Putana

In Hindu mythology, Putana (Sanskrit: Pūtanā, lit. "putrefaction") is a Rakshasi (demoness), who is killed by the infant-god Krishna. Putana is also considered as a foster-mother of Krishna as she breast-fed him, though it was with the motive of killing Krishna by poisoned milk. By offering her milk, Putana had performed "the supreme act of maternal devotion", in the shadow of her evil motives. The myth is told and retold in Hindu scriptures and some Indian books, which portray her variously as an evil hag or a demoness who surrendered herself to Krishna, though she initially came with evil motives.

Putana is interpreted as an infantile disease or bird, symbolizing danger to an infant or desire respectively, and even as a symbolic bad mother. She is included in a group of malevolent Hindu mother goddesses called the Matrikas and also in the group of Yoginis and Grahinis (Seizers). Ancient Indian medical texts prescribe her worship to protect children from diseases. A group of multiple Putanas is mentioned in ancient Indian texts.

The word "Pūtanā", broken as "Pūt" (virtue) and "nā" (no) means "devoid of virtue". Another explanation derives "Pūtanā" from "Pūta" (purifying), thus meaning "she who purifies". Herbert theorizes "Pūtanā" is derived from "Put", a hell in Hindu mythology, associated with parents and children. Thus, Herbert proposes, on the basis of the etymology and her association with the Matrikas, that Putana is closely linked to motherhood. White translates Putana as "stinky", and relates it to pustulant sores, the eruption of which is a symptom of chicken pox. Putana is also the name of the weapon of or a form of the goddess of small pox, Sitala.

The legend of Putana and Krishna is narrated in many Hindu texts: Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsa (part of Mahabharata), Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Vishnu Purana, Garga Samhita and Prem Sagar.

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