Canto
10
Canto
10
Chapter 6: The Killing of the Demoness Pûtanâ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Nanda on his way [home] thought that the words of the son of S'ûra [Vasudeva] were not without a purpose and thus took he, apprehensive of difficulties ahead, shelter of the Lord. (2) As arranged by Kamsa [see 10.4: 43] was there a ghastly murderess who roamed the cities, towns and villages to kill babies. (3) [Now,] wherever one does one's duty and knows to listen and that all [in bhakti], can't there, by the Protector of the Devotees, be no question of cries for murder of ogres and bad elements. (4) That one called Pûtanâ, who could travel by air, once flew to the village of Nanda, converted herself by mystic power into a beautiful woman and entered there just moving about as she desired. (5-6) With her hair arrangement with mallikâ [jasmine] flowers, her very big breasts and hips which outweighed her slim waist, with her fine apparel and the earrings she wore, the brilliance and great attraction of her face surrounded by her black hair and with her appealing glancing at everyone, she attracted with her beauty the attention of everyone in Gokula; to the gopîs it seemed that she, so ravishing with a lotus in her hand, was the goddess of beauty who had come to see her Husband. (7) The baby murderess in the house of Nanda unchecked looking for children saw there lying the Child Putting an End to all Untruth whose unlimited power was covered, just like fire hidden within ashes. (8) Understanding that she was there to kill babies closed He, the Unlimited Soul of the Animate and Inanimate, His eyes the moment she, unaware like someone who takes a sleeping snake for a rope, placed Him, her own death, on her lap. (9) Evil minded trying it like a mother was she like a sharp sword in a nice scabbard, the way she was seen in the room by the two mothers who under the influence of her beauty being impressed stood nailed to the ground. (10) The horror of her placing Him on her lap pushed right there her breast, as a weapon poisoned, in His mouth, but in response squeezed the Supreme Lord her painfully hard with both His hands and sucked He vehemently both the poison and the life out of her. (11) Stressed in all her being she loudly wailing cried 'Help, help me; enough!' and spread her eyes wide open, sweating profusely while she struggling tossed about her legs and arms. (12) The sound of her made the earth with its mountains and outer space with all its stars above and worlds below in all directions tremble with people falling flat to the ground to the vibrations afraid to be hit by lightening. (13) Thus tormented at her breasts squirming, gave she up her life with her mouth wide open and her arms, legs and hair all spread out. Next she expanded to her original demoniac form falling down in the pasturing grounds o King, like Vritrâsura being killed by the bolt of Indra [see 6.12]. (14) Her body in the process of falling down smashed all trees twelve miles around, o King, as it most wonderfully was gigantic.
(15-17) The gopas and gopîs, who in their hearts, ears and heads were already shocked by the loud screaming, were terrified to see that massive body of which the mouth had teeth as high as a plow, the nostrils were like mountain caves, the breasts were as boulders, the wild hair scattered looked like copper, the deep eye sockets were like blind wells, the thighs were like river banks with the limbs as bridges and the abdomen was as a dried up lake. (18) And on top of it was there the child, fearlessly playing, which quickly was picked up by the gopîs who all thrown in excitement came near. (19) Together with Yas'odâ and Rohinî waved they a cow's tail around the child in order to assure it a full protection against all dangers. (20) With cow's urine was the child thoroughly washed and again covered with dust thrown up by cows. Next applied they for the child's protection as well the Holy Name in twelve places with cow-dung [*]. (21) The gopîs took a sip of water [âcamana] and after placing the letters of the [following **] mantra on their own bodies and two hands, they then proceeded so with the child: (22-23) 'May Aja protect Your legs, may Manimân protect Your knees, may Yajña protect Your thighs, may Acyuta protect You above the waist, may Hayagrîva protect Your abdomen, may Kes'ava protect Your heart, may Îs'a protect Your chest, may Sûrya protect Your neck, may Vishnu protect Your arms, may Urukrama protect Your mouth and may Îs'vara protect Your head. May Cakrî protect You from the front; may the Supreme Personality of Gadâdharî, the carrier of the club, protect You from the back; and may the killer of Madhu and Ajana, the carrier of the bow and the sword protect Your two sides. May Lord Urugâya, the carrier of the conchshell, protect You from all corners; may Upendra protect You from above; may [the One riding] Garuda protect You on the ground; and may the Supreme Person of Haladhara, protect You on all sides. (24) May Your senses be protected by Hrishîkes'a, Your life-air by Nârâyana, may the Master of S'vetadvîpa protect the core of Your heart and may Your mind be guarded by Yoges'vara. (25-26) May Pris'nigarbha protect Your intelligence, may Your soul be protected by Bhagavân, may Govinda protect You when You play and may Mâdhava protect You in Your sleep. May the Lord of Vaikunthha protect You when You walk, the Husband of the Goddess of Fortune protect You when You sit down and may Lord Yajñabhuk, the fear of all evil planets, protect You enjoying life. (27-29) The demoniac women, devils and haters of children that are like bad stars; the evil spirits, hobgoblins, ghosts and spooks, the ogres, monsters and witches like Kotharâ, Revatî, Jyeshthhâ, Mâtrikâ and Pûtanâ who drive people mad, are the ones who bewilder the memory and give trouble to one's body, life-air and vitality. May those nightmare-beings causing so much difficulties attacking the most wise and the children all be vanquished, scared off by the chanting of the names of Vishnu'.
(30) S'ri S'uka said: 'This way were by the elderly gopîs, thus bound by their maternal affection, all measures taken to ward off the evil. Next gave mom Him the nipple and put she her son in bed. (31) In the meantime had the gopas headed by Nanda returned from Mathurâ and when they in Vraja saw Pûtanâ's body were they all struck with great wonder [and said]: (32) 'It must be so, o friends, that Ânakadundubhi has grown into a great master of yoga or something, this indeed we can see now because this is the kind of situation he predicted!' (33) The mass of the body was with the help of axes by all the inhabitants of Vraja cut in pieces and, taken away a long distance, thrown down, covered with wood and burned to ashes. (34) And as they burned the body proved the smoke emanating to be as serenely fragrant as aguru incense because, being sucked by Krishna, it had instantly been freed from all contaminations [see also 1.2: 17]. (35-36) If Pûtanâ, that child murderess and she-devil hankering for blood, despite of her lust to destroy, after offering her breast to the Lord, could attain the supreme destination, then what to speak of those with faith and devotion who have an affinity alike indeed those affectionate mothers to whom Krishna, the Supreme Personality, is the dearmost? (37-38) With His lotus feet, which the devotees always have in their hearts and which are held in devotion by those praised everywhere [like Brahmâ and S'iva], trod the Supreme Lord her body and her breast and went she, even though she was a murderess, taking the position of a mother, to heaven; what would that mean to the motherly cows from the teats of whom Krishna enjoyed the milk? (39-40) From all women from whose love for the child the milk was flowing that He, the Supreme Lord, the bestower of Oneness, Giver of Liberation and son of Devakî, drank to His satisfaction; from all those who constantly made Krishna their maternal concern, may one never think, o King, that they would return to the material ocean where one lusts in ignorance [see also B.G. 4: 9].
(41) Smelling the fragrance of the smoke emanating wondered all the inhabitants of Vrajabhûmi: 'Where is it coming from?' and thus speaking with one another reached they the cow-village. (42) Getting there were they greatly surprised to hear what the gopas all had to say about the havoc Pûtanâ had created, how she had died and what all for the good of the baby was done. (43) Nanda taking his son on his lap as if He had returned from death, simple and straight smelled His head and achieved the highest peace o best of the Kurus. (44) Any mortal who with faith and devotion should hear of this wonderful Krishna childhood pastime of the salvation of Pûtanâ will grow fond of Govinda ['the Protector of the Cows'].'
Second edition, loaded March 14, 2008.
Source texts:
The Killing of the Demon Pûtanâ
S'rî S'uka said: 'Nanda on his way [home] thought that the words of the son of S'ûra [Vasudeva] were not without a purpose and thus took he, apprehensive of difficulties ahead, shelter of the Lord.S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: My dear King, while Nanda Mahârâja 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 Mahârâja thought about the danger for his beautiful son, Krishna, he was afraid, and he took shelter at the lotus feet of the supreme controller. (Vedabase)
As arranged by Kamsa [see 10.4: 43] was there a ghastly murderess who roamed the cities, towns and villages to kill babies.
While Nanda Mahârâja was returning to Gokula, the same fierce Pûtanâ whom Kamsa had previously engaged to kill babies was wandering about in the towns, cities and villages, doing her nefarious duty. (Vedabase)
[Now,] wherever one does one's duty and knows to listen and that all [in bhakti], can't there, by the Protector of the Devotees, be no question of cries for murder of ogres and bad elements.
My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [s'ravanam kîrtanam vishnoh SB 7.5.23], 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. (Vedabase)
That one called Pûtanâ, who could travel by air, once flew to the village of Nanda, converted herself by mystic power into a beautiful woman and entered there just moving about as she desired.
Once upon a time, Pûtanâ Râkshasî, 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 Mahârâja. (Vedabase)
With her hair arrangement with mallikâ [jasmine] flowers, her very big breasts and hips which outweighed her slim waist, with her fine apparel and the earrings she wore, the brilliance and great attraction of her face surrounded by her black hair and with her appealing glancing at everyone, she attracted with her beauty the attention of everyone in Gokula; to the gopîs it seemed that she, so ravishing with a lotus in her hand, was the goddess of beauty who had come to see her Husband.
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 mallikâ 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 gopîs saw her, they thought that the beautiful goddess of fortune, holding a lotus flower in her hand, had come to see her husband, Krishna. (Vedabase)
The baby murderess in the house of Nanda unchecked looking for children saw there lying the Child Putting an End to all Untruth whose unlimited power was covered, just like fire hidden within ashes.
While searching for small children, Pûtanâ, whose business was to kill them, entered the house of Nanda Mahârâja unobstructed, having been sent by the superior potency of the Lord. Without asking anyone's permission, she entered Nanda Mahârâja'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. (Vedabase)
Understanding that she was there to kill babies closed He, the Unlimited Soul of the Animate and Inanimate, His eyes the moment she, unaware like someone who takes a sleeping snake for a rope, placed Him, her own death, on her lap.
Lord S'rî Krishna, the all-pervading Supersoul, lying on the bed, understood that Pûtanâ, a witch who was expert in killing small children, had come to kill Him. Therefore, as if afraid of her, Krishna closed His eyes. Thus Pûtanâ 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. (Vedabase)
Evil minded trying it like a mother was she like a sharp sword in a nice scabbard, the way she was seen in the room by the two mothers who under the influence of her beauty being impressed stood nailed to the ground.
Pûtanâ Râkshasî'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, Yas'odâ and Rohinî, overwhelmed by her beauty, did not stop her, but remained silent because she treated the child like a mother. (Vedabase)
The horror of her placing Him on her lap pushed right there her breast, as a weapon poisoned, in His mouth, but in response squeezed the Supreme Lord her painfully hard with both His hands and sucked He vehemently both the poison and the life out of her.
On that very spot, the fiercely dangerous Râkshasî took Krishna 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, Krishna, 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. (Vedabase)
Stressed in all her being she loudly wailing cried 'Help, help me; enough!' and spread her eyes wide open, sweating profusely while she struggling tossed about her legs and arms.
Unbearably pressed in every vital point, the demon Pûtanâ 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. (Vedabase)
The sound of her made the earth with its mountains and outer space with all its stars above and worlds below in all directions tremble with people falling flat to the ground to the vibrations afraid to be hit by lightening.
As Pûtanâ 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. (Vedabase)
Thus tormented at her breasts squirming, gave she up her life with her mouth wide open and her arms, legs and hair all spread out. Next she expanded to her original demoniac form falling down in the pasturing grounds o King, like Vritrâsura being killed by the bolt of Indra [see 6.12].
In this way the demon Pûtanâ, very much aggrieved because her breast was being attacked by Krishna, lost her life. O King Parîkchit, opening her mouth wide and spreading her arms, legs and hair, she fell down in the pasturing ground in her original form as a Râkshasî, as Vritrâsura had fallen when killed by the thunderbolt of Indra. (Vedabase)
Her body in the process of falling down smashed all trees twelve miles around, o King, as it most wonderfully was gigantic.
O King Parîkchit, when the gigantic body of Pûtanâ fell to the ground, it smashed all the trees within a limit of twelve miles. Appearing in a gigantic body, she was certainly extraordinary. (Vedabase)
The gopas and gopîs, who in their hearts, ears and heads were already shocked by the loud screaming, were terrified to see that massive body of which the mouth had teeth as high as a plow, the nostrils were like mountain caves, the breasts were as boulders, the wild hair scattered looked like copper, the deep eye sockets were like blind wells, the thighs were like river banks with the limbs as bridges and the abdomen was as a dried up lake.
The Râkshasî'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 Râkshasî's screaming, and when they saw the fierce wonder of her body, they were even more frightened. (Vedabase)
And on top of it was there the child, fearlessly playing, which quickly was picked up by the gopîs who all thrown in excitement came near.
Without fear, the child Krishna was playing on the upper portion of Pûtanâ Râkshasî's breast, and when the gopîs saw the child's wonderful activities, they immediately came forward with great jubilation and picked Him up. (Vedabase)
Together with Yas'odâ and Rohinî waved they a cow's tail around the child in order to assure it a full protection against all dangers.
Thereafter, mother Yas'odâ and Rohinî, along with the other elderly gopîs, waved about the switch of a cow to give full protection to the child S'rî Krishna. (Vedabase)
With cow's urine was the child thoroughly washed and again covered with dust thrown up by cows. Next applied they for the child's protection as well the Holy Name in twelve places with cow-dung [*].
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. (Vedabase)
The gopîs took a sip of water [âcamana] and after placing the letters of the [following **] mantra on their own bodies and two hands, they then proceeded so with the child:
The gopîs first executed the process of âcamana, drinking a sip of water from the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyâsa- mantra and then applied the same mantra upon the body of the child. (Vedabase)
'May Aja protect Your legs, may Manimân protect Your knees, may Yajña protect Your thighs, may Acyuta protect You above the waist, may Hayagrîva protect Your abdomen, may Kes'ava protect Your heart, may Îs'a protect Your chest, may Sûrya protect Your neck, may Vishnu protect Your arms, may Urukrama protect Your mouth and may Îs'vara protect Your head. May Cakrî protect You from the front; may the Supreme Personality of Gadâdharî, the carrier of the club, protect You from the back; and may the killer of Madhu and Ajana, the carrier of the bow and the sword protect Your two sides. May Lord Urugâya, the carrier of the conchshell, protect You from all corners; may Upendra protect You from above; may [the One riding] Garuda protect You on the ground; and may the Supreme Person of Haladhara, protect You on all sides.
[S'ukadeva Gosvâmî informed Mahârâja Parîkchit that the gopîs, following the proper system, protected Krishna, their child, with this mantra.] May Aja protect Your legs, may Manimân protect Your knees, Yajña Your thighs, Acyuta the upper part of Your waist, and Hayagrîva Your abdomen. May Kes'ava protect Your heart, Îs'a Your chest, the sun-god Your neck, Vishnu Your arms, Urukrama Your face, and Îs'vara Your head. May Cakrî protect You from the front; may S'rî Hari, Gadâdharî, 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 Urugâya, 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. (Vedabase)
May Your senses be protected by Hrishîkes'a, Your life-air by Nârâyana, may the Master of S'vetadvîpa protect the core of Your heart and may Your mind be guarded by Yoges'vara.
May Hrishîkes'a protect Your senses, and Nârâyana Your life air. May the master of S'vetadvîpa protect the core of Your heart, and may Lord Yoges'vara protect Your mind. (Vedabase)
May Pris'nigarbha protect Your intelligence, may Your soul be protected by Bhagavân, may Govinda protect You when You play and may Mâdhava protect You in Your sleep. May the Lord of Vaikunthha protect You when You walk, the Husband of the Goddess of Fortune, protect You when You sit down and may Lord Yajñabhuk, the fear of all evil planets, protect You enjoying life.
May Lord Pris'nigarbha 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 Mâdhava protect You. May Lord Vaikunthha protect You while You are walking, and may Lord Nârâyana, the husband of the goddess of fortune, protect You while You are sitting. Similarly, may Lord Yajñabhuk, the fearful enemy of all evil planets, always protect You while You enjoy life. (Vedabase)
The demoniac women, devils and haters of children that are like bad stars; the evil spirits, hobgoblins, ghosts and spooks, the ogres, monsters and witches like Kotharâ, Revatî, Jyeshthhâ, Mâtrikâ and Pûtanâ who drive people mad, are the ones who bewilder the memory and give trouble to one's body, life-air and vitality. May those nightmare-beings causing so much difficulties attacking the most wise and the children all be vanquished, scared off by the chanting of the names of Vishnu'.
The evil witches known as Dâkinîs, Yâtudhânîs and Kushmândas are the greatest enemies of children, and the evil spirits like Bhûtas, Pretas, Pis'âcas, Yakshas, Râkshasas and Vinâyakas, as well as witches like Kotharâ, Revatî, Jyeshthhâ, Pûtanâ and Mâtrikâ, 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 Vishnu's name, for when Lord Vishnu's name resounds, all of them become afraid and go away. (Vedabase)
S'ri S'uka said: 'This way were by the elderly gopîs, thus bound by their maternal affection, all measures taken to ward off the evil. Next gave mom Him the nipple and put she her son in bed.
S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: All the gopîs, headed by mother Yas'odâ, were bound by maternal affection. After they thus chanted mantras to protect the child, mother Yas'odâ gave the child the nipple of her breast to suck and then got Him to lie down on His bed. (Vedabase)
In the meantime had the gopas headed by Nanda returned from Mathurâ and when they in Vraja saw Pûtanâ's body were they all struck with great wonder [and said]:
Meanwhile, all the cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahârâja, returned from Mathurâ, and when they saw on the way the gigantic body of Pûtanâ lying dead, they were struck with great wonder. (Vedabase)
'It must be so, o friends, that Ânakadundubhi has grown into a great master of yoga or something, this indeed we can see now because this is the kind of situation he predicted!
Nanda Mahârâja and the other gopas exclaimed: My dear friends, you must know that Ânakadundubhi, 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? (Vedabase)
The mass of the body was with the help of axes by all the inhabitants of Vraja cut in pieces and, taken away a long distance, thrown down, covered with wood and burned to ashes.
The inhabitants of Vraja cut the gigantic body of Pûtanâ into pieces with the help of axes. Then they threw the pieces far away, covered them with wood and burned them to ashes. (Vedabase)
And as they burned the body proved the smoke emanating to be as serenely fragrant as aguru incense because, being sucked by Krishna, it had instantly been freed from all contaminations [see also 1.2: 17].
Because of Krishna's having sucked the breast of the Râkshasî Pûtanâ, when Krishna 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. (Vedabase)
If Pûtanâ, that child murderess and she-devil hankering for blood, despite of her lust to destroy, after offering her breast to the Lord, could attain the supreme destination, then what to speak of those with faith and devotion who have an affinity alike indeed those affectionate mothers to whom Krishna, the Supreme Personality, is the dearmost?
Pûtanâ was always hankering for the blood of human children, and with that desire she came to kill Krishna; 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 Krishna as mothers and who offered Him their breasts to suck or offered something very dear, as a mother offers something to a child? (Vedabase)
With His lotus feet, which the devotees always have in their hearts and which are held in devotion by those praised everywhere [like Brahmâ and S'iva], trod the Supreme Lord her body and her breast and went she, even though she was a murderess, taking the position of a mother, to heaven; what would that mean to the motherly cows from the teats of whom Krishna enjoyed the milk?
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, 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 Brahmâ and Lord S'iva. Because Krishna embraced Pûtanâ'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 Krishna sucked with great pleasure and who offered their milk very jubilantly with affection exactly like that of a mother? (Vedabase)
From all women from whose love for the child the milk was flowing that He, the Supreme Lord, the bestower of Oneness, Giver of Liberation and son of Devakî, drank to His satisfaction; from all those who constantly made Krishna their maternal concern, may one never think, o King, that they would return to the material ocean where one lusts in ignorance [see also B.G. 4: 9].
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the bestower of many benedictions, including liberation [kaivalya], or oneness with the Brahman effulgence. For that Personality of Godhead, the gopîs always felt maternal love, and Krishna sucked their breasts with full satisfaction. Therefore, because of their relationship as mother and son, although the gopîs were engaged in various family activities, one should never think that they returned to this material world after leaving their bodies. (Vedabase)
Smelling the fragrance of the smoke emanating wondered all the inhabitants of Vrajabhûmi: 'Where is it coming from?' and thus speaking with one another reached they the cow-village.
Upon smelling the fragrance of the smoke emanating from Pûtanâ's burning body, many inhabitants of Vrajabhûmi in distant places were astonished. "Where is this fragrance coming from?" they asked. Thus they went to the spot where Pûtanâ's body was being burnt. (Vedabase)
Getting there were they greatly surprised to hear what the gopas all had to say about the havoc Pûtanâ had created, how she had died and what all for the good of the baby was done.
When the inhabitants of Vraja who had come from distant places heard the whole story of how Pûtanâ had come and then been killed by Krishna, they were certainly astonished, and they offered their blessings to the child for His wonderful deed of killing Pûtanâ. Nanda Mahârâja, of course, was very much obliged to Vasudeva, who had foreseen the incident, and simply thanked him, thinking how wonderful Vasudeva was. (Vedabase)
Nanda taking his son on his lap as if He had returned from death, simple and straight smelled His head and achieved the highest peace o best of the Kurus.
O Mahârâja Parîkchit, best of the Kurus, Nanda Mahârâja was very liberal and simple. He immediately took his son Krishna on his lap as if Krishna had returned from death, and by formally smelling his son's head, Nanda Mahârâja undoubtedly enjoyed transcendental bliss. (Vedabase)
Any mortal who with faith and devotion should hear of this wonderful Krishna childhood pastime of the salvation of Pûtanâ will grow fond of Govinda ['the Protector of the Cows'].'
Any person who hears with faith and devotion about how Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, killed Pûtanâ, and who thus invests his hearing in such childhood pastimes of Krishna, certainly attains attachment for Govinda, the supreme, original person. (Vedabase)
* Waving a cow's tail around a child is an occult rite in which the tail of a cow is regarded the seat of Lakshmî, the goddess of fortune. This is also true for the urine, dust, the milk and dung of the cows that with their products are held sacred. The urine has antiseptic qualities, the dung serves as fuel and the milk brings all health and wealth.
** With the mantra [anga-nyâsa and kara-nyâsa] one asigns the first letter or seed-letter of the names of the Lord mentioned in the next verse, followed by anusvâra and the word namah.
For this original translation was the only volume used that
Svâmi Prabhupâda could complete of the tenth Canto.
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