Putana

Kansa usurped the throne of Mathura by imprisoning his father Ugrasen. Though he was not of the demon race, he was likened to a demon because of his evil ways. On the occasion of the wedding of his cousin, Devaki, there was a prophecy that Devaki's eighth son would slay Kansa. Kansa wanted to kill Devaki there and then, but was prevailed upon to spare her life on the condition that Devaki and her husband, Vasudev, would be jailed and that Kansa would kill all eight sons as soon as they were born. Thus the first six sons were killed. The seventh was apparently stillborn. But a miracle took place on the birth of the eighth son, who was none other than Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

In Gokul, a township across the river Yamuna, Yashoda, the wife of the local chieftain Nand, had just given birth to a girl. Krishna and the girl were interchanged, without anyone knowing anything about it. Kansa was surprised to learn that the eighth child of Devaki was a daughter instead of a son. He decided to kill her all the same. This girl was the incarnation of Yogmaya, which can loosely be translated as the Goddess of Illusions. As Kansa was about to kill her, she slipped out of his hands and flew into the skies. Before disappearing from viewshe prophesied that Devaki's eighth son was still alive.

Kansa had a demoness named Putana as his slave. He prevailed upon her to kill all male children born in Mathura that year. Putana killed nine of them, either by strangling them or breast-feeding them with poisoned milk. She became the most hated woman in Mathura. Her own family shunned her. Even her own new born son died as soon as she held him in her arms. But Kansa was restless. He was somehow certain that Devaki's eighth son was still alive.

It did not take Kansa long to figure out that Krishna was his dreaded nephew since his birth coincided with that of Devaki's child. He summoned the demoness Putana and instructed her to go to Gokul and kill the infant Krishna. Putana refused to do his bidding because she was really repentant for killing nine infants. Kansa threatened to put her family to death before her very eyes. Then Putana had no choice. She reluctantly agreed to do this one last time.

Putana was a gigantic and hideous hag. There was no way that she could gain access to Krishna in her true form, so she transformed herself into a comely and svelte village maiden. Then she liberally applied poison to her nipples and set out to Gokul.

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