The Mahabharata: The GThe story of Krishna and the demoness Putana In the kingdom of Mathura, a cruel king called Kamsa ruled in fear.reatest Epic Ever Told

The story of Krishna and the demoness Putana

In the kingdom of Mathura, a cruel king called Kamsa ruled in fear. A prophecy warned him that the eighth child of his sister Devaki would grow up to kill him. To prevent this, Kamsa imprisoned Devaki and her husband, Vasudeva, and murdered each of their newborn children. But when their eighth son, Krishna - an incarnation of Lord Vishnu - was born, he was saved by divine intervention. Under cover of darkness, Vasudeva carried the infant across the Yamuna River to the safety of Gokul, where Krishna was raised in secret by a humble cowherd family, Yashoda and Nanda.

Furious that the prophecy might yet come true, Kamsa sent demons across the land to kill all newborn babies. Among them was Putana, a shape-shifting demon known for her deadly trick. Disguised as a beautiful young woman, she entered Gokul with poisoned breasts, her body smeared with sweet-smelling perfume to hide her demonic stench. Under the guise of kindness, she offered to breastfeed newborn babies, but her milk was laced with a deadly poison.

One day she found baby Krishna in his cradle. Yashoda, unaware of the danger, allowed the charming stranger to hold her son. Putana gently rocked Krishna and pressed him to her poisoned breast. But as Krishna began to suckle, a miraculous thing happened - he sucked not only milk, but her very life force. Putana screamed in agony as her disguise melted away to reveal her true form: a monstrous demon with fiery eyes, clawed hands and a terrifying roar. She tried to flee, but Krishna clung to her, draining her until she collapsed lifeless on the ground.

When villagers rushed to the scene, they found the gigantic corpse of the demoness and baby Krishna unharmed, giggling as he played on her chest. The event became a celebrated tale of divine protection, showing that even the smallest and most vulnerable could triumph over evil through divine will. To this day, Hindus honour this story during Krishna Janmashtami, a festival celebrating the birth of Krishna. It serves as a reminder that evil often hides behind false goodness, but truth and purity will always prevail.