Maharishi Śuka continued, “Vasudeva came to know of his friend Nanda’s arrival into the city. He learnt that Nanda had paid tribute to King Kamsa. He then approached Nanda who, after having rested the bullocks, was relaxing in a tent.

Vasudeva was very dear to Nanda. Seeing Vasudeva walking towards him, Nanda was ecstatic. He felt as if life was reinfused into him. Unable to control his happiness, he eagerly rushed forward and lovingly embraced Vasudeva. With great love and reverence, he welcomed Vasudeva, seated him appropriately and then enquired of his well-being.

At that moment, Vasudeva’s mind was fixed solely upon his two sons. He thus said, ‘My dear brother! You are elder to me. For a very long time you remained childless, yet the desire to beget children did not exist in you. It is really your fortune that you are now blessed with a child.

It is my greatest fortune that, today, after a gap of many years, I have been bestowed with this luck to meet you. To me, it feels like a re-birth. This is an auspicious sign. To get a chance meeting with a dearest friend is truly rare. Just as logs of wood drift apart due to the force of the flowing river, in this world, due to different occupations and life-styles, friends can never stay together for long.

I do hope that the settlement where you reside together with your friends is extremely conducive for cattle rearing. Are the animals as well as humans who reside there free from disease of every kind? Are water, pasture, and plants available in plenty?

My son Balarama is residing in your hamlet together with his mother Rohini. Does he love and treat you as a father? Are you and Yashoda lovingly cajoling him?

Only the three goals of life viz., dharma (righteousness), monetary earnings (artha) and fulfilment of desires (kāma) are suited for a person who is earning for the well-being of his family members. This has been authenticated by the scriptures. When wife, sons and other relatives are in dire distress, wealth earned by a person cannot shower any happiness on him’.

Nanda then replied, ‘My dear Vasudeva, Kamsa has killed the many children born to you and Devaki. Even the daughter, who was the youngest of all, was not spared. From this it is clear that human life is based purely upon one’s prarabdha karma (that portion of past fruitive actions the result of which needs to be experienced in this present birth).

It is destiny that regulates life. Every happening is destined. The wise person who realizes that joys and sorrows are the result of his past actions (prarabdha) will never be influenced by them’.

Swamiji explains: At times of sorrows one must sincerely believe- “this is the result of my destiny”. At times of happiness he must think, “my past fruitive actions have ensured that I enjoy this happiness”. During sorrows, he should think- My past bad actions have resulted in my bad fate. If this is adopted, the person will remain unaffected by happiness or sorrows.

“Vasudeva replied, ‘Nanda, you have paid your yearly tribute to the king. More importantly, we both have met. It is my opinion that you should not stay here for long. Many inauspicious incidents are about to attack Gokula’.

Hearing these words, Nanda was alarmed. He sought leave from Vasudeva and together with the cowherds he immediately mounted the bullock-carts and left for Gokula”.

With this the fifth chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.

Tenth Canto Chapter Six

In this chapter, demoness Putana meets death.

Maharishi Śuka said, “Vasudeva’s words always turned to be true. Fearing that inauspicious incidents could harm his settlement at Gokula, Nanda, who was travelling home, prayed to Lord Srihari and sought refuge in Him.

Meanwhile, the wicked Kamsa had entrusted demoness Putana with the task of killing infants in all hamlets. Putana, the demoness who killed children, wandered through cities, towns, villages and cowherd-settlements searching for new-borns and killing them instantly.

Na yatra śravaṇādīni rakṣo-ghnāni sva-karmasu

Kurvanti sātvatāṁ bhartur yātudhānyaś ca yatra hi

Lord Srihari is the protector of people who are filled with traits of goodness (sattva). Listening to His glories and singing them destroys all demons. Demons reside only in all those places where people, while being engaged in their occupational or stipulated duties, do not spend time listening or singing the glories of the Lord. This is decisively true.

Demoness Putana had the ability to take on any form as per her will and also to fly freely in the skies. While wandering through different cities and villages, one morning Putana accidently arrived in Gokula. Using her magical power, she transformed into an exceptionally gorgeous female with wide hips, broad chest and slender waist. She was dressed gracefully in a pretty sari and her lovely braid was adorned with a garland of malli flowers. Hanging earrings dazzled brightly and their reflection could be seen in her beautiful forelocks. She wandered amidst the Gopikas showering affectionate love upon them all. Seeing her beauty and her charming, affectionate smiles the women-folk of Gokula were captivated. She, who held a lotus in her hand, stole the hearts of the cowherd men with her loving tender gazes.

Seeing her indescribable beauty, the milkmaids thought, ‘Aha! It appears as if Mother Goddess Lakshmi has taken on a human form and arrived here searching for her husband Srihari’.

Putana was in reality a vile demon and a wicked ghost who mercilessly killed children. As she wandered through the settlement searching for infants, providence ensured that she spotted the infant child who was sleeping on the cot within Nanda’s home”.

Narayana