Baby Krishna Kills Putana

Dadi: "Beta, you know how your mother protects you from harm, yes?"

Guddu: "Of course, Dadi! Ma always keeps me safe."

Dadi: "Well, today I will tell you about a time when a baby protected himself - and his whole village - from a terrible danger. And that baby was none other than little Krishna."

Guddu: "Baby Krishna? But he was so small!"

Dadi: "Ah, but he was no ordinary baby, beta. Let me start at the beginning. The evil King Kansa had tried many times to kill Krishna, but every time he failed. So he sent one of his most dangerous servants - a demoness named Putana."

Guddu: "A demoness? How scary!"

Dadi: "Very scary, beta. Putana had a terrible power - she could kill infants by feeding them poisoned milk. Kansa ordered her to travel from village to village, appearing as a beautiful woman, offering to nurse babies. Wherever she went, babies died."

Guddu: "That is horrible!"

Dadi: "It was pure evil, beta. Putana could fly through the sky using her dark magic. Finally, she arrived in Gokul, where baby Krishna lived with his mother Yashoda."

Guddu: "Did people know she was a demon?"

Dadi: "No, beta! That was her trick. Putana disguised herself as the most beautiful woman imaginable - with lovely earrings, flowers in her hair, and a warm smile. She looked like a goddess come to earth."

Guddu: "Even Yashoda was fooled?"

Dadi: "Everyone was fooled. The village women thought perhaps the goddess Lakshmi herself had come to bless them! Putana walked straight into Yashoda's home and saw baby Krishna lying on a small bed."

Guddu: "Did Krishna know who she was?"

Dadi: "Beta, Krishna knew everything. As Putana lifted him onto her lap, she thought, "This child seems different. He is hiding something powerful." But her greed and mission pushed her forward. She had smeared deadly poison on her breasts, and she offered to nurse him."

Guddu: "Oh no! The poison!"

Dadi: "Yashoda was standing right there but did not suspect anything. How could such a beautiful, gentle-looking woman be dangerous? Putana pushed her breast into Krishna's mouth, expecting him to die instantly."

Guddu: "What happened next?"

Dadi: "Krishna did something incredible, beta. He grabbed onto her with his tiny hands - and the grip was like iron! Putana suddenly felt her life force being pulled out of her. Krishna was not drinking poison - he was draining her very soul!"

Guddu: "He sucked out her life?"

Dadi: "Yes! Putana screamed in terror. She tried to pull away but could not break free from the baby's grip. "Leave me! Leave me!" she cried. She thrashed and flailed, but Krishna held on."

Guddu: "What did the villagers see?"

Dadi: "They saw something terrifying, beta. As her life drained away, Putana could no longer hold her disguise. Her body transformed - she grew enormous, her beautiful face became monstrous, her limbs stretched and twisted. She crashed to the ground outside the village."

Guddu: "She turned back into a demon?"

Dadi: "Her true form was revealed for all to see. Her fallen body stretched for miles, crushing trees and fences. Her fierce mouth was open in a final scream. And there, playing happily on her chest, was little Krishna - completely unharmed!"

Guddu: "The villagers must have been so shocked!"

Dadi: "They were amazed and terrified. Yashoda nearly fainted seeing her baby on that horrible corpse. But Krishna was just laughing and playing as if nothing had happened."

Guddu: "What did they do with the demon's body?"

Dadi: "They cut it up, buried the bones, and burned the flesh. And here is something beautiful, beta - when they burned Putana's remains, the smoke smelled like sweet incense, not like burning evil."

Guddu: "Why would a demon smell sweet?"

Dadi: "Because even though Putana came to kill Krishna, she ended up nursing him - giving him milk like a mother would. That single act of mothering, even if done with evil intent, purified her soul. Krishna gave her liberation."

Guddu: "Even the demon was saved?"

Dadi: "Yes, beta! This is one of the most beautiful truths about Krishna. Anyone who comes to him, even with bad intentions, receives grace. Putana tried to kill him, but by nursing him, she earned the same spiritual reward as Krishna's own foster mothers."

Guddu: "That is amazing! Even enemies become blessed!"

Dadi: "This is why the chapter in the Bhagavata Purana that tells this story is called "Deliverance of Putana," not "Killing of Putana." She was not destroyed - she was saved."

Guddu: "What does this teach us, Dadi?"

Dadi: "Many things, my child. First, that evil cannot triumph over divine goodness, no matter how clever its disguise. Second, that even the smallest and youngest can be powerful when filled with divine presence. Third, that appearances can deceive - the most beautiful exterior can hide the ugliest intentions. And finally, the most beautiful lesson: that divine grace is so great, it transforms even enemies into liberated souls."

Guddu: "I love that Krishna gave her peace even though she tried to hurt him."

Dadi: "That is the nature of the divine, beta. It does not hold grudges. Even when we approach with wrong intentions, if we somehow serve or connect with the divine, we are blessed. Of course, it is much better to approach with love in the first place!"

Guddu: "I will remember this story, Dadi. The baby who was stronger than a demon!"

Dadi: "And who turned an act of evil into an act of liberation. That, beta, is the miracle of divine love."