Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.6.15-17
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesPūtanā’s Form Frightens the Cowherd People
“The Rākṣasī’s mouth was full of teeth, each resembling the front of a plow, her nostrils were deep like mountain caves, and her breasts resembled big slabs of stone fallen from a hill. Her scattered hair was the color of copper. The sockets of her eyes appeared like deep blind wells, her fearful thighs resembled the banks of a river, her arms, legs and feet seemed like big bridges, and her abdomen appeared like a dried-up lake. The hearts, ears and heads of the cowherd men and women were already shocked by the Rākṣasī’s screaming, and when they saw the fierce wonder of her body, they were even more frightened.”
What the purport teaches
- Pūtanā’s teeth resembled the front of a plow, her nostrils mountain caves, and her breasts large slabs of stone. Her scattered hair was copper-colored.
- Her eye sockets resembled deep blind wells, her limbs big bridges, and her abdomen a dried-up lake. These comparisons describe her immense and fearful body.
- The cowherd men and women were already shocked by her screaming. Seeing her fierce body frightened them even more.
Try this today
Choose two comparisons from the translation and reflect briefly on what the cowherd people saw.
Ask yourself
How do these descriptions help you understand the fear of the cowherd men and women?
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.