Merciful Lord – Putana receives the Lord’s mercy

GGHS – Ramanuj Ghalsasi

Class 4

Hare Krishna. My name is Ramanuj. Our Acharyas glorified Lord Krishna as—
He Krishna KarunaSindhu Dina BandhuJagatpate..
That Krishna is an ocean of mercy & compassion. From scriptures we know many pastimes of the Lord which exhibit His Supreme mercy.The Lord accepts the least qualification of the living entity & awards him the highest reward.
Today I’m going to narrate a story in which Lord Krishna showers His extreme mercy upon the most wicked & vicious RaksasiPutana, by giving her the highest position in the spiritual world in Vatsalya rasa.
Once this blood thirsty PutanaRaksasi had been ordered by Kamsa to kill the little baby Krishna. So she was wondering throughout towns &villages doing her nefarious activity to kill all the little babies..
One day she utilized her mystic power to transform her body into that of a very beautiful woman & then entered Gokul, the abode of Nanda Maharaj. She entered NanadaMaharaj’s house without asking permission. When the Gopies saw her they whispered amongst themselves — Oh!look at that beautiful lady! She must be the Goddess of Fortune that has personally come to bless our little Krishna.
Putana saw baby Krishna sleeping on a bed, she couldn’t understand the child was not ordinary. Krishna pretended to be afraid of her & He closed His eyes. Putana picked up the baby & placed him upon her lap, just as a foolish person might pick up a sleeping snake thinking it to be a rope. Putana’s heart was fierce & cruel. But she looked & acted just like an affectionate mother. Thus she resembled a sharp sword in a soft sheath. She approached Krishna so affectionately as a mother that mother Yashoda&Rohini could not doubt her sincerity & they remained silent. Putana pushed her breast into Krishna’s mouth which was smeared with a deadly poison. Krishna became very angry. He thought in His mind — you wicked Putana, you have killed so many small children in VrajaBhumi, now see what I do with you.
Taking hold of Putana’s breast, Krishna squeezed it very tightly with both hands &sucked all the poison, then her milk and finally her very life air. Feeling excruciating pain, Putana cried out,
“Please leave me, leave me! Aa… … …”
Perspiring, her eyes wide open & legs flailing she cried very loudly again & again.
“Leave me, leave me!”
Crying out in grievous pain she assumed her original form & fell down in the pasturing ground dead.As she came in touch with Krishna, when the Vrajavasisburnt her body it emanated a fragrance.
Putanacame with the intent to kill Krishna. But because she approached Krishna as a mother, Krishna awakened motherly affection in her heart and gave her the position of Dhatri or a nurse, an assistant of mother Yashoda in the spiritual world. So who can be more merciful than Lord Krishna!So the great devotee Uddhava says—
How shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Putana] although she was unfaithful and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?
aho baki yam stana-kala-kutam
jighamsayapayayadapy asadhvi
lebhe gatim dhatry-ucitam tato ‘nyam
kam va dayalum saranam vrajema
Thank you. Hare Krishna!