Shloka 4
The Vraja Elders Question Kṛṣṇa’s Identity; Nanda Recounts Garga’s Prophecy
तोकेनामीलिताक्षेण पूतनाया महौजस: । पीत: स्तन: सह प्राणै: कालेनेव वयस्तनो: ॥ ४ ॥
tokenāmīlitākṣeṇa pūtanāyā mahaujasaḥ pītaḥ stanaḥ saha prāṇaiḥ kāleneva vayas tanoḥ
കണ്ണുകൾ പോലും പൂർണ്ണമായി തുറക്കാത്ത ശിശുവായിരിക്കെ, മഹൗജസ്സായ പൂതനയുടെ മുലപാൽ കുടിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് അവളുടെ പ്രാണവായുവും വലിച്ചെടുത്തു; കാലം ശരീരത്തിലെ യൗവനം ചൂഷണം ചെയ്യുന്നതുപോലെ.
The word vayaḥ in this verse indicates youth or life span in general. With irresistible power, time takes away our life, and that time is actually Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus in the case of the powerful witch Pūtanā, Lord Kṛṣṇa accelerated the time process and within an instant withdrew the duration of her life. Here the cowherd men mean to say, “How could a mere infant who could barely open His eyes so easily kill a very powerful demoness?”
FAQs
This verse says baby Kṛṣṇa sucked Pūtanā’s breast and simultaneously drew out her prāṇa (life-airs), showing His supreme power even in an infant form.
Because just as Time inevitably takes away the vitality of embodied beings, Kṛṣṇa effortlessly removed Pūtanā’s life-force while appearing as a helpless child.
Remembering that time can take everything, one should prioritize bhakti and spiritual practice now, rather than postponing what truly matters.