Radha Krishna - Chapter 6: The Killing of the Demon Pûtanâ

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Nanda on his way [home] thought that the words of the son of S'ûra [Vasudeva] were not said unjustly and therefore he, apprehensive of difficulties ahead, took shelter of the Lord. (2) Kamsa [see 10.4: 43] had sent a ghastly murderess who roamed the cities, towns and villages to kill babies. (3) Wherever one is used to listen and all of that [in bhakti] and one performs one's duty, there, because of the Protector of the Devotees, cannot be any question of murderous ogres and bad elements. (4) She who was called Pûtanâ and could move through the air, one day flew to the village of Nanda. There she converted herself by her mystic power into a beautiful woman and, moving about at will, penetrated wherever she wanted. (5-6) With her hair arranged with mallikâ [jasmine] flowers, with her very big breasts and hips that outweighed her slim waist, with her nice clothes and the earrings she wore, with the brilliance and great attraction of her face that was surrounded by her black hair and with the appealing glances she threw at everyone, she as a beauty attracted the attention of everyone in Gokula. In the eyes of the gopîs she, so ravishing with a lotus in her hand, seemed to be the goddess of beauty who had arrived to see her Husband. (7) The baby murderess unchecked in the house of Nanda looked for children and saw there the Child that Puts an End to All Untruth lying in bed. Its unlimited power was covered, just like a fire that lies hidden under ashes. (8) Understanding that she was bent on killing babies He, the Unlimited Soul of All That Lives and Not Lives, closed His eyes when she unaware, like someone who takes a sleeping snake for a rope, placed Him, her own death, on her lap. (9) With an evil mind acting most pleasantly she was like a sharp sword in a nice scabbard. The mothers [Yas'odâ and Rohinî] though who saw her in the room were so impressed by the conspicuous, beautiful woman that they stood rooted to the spot. (10) The terrible woman placed Him on her lap and on the spot pushed her breast into His mouth. The breast was smeared with a strong poison, but the Supreme Lord in response squeezed her painfully hard with both His hands and vehemently sucked both the poison and the life out of her. (11) She completely being exhausted from the core of her being cried 'stop, stop, enough!' and severely perspiring opened her eyes wide and violently struggled, beating over and over with her arms and legs. (12) The very deep and powerful sound she produced made the earth with its mountains and outer space with all its stars above and the worlds below tremble in all directions. People who felt the vibrations feared to be hit by lightening and fell flat to the ground. (13) Thus squirming being tormented at her breasts, she, with her mouth wide open and all of her arms, legs and hair spread out, gave up her life. Thereupon she expanded to her original demoniac form and collapsed on the pasturing grounds oh King, just as when Vritrâsura was killed by Indra's bolt [see 6.12]. (14) As her body fell down it smashed all trees twelve miles around oh King, for it was wonderfully gigantic.

(15-17) The gopas and gopîs, who in their hearts, ears and heads were already shocked by the loud yelling, were terrified to see that massive body. The mouth had fearful teeth as high as a plow, the nostrils were as big as mountain caves, the breasts were like huge boulders, the scattered hair looked like copper, the deep eye sockets were like overgrown wells, the thighs were like river banks, the limbs resembled dams and the abdomen looked like a dried up lake. (18) And on top of it the child was fearlessly playing. It was quickly picked up by the approaching gopîs who all were greatly excited. (19) Together with Yas'odâ and Rohinî they waved a cow's tail around the child in order to assure it of full protection against all dangers. (20) The child was thoroughly washed with cow's urine and further covered with dust thrown up by cows. Next for the protection of the child the Holy Name was applied with cow dung in twelve places [*]. (21) The gopîs took a sip of water [âcamana] and after placing the letters of the [following **] mantra on their bodies and two hands, they proceeded with the child: (22-23) 'May Aja protect Your legs, may Manimân protect Your knees, may Yajña protect Your thighs, may Acyuta protect You above the waist, may Hayagrîva protect Your abdomen, may Kes'ava protect Your heart, may Îs'a protect Your chest, may Sûrya protect Your neck, may Vishnu protect Your arms, may Urukrama protect Your mouth and may Îs'vara protect Your head. May Cakrî protect You from the front, may the Supreme Personality of Gadâdharî, the carrier of the club, protect You from the back and may the killer of Madhu and Ajana, the carrier of the bow and the sword protect Your two sides. May Lord Urugâya, the carrier of the conch shell, protect You from all corners, may Upendra protect You from above, may [the One riding] Garuda protect You on the ground and may the Supreme Person of Haladhara protect You on all sides. (24) May Your senses be protected by Hrishîkes'a and Your life air by Nârâyana, may the Master of S'vetadvîpa protect Your memory and may Your mind be guarded by Yoges'vara. (25-26) May Pris'nigarbha protect Your intelligence, may Your soul be protected by Bhagavân, may Govinda protect You when You play and may Mâdhava protect You in Your sleep. May the Lord of Vaikunthha protect You when You walk, may the Husband of the Goddess of Fortune protect You when You sit down and may Lord Yajñabhuk, the fear of all evil planets, protect You when You enjoy life. (27-29) The demoniac women, devils and haters of children that are like bad stars, the evil spirits, hobgoblins, ghosts and spooks, the ogres, monsters and witches like Kotharâ, Revatî, Jyeshthhâ, Mâtrikâ and Pûtanâ who drive people mad, are the ones who bewilder the memory and hinder one's body, life air and vitality. May those nightmarish beings who cause so much trouble for both old and young people, all be vanquished, may they all be scared away by the chanting of Lord Vishnu's names.'

(30) S'ri S'uka said: 'Bound by their maternal affection the elderly gopîs thus took all measures to ward off evil. His mother thereupon nursed Him and put her son in bed. (31) The gopas headed by Nanda in the meantime had returned from Mathurâ and when they saw Pûtanâ's body in Vraja they were all struck with great wonder [and said]: (32) 'Oh friends, Ânakadundubhi appears to have grown into a great master of yoga. Otherwise, how could he have predicted the kind of situation we see now?' (33) The inhabitants of Vraja cut the mass of the body into pieces with the help of axes. Then it was thrown away in a distant place, covered with wood and burned to ashes. (34) When they cremated the body, the smoke produced turned out to be as serenely fragrant as aguru incense. Being sucked by Krishna that body had been instantly freed from all contaminations [see also 1.2: 17]. (35-36) If Pûtanâ, that child murderess and she-devil hankering for blood, despite of her lust to destroy, could attain the supreme destination after offering her breast to the Lord, then what to say of those with faith and devotion who, just like His affectionate mothers, offered the one most dear, Krishna, the Supreme Personality, what [He needed]? (37-38) The Supreme Lord embraced her breast and trod her body with His lotus feet, that the devotees always have in their hearts and are held in devotion by the ones praised everywhere [like Brahmâ and S'iva]. When she, by assuming the position of a mother, went to heaven even though she was a murderess, then what would that mean for the motherly cows that by Krishna were sucked for enjoying the milk? (39-40) Oh King, for all women from whose love for the child the milk was flowing that He, the Supreme Lord, the bestower of Oneness, Giver of Liberation and son of Devakî, drank to His satisfaction, for all the ones who constantly made Krishna their maternal concern [the gopîs], it can never be so that they return to the material ocean where one lusts in ignorance [see also B.G. 4: 9].

(41) Smelling the fragrance of the smoke that emanated, all the inhabitants of Vrajabhûmi wondered: 'Where does it come from?' Thus talking to each other they reached the cow village. (42) Getting there they were greatly surprised to hear what the gopas all had to say about the havoc Pûtanâ had created, how she had died and everything that was done for the sake of the baby. (43) The gentle-minded Nanda took his son on his lap as if He had returned from death, smelled His head and achieved the highest peace oh best of the Kurus. (44) Any mortal who with faith and devotion listens to this wonderful Krishna childhood pastime about the salvation of Pûtanâ, will grow fond of Govinda ['the Protector of the Cows'].'