SB 10.6.7 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

बालग्रहस्तत्र विचिन्वती शिशून् यद‍ृच्छया नन्दगृहेऽसदन्तकम् । बालं प्रतिच्छन्ननिजोरुतेजसं ददर्श तल्पेऽग्निमिवाहितं भसि ॥ ७ ॥

Verse text

bāla-grahas tatra vicinvatī śiśūn yadṛcchayā nanda-gṛhe ’sad-antakam bālaṁ praticchanna-nijoru-tejasaṁ dadarśa talpe ’gnim ivāhitaṁ bhasi

Synonyms

bāla — grahaḥ — the witch, whose business was to kill small babies ; tatra — standing there ; vicinvatī — thinking of, searching for ; śiśūn — children ; yadṛcchayā — independently ; nanda — gṛhe — in the house of Nanda Mahārāja ; asat — antakam — who could kill all demons ; bālam — the child ; praticchanna — covered ; nija — uru — tejasam — whose unlimited power ; dadarśa — she saw ; talpe — (lying) on the bed ; agnim — fire ; iva — just like ; āhitam — covered ; bhasi — within ashes .

Translation

While searching for small children, Pūtanā, whose business was to kill them, entered the house of Nanda Mahārāja unobstructed, having been sent by the superior potency of the Lord. Without asking anyone’s permission, she entered Nanda Mahārāja’s room, where she saw the child sleeping in bed, His unlimited power covered like a powerful fire covered by ashes. She could understand that this child was not ordinary, but was meant to kill all demons.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

While searching for small children, Pūtanā, whose business was to kill them, entered the house of Nanda Mahārāja unobstructed, having been sent by the superior potency of the Lord. Without asking anyone's permission, she entered Nanda Mahārāja's room, where she saw the child sleeping in bed, His unlimited power covered like a powerful fire covered by ashes. She could understand that this child was not ordinary, but was meant to kill all demons. KB 10.6.7 Pūtanā, the killer of many, many children, found baby Kṛṣṇa lying on a small bed, and she could at once perceive that the baby was hiding His unparalleled potencies, which resembled fire covered by ashes. Pūtanā thought, “This child is so powerful that He can destroy the whole universe immediately.” Pūtanā’s understanding is very significant. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is situated in everyone’s heart. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that He gives one necessary intelligence, and He also causes one to forget. Pūtanā was immediately aware that the child whom she was observing in the house of Nanda Mahārāja was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He was lying there as a small baby, but that does not mean He was less powerful. The materialistic theory that God-worship is anthropomorphic is not correct. No living being can become God by undergoing meditation or austerities. God is always God. Kṛṣṇa as a baby is as complete as He is as a full-fledged youth. The Māyāvāda theory holds that the living entity was formerly God but has now become overwhelmed by the influence of māyā. Therefore Māyāvādīs say that presently he is not God but when the influence of māyā is taken away he will again become God. This theory cannot be applied to the minute living entities. The living entities are minute parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; they are minute particles or sparks of the original fire. So these sparks can be covered by the influence of māyā, but the original fire, Kṛṣṇa, cannot. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even from the beginning of His appearance in the house of Vasudeva and Devakī.

Purport

Demons are always busy creating disturbances and killing. But the child lying on the bed in the house of Nanda Mahārāja was meant to kill many demons.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Putana, the killer of children (bala graha -baby catcher) saw the child (balam) who, though the killer of the wicked (asad antakam), appeared easy to kill. At that time he appeared like a fire covered by ash, hiding his powers.

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

This verse continues the description from verse 4. The word bāla-grahaḥ is not in the feminine since it belongs to a class of words which retain their original gender when used as an adjective (even if the person is female.) She searched out babies in Gokula, without having to make effort (yadṛcchayā), since she was inspired by the līlā-śakti. Sudden coming to Nanda’s house while searching, she saw Kṛṣṇa on the bed. Yadṛcchayā means independently according to Amara-koṣa. Thought the child was the death to demons, he manifested his sweetness at this time. She saw him on the bed, while he hid his powers in front of her. An example is given. He was like a fire covered by ashes. That she attracted all the people of Vraja is the action of the līlā-śakti.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

Searching for children in Gokula, she saw the child, who was performing childhood pastimes (bālam), who puts an end to demons, and who was sleeping (āhitam) on a bed. This also excludes Balarāma as the child described, since he sometimes overlooks the demons. Balarāma was in Rohiṇī’s house. Bālam indicates that Kṛṣṇa was performing bāla pastimes as his nature or it expresses Śukadeva’s special bhakti. Kṛṣṇa caused the great power of Pūtanā to be destroyed (praticchanna-nijoru-tejasamur). This indicates his great power. An example is given. It was like fire hidden in charcoal. The charcoal can manifest the intense burning of fire. Did she not become fearful? Why was such an evil person able to see the Lord? It was because of the manifestation of the Lord’s powers (yadṛcchayā). This reason is also apparent later. She also dressed up attractively as a cowherd women so the women thought she was Lakṣmī. Thus they did not prevent her from approaching.