Chapter Thirteen Pūtanā-mokṣa The Liberation of Pūtanā

kaṁsena preṣitā duṣṭā pūtanā ghāta-kāriṇī pureṣu grāma-ghoṣeṣu carantī gharghara-svanā śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca—Śrī Nārada said; śauri—of Vasudeva; anāmaya—the welfare; pṛcchā—question; artham—for the purpose; karam—tax; dātum—to give; nṛpasya—to the king; ca—also; putra—of his son; utsavam—the festival; kathayitum—to describe; nande—when Nanda; śrī-mathuram—to Śrī Mathurā; gate—went; kaṁsena—by Kaṁsa; preṣitā—sent; duṣṭā—demon; pūtanā—Pūtanā; ghāta-kāriṇī—murderess; pureṣu in cities; grāma—towns; ghoṣeṣu—and cowherd villages; carantī—going; gharghara-svanā—making a rumbling sound. While, to ask about Vasudeva's welfare, to pay his tax to the king, and to describe his son's birth-festival, Nanda was in Śrī Mathurā, the murderess Pūtanā, sent by Kaṁsa, was traveling among cities, towns, and cowherd villages, making a menacing rumbling sound.

kaṁsena preṣitā duṣṭā pūtanā ghāta-kāriṇī pureṣu grāma-ghoṣeṣu carantī gharghara-svanā śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca—Śrī Nārada said; śauri—of Vasudeva; anāmaya—the welfare; pṛcchā—question; artham—for the purpose; karam—tax; dātum—to give; nṛpasya—to the king; ca—also; putra—of his son; utsavam—the festival; kathayitum—to describe; nande—when Nanda; śrī-mathuram—to Śrī Mathurā; gate—went; kaṁsena—by Kaṁsa; preṣitā—sent; duṣṭā—demon; pūtanā—Pūtanā; ghāta-kāriṇī—murderess; pureṣu in cities; grāma—towns; ghoṣeṣu—and cowherd villages; carantī—going; gharghara-svanā—making a rumbling sound. While, to ask about Vasudeva's welfare, to pay his tax to the king, and to describe his son's birth-festival, Nanda was in Śrī Mathurā, the murderess Pūtanā, sent by Kaṁsa, was traveling among cities, towns, and cowherd villages, making a menacing rumbling sound.

Coming to Gokula, which was filled with many gopas and gopīs, the demoness assumed the form of a splendid sixteen-year old girl.

No gopa or gopī stopped this beautiful girl, who seemed to eclipse the goddesses Śacī, Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, Rambhā, and Rati.

Ignoring Rohiṇī and Yaśodā, she took the infant on her lap, fondled Him again and again, and then exposed her breasts.

When the very horrible demoness gave her poison-covered breast to Him, infant Lord Hari became angry and drank her life-breath along with the bitter milk.

Screaming "Leave me! Leave me!", and her breast filled with pain, she ran outside, bringing the infant with her and her magical illusion now gone.

Screaming, her eyes bulging and limbs perspiring, she fell to the ground, making a sound that filled the universe with its seven planetary systems and empty regions of outer space.

cūrṇī-cakāra vapuṣā vajrāagena nṛpeśvara vadantas te gopa-gaṇā vīkṣya ghoraṁ vapur mahat cacāla—moved; vasudhā—the earth; dvīpaiḥ—with its continents; tat—that; adbhutam—a wonder; iva—like; abhavat—was; ṣaṭ-krośam—twelve miles; sā—she; dṛḍhān—hard; dīrghān—tall; vṛkṣān—trees; pṛṣṭha-tale—to the ground; gatān—went; cūrṇī-cakāra—broke into pieces; vapuṣā—with the body; vajrāagena—lightning bolt; nṛpeśvara—O king of kings; vadantaḥ—saying; te—they; gopa-gaṇāḥ—the gopas; vīkṣya—seeing; ghoram—horrible; vapuḥ—form; mahat—great. A great wonder happened. The earth and all its continents moved. She became twelve mils long and her thunderbolt body broke many tall and strong trees and made them fall to the ground. O king of kings, when the gopas saw her horrible gigantic body, they said:

cūrṇī-cakāra vapuṣā vajrāagena nṛpeśvara vadantas te gopa-gaṇā vīkṣya ghoraṁ vapur mahat cacāla—moved; vasudhā—the earth; dvīpaiḥ—with its continents; tat—that; adbhutam—a wonder; iva—like; abhavat—was; ṣaṭ-krośam—twelve miles; sā—she; dṛḍhān—hard; dīrghān—tall; vṛkṣān—trees; pṛṣṭha-tale—to the ground; gatān—went; cūrṇī-cakāra—broke into pieces; vapuṣā—with the body; vajrāagena—lightning bolt; nṛpeśvara—O king of kings; vadantaḥ—saying; te—they; gopa-gaṇāḥ—the gopas; vīkṣya—seeing; ghoram—horrible; vapuḥ—form; mahat—great. A great wonder happened. The earth and all its continents moved. She became twelve mils long and her thunderbolt body broke many tall and strong trees and made them fall to the ground. O king of kings, when the gopas saw her horrible gigantic body, they said:

dugdhaṁ pitvā jṛmbhamānaṁ taṁ dṛṣṭvā jagṛhuḥ striyaḥ yaśodayā ca rohiṇyā nidhāyorasi vismitāḥ asyāḥ—of her; aṅguli-gaḥ—gone on a finger; bālaḥ—infant; na—not; jīvati—lives; kadācana—ever; tasyāḥ—of her; urasi—on the breast; sānandam—happily; krīḍantam—playing; su-smitam—smiling; śiśum—child; dugdham—milk; pitvā—having drunk; jṛmbhamānam—yawning; tam—Him; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; jagṛhuḥ—grabbed; striyaḥ—the women; yaśodayā—by Yaśodā; ca—also; rohiṇyā—by Rohiṇī; nidhāya—placing; urasi—on the breast; vismitāḥ—astonished. "The child was crushed by her fingers. He could not have remained alive." Then, seeing the smiling infant yawn after drinking the demoness' milk, and then play on her breast, the astonished women, along with Yaśodā and Rohiṇia, grabbed Him, and pulled Him down from the breast.

dugdhaṁ pitvā jṛmbhamānaṁ taṁ dṛṣṭvā jagṛhuḥ striyaḥ yaśodayā ca rohiṇyā nidhāyorasi vismitāḥ asyāḥ—of her; aṅguli-gaḥ—gone on a finger; bālaḥ—infant; na—not; jīvati—lives; kadācana—ever; tasyāḥ—of her; urasi—on the breast; sānandam—happily; krīḍantam—playing; su-smitam—smiling; śiśum—child; dugdham—milk; pitvā—having drunk; jṛmbhamānam—yawning; tam—Him; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; jagṛhuḥ—grabbed; striyaḥ—the women; yaśodayā—by Yaśodā; ca—also; rohiṇyā—by Rohiṇī; nidhāya—placing; urasi—on the breast; vismitāḥ—astonished. "The child was crushed by her fingers. He could not have remained alive." Then, seeing the smiling infant yawn after drinking the demoness' milk, and then play on her breast, the astonished women, along with Yaśodā and Rohiṇia, grabbed Him, and pulled Him down from the breast.

Then they took the child and acted to give Him protection by anointing Him with the Yamunā's sacred water and clay, by having a cow wave its tail before Him, and by doing other things also.

Bathing Him with cow dust and cow urine, they chanted:

The gopīs said: May Śrī Kṛṣṇa protect Your head. May Lord Vaikuṇṭha protect Your neck. May the Lord of Śvetadvīpa protect Your ears. May Lord Yajṣa protect Your nose.

May Lord Nṛsiṁha protect Your two eyes. May Lord Rāma protect Your tongue. May Lord Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi protect Your lips.

May the four Kumāras. who are Lord Hari's kalā expansions, protect Your cheeks. May Lord Śveta Varāha protect Your forehead. May Lord Nārada protect the two vines of Your eyebrows.

May Lord Kapila protect Your chin. May Lord Dattātreya protect Your chest. May Lord Ṛṣabha protect both Your shoulders. May Lord Matsya protect Your hands.

May powerful Lord Pṛthu always protect Your arms. May Lord Kūrma protect Your abdomen. May Lord Dhanvantari protect Your navel.

May Śrīmatī Mohinī protect Your private parts. My Lord Vāmana protect Your hips. May Lord Paraśurāma protect Your back. May Lord Vyāsa protect Your thighs.

May Lord Balarāma protect Your knees. May Lord Buddha protect Your shins. May Lord Kalki, the master of religion, protect Your ankles and feet.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead gave this glorious and transcendental Śrī Kṛṣṇa-kavaca (armor of Lord Kṛṣṇa), which gives all protection, to the demigod Brahmā on the lotus flower of His navel.

Then Brahmā gave it to Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva gave it to Durvāsā Muni. Durvāsā Muni gave it to Śrī Yaśodā in Śrī Nanda's palace.

In this way Śrī Yaśodā and the gopīs gave protection to (infant Kṛṣṇa). Then Śrī Yaśodā gave Him her breast milk to drink, and then she gave great charity to the brāhmaṇas.

When, just returned from Mathurā City, the gopas headed by Nanda saw horrible Pūtanā, they were overcome with fear.

Cutting it up with axes, and making many pyres by Śrī Yamunā's shore, the gopas burned her body.

The smoke that rose from her now purified burning body was fragrant as elā, lavaṅga, śrīkhaṇḍa, tagra, and aguru.

Of whom else but Kṛṣṇa will we take shelter? The purifier of the fallen, He gave liberation to Pūtanā.

Śrī Bahulāśva said: Who was this demoness in her previous birth? Why did evil Pūtanā, who murdered children by giving them her poisoned breast, attain ultimate liberation?

Seeing the form of Lord Vāmana in Bali Mahāraja's yajṣa, Bali's daughter Ratnamālā felt for the Lord (a mother's) love for her son.

(She thought:) If I had a son like Him, then I would give that gloriously smiling son the milk from my breast to drink. In that way my heart would become happy.

"may your desire be fulfilled." In this way the Personality of Godhead, Lord Vāmana, gave a blessing in his heart to the daughter of His great devotee Bali Mahārāja.

At the end of Dvāpara-yuga she became known as Pūtanā. Then, by Lord Kṛṣṇa's touch, she attained her desire.

O king of Mithilā, a person who hears of Pūtanā's liberation will become purified of the three material desires and will attain pure love and devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than the greatest.