Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 15
Pūtanā-mokṣa — The Witch Pūtanā’s Attempt and Kṛṣṇa’s Deliverance
ईषामात्रोग्रदंष्ट्रास्यं गिरिकन्दरनासिकम् । गण्डशैलस्तनं रौद्रं प्रकीर्णारुणमूर्धजम् ॥ १५ ॥ अन्धकूपगभीराक्षं पुलिनारोहभीषणम् । बद्धसेतुभुजोर्वङ्घ्रि शून्यतोयह्रदोदरम् ॥ १६ ॥ सन्तत्रसु: स्म तद्वीक्ष्य गोपा गोप्य: कलेवरम् । पूर्वं तु तन्नि:स्वनितभिन्नहृत्कर्णमस्तका: ॥ १७ ॥
īṣā-mātrogra-daṁṣṭrāsyaṁ giri-kandara-nāsikam gaṇḍa-śaila-stanaṁ raudraṁ prakīrṇāruṇa-mūrdhajam
The rākṣasī’s mouth was packed with fierce teeth like the blades of a plow; her nostrils were deep as mountain caves; and her breasts were like great slabs of rock fallen from a hill. Her hair lay scattered, copper-red in hue. Her eye-sockets were deep like dark, blind wells; her dreadful thighs resembled riverbanks; her arms, legs, and feet seemed like massive bridges; and her belly looked like a lake dried of all water. The cowherd men and women had already been shaken in heart, ear, and head by her screaming, and on beholding that savage, wondrous body, they were struck with even greater fear.
FAQs
This verse portrays her corpse as gigantic and terrifying—cave-like nostrils, dreadful fangs, and hill-like features—emphasizing the enormity of the danger from which Kṛṣṇa protected Vraja.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these details to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while describing Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes in Vṛndāvana.
Even when danger appears overwhelming, devotion and taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa bring protection; the verse highlights how fearsome threats can be neutralized by divine grace.