Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.6.13
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPūtanā’s Mystic Disguise Cannot Remain
“In this way the demon Pūtanā, very much aggrieved because her breast was being attacked by Kṛṣṇa, lost her life. O King Parīkṣit, opening her mouth wide and spreading her arms, legs and hair, she fell down in the pasturing ground in her original form as a Rākṣasī, as Vṛtrāsura had fallen when killed by the thunderbolt of Indra.”
What the purport teaches
- Pūtanā was a great Rākṣasī who could cover her original form by mystic power.
- Severely aggrieved as Kṛṣṇa attacked her breast, she lost her life. Her mystic power could no longer hide her original form.
- With her mouth open and her arms, legs and hair spread out, she fell in the pasturing ground as a Rākṣasī.
Try this today
Write one sentence describing what happened to Pūtanā’s mystic disguise when Kṛṣṇa killed her.
Ask yourself
What does Pūtanā’s inability to maintain her disguise reveal about the limits of her mystic power?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.