Kamsa’s attempts to kill Krishna begin even when Krishna is an infant. Kamsa was brought up by Putana. So Kamsa sends Putana to find Krishna and kill Him. Putana arrives in Gokula, where Krishna is the darling of the Gopas and Gopikas, and the cherished child of Yasoda and Nandagopa. Putana hits upon a plan to eliminate Krishna. She coats her nipple with poison, so that when she feeds Krishna, He will die. But Krishna sucks out her life, and she dies. She had come in the guise of a woman with a pleasant appearance, but now her true form is revealed. She looks terrifying. And she looks enormous.
However, when Putana’s body is burnt, there is no foul smell. A lovely fragrance emanates from the burning body. It seems as if sandalwood is being burnt. How did this happen? Putana had had the touch of Krishna, even if only briefly, and that was enough to purify her, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. Only the body of a yogi smells good, when cremated. But Krishna’s touch had made Putana’s body like that of a yogi. Putana, in a sense, was a yogini herself, for she gave her very life to the Supreme One. We usually give a portion of our earnings to God. But Putana gave up her life to Him.
Narayana Bhattadri says if Krishna made Putana smell so good, how much more would He have given the Gopikas who doted on Him.
Through the Putana episode, the Lord was giving them an idea of how they would be blessed by Him. If one listens to the Putana story, one will get moksha. Vedanta Desika says that Krishna sucked out Putana’s milk, her life, and her future births. So, if one listens to this story, one will never have to drink a mother’s milk again, he says. This simply means that if one listens to the Putana story, one will never be born again.
