TEXT 1
TEXT
sri-suka uvaca
nandah pathi vacah saurer
na mrseti vicintayan
harim jagama saranam
utpatagama-sankitah
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: My dear King, while Nanda Maharaja was on the way
home, he considered that what Vasudeva had said could not be false or useless.
There must have been some danger of disturbances in Gokula. As Nanda Maharaja
thought about the danger for his beautiful son, Krsna, he was afraid, and he
took shelter at the lotus feet of the supreme controller.
TEXT 2
TEXT
kamsena prahita ghora
putana bala-ghatini
sisums cacara nighnanti
pura-grama-vrajadisu
While Nanda Maharaja was returning to Gokula, the same fierce Putana whom
Kamsa had previously engaged to kill babies was wandering about in the towns,
cities and villages, doing her nefarious duty.
TEXT 3
TEXT
na yatra sravanadini
rakso-ghnani sva-karmasu
kurvanti satvatam bhartur
yatudhanyas ca tatra hi
My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational
duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [sravanam kirtanam visnoh],
there cannot be any danger from bad elements. Therefore there was no need for
anxiety about Gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally
present.
TEXT 4
TEXT
sa khe-cary ekadotpatya
putana nanda-gokulam
yositva mayayatmanam
pravisat kama-carini
Once upon a time, Putana Raksasi, who could move according to her desire and
was wandering in outer space, converted herself by mystic power into a very
beautiful woman and thus entered Gokula, the abode of Nanda Maharaja.
TEXTS 5-6
TEXT
tam kesa-bandha-vyatisakta-mallikam
brhan-nitamba-stana-krcchra-madhyamam
suvasasam kalpita-karna-bhusanatvisollasat-
kuntala-manditananam
valgu-smitapanga-visarga-viksitair
mano harantim vanitam vrajaukasam
amamsatambhoja-karena rupinim
gopyah sriyam drastum ivagatam patim
Her hips were full, her breasts were large and firm, seeming to overburden
her slim waist, and she was dressed very nicely. Her hair, adorned with a
garland of mallika flowers, was scattered about her beautiful face. Her earrings
were brilliant, and as she smiled very attractively, glancing upon everyone, her
beauty drew the attention of all the inhabitants of Vraja, especially the men.
When the gopis saw her, they thought that the beautiful goddess of fortune,
holding a lotus flower in her hand, had come to see her husband, Krsna.
TEXT 7
TEXT
bala-grahas tatra vicinvati sisun
yadrcchaya nanda-grhe ‘sad-antakam
balam praticchanna-nijoru-tejasam
dadarsa talpe ‘gnim ivahitam bhasi
While searching for small children, Putana, whose business was to kill them,
entered the house of Nanda Maharaja unobstructed, having been sent by the
superior potency of the Lord. Without asking anyone’s permission, she entered
Nanda Maharaja’s room, where she saw the child sleeping in bed, His unlimited
power covered like a powerful fire covered by ashes. She could understand that
this child was not ordinary, but was meant to kill all demons.
TEXT 8
TEXT
vibudhya tam balaka-marika-graham
caracaratma sa nimiliteksanah
anantam aropayad ankam antakam
yathoragam suptam abuddhi-rajju-dhih
Lord Sri Krsna, the all-pervading Supersoul, lying on the bed, understood
that Putana, a witch who was expert in killing small children, had come to kill
Him. Therefore, as if afraid of her, Krsna closed His eyes. Thus Putana took
upon her lap Him who was to be her own annihilation, just as an unintelligent
person places a sleeping snake on his lap, thinking the snake to be a rope.
TEXT 9
TEXT
tam tiksna-cittam ativama-cestitam
viksyantara kosa-paricchadasivat
vara-striyam tat-prabhaya ca dharsite
niriksyamane janani hy atisthatam
Putana Raksasi’s heart was fierce and cruel, but she looked like a very
affectionate mother. Thus she resembled a sharp sword in a soft sheath. Although
seeing her within the room, Yasoda and Rohini, overwhelmed by her beauty, did
not stop her, but remained silent because she treated the child like a mother.
TEXT 10
TEXT
tasmin stanam durjara-viryam ulbanam
ghorankam adaya sisor dadav atha
gadham karabhyam bhagavan prapidya tatpranaih
samam rosa-samanvito ‘pibat
On that very spot, the fiercely dangerous Raksasi took Krsna on her lap and
pushed her breast into His mouth. The nipple of her breast was smeared with a
dangerous, immediately effective poison, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krsna, becoming very angry at her, took hold of her breast, squeezed it very
hard with both hands, and sucked out both the poison and her life.
TEXT 11
TEXT
sa munca muncalam iti prabhasini
nispidyamanakhila-jiva-marmani
vivrtya netre caranau bhujau muhuh
prasvinna-gatra ksipati ruroda ha
Unbearably pressed in every vital point, the demon Putana began to cry,
“Please leave me, leave me! Suck my breast no longer!” Perspiring, her eyes wide
open and her arms and legs flailing, she cried very loudly again and again.
TEXT 12
TEXT
tasyah svanenatigabhira-ramhasa
sadrir mahi dyaus ca cacala sa-graha
rasa disas ca pratinedire janah
petuh ksitau vajra-nipata-sankaya
As Putana screamed loudly and forcefully, the earth with its mountains, and
outer space with its planets, trembled. The lower planets and all directions
vibrated, and people fell down, fearing that thunderbolts were falling upon
them.
TEXT 13
TEXT
nisa-carittham vyathita-stana vyasur
vyadaya kesams caranau bhujav api
prasarya gosthe nija-rupam asthita
vajrahato vrtra ivapatan nrpa
In this way the demon Putana, very much aggrieved because her breast was
being attacked by Krsna, lost her life. O King Pariksit, opening her mouth wide
and spreading her arms, legs and hair, she fell down in the pasturing ground in
her original form as a Raksasi, as Vrtrasura had fallen when killed by the
thunderbolt of Indra.
TEXT 14
TEXT
patamano ‘pi tad-dehas
tri-gavyuty-antara-druman
curnayam asa rajendra
mahad asit tad adbhutam
O King Pariksit, when the gigantic body of Putana fell to the ground, it
smashed all the trees within a limit of twelve miles. Appearing in a gigantic
body, she was certainly extraordinary.
TEXTS 15-17
TEXT
isa-matrogra-damstrasyam
giri-kandara-nasikam
ganda-saila-stanam raudram
prakirnaruna-murdhajam
andha-kupa-gabhiraksam
pulinaroha-bhisanam
baddha-setu-bhujorv-anghri
sunya-toya-hradodaram
santatrasuh sma tad viksya
gopa gopyah kalevaram
purvam tu tan-nihsvanitabhinna-
hrt-karna-mastakah
The Raksasi’s mouth was full of teeth, each resembling the front of a plow,
her nostrils were deep like mountain caves, and her breasts resembled big slabs
of stone fallen from a hill. Her scattered hair was the color of copper. The
sockets of her eyes appeared like deep blind wells, her fearful thighs resembled
the banks of a river, her arms, legs and feet seemed like big bridges, and her
abdomen appeared like a dried-up lake. The hearts, ears and heads of the cowherd
men and women were already shocked by the Raksasi’s screaming, and when they saw
the fierce wonder of her body, they were even more frightened.
TEXT 18
TEXT
balam ca tasya urasi
kridantam akutobhayam
gopyas turnam samabhyetya
jagrhur jata-sambhramah
Without fear, the child Krsna was playing on the upper portion of Putana
Raksasi’s breast, and when the gopis saw the child’s wonderful activities, they
immediately came forward with great jubilation and picked Him up.
TEXT 19
TEXT
yasoda-rohinibhyam tah
samam balasya sarvatah
raksam vidadhire samyag
go-puccha-bhramanadibhih
Thereafter, mother Yasoda and Rohini, along with the other elderly gopis,
waved about the switch of a cow to give full protection to the child Sri Krsna.
TEXT 20
TEXT
go-mutrena snapayitva
punar go-rajasarbhakam
raksam cakrus ca sakrta
dvadasangesu namabhih
The child was thoroughly washed with cow urine and then smeared with the dust
raised by the movements of the cows. Then different names of the Lord were
applied with cow dung on twelve different parts of His body, beginning with the
forehead, as done in applying tilaka. In this way, the child was given
protection.
TEXT 21
TEXT
gopyah samsprsta-salila
angesu karayoh prthak
nyasyatmany atha balasya
bija-nyasam akurvata
The gopis first executed the process of acamana, drinking a sip of water from
the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyasa-mantra and
then applied the same mantra upon the body of the child.
TEXTS 22-23
TEXT
avyad ajo ‘nghri manimams tava janv athoru
yajno ‘cyutah kati-tatam jatharam hayasyah
hrt kesavas tvad-ura isa inas tu kantham
visnur bhujam mukham urukrama isvarah kam
cakry agratah saha-gado harir astu pascat
tvat-parsvayor dhanur-asi madhu-hajanas ca
konesu sankha urugaya upary upendras
tarksyah ksitau haladharah purusah samantat
[Sukadeva Gosvami informed Maharaja Pariksit that the gopis, following the
proper system, protected Krsna, their child, with this mantra.] May Aja protect
Your legs, may Maniman protect Your knees, Yajna Your thighs, Acyuta the upper
part of Your waist, and Hayagriva Your abdomen. May Kesava protect Your heart,
Isa Your chest, the sun-god Your neck, Visnu Your arms, Urukrama Your face, and
Isvara Your head. May Cakri protect You from the front; may Sri Hari, Gadadhari,
the carrier of the club, protect You from the back; and may the carrier of the
bow, who is known as the enemy of Madhu, and Lord Ajana, the carrier of the
sword, protect Your two sides. May Lord Urugaya, the carrier of the conchshell,
protect You from all corners; may Upendra protect You from above; may Garuda
protect You on the ground; and may Lord Haladhara, the Supreme Person, protect
You on all sides.
TEXT 24
TEXT
indriyani hrsikesah
pranan narayano ‘vatu
svetadvipa-patis cittam
mano yogesvaro ‘vatu
May Hrsikesa protect Your senses, and Narayana Your life air. May the master
of Svetadvipa protect the core of Your heart, and may Lord Yogesvara protect
Your mind.
TEXTS 25-26
TEXT
prsnigarbhas tu te buddhim
atmanam bhagavan parah
kridantam patu govindah
sayanam patu madhavah
vrajantam avyad vaikuntha
asinam tvam sriyah patih
bhunjanam yajnabhuk patu
sarva-graha-bhayankarah
May Lord Prsnigarbha protect Your intelligence, and the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Your soul. While You are playing, may Govinda protect You, and while
You are sleeping may Madhava protect You. May Lord Vaikuntha protect You while
You are walking, and may Lord Narayana, the husband of the goddess of fortune,
protect You while You are sitting. Similarly, may Lord Yajnabhuk, the fearful
enemy of all evil planets, always protect You while You enjoy life.
TEXTS 27-29
TEXT
dakinyo yatudhanyas ca
kusmanda ye ‘rbhaka-grahah
bhuta-preta-pisacas ca
yaksa-rakso-vinayakah
kotara revati jyestha
putana matrkadayah
unmada ye hy apasmara
deha-pranendriya-druhah
svapna-drsta mahotpata
vrddha bala-grahas ca ye
sarve nasyantu te visnor
nama-grahana-bhiravah
The evil witches known as Dakinis, Yatudhanis and Kusmandas are the greatest
enemies of children, and the evil spirits like Bhutas, Pretas, Pisacas, Yaksas,
Raksasas and Vinayakas, as well as witches like Kotara, Revati, Jyestha, Putana
and Matrka, are always ready to give trouble to the body, the life air and the
senses, causing loss of memory, madness and bad dreams. Like the most
experienced evil stars, they all create great disturbances, especially for
children, but one can vanquish them simply by uttering Lord Visnu’s name, for
when Lord Visnu’s name resounds, all of them become afraid and go away.
TEXT 30
TEXT
sri-suka uvaca
iti pranaya-baddhabhir
gopibhih krta-raksanam
payayitva stanam mata
sannyavesayad atmajam
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami continued: All the gopis, headed by mother Yasoda,
were bound by maternal affection. After they thus chanted mantras to protect the
child, mother Yasoda gave the child the nipple of her breast to suck and then
got Him to lie down on His bed.
TEXT 31
TEXT
tavan nandadayo gopa
mathuraya vrajam gatah
vilokya putana-deham
babhuvur ativismitah
Meanwhile, all the cowherd men, headed by Nanda Maharaja, returned from
Mathura, and when they saw on the way the gigantic body of Putana lying dead,
they were struck with great wonder.
TEXT 32
TEXT
nunam batarsih sanjato
yogeso va samasa sah
sa eva drsto hy utpato
yad ahanakadundubhih
Nanda Maharaja and the other gopas exclaimed: My dear friends, you must know
that Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva, has become a great saint or a master of mystic
power. Otherwise how could he have foreseen this calamity and predicted it to
us?
TEXT 33
TEXT
kalevaram parasubhis
chittva tat te vrajaukasah
dure ksiptvavayavaso
nyadahan kastha-vestitam
The inhabitants of Vraja cut the gigantic body of Putana into pieces with the
help of axes. Then they threw the pieces far away, covered them with wood and
burned them to ashes.
TEXT 34
TEXT
dahyamanasya dehasya
dhumas caguru-saurabhah
utthitah krsna-nirbhuktasapady
ahata-papmanah
Because of Krsna’s having sucked the breast of the Raksasi Putana, when Krsna
killed her she was immediately freed of all material contamination. Her sinful
reactions automatically vanished, and therefore when her gigantic body was being
burnt, the smoke emanating from her body was fragrant like aguru incense
TEXTS 35-36
TEXT
putana loka-bala-ghni
raksasi rudhirasana
jighamsayapi haraye
stanam dattvapa sad-gatim
kim punah sraddhaya bhaktya
krsnaya paramatmane
yacchan priyatamam kim nu
raktas tan-mataro yatha
Putana was always hankering for the blood of human children, and with that
desire she came to kill Krsna; but because she offered her breast to the Lord,
she attained the greatest achievement. What then is to be said of those who had
natural devotion and affection for Krsna as mothers and who offered Him their
breasts to suck or offered something very dear, as a mother offers something to
a child?
TEXTS 37-38
TEXT
padbhyam bhakta-hrdi-sthabhyam
vandyabhyam loka-vanditaih
angam yasyah samakramya
bhagavan api tat-stanam
yatudhany api sa svargam
avapa janani-gatim
krsna-bhukta-stana-ksirah
kim u gavo ‘numatarah
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is always situated within the core
of the heart of the pure devotee, and He is always offered prayers by such
worshipable personalities as Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Because Krsna embraced
Putana’s body with great pleasure and sucked her breast, although she was a
great witch, she attained the position of a mother in the transcendental world
and thus achieved the highest perfection. What then is to be said of the cows
whose nipples Krsna sucked with great pleasure and who offered their milk very
jubilantly with affection exactly like that of a mother?
TEXTS 39-40
TEXT
payamsi yasam apibat
putra-sneha-snutany alam
bhagavan devaki-putrah
kaivalyady-akhila-pradah
tasam aviratam krsne
kurvatinam suteksanam
na punah kalpate rajan
samsaro ‘jnana-sambhavah
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is the bestower of many
benedictions, including liberation [kaivalya], or oneness with the Brahman
effulgence. For that Personality of Godhead, the gopis always felt maternal
love, and Krsna sucked their breasts with full satisfaction. Therefore, because
of their relationship as mother and son, although the gopis were engaged in
various family activities, one should never think that they returned to this
material world after leaving their bodies.
TEXT 41
TEXT
kata-dhumasya saurabhyam
avaghraya vrajaukasah
kim idam kuta eveti
vadanto vrajam ayayuh
Upon smelling the fragrance of the smoke emanating from Putana’s burning
body, many inhabitants of Vrajabhumi in distant places were astonished. “Where
is this fragrance coming from?” they asked. Thus they went to the spot where
Putana’s body was being burnt.
TEXT 42
TEXT
te tatra varnitam gopaih
putanagamanadikam
srutva tan-nidhanam svasti
sisos casan suvismitah
When the inhabitants of Vraja who had come from distant places heard the
whole story of how Putana had come and then been killed by Krsna, they were
certainly astonished, and they offered their blessings to the child for His
wonderful deed of killing Putana. Nanda Maharaja, of course, was very much
obliged to Vasudeva, who had foreseen the incident, and simply thanked him,
thinking how wonderful Vasudeva was.
TEXT 43
TEXT
nandah sva-putram adaya
pretyagatam udara-dhih
murdhny upaghraya paramam
mudam lebhe kurudvaha
O Maharaja Pariksit, best of the Kurus, Nanda Maharaja was very liberal and
simple. He immediately took his son Krsna on his lap as if Krsna had returned
from death, and by formally smelling his son’s head, Nanda Maharaja undoubtedly
enjoyed transcendental bliss.
TEXT 44
TEXT
ya etat putana-moksam
krsnasyarbhakam adbhutam
srnuyac chraddhaya martyo
govinde labhate ratim
Any person who hears with faith and devotion about how Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, killed Putana, and who thus invests his hearing in such
childhood pastimes of Krsna, certainly attains attachment for Govinda, the
supreme, original person.
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