śrī-rājā uvāca - King Parīkṣit said; katham - how; antaḥ-jale - within the water; agādhe - unfathomable; nyagṛhṇāt - subdued; bhagavān - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ahim - the serpent; saḥ - he, Kāliya; vai - indeed; bahu-yuga - for many ages; āvāsam - having residence; yathā - how; āsīt - so became; vipra - O learned brāhmaṇa; kathyatām - please explain.

King Parīkṣit inquired: O learned sage, please explain how the Supreme Personality of Godhead chastised the serpent Kāliya within the unfathomable waters of the Yamunā, and how it was that Kāliya had been living there for so many ages.