The next morning, Kansa gathered his demon ministers in the royal court of Mathura. They planned to search towns, villages, and cowherd settlements for babies born around the last ten days. Kansa ordered, “Do not leave any place unchecked!”
Kansa summoned the powerful Rakshasi Putana, who appeared before him in her enormous and fearsome form. With a confident smile, she asked, “Maharaj, who is this child that troubles you so much?”
Kansa told her, “That newborn is destined to destroy me. Find him among the infants.” Putana answered confidently, “I will find him.”
Following Kansa’s command, Putana left Mathura in her terrifying true form. She travelled through the sky toward towns, villages, and distant settlements.
But Bhagwan Narayan’s divine plan was already at work. The infants Putana could destroy were no ordinary children. They were demons born in human form to increase the asuric power on Earth.
Putana searched one settlement after another, yet Kansa’s true enemy remained hidden. Growing impatient, she muttered, “Where is that child?”
Then Putana noticed green fields, herds of cows, and the beautiful land of Braj in the distance. She paused and looked curiously at the peaceful cowherd land below.
Before her lay Nanda Baba’s Gokul, where baby Shri Krishna was only about six days old. Putana fixed her eyes on the village. “Perhaps my search ends here.”
Putana looked at her frightening form and knew she could not enter peaceful Gokul like this. With a clever smile she thought, “First, I need a new appearance.”
Putana called upon her magical powers, and her terrifying form began to change. Her enormous body transformed as shimmering magic surrounded her.
In moments, the fearsome Rakshasi had become a strikingly beautiful woman. Admiring her disguise, Putana smiled, “Now who will recognize me?”
Putana walked gracefully through the lanes of Gokul, catching the attention of the gopis. They wondered, “Who is this beautiful visitor? We have never seen her before.”
Putana kept a gentle smile on her face while secretly searching for a newborn child. Then her eyes suddenly settled upon Nanda Bhavan.
Putana calmly entered Nanda Bhavan. Inside, Yashoda Maiya and Rohini Ji were near little Shri Krishna.
At last, Putana saw six-day-old baby Shri Krishna resting peacefully in His cradle. She stared at Him and wondered, “Is this the child Kansa fears so much?”
Shri Krishna already knew every hidden intention within Putana’s heart. As she came closer, the little Lord gently closed His lotus-like eyes.
Putana bent over the cradle and gently lifted baby Krishna into her arms. Looking at the tiny newborn, her confidence returned.
Putana had secretly prepared a powerful deadly poison before feeding baby Krishna. As she began to feed Him, she thought, “Only a few moments more…”
The moment Krishna began to drink, His tiny hands gripped Putana firmly. Putana froze in surprise—she had never expected such strength from a newborn.
Putana’s confident smile suddenly vanished, and fear filled her eyes. “What kind of child is this?” she gasped.
The poison could not harm Shri Krishna at all. Instead, He began drawing away Putana’s very life force. The mighty Rakshasi who frightened others now began to lose her strength.
Putana twisted and struggled with all her strength to escape. Terrified, she cried, “Let me go! Enough—let me go!”
As Putana struggled, her beautiful disguise began to break apart. Her face changed and her body started growing enormous again.
In an instant, the beautiful woman vanished and the enormous Rakshasi Putana appeared. Yet baby Krishna still held her firmly, completely fearless.
Putana let out a tremendous scream that echoed across Gokul. The people of Braj rushed outside, shocked by the gigantic Rakshasi before them.
At last, all of Putana’s strength disappeared, and her gigantic body crashed into the open pasture. A huge cloud of dust rose around her as she fell.
When the dust cleared, everyone saw an amazing sight—tiny Krishna was peacefully playing upon Putana’s enormous chest. The giant Rakshasi had fallen, while little Kanha remained completely calm.
Yashoda Maiya and Rohini Ji came running, and Yashoda quickly lifted Krishna into her arms. Seeing her little Kanha safe, she held Him tightly against her heart.
The gopis invoked Lord Vishnu’s sacred names to protect little Shri Krishna. Yashoda Maiya lovingly waved a cow’s tail around baby Kanha as a blessing for His protection.
Shri Krishna never forgets even the smallest feeling of love. And Putana’s story had a similar beginning, going all the way back to her previous birth.
In that earlier life, Putana was Ratnamala, the daughter of King Bali. One day, she saw the beautiful childlike form of Lord Vamana in her father’s royal court.
Seeing Lord Vamana’s sweet childlike form, Ratnamala felt a sudden motherly affection. She wished, “If only I could hold this lovely child and feed Him like a mother.”
Time passed, and in another birth Ratnamala became the Rakshasi Putana. But the Lord never forgot that small moment of motherly love in her heart.
In her next birth, Ratnamala became the Rakshasi Putana, and she fed Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna granted her a mother’s place; by His divine touch, her sins were washed away and she received liberation.
Later, when Putana’s enormous body was burned, a wonderful fragrance like aguru filled the air. Such was Shri Krishna’s mercy that even Putana, who had come to harm Him, received the blessing of a mother’s place.