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KB 1970-1-6 / Putana Killed
6 / Putana Killed
While Nanda Maharaja was returning home, he considered Vasudeva'
s warning that there might be some disturbance in Gokula.
Certainly the advice was friendly and not false. So Nanda
thought, "There is some truth in it." Therefore, out of fear,
he began to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It is quite natural for a devotee in danger to think of Krsna
because he has no other shelter. When a child is in danger, he
takes shelter of his mother or father. Similarly, a devotee is
always under the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
but when he specifically sees some danger, he remembers the
Lord very rapidly.
After consulting with his demonic ministers, Kamsa instructed
a witch named Putana, who knew the black art of killing small
children by ghastly sinful methods, to kill all kinds of
children in the cities, villages and pasturing grounds. Such
witches can play their black art only where there is no
chanting or hearing of the holy name of Krsna. It is said that
wherever the chanting of the holy name of Krsna is done, even
negligently, all bad elements -- witches, ghosts, and dangerous
calamities -- immediately disappear. And this is certainly true
of the place where the chanting of the holy name of Krsna is
done seriously -- especially in Vrndavana when the Supreme Lord
was personally present. Therefore, the doubts of Nanda Maharaja
were certainly based on affection for Krsna. Actually there was
no danger from the activities of Putana, despite her powers.
Such witches are called khecari, which means they can fly in
the sky. This black art of witchcraft is still practiced by
some women in the remote northwestern side of India. They can
transfer themselves from one place to another on the branch of
an uprooted tree. Putana knew this witchcraft, and therefore
she is described in the Bhagavatam as khecari.
Putana entered the county of Gokula, the residential quarter of
Nanda Maharaja, without permission. Dressing herself just like
a beautiful woman, she entered the house of mother Yasoda. She
appeared very beautiful with raised hips, nicely swollen
breasts, earrings, and flowers in her hair. She looked
especially beautiful on account of her thin waist. She was
glancing at everyone with very attractive looks and smiling
face, and all the residents of Vrndavana were captivated. The
innocent cowherd women thought that she was a goddess of
fortune appearing in Vrndavana with a lotus flower in her hand.
It seemed to them that she had personally come to see Krsna,
who is her husband. Because of her exquisite beauty, no one
checked her movement, and therefore she freely entered the
house of Nanda Maharaja. Putana, the killer of many, many
children, found baby Krsna lying on a small bed, and she could
at once perceive that the baby was hiding His unparalleled
potencies. Putana
thought, "This child is so powerful that He can destroy the
whole universe immediately."
Putana's understanding is very significant. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is situated in everyone's heart.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that He gives one necessary
intelligence, and He also causes one to forget. Putana was
immediately aware that the child whom she was observing in the
house of Nanda Maharaja was the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself. He was lying there as a small baby, but that does not
mean that He was less powerful. The materialistic theory that
God-worship is anthropomorphic is not correct. No living being
can become God by undergoing meditation or austerities. God is
always God. Krsna as a child-baby is as complete as He is as a
full-fledged youth. The Mayavadi theory holds that the living
entity was formerly God but has now become overwhelmed by the
influence of maya. Therefore they say that presently he is
not God, but when the influence of maya is taken away, then he
again becomes God. This theory cannot be applied to the
minute living entities. The living entities are minute parts
and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; they are
minute particles or sparks of the supreme fire, but are
not the
original fire, or Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, even from the beginning of His
appearance in the house of Vasudeva and Devaki.
Krsna showed the nature of a small baby and closed His eyes, as
if to avoid the face of Putana. This closing of the eyes is
interpreted and studied in different ways by the devotees. Some
say that Krsna closed His eyes because He did not like to see
the face of Putana, who had killed so many children and who had
now come to kill Him. Others say that
something extraordinary was being
dictated to her, and in order to give her
assurance, Krsna closed His eyes so that she would not be
frightened. And yet others interpret in this way: Krsna
appeared to kill the demons and give protection to the
devotees, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: paritranaya
sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. The first demon to be
killed was a woman. According to Vedic rules, the killing of a
woman, a brahmana, cows or of a child is forbidden.
Krsna was obliged to kill the demon Putana, and because the
killing of a woman is forbidden according to Vedic Sastra, He
could not help but close His eyes. Another interpretation is
that Krsna closed His eyes because He simply took Putana to be
His nurse. Putana came to Krsna just to offer her breast for
the Lord to suck. Krsna is so merciful that even though He knew
Putana was there to kill Him, He took her as His nurse or
mother.
There are seven kinds of mothers according to Vedic injunction:
the real mother, the wife of a teacher or spiritual master,
the wife of a king, the wife of a brahmana, the cow, the nurse,
and the mother earth. Because Putana came to take Krsna on her
lap and offer her breast's milk to be sucked by Him, she was
accepted by Krsna as one of His mothers. That is considered to
be another reason He closed His eyes: He had to kill a nurse or
mother. But His killing of His mother or nurse was no different
from His love for His real mother or foster mother Yasoda.
We further understand from Vedic information that Putana was
also treated as a mother and given the same facility as Yasoda.
As Yasoda was given liberation from the material world, so
Putana was also given liberation. When the baby Krsna closed
His eyes, Putana took Him on her lap. She did not know that she
was holding death personified. If a person mistakes a snake for
a rope, he dies. Similarly, Putana killed so many babies
before meeting Krsna, but
now she was accepting the snake that would kill her immediately.
When Putana was taking baby Krsna on her lap, both Yasoda and
Rohini were present, but they did not forbid her because she
was so beautifully dressed and because she showed motherly
affection towards Krsna. They could
not understand that she was a sword within a decorated case.
Putana had smeared a very powerful poison on her breasts, and
immediately after taking the baby on her lap, she pushed her
breastly nipple within His mouth. She was hoping that as soon
as He would suck her breast, He would die. But baby Krsna very
quickly took the nipple in anger. He sucked the milk-poison
along with the life air of the demon. In other words, Krsna
simultaneously sucked the milk from her breast and killed her
by sucking out her life. Krsna is so merciful that because the
demon Putana came to offer her breast-milk to Him, He fulfilled
her desire and accepted her activity as motherly. But to stop
her from further nefarious activities, He immediately killed
her. And because the demon was killed by Krsna, she got
liberation. When Krsna
sucked out her very breath, Putana fell down on the ground,
spread her arms and legs and began to cry, "Oh child, leave me,
leave me!" She was crying loudly and perspiring, and her whole
body became wet.
As she died, screaming, there was a tremendous vibration both
on the earth and in the sky,
in all directions, and people thought that thunderbolts
were falling. Thus the nightmare of the Putana witch was over,
and she assumed her real feature as a great demon. She opened
her fierce mouth and spread her arms and legs all over. She
fell exactly as Vrtrasura when struck by the thunderbolt of
Indra. The long hair on her head was scattered all over her
body. Her fallen body extended up to twelve miles and smashed
all the trees to pieces, and everyone was struck with wonder
upon seeing this gigantic body. Her teeth appeared just like
ploughed roads, and her nostrils appeared just like mountain
caves. Her breasts appeared like small hills, and her hair was
a vast reddish bush. Her eye sockets appeared like blind wells,
and her two thighs appeared like two banks of a river; her two
hands appeared like two strongly constructed bridges, and her
abdomen seemed like a dried-up lake. All the cowherd men and
women became struck with awe and wonder upon seeing this. And
the tumultuous sound of her falling shocked their brains and
ears and made their hearts beat strongly.
When the gopis saw little Krsna fearlessly playing on Putana's
lap, they very quickly came and picked Him up. Mother Yasoda,
Rohini, and other elderly gopis immediately performed the
auspicious rituals by taking the tail of a cow and
circumambulating His body. The child was completely washed with
the urine of a cow, and the dust created by the hooves of the
cows was thrown all over His body. This was all just to save
little Krsna from future inauspicious accidents. This incident
gives us a clear indication of how important the cow is to the
family, society and to living beings in general. The
transcendental body of Krsna did not require any protection,
but to instruct us on the importance of the cow, the Lord was
smeared over with cow dung, washed with the urine of a cow, and
sprinkled with the dust upraised by the walking of the cows.
After this purificatory process, the gopis, headed by mother
Yasoda and Rohini, chanted twelve names of Visnu to give Krsna'
s body full protection from all evil influences. They washed
their hands and feet and sipped water three times, as is the
custom before chanting mantra. They chanted as follows: "My
dear Krsna, may the Lord who is known as Maniman protect Your
thighs; may Lord Visnu who is known as Yajna
protect Your legs; may Lord Acyuta protect Your arms;
may Lord Hayagriva protect Your abdomen; may Lord Kesava
protect Your heart; may Lord
Visnu protect Your arms; may
Lord Urukrama protect Your face; may Lord Isvara protect Your
head; may Lord Cakradhara protect Your front; may Lord
Gadadhara protect Your back; may Lord Madhusudana who carries
a bow in His hand
protect Your eyesight; may Lord Visnu with His
conchshell protect Your left side; may the Personality of
Godhead Upendra protect You from above, and may Lord Tarksya
protect You from below the earth; may Lord Haladhara protect
You from all sides; may the Personality of Godhead known as
Hrsikesa protect all Your senses; may Lord Narayana protect
Your breath; and may the Lord of Svetadvipa, Narayana,
protect Your heart; may Lord Yogesvara protect Your
mind; may Lord Prsnigarbha protect Your intelligence, and may
the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect Your soul. While You
are playing, may Lord Govinda protect You from all sides, and
when You are sleeping, may Lord Madhava protect You from all
danger; when You are working may the Lord of Vaikuntha protect
You from falling down; when You are sitting, may the Lord
of Vaikuntha give You all protection; and while You are
eating, may the Lord of all sacrifices give You all protection."
Thus mother Yasoda began to chant different names of Visnu to
protect the child Krsna's different bodily parts. Mother Yasoda
was firmly convinced that she should protect her child from
different kinds of evil spirits and ghosts -- namely Dakinis,
Yatudhanis, Kusmandas, Yaksas, Raksasas, Vinayakas, Kotara,
Revati, Jyestha, Putana, Matrkas, Unmadas and similar other
evil spirits, who cause persons to forget their own existence
and give trouble to the life-air and the senses. Sometimes
they appear in dreams and cause much perturbation; sometimes
they appear as old women and suck the blood of small children.
But all such ghosts and evil spirits cannot remain where there
is chanting of the holy name of God. Mother Yasoda was firmly
convinced of the Vedic injunctions about the importance of cows
and the holy name of Visnu; therefore she took all shelter in
the cows and the name of Visnu just to protect her child Krsna.
She recited all the holy names of Visnu so that He might save
the child. Vedic culture has taken advantage of keeping cows
and chanting the holy name of Visnu since the beginning of
history, and persons who are still following the Vedic ways,
especially the householders, keep at least one dozen cows and
worship the Deity of Lord Visnu, who is installed in their
house.
The elderly gopis of Vrndavana were so absorbed in affection
for Krsna that they wanted to save Him, although there was no
need to, for He had already protected Himself. They could not
understand that Krsna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead
playing as a child. After performing the formalities to protect
the child, mother Yasoda took Krsna and let Him suck her own
breast. When the child was protected by Visnu mantra, mother
Yasoda felt that He was safe. In the meantime, all the cowherd
men who went to Mathura to pay tax returned home and were
struck with wonder at seeing the gigantic dead body of Putana.
Nanda Maharaja recalled the prophecy of Vasudeva and considered
him a great sage and mystic yogi; otherwise, how could he have
foretold an incident that happened during his absence from
Vrndavana? After this, all the residents of Vraja cut the
gigantic body of Putana into pieces and piled it up with wood
for burning. When all the limbs of Putana's body were burning,
the smoke emanating from the fire created a good aroma.
This aroma was due to her being killed by Krsna. This means
that the demon Putana was washed of all her sinful activities
and attained a celestial body. Here is an example of how the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is all good: Putana came to kill
Krsna, but because He sucked her milk, she was immediately
purified, and her dead body attained a transcendental quality.
Her only business was to kill small children; she was only fond
of blood. But in spite of being envious of Krsna, she attained
salvation because she gave her milk to Him to drink. So what
can be said of others who are affectionate to Krsna in the
relationship of mother or father?
The pure devotees always serve Krsna with great love and
affection, for He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
Supersoul of every living entity. It is concluded therefore
that even a little energy expended in the service of the Lord
gives one immense transcendental profit. This is explained in
the Bhagavad-gita: svalpam apy asya dharmasya
. Devotional service in Krsna consciousness is so
sublime that even a little service to Krsna, knowingly
or unknowingly, gives one the greatest benefit.
The system of worshiping Krsna by offering flowers from a tree
is also beneficial for the living entity who is confined to the
bodily existence of that tree. When flowers and fruits are
offered to Krsna, the tree that bore them also receives much
benefit, indirectly. The arcana process, or worshiping
procedure, is therefore beneficial for everyone. Krsna is
worshipable by great demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva, and
Putana was so fortunate that the same Krsna played in her lap
as a little child. The lotus feet of Krsna, which are worshiped
by great sages and devotees, were placed on the body of Putana.
People worship Krsna and offer food
, but automatically He sucked the milk from the
body of Putana. Devotees therefore pray that if simply by
offering something as an enemy, Putana got so much benefit,
then who can measure the benefit of worshiping Krsna in love
and affection?
One should only worship Krsna if for no other reason than so
much benefit awaits the worshiper. Although Putana was an evil
spirit, she gained elevation just like the mother of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is clear that the cows and
the elderly gopis who offered milk to Krsna were also elevated
to the transcendental position. Krsna can offer anyone anything,
from liberation to anything materially conceivable. Therefore,
there cannot be any doubt of the salvation of Putana, whose
bodily milk was sucked by Krsna for such a long time. And how
can there be any doubt about the salvation of the gopis who
were so fond of Krsna? Undoubtedly all the gopis and cowherd
boys and cows who served Krsna in Vrndavana with
love and affection were liberated from the miserable condition
of material existence.
When all the inhabitants of Vrndavana smelled the good aroma
from the smoke of the burning Putana, they inquired from each
other, "Where is this good flavor coming from?" And while
conversing, they came to understand that it was the fumes of
the burning Putana. They were very fond of Krsna, and as soon
as they heard that the demon Putana was killed by Krsna,
they offered blessings to the little child out of affection.
After the burning of Putana, Nanda Maharaja came home and
immediately took up the child on his lap and began to smell His
head. In this way, he was quite satisfied that his little child
was saved from this great calamity. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has
blessed all persons who hear the narration of the
killing of Putana by Krsna. They will surely attain the favor
of Govinda.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixth Chapter of
Krsna, "Putana Killed."
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KB 6: Putana Killed
CHAPTER SIX
Putana Killed
While Nanda Maharaja was returning home, he considered Vasudeva'
s warning that there might be some disturbance in Gokula.
Certainly the advice was friendly and not false. So Nanda
thought, "There is some truth in it." Therefore, out of fear,
he began to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It is quite natural for a devotee in danger to think of Krsna,
because he has no other shelter. When a child is in danger, he
takes shelter of his mother or father. Similarly, a devotee is
always under the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
but when he specifically sees some danger, he remembers the
Lord very rapidly.
After consulting with his demoniac ministers, Kamsa instructed
a witch named Putana, who knew the black art of killing small
children by ghastly sinful methods, to kill all kinds of
children in the cities, villages and pasturing grounds. Such
witches can play their black art only where there is no
chanting or hearing of the holy name of Krsna. It is said that
wherever the chanting of the holy name of Krsna is done, even
negligently, all bad elements -- witches, ghosts and dangerous
calamities -- immediately disappear. And this is certainly true
of the place where the chanting of the holy name of Krsna is
done seriously -- especially in Vrndavana when the Supreme Lord
was personally present. Therefore, the doubts of Nanda Maharaja
were certainly based on affection for Krsna. Actually there was
no danger from the activities of Putana, despite her powers.
Such witches are called khecari, which means they can fly in
the sky. This black art of witchcraft is still practiced by
some women in the remote northwestern side of India. They can
transfer themselves from one place to another on the branch of
an uprooted tree. Putana knew this witchcraft, and therefore
she is described in the Bhagavatam as khecari.
Putana entered the county of Gokula, the residential quarter of
Nanda Maharaja, without permission. Dressing herself just like
a beautiful woman, she entered the house of Mother Yasoda. She
appeared very beautiful, with raised hips, nicely swollen
breasts, earrings, and flowers in her hair. She looked
especially beautiful on account of her thin waist. She was
glancing at everyone with very attractive looks and smiling
face, and all the residents of Vrndavana were captivated. The
innocent cowherd women thought that she was the goddess of
fortune appearing in Vrndavana with a lotus flower in her hand.
It seemed to them that she had personally come to see Krsna,
who is her husband. Because of her exquisite beauty, no one
checked her movement, and therefore she freely entered the
house of Nanda Maharaja. Putana, the killer of many, many
children, found baby Krsna lying on a small bed, and she could
at once perceive that the baby was hiding His unparalleled
potencies, which resembled fire covered by ashes. Putana
thought, "This child is so powerful that He can destroy the
whole universe immediately."
Putana's understanding is very significant. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is situated in everyone's heart.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that He gives one necessary
intelligence, and He also causes one to forget. Putana was
immediately aware that the child whom she was observing in the
house of Nanda Maharaja was the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself. He was lying there as a small baby, but that does not
mean He was less powerful. The materialistic theory that
God-worship is anthropomorphic is not correct. No living being
can become God by undergoing meditation or austerities. God is
always God. Krsna as a baby is as complete as He is as a
full-fledged youth. The Mayavada theory holds that the living
entity was formerly God but has now become overwhelmed by the
influence of maya. Therefore Mayavadis say that presently he is
not God but when the influence of maya is taken away he
will again become God. This theory cannot be applied to the
minute living entities. The living entities are minute parts
and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; they are
minute particles or sparks of the original fire. So these
sparks can be covered by the influence of maya, but the
original fire, Krsna, cannot. Krsna is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, even from the beginning of His
appearance in the house of Vasudeva and Devaki.
Krsna showed the nature of a small baby and closed His eyes, as
if to avoid the face of Putana. This closing of the eyes is
interpreted and studied in different ways by the devotees. Some
say that Krsna closed His eyes because He did not like to see
the face of Putana, who had killed so many children and who had
now come to kill Him. Others say that Putana hesitated to take
the baby on her lap because something extraordinary was being
dictated to her from within, and that in order to give her
assurance Krsna closed His eyes so that she would not be
frightened. And yet others interpret in this way: Krsna
appeared in order to kill the demons and give protection to the
devotees, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita: paritranaya
sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. The first demon to be
killed was a woman. According to Vedic rules, the killing of a
woman, a brahmana, cows or a child is strictly forbidden.
Krsna was obliged to kill the demon Putana, and because the
killing of a woman is forbidden according to Vedic sastra, He
could not help but close His eyes. Another interpretation is
that Krsna closed His eyes because He simply took Putana to be
His nurse. Putana came to Krsna just to offer her breast for
the Lord to suck. Krsna is so merciful that even though He knew
Putana was there to kill Him, He took her as His nurse or
mother.
There are seven kinds of mothers, according to Vedic injunction:
the real mother, the wife of a teacher or spiritual master,
the wife of a king, the wife of a brahmana, the cow, the nurse
and mother earth. Because Putana came to take Krsna on her
lap and offer her breast milk to be sucked by Him, she was
accepted by Krsna as one of His mothers. That is considered to
be another reason He closed His eyes: He had to kill a nurse or
mother. But His killing of His mother or nurse was no different
from His love for His real mother or His foster mother, Yasoda.
We further understand from Vedic information that Putana was
also treated as a mother and given the same facility as Yasoda.
As Yasoda was given liberation from the material world,
Putana was also given liberation. When the baby Krsna closed
His eyes, Putana took Him on her lap. She did not know that she
was holding death personified. If a person mistakes a snake for
a rope, he dies. Similarly, Putana had killed so many babies
before meeting Krsna, and she mistook Him to be like them, but
now she was accepting the snake that would kill her immediately.
When Putana was taking baby Krsna on her lap, both Yasoda and
Rohini were present, but because she
was so beautifully dressed and showed motherly
affection toward Krsna, they did not forbid her. They could
not understand that she was a sword within a decorated case.
Putana had smeared a very powerful poison on her breasts, and
immediately after taking the baby on her lap, she pushed her
breastly nipple within His mouth. She was hoping that as soon
as He would suck her breast, He would die. But baby Krsna very
quickly took the nipple in anger. He sucked the milk-poison
along with the life air of the demon. In other words, Krsna
simultaneously sucked the milk from her breast and killed her
by sucking out her life. Krsna is so merciful that because the
demon Putana came to offer her breast milk to Him, He fulfilled
her desire and accepted her activity as motherly. But to stop
her from further nefarious activities, He immediately killed
her. And because the demon was killed by Krsna, she got
liberation. As Krsna pressed her breast extremely hard and
sucked out her very breath, Putana fell down on the ground,
spread her arms and legs and began to cry, "Oh, child, leave me,
leave me!" She was crying loudly and perspiring, and her whole
body became wet.
As she died screaming, there was a tremendous vibration
on the earth and in the sky, on the upper and lower planets,
and in all directions, and people thought that thunderbolts
were falling. Thus the nightmare of the Putana witch was over,
and she assumed her real feature as a great demon. She opened
her fierce mouth and spread her arms and legs all over. She
fell exactly as Vrtrasura did when struck by the thunderbolt of
Indra. The long hair on her head was scattered all over her
body. Her fallen body extended up to twelve miles and smashed
all the trees to pieces, and everyone was struck with wonder
upon seeing this gigantic body. Her teeth appeared just like
plows, and her nostrils appeared just like mountain
caves. Her breasts appeared like small hills, and her hair was
a vast reddish bush. Her eye sockets appeared like blind wells,
and her two thighs appeared like two banks of a river. Her two
hands appeared like two strongly constructed bridges, and her
abdomen seemed like a dried-up lake. All the cowherd men and
women became struck with awe and wonder upon seeing this. And
the tumultuous sound of her falling shocked their brains and
ears and made their hearts beat strongly.
When the gopis saw little Krsna fearlessly playing on Putana's
lap, they very quickly came and picked Him up. Mother Yasoda,
Rohini and other elder gopis immediately performed the
auspicious rituals by taking the tail of a cow and
circumambulating His body. The child was completely washed with
the urine of a cow, and the dust created by the hooves of the
cows was thrown all over His body. This was all just to save
little Krsna from future inauspicious accidents. This incident
gives us a clear indication of how important the cow is to the
family, society and to living beings in general. The
transcendental body of Krsna did not require any protection,
but to instruct us on the importance of the cow, the Lord was
smeared over with cow dung, washed with the urine of a cow, and
sprinkled with the dust upraised by the walking of the cows.
After this purificatory process, the gopis, headed by Mother
Yasoda and Rohini, chanted the names of Visnu to give Krsna'
s body full protection from all evil influences. They washed
their hands and feet and sipped water three times, as is the
custom before chanting mantra. They chanted as follows: "My
dear Krsna, may the Lord who is known as Aja protect Your
legs; may Lord Maniman protect Your knees; may Lord Yajna
protect Your thighs; may Lord Acyuta protect Your upper waist;
may Lord Hayagriva protect Your abdomen; may Lord Kesava
protect Your heart; may Lord Isa protect Your chest; may Lord
Surya protect Your neck; may Lord Visnu protect Your arms; may
Lord Urukrama protect Your face; may Lord Isvara protect Your
head; may Lord Cakradhara protect Your front; may Lord
Gadadhara protect Your back; may Lord Madhusudana, who carries
a bow in His hand, protect Your right side; may Lord Ajana
protect Your left side; may Lord Urugaya with His
conchshell protect You on all sides; may the Personality of
Godhead Upendra protect You from above; may Lord Tarksya
protect You on the ground; may Lord Haladhara protect
You from all sides; may the Personality of Godhead known as
Hrsikesa protect all Your senses; may Lord Narayana protect
Your life airs; may the Lord of Svetadvipa, Narayana,
protect the core of Your heart; may Lord Yogesvara protect Your
mind; may Lord Prsnigarbha protect Your intelligence; and may
the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect Your soul. While You
are playing, may Lord Govinda protect You from all sides, and
when You are sleeping, may Lord Madhava protect You from all
danger; when You are walking, may the Lord of Vaikuntha protect
You from falling down; when You are sitting, may Lord
Narayana give You all protection; and while You are
eating, may the Lord of all sacrifices give You all protection."
Thus Mother Yasoda chanted different names of Visnu to
protect child Krsna's different bodily parts. Mother Yasoda
was firmly convinced that she should protect her child from
different kinds of evil spirits and ghosts -- namely Dakinis,
Yatudhanis, Kusmandas, Yaksas, Raksasas, Vinayakas, Kotaras,
Revatis, Jyesthas, Putanas, Matrkas, Unmadas and similar other
evil spirits, who cause persons to forget their own existence
and give trouble to the life airs and the senses. Sometimes
they appear in dreams and cause much perturbation; sometimes
they appear as old women and suck the blood of small children.
But no such ghosts and evil spirits can remain where there
is chanting of the holy name of God. Mother Yasoda was firmly
convinced of the Vedic injunctions about the importance of cows
and the holy name of Visnu; therefore she took all shelter in
the cows and the name of Visnu just to protect her child Krsna.
She recited all the holy names of Visnu so that He might save
the child. Vedic culture has taken advantage of keeping cows
and chanting the holy name of Visnu since the beginning of
history, and persons who are still following the Vedic ways,
especially the householders, keep at least one dozen cows and
worship the Deity of Lord Visnu, who is installed in their
house. Persons who are advancing in Krsna consciousness should
take instruction from this pastime and also be very much
interested in cows and the holy name of Visnu.
The elder gopis of Vrndavana were so absorbed in affection
for Krsna that they wanted to save Him, although there was no
need to, for He had already protected Himself. They could not
understand that Krsna was the Supreme Personality of Godhead
playing as a child. After performing the formalities to protect
the child, Mother Yasoda took Krsna and let Him suck her
breast. When the child was protected by visnu-mantra, Mother
Yasoda felt that He was safe. In the meantime, all the cowherd
men who had gone to Mathura to pay tax returned home and were
struck with wonder at seeing the gigantic dead body of Putana.
Nanda Maharaja recalled the prophecy of Vasudeva and considered
him a great sage and mystic yogi; otherwise, how could he have
foretold an incident that happened during his absence from
Vrndavana? After this, all the residents of Vraja cut the
gigantic body of Putana into pieces and piled it up with wood
for burning. When all the limbs of Putana's body were burning,
the smoke emanating from the fire created a good aroma of aguru.
This aroma was due to her being killed by Krsna. This means
that the demon Putana was washed of all her sinful activities
and attained a celestial body. Here is an example of how the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-good: Putana came to kill
Krsna, but because He sucked her milk, she was immediately
purified, and her dead body attained a transcendental quality.
Her only business was to kill small children; she was only fond
of blood. But in spite of being envious of Krsna, she attained
salvation because she gave her milk to Him to drink. So what
can be said of those who are affectionate to Krsna in the
relationship of mother, who with great love and affection
always serve Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the
Supersoul of every living entity?
It is concluded, therefore,
that even a little energy expended in the service of the Lord
gives one immense transcendental profit. This is explained in
the Bhagavad-gita: sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trayate
mahato bhayat. Devotional service in Krsna consciousness is so
sublime that even a little service rendered to Krsna, knowingly
or unknowingly, gives one the greatest transcendental benefit.
The system of worshiping Krsna by offering flowers from a tree
is also beneficial for the living entity who is confined to the
bodily existence of that tree. When flowers and fruits are
offered to Krsna, the tree that bore them also receives much
benefit, indirectly. The arcana process, or worshiping
procedure, is therefore beneficial for everyone. Krsna is
worshipable by great demigods like Brahma and Lord Siva, and
Putana was so fortunate that the same Krsna played in her lap
as a little child. The lotus feet of Krsna, which are worshiped
by great sages and devotees, were placed on the body of Putana.
People worship Krsna and offer Him food with great reverence
and devotion, but automatically He sucked the milk from the
body of Putana. Devotees therefore pray that if simply by
offering something as an enemy Putana got so much benefit,
then who can measure the benefit of worshiping Krsna in love
and affection? Therefore only Krsna should be worshiped, for so
much benefit awaits the worshiper.
Although Putana was an evil
spirit, she gained elevation just like the mother of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is clear that the cows and
the elder gopis who offered milk to Krsna were also elevated
to the transcendental position. Krsna can offer anyone anything,
from liberation to anything materially conceivable. Therefore,
there cannot be any doubt of the salvation of Putana, whose
bodily milk was sucked by Krsna for such a long time. And how
can there be any doubt about the salvation of the gopis, who
were so fond of Krsna? Undoubtedly all the gopis, cowherd
boys, cows and everyone else who served Krsna in Vrndavana with
love and affection were liberated from the miserable condition
of material existence.
When all the inhabitants of Vrndavana smelled the good aroma
from the smoke of the burning Putana, they inquired from each
other, "Where is this good fragrance coming from?" And while
conversing, they came to understand that it was the fumes of
the burning Putana. They were very fond of Krsna, and as soon
as they heard that the demon Putana had been killed by Krsna,
they offered blessings to the little child out of affection.
After the burning of Putana, Nanda Maharaja came home and
immediately took up the child on his lap and began to smell His
head. In this way, he was quite satisfied that his little child
was saved from this great calamity. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has
given a blessing to all persons who hear the narration of the
killing of Putana by Krsna: they will surely attain the favor
of Govinda.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixth Chapter of
Krsna, "Putana Killed."
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