‘Like Krishna vs Kaliya’: 2-year-old boy in Bihar bites cobra to death after it coils around his hands

PATNA: In a hair-raising incident, a two-year-old boy in Bettiah, West Champaran, bit a cobra to death with his bare teeth after the serpent coiled itself tightly around his tiny hands.

The extraordinary confrontation, reminiscent of the mythological tale of Lord Krishna and Kaliya Naag, left the toddler unconscious but alive, thanks to quick medical intervention.

The boy, Govinda Kumar, son of one Sunil Sah, was playing near his home in Bankatwa village under Majhaulia block on Friday afternoon when the surreal sequence of events transpired. In Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna, also known as Govinda, subdued the venomous serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna river, a tale that symbolises triumph over evil. The eerie parallel between the divine legend and the child's real-life encounter has left villagers stunned.

Govinda, ever curious, spotted the reptile and, perhaps unaware of its lethal nature, threw a piece of brick at it in play. Then, the snake struck back, coiling itself around the child's hands. But what happened next stunned the family and the entire village.

Instead of screaming or running, the little boy sank his teeth into the snake's flesh, biting it so hard that it died on the spot.

Recalling the jaw-dropping moment, Govinda's grandmother, Mateshwari Devi, said, "When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot."

The impact of the snakebite caused Govinda to faint immediately. He was rushed to the local primary health centre and later referred to Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Bettiah, where doctors described the case as "highly unusual".

According to the medical team, it appears the cobra died from trauma to the head and mouth inflicted by the child's bite. Meanwhile, the venom's effect on Govinda was relatively mild, enough to knock him unconscious, but not enough to be fatal.

"Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," doctors at GMCH said. "The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication and he is under observation," said GMCH doctor Saurabh Kumar.