You Are The Poison To Extract

“It is not proper to remain in this place. Let us go to another great forest, as here we have seen numerous calamities which are causes of ruin. The destruction of Putana and the reversal of the cart, and similarly the falling of the trees without the intervention of the wind. Therefore, let us without delay depart from Gokula to Vrindavana, where the earthly calamities will not overpower us.” (Vishnu Purana, 5.6.22-24)

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स्थानेनेह न नः कार्यं व्रजामो ऽन्यन् महावनम्
उत्पाता बहवो ह्य् अत्र दृश्यन्ते नाशहेतवः

पूतनाया विनाशश् च शकटस्य विपर्ययः
विना वातादिदोषेण द्रुमयोः पतनं तथा

वृन्दावनम् इतः स्थानात् तस्माद् गच्छाम मा चिरम्
यावद् भौममहोत्पातदोषो नाभिभवेद् व्रजम्

sthāneneha na naḥ kāryaṃ vrajāmo ‘nyan mahāvanam
utpātā bahavo hy atra dṛśyante nāśahetavaḥ

pūtanāyā vināśaś ca śakaṭasya viparyayaḥ
vinā vātādidoṣeṇa drumayoḥ patanaṃ tathā

vṛndāvanam itaḥ sthānāt tasmād gacchāma mā ciram
yāvad bhaumamahotpātadoṣo nābhibhaved vrajam

The instruction is to remain level-headed. Do not be swayed by the ups and downs of life. No need to aggressively seek out pleasures of the senses. No need to overly lament misfortune, economic downturns, or defeat after extensive preparation and effort. That is the way life goes, after all. You win some and you lose some. The devotee accepting the timeless wisdom of the Vedas, from the trusted spiritual guide who has their link to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not supposed to celebrate the defeat of a wicked character, no matter how ironic or befitting the circumstances. In the case of the witch named Putana and her attack on an innocent infant named Krishna, the particulars are too striking to ignore. It was the greatest of reversals, with the perpetrator-turned-victim deserving everything they received.

Putana was a witch. Putana had an association with Kamsa, the king of Mathura. Putana could help Kamsa. That king needed help, since the plans of protection were quickly being dismantled. His carefully crafted fortress of immunity was quickly crumbling. The one thing that consumed his mind was the dreaded appearance of the eighth child of his cousin-sister named Devaki. As a precautionary measure, any and all births would be accounted for. Kamsa was not going to take chances. He would kill any child born to Devaki, mere moments after the child would enter the world.

“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 Krishna. It is said that wherever the chanting of the holy name of Krishna is done, even negligently, all bad elements—witches, ghosts, and dangerous calamities—immediately disappear.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 6)

The problem is that destiny has a way of spoiling even the best plans. The eighth child took birth. The eighth child escaped from Mathura. The eighth child was in the nearby town of Gokula. Putana was the perfect person for the job. She was expert at killing infants. She could conduct a routine security sweep, of sorts, finding any newborns in Gokula and proceeding with the cruelty that her friend Kamsa was already known for.

The eighth child was named Krishna. The eighth child was actually Vishnu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The eighth child was an infant at the time, and so Putana thought the task would be easy to carry out. Smear some poison on her breast. Enter the room where Krishna was lying down. Pretend to be a well-wisher. Attempt to feed the baby, with the people not on the lookout for foul play. They would assume Putana was like everyone else, in being charmed by that darling child of effulgent face, who was now living as the foster son of Nanda Maharaja and his wife Yashoda.

Putana was wicked in her plan. She was wicked in her intent. The odds were in her favor. Then again, the odds are just that, a sort of prediction. They do not guarantee an outcome. A gain on paper is known as unrealized. Not until you have victory in your hand should you celebrate. Putana appeared to be quite close. Baby Krishna was attached to her breast. Baby Krishna made contact with the poison.

In this case, Putana got everything that she wanted. There was only one problem. While the plan was for Krishna to extract the poison and die as a result, it was Putana who was identified as the poisonous influence. She would be the victim in the struggle. She was the poison to be extracted from this world. Krishna proceeded to suck the very life out of her. The struggle was so real that the witch lost the ability to mask her true form, which was hideous. She ended up expanding in size, unable to get Krishna to let go. She then fell to the ground, creating a thunderous sound. She was dead, with Krishna not alarmed, frightened, or traumatized. It was like He found a new playground, to the horror of the concerned caretakers and citizens.

“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 Vritrasura 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.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 6)

Indeed, this seemingly inexplicable fall later contributed to the decision of the elders to leave Gokula. The handcart also crashed to the ground. The two trees in the courtyard fell without the intervention of nature. Krishna was nearby in every case. It was like a message was trying to be sent. The elders took those falls as an indication that a change was in order. Whether living in Gokula or the great forest that is Vrindavana, the beloved Krishna is the one to protect His devotees and remove the negative influences of this world that happen to be interfering with pious deeds.

In Closing:

People whole and pious indeed,
Dharma in protection to proceed.

That baby Krishna never to be harmed,
But by witch everyone charmed.

False front of nurse presenting,
But soon the infant unrelenting.

To poison of her influence to extract,
Delivering just punishment exact.