of fortune; lalanā — the topmost woman; acarat — performed; tapaḥ — austerity; vihāya — giving up; kāmān — all desires; su-ciram — for a long time; dhṛta — a law upheld; vratā — as a vow.
“ ‘O Lord, we do not know how the serpent Kāliya attained such an opportunity to be touched by the dust of Your lotus feet. For this end, the goddess of fortune performed austerities for centuries, giving up all other desires and observing austere vows. Indeed, we do not know how this serpent Kāliya got such an opportunity.’
This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.16.36) was spoken by the wives of the Kāliya serpent.