Canto 10 - Chapter 6: Deliverance of Putana

Discourse VI

Deliverance of Pūtanā

Śrī Śuka resumed : Pondering on his way that the words of Vasudeva (the son of Śūra) could not be untrue, Nanda sought Śrī Hari as his refuge, apprehensive as he was of the coming of startling events. (1)
Despatched by Kamsa, the terrible demoness Pūtanā, who was given to (the practice of) killing infants, moved about in towns, villages, cowherdstations etc., killing infants (wherever she went). (2)
Ogresses and others find their way only there where people, though devoted to their duties, do not practise the hearing etc., of the names and stories of Lord Viṣṇu (the Protector of devotees), capable of exterminating the ogres. (3)
Reaching Gokula, ruled over by Nanda, on one occasion, and disguising herself as a woman through her witchcraft, the said Pūtanā, who was capable of coursing through the air and could go anywhere she pleased, entered the village. (4)
Seeing that lovely woman, clad in fine clothes, with jasmine flowers tucked to her braid, her slender waist pressed as it were between her bulky hips (below) and her full breasts (above), and with her face set off with curly locks radiant with the lustre of her swinging ear-rings, the Gopis thought her to be the most beautiful Lakṣmi (Herself), come to see Her Spouse, distinguished as she was by her hand bearing a lotus (the emblem of Lakṣmi) and captivating the mind of the inhabitants of Vraja by her side-long looks accompanied with sweet smiles. (5-6)
Hunting for infants and propelled by Providence, Pūtanā (lit., an evil spirit seizing infants and causing their death) saw lying in a bed in that palace of Nanda, the Babe (Śrī Kṛṣṇa), the Destroyer of the wicked, with His immeasurable glory veiled, like fire buried under ashes. (7)
Recognizing her to be an evil spirit given to the destruction of infants, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Soul of the mobile and immobile creation) lay with His eyes utterly closed. She placed the infinite Lord, her very death, in her lap (even) as an ignorant man would a sleeping serpent, mistaking it for a rope. (8)
Seeing inside the house that excellent woman—whose (outward) behaviour was most affectionate (like that of a mother), though she was possessed of a cruel heart and thus resembled a sword encased in a charming scabbard—and overwhelmed with her splendour, the two mothers (Rohini and Yaśodā) stood merely gazing. (9)
Taking Śrī Kṛṣṇa in her lap there, that cruel woman put into the Baby's mouth her dreadful breast besmeared with deadly poison. Squeezing it hard with both his hands, the Lord full of indignation forthwith sucked the poison alongwith her (very) life. (10)
Being wrung in all her vital parts, she cried out saying, "Leave me, O leave me, enough of it!" Distending her eyes and tossing about her feet and arms again and again, she actually screamed, her limbs drenched with perspiration. (11)
As a result of her very deep and violent roar the earth with its mountains and heaven with its planets shook, the subterranean worlds as well as the (four) quarters echoed and people toppled down on the ground under the apprehension of a thunderbolt. (12)
Thus tormented at her breasts and reverting (in her helpless state) to her own (demoniac) form, she (sprang and) fell dead in (the outskirts of) Vraja, opening her mouth and flinging about her hair and stretching her legs and arms too (even) like the demon Vṛtra knocked down by the thunderbolt (of Indra), O protector of men! (13)

Even while falling down, her (colossal) body crushed, O ruler of kings, trees within (an area of) twelve miles. That was a great wonder. (14)
Its mouth was ranged with fearful teeth as long as a plough-tree; its nostrils resembled a pair of mountain caves; its breasts looked like a couple of huge rocks; its coppery hair hung loose; its eyes were deep like a well overgrown with plants etc.; it looked terrible with its hips resembling sand-banks; its arms, thighs and feet resembled dams; while its belly looked like a waterless pond. The cowherds and cowherdesses were really much frightened to see that fearful body, their heart, ears and head having already been split by her yell. (15—17)
And finding the boy fearlessly playing on her bosom, the cowherd women quickly went up to Him and picked Him up, alarmed as they were. (18)
Along with Yaśodā and Rohiṇī they fully ensured the safety of the boy (against evil spirits) on all sides by waving round him the tail of a cow (which has been declared in the scriptures to be the seat of Goddess Lakṣmī) and other occult rites. (19)
Having bathed the boy with the urine of a cow (which is held to be as sacred as the water of the holy Gaṅgā) and again sprinkling him with the dust under the hoofs of cows (which is considered to be as good as sprinkling with the totality of all sacred waters), they (further) ensured his security by daubing him with cowdung (which is recognized as another seat of Goddess Lakṣmī) at twelve points while uttering (twelve different) names* (of the Lord). (20)
Having sipped water and assigned (a number of) seed-letters (representing the first letters of the following eleven names of the Lord, followed by a nasal sound—Anuswāra) separately to the (diverse) limbs of their (own) body as well as to (the parts of) their hands, the cowherd women next assigned the same seed-letters to the limbs and (parts of) the hands of the baby. (21)

(They said:—) "May Aja (the birthless Lord) protect your feet; Maṇimān (the Lord adorned with the Kaustubha gem), your knees and Yajña (the Deity presiding over sacrifices), your thighs; Acyuta (the immortal Lord), your loins; Hayagriva (the Lord endowed with the head of a horse), your abdomen; Keśava (the Ruler even of Brahmā and Śiva), your heart; Iśa (the almighty Lord), your bosom and Ina (the Master), your throat; Viṣṇu (the all-pervading Lord), your arms; Urukrama (the Lord with long strides), your mouth and Iśwara (the Supreme Lord), your head. (22)
May the wielder of a discus stand (as your protector) before you and Śrī Hari, endowed with a mace, behind you; the Slayer of Madhu and Ajana (the birthless Lord), wielding (severally) a bow and a sword, stand on your two sides; Urugāya (sung by many), the wielder of a conch, at the (four) points intervening between the quarters; Lord Vāmana (the younger Brother of Indra), overhead; the Rider of Garuḍa, on the ground and the Supreme Person (Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa) wielding a plough, on all sides. (23)
May Hṛṣikēśa protect your Indriyas; Nārāyaṇa, your vital airs; Vāsudeva (the Lord of Śvetadwīpa), your intellect; Aniruddha (the Master of Yoga), your mind; Prāṇigarbha (Pradyumna), understanding and Saṅkarṣaṇa (the all-destroying Lord), your Ahaṅkāra (ego). May Govinda (who sports in the senses) protect you while you are at play, Madhava, while lying down; Vaikuṇṭha, while walking; the Lord of Śrī, while seated; and the Enjoyer of sacrifices, inspiring terror in all evil spirits, while you are dining (24—26)
(Malevolent spirits such as) Dākinīs, Yātudhānīs and Kūsmāṇḍās evil spirits that seize their victims taking the form of babes, Bhūtas, Pretas and Piśācas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas and Vināyakas, Koṭarā, Revatī, Jyeṣṭhā, Pūtanā, (the sixteen) Mātṛkās and others (such as Carakī and Jwālāmukhā), Unmādas (evil spirits causing insanity) and Apasmāras (those inducing apoplexy), that actually torment the body and the Indriyas and interfere with the vital functions, those responsible for evil portents of a grave nature seen in dreams and those that seize the aged as well as youngsters (alike)—terrified at the mention of the names of Lord Viṣṇu, may all these (evil spirits) die out. (27—29)

• The twelve names to be uttered on such occasion and the twelve limbs to be touched while doing so are specified in the following verses of the Padmapurāṇa:—

"Ona should visualiza Kaśava on ona's forehead, Nārāyaṇa on the belly, Mādhava on the breast and Govinda on the back of ona's neck, Viṣṇu in the right side of the abdomen and Madhusūdana on the right arm, Trivikrama on the neck, Vāmana on the left side (of the abdomen), Śridhara on the left arm and Hṛṣikeśa again on the neck, Padmanābha on the back and Oamodara on the waist."
This shows that the Gopis of Vraja were all Vaiṣṇavas.

Śrī Śuka went on : Giving suck to her Son, whose safety had thus been ensured by cowherd women, bound (to him) by (ties of) affection, the mother put Him to sleep. (30)
Meanwhile the (party of) cowherds headed by Nanda came back to (the outskirts of) Vraja from Mathurā, and were greatly astonished to see the (colossal) body of Pūtanā. (31)
(They said to one another,) "Oh, surely a seer has been really born in the person of Vasudeva or he must have been a master of Yoga (in his previous incarnation); for that very calamity has actually been perceived, of which Ānakadundubhi spoke (to us)." (32)
Having hacked that body with axes and cast it piecemeal at a distance, those inhabitants of Vraja (that had been entrusted with the protection of Gokula) burnt it to ashes after it had been piled over with logs of wood. (33)
Out of that body, while it was being cremated, arose (a column of) smoke emitting the fragrance of aloe-wood, the sin attaching to it having been completely wiped out the moment its life was sucked out (through the breasts) by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (34)
(Lo!) Pūtanā, a blood-sucking ogress given to the destruction of infants in the world and giving suck to Śrī Hari even with the (deprecable) motive of killing Him, attained the destiny of saints! (35)
How much more, then, should one deserve such a state, who offers one's most beloved something with (utmost) reverence and devotion to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Spirit, as did His affectionate mothers* and cows full of motherly affection. (36)
Even the said ogress (Pūtanā), whose breast the Lord sucked covering her body with His feet—feet which remain enshrined in the heart of His devotees and are worthy of being adored even by Brahmā, Śiva and others (who are adored by the world), ascended to heaven (Vaikuṇṭha), a destiny worthy of His mothers (Devaki and Yaśodā)! What wonder, then, that the cows and mothers, the milk of whose breasts was (lovingly) sucked by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, should attain that destiny? (37-38)
Rebirth, which results from ignorance, could never be possible, O Parikṣit, in the case of those (cows and mothers) that incessantly looked upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their as son, nay, whose milk, oozing out of parental affection, the (said) divine son of Devaki, the Bestower of Liberation and all other blessings, sucked to His heart's content. (39-40)

Smelling the fragrance of the smoke rising from the crematorium, the inhabitants of Vraja (Nanda and others, that had gone out of Vraja before Pūtanā came there), returned to Vraja saying what (a strange phenomenon) it was and whence the odour actually came ! (41)
Hearing (the story) of Pūtanā's arrival etc., as well as of her (subsequent) death and the baby's safety, as told by the cowherds present there, they stood highly amazed. (42)
Taking up (in his arms) his son, who had returned from the jaws of death (as it were,) and smelling Him at His crown (as a token of affection), the noble-minded Nanda experienced a great delight, O jewel of the Kurus ! (43)
A man who hears (or recites) with reverence (the story) of this wonderful childlike sport of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, consisting in the deliverance of Pūtanā, comes to develop love for the said Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Protector of cows). (44)

Thus ends the sixth discourse in the first half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.
* We shall see in Discourse XIII below how Śrī Kṛṣṇa assumed the form of all His boy companions and calves besides His own form on their having been stolen away by Brahmā, and continued in those forms for a full twelve month, thus conferring on the mothers of all those youngsters and calves the unique honour and privilege of being His mothers. It is these numberless cowherdesses and cows of Vraja that are referred to in the above verse as His mothers (पाठः) in the plural number.