EDITORIAL
July 14, 1999
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Killing Of Putana
BY PURU DAS
ADHIKARI
EDITORIAL, Jul 14 (VNN)
— The Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library is happy to present, for the
assembled devotees, three articles by the His Divine Grace Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, our beloved grand
spiritual master. These three articles all appeared in sequence in
January, February and March of l932. We gratefully acknowledge the
source of these articles. They were retyped from the Vrajraj Press
translation work of Bhumipati Das and Editing and publishing effort
of Pundarika Vidyanidhi Das of the appendixes to Sri Krsna-samhita,
of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, copyright Vrajraj Press
l998.
Each of the demons written about by Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura represent different anarthas to be
overcome in the pursuit of suddha bhakti. They are delineated by His
Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Prabhupada in his Sri
Caitanya Shikshamrtam, published by the Sri Gaudiya Math, Chennai,
l998, originally published by the Thakura in 1886. These metaphors
are presented before each of the three articles by his son and
successor, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,
as well as a closing paragraph from the same work by Srila
Bhaktivinoda for further clarification.
We offer our dandavat
pranams to the lotus feet of our beloved diksa Gurudev His Divine
Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, by whose mercy we
became aware of the identity of these great Vaisnavas, and to the
lotus feet of our beloved siksa Gurudev His Divine Grace Srila B.V.
Narayana Maharaja who is helping us to further appreciate their
glories.
Compiled this 12th day of July, l999 in honor of the
disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Prabhupada.
"The conduct of Shri Krishna is two fold i.e.,
eternal and occasional. In Goloka, eternal conduct and astakaliya
leela exists at all times. In Bhauma Vrndavana that astakaliya leela
is mixed up with occasional leela. Going from Vraja and coming back
and killing Asuras are occasional leela. Such work is inevitable on
the part of the aspirant while he lives in this material world.
Occasional leela is in existence at Goloka in a negative way. Only
in this world has that been practically exhibited. For the
aspirants, occasional leela which are adverse to the eternal leela
have been reflected for the instruction of the devotees, aspirants
will hope that those leelas will destroy their own
evil.
Occasional leelas are:
(1) Killing of Putana-
Putana is a deceitful Guru, teaching enjoyment and salvation. So
crafty sadhus who are fond of these represent Putana-tattva. For
showing mercy to His pure devotees, child Krishna kills Putana to
safeguard His new born feeling in their hearts. (Sri Caitanya
Shikshamritam p. 242.)
Putana
The
following essay was printed in the January l932 edition of The
Harmonist, or Sree Sajjanatoshani
The first act of New-born
Infant Krishna recorded by the Bhagabatam is the slaying of the
demoness Putana.
The demoness Putana was deputed by King
Kansa to kill all the newborn babies of the realm of Brag where the
Divine sage Nard that his would-be slayer had been recently born
informed him. Meanwhile Sherrie Krishna had been born in Kansa's
prison and had been conveyed by His father Versed to the house of
His foster parents Nana and Yasoda in Braja during the night of His
advent. The guards of the prison had failed to detect the movements
of Vasudeb who had returned to his prison with the new-born daughter
of Yosoda with whom he had exchanged His own Boy without the
knowledge of Yadosa herself. Vasudeb had carried Krishna in his arms
across the flooded Yamaha lashed into fury by the tempestuous water
of that moon-less night. He had waded on foot the deep waters which
had been turned into yawning whirlpools by the fury of the tempest.
The iron chains, bolts and locks of the barred gates of the prison
had opened of their own accord on the approach of Vasudeb carrying
Krishna to the home of His foster parents. The daughter of Yasoda
was thereupon duly reported to King Kansa as the new-born-dreaded
eighth issue of Devaki. The King rushed into the prison-cell on
receipt of the tidings for which he had been waiting through long
years of sleepless nights.
He was at first willing to spare
the life of the baby as the prophecy was to the effect that he would
be killed by a male child, eighth issue of Vasudev and Devaki But he
thought of being relieved of all possible doubts on the point by
putting to death the new-born girl. As, however, King Kansa was on
the point of dashing the baby on the block she escaped from the grip
of the King and disclosing herself as the Deluding Energy of Godhead
as she remained visible for a short time in mid-sky, assured the
King of the certainty of the birth of his future slayer but
dissuading him form the fruitless attempt of avoiding his fate by
the cruel murder of innocent infants. Saying this Mahamaya
disappeared from the view of the astounded King. Kansa was
subsequently informed by the sage Narada that his future slayer must
have been born among the denizens of Brag and that he was mindful of
his safety he should lose no time in taking drastic measures for
nipping the danger in the bud. This advice was relished by the
blood-thirsty coward and he has accordingly deputed the demoness
Putana to kill by an unsuspected process all the new-born infants of
the surrounding country.
The demoness Putana accordingly made
her appearance in Braja and presented herself in the home of Yasoda
during the absence of Nanda who was then in Mathura to pay the
tribute due from him to King Kansa. The demoness has assumed the
form of a most beautiful matron with a most benignant aspect as she
approached the couch where Infant Krishna had been put to sleep by
Yasoda. Yasoda noticed the unknown female as she entered the house,
but did not suspect any foul play. She accordingly watched the
new-comer without any anxiety as she made her way to the couch of
the Baby, took Him up in her arms and offered her breast to the
Infant to give Him to suck. But the nipples of Putana's breast has
been tipped with the deadliest poison.
The infant Krishna was
aware of the intention of the demoness and took hold of the breast
of the monster with His supple Arms. The grip of the Infant was so
terribly severe that it was enough to drive the demoness to despair
of her life as she was convulsed by the mortal agony of the pressure
of Krishna's little Hands. The Infant then applied His lips to the
breast of Putana and sucked away her life in an instant. The
terrible monster bellowing with pain was compelled to disclose her
own huge, loathsome demoniac form as she fell lifeless on the ground
covering with her hideous carcass a long distance with Infant
Krishna still clinging to her poisoned nipples.
Accordingly
the first act of the milkmaids, who with Yasoda rushed to the spot,
was to snatch the Infant Krishna from the breast of the terrible
demoness. Then they all marveled how the Baby could escape unhurt
from the clutches of the demoness. They attributed the safety of the
Infant to the mercy of the gods who are especially kind to the
helpless. The affrighted milkmaids invoked the help of all the gods
and goddesses for their continued protection of the
Infant.
Meanwhile, Putana was saved by her service to Krishna
for having offered Him the suck of her poisoned breast. The author
of the Bhagabatam is careful to mention that the good fortune of the
demoness equaled that of Yasoda in as much as her breast had been
sucked by Krishna. Putana, therefore, attained to the eternal status
of the foster-mothers of the Supreme Lord in the Realm of the
Absolute.
The above narrative of the Bhagabatam embodies a
most important moral for the seekers of the Absolute. But before
offering the interpretations of the texts favored by the former
Acharyas I would like to draw the attention of the reader to certain
possible misconceptions regarding the nature of the interpretations
about to be offered.
The transcendental meaning of the words
cannot be conveyed to the senses of the conditioned soul so long as
he does not agree to follow the method of submissive listening to
the transcendental sound appearing on the lips of the pure devotee.
There is a definite line of succession of the bonafide teachers of
the truth. The bonafide teacher should be available sooner or later
to the real seeker of the Truth. The bonafide Acarya is not
recognizable by the hypocrites and atheists who do not really want
to serve Godhead. So long therefore, as the bonafide teacher does
not manifest his appearance to the pure cognitive essence of the
seeker of the Absolute Truth it is necessary for the candidate for
spiritual enlightenment to concentrate on self-examination to be
able to avoid harboring any lurking traces of insincerity. The words
of the sadhu are also available, by his causeless mercy, for bearing
the efforts of such candidates, for finding out their own
insincerity.
It is by overlooking or deliberately neglecting
to undergo this preliminary training for obtaining access to the
transcendental meaning of all words that the literal
interpretationists who follow the ordinary lexicographical meaning
of the words of the scriptures fail to understand the necessity of
never deviating from the interpretations offered by the
self-realized souls to whom the transcendental meaning of the words
is available. Those empiricists who, while following the
lexicographical and syntactical method of the literal
interpretationists, do not scruple to read their own meanings into
the texts under the impression that the scriptures and the products
of the human brain liable to every form of error and, therefore, fit
to be corrected by the equally erring caprices of other hypothetical
thinkers on the ground of allegations of error that cannot be
proved, are disposed to think that the interpretations offered by
the Acharyas are not scrupulously faithful to the texts and offer
allegorical explanations for supporting their own sectarian views.
These possible misunderstandings are stated to invite the
attention of the reader to their bearing on the following
interpretation of the narrative of Putana based on the exposition of
the former Acaryas heard from the lips of the bonafide teacher of
the Absolute. The interpretation is not offered as a literal
lexicographical explanation nor as an allegory concocted in the
light of empiric knowledge of the past history of the race and may
accordingly be accepted as such. Shree Krishna manifests His Eternal
birth in the pure cognitive essence of the serving soul who is
located above all mundane limitations. King Kansa is the typical
aggressive empiricist. He is ever on the look-out for the Appearance
of the Truth for the purpose of suppressing Him before He has time
to grow up. This is no exaggeration of the real connotation of the
consistent empiric position. The materialist has a natural
repugnance for the transcendental. He is disposed to think that
faith in the incomprehensible is the parent of dogmatism and
hypocrisy under the guise of religion. He is also equally under the
delusion that there is and can be no really dividing line between
the material and the spiritual. He is strengthened in his delusion
by the interpretation of the scriptures by persons whoa re
like-minded with himself. This included all the lexicographical
interpreters. The lexicographical interpretation is upheld by Kansa
as the real scientific explanation of the Scriptures and one that is
perfectly in keeping with his dread of an aversion of the
transcendental. These lexicographical interpreters are employed by
Kansa in purring down the first suspected appearance of any genuine
faith in the transcendental. King Kansa knows very well that if the
faith in the transcendental is once allowed to grow it is sure to
upset all his empiric prospects. There is historical ground for such
misgivings.
Accordingly if the empiric domination is to be
preserved intact it would be necessary not to lose a moment to put
down the transcendental heresy the instant it threatens to make its
appearance in right earnest. King Kansa acting on this transitional
fear is never slow to take the scientific precaution of debuting
empiric teachers of the scriptures backed by the resources of
Dictionary and Grammar and all empiric subtleties to put down, by
the show of spacious arguments based on hypothetical principles, the
true interpretation of the eternal religion revealed by the
scriptures. Kansa is strongly persuaded that the faith in the
transcendental can be effectively put down by empiricism if prompt
and decisive measures are adopted at the very outset. He attributes
the failures of atheism in the past to the neglect of the adoption
of such measures before the theistic fallacy has time to spread
among the fanatical masses.
But Kansa is found to count
without his host. When Krishna is born He is found to be able to
upset all sinister designs against those who are apprised by Himself
of His Advent. The apparently causeless faith displayed by persons
irrespective of age, sex and condition may confound all rabid
empiricists who are on principle averse to the Absolute Truth Whose
Appearance is utterly incompatible with the domination of
empiricism. But no adverse efforts of the empiricists, whose rule
seems till then to be perfectly well-established over the minds of
the deluded souls of this world, can dissuade any person from
exclusively following the Truth when He actually manifests His birth
in the pure cognitive essence of His soul.
Putana is the
layer of all infants. The baby, when he or she comes out of the
mother's womb, falls at once into the clutches of the
pseudo-teachers of religion. These teacher are successful in
forestalling the attempts of the good preceptor whose help is never
sought by the atheists of this world at the baptisms of their
children. This is ensured by the arrangements of all the established
churches of the world. They have been successful only in supplying
watchful Putanas for effecting the spiritual destruction of persons
from the moment of their birth with the co-operation of their
worldly parents. No human contrivance can prevent these Putanas from
obtaining possession of the pulpits. This is due to the general
prevalence of atheistic disposition in the people of this world. The
church that has the best chance of survival in this damned world is
that of atheism under the convenient guise of theism. The churches
have always proved the staunchest upholders of the grossest forms of
worldliness from which even the worst of non-ecclesiastical
criminals are bound to recoil.
It is not from any deliberate
opposition to the ordained clergy that these observations are made.
The original purpose of the established churches of the world may
not be always objectionable. But no stable religious arrangement for
instructing the masses has yet been successful. The supreme Lord
Shree Krishna Chaitanya in pursuance of the teaching of the
scriptures enjoins all absence of conventionalism for the teachers
of the eternal religion. It does not follow that the mechanical
adoption of the unconventional life by any person will make him a
fit teacher of religion. Regulation is necessary for controlling the
inherent worldliness of conditioned souls. But no mechanical
regulation has any value even for such a purpose. The bonafide
teacher of the religion is neither any product nor the favorer of
any mechanical system. In his hands no system has likewise the
chance of degenerating is not a lifeless arrangement. The mere
pursuit of fixed doctrines and fixed liturgies cannot hold a person
to the true spirit of doctrine or liturgy.
The idea of an
organized church in an intelligible form, indeed, marks the close of
the living spiritual movement. The great ecclesiastical
establishments are the dykes and the dams to retain the current that
cannot be held by any such contrivances. They, indeed, indicate a
desire on the part of the masses to exploit a spiritual movement for
their own purpose. They also unmistakably indicate the end of the
absolute and unconventional guidance of the bonafide spiritual
teacher. The people of this world understand preventive systems,
they can have no idea of the unprevented positive eternal life.
Neither can there be any earthly contrivance for the permanent
preservation of the life eternal on this mundane plane on the
popular scale.
Those are, therefore, greatly mistaken who are
disposed to look forward to the amelioration of the worldly state in
any worldly sense from the worldly success of any really spiritual
movement. It is these worldly expectants who become the patrons of
the mischievous race of the pseudo-teachers of religion. the
Putanas, whose congenial function is to stifle the theistic
disposition at the very moment of its suspected appearance. But the
real theistic disposition can never be stifled even by the efforts
of those Putanas. The Putanas have power only over the atheists. It
is a thankless but salutary task which they perform for the benefit
of their willing victims.
But as soon as the theistic
disposition proper makes its appearance in the pure cognitive
essence of the awakened soul the Putanas are decisively silences at
the very earliest stage of their encounter with new-born Krishna.
The would-be slayer is herself slain. This is the reward of the
negative services that the Putanas unwittingly render to the cause
of theism by strangling all hypocritical demonstrations against
their own hypocrisy But Putana does not at all like to receive her
reward in the only form which involves the total destruction of her
wrong personality. King Kansa also does not like to lose the service
of the most trusted of his agents. The effective silencing of the
whole race of the pseudo-teachers of religion is the very first
clear indication of the Appearance of the Absolute on the mundane
plane. The bonafide teacher of the Absolute heralds the Advent of
Krishna by his uncompromising campaign against the pseudo-teachers
of religion.
(end of part 1)
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