Category:Witch
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the concept of a witch both through historical pastimes and profound philosophical metaphors. Historically, he describes the demoniac witch Pūtanā, who used her black arts to kill infants but was ultimately delivered by the supreme compassion of Kṛṣṇa. Metaphorically, he warns against the "two witches of allurement"—bhukti (material enjoyment) and mukti (impersonal liberation). As long as these two metaphorical witches haunt the heart of a conditioned soul, the awakening of pure, transcendental bliss in devotional service is impossible. Furthermore, Śrīla Prabhupāda provides the ultimate protection: the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which instantly vanquishes all evil spirits, ghosts, and figurative witches from one's life.
- The Pūtanā Witch: Pūtanā was a real demoniac assassin instructed by Kaṁsa to kill Kṛṣṇa using black magic and poison, representing the genuine dangers posed by evil spirits.
- The Supreme Compassion of Kṛṣṇa: Even though Pūtanā approached the Lord with murderous intent, Kṛṣṇa accepted her breast milk and granted her the exalted liberated position of a mother in the spiritual world.
- The Two Metaphorical Witches: The desires for material enjoyment and impersonal liberation are compared to haunting witches; their presence in the heart completely blocks the experience of transcendental loving service.
- The Ultimate Protection: Witches, ghosts, and the black arts can only exert their influence where there is a lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; the chanting of the holy names immediately drives away all such bad elements.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Two Witches of Allurement.
Subcategories
This category has only the following subcategory.
Pages in category "Witch"
The following 44 pages are in this category, out of 44 total.
1
A
- A person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord Vasudeva is like a man who gives up the protection of his mother for the shelter of a witch
- After consulting with his demoniac ministers, Kamsa instructed a witch named Putana, who knew the black art of killing small children by ghastly sinful methods, to kill all kinds of children in the cities, villages and pasturing grounds
- After the Putana witch had been killed, some friends of Mother Yasoda inquired from her about the incident. Mother Yasoda at once requested her friends, "Please stop! Please stop! Don't bring up the incident of Putana"
- An example of an object which caused ecstatic dread is the Putana witch. Dread can be caused by mischievous demonic characters, such as King Kamsa, and it can be caused by great powerful demigods, such as Indra or Sankara
- As long as one desires material benefit or liberation, which are called the two witches of allurement, he cannot relish the taste of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord
- As long as these witches remain within the heart, how can one feel transcendental bliss? As long as these two witches remain in the heart, there is no possibility of enjoying the transcendental bliss of devotional service
- As she died screaming, there was a tremendous vibration on the earth and in the sky, on the upper and lower planets and in all directions, and people thought that thunderbolts were falling. Thus the nightmare of the Putana witch was over
D
- Desires are compared to being haunted by ghosts and witches, because while these aspirations for material enjoyment or spiritual oneness with the Supreme remain, no one can relish the actual transcendental taste of devotional service
- Due to his being opposed to Krsna consciousness, the conditioned soul is punished by the witch of the external energy, maya
- During the daytime, the wife is compared to a witch, and at night she is compared to a tigress. Her only business is sucking the blood of her husband both day and night
I
- In some parts of India there are still such mystical witches, who can sit on a stick and use it to fly from one place to another in a very short time. This art was known to Putana
- It is actual for the materialistic person that there is an animal, during daytime she is witch, & at night she is tigress. So din ka dakini rat ka baghini palak palak rahu cuse. The witches, they also, by their black art, they suck the blood of children
- It is said that wherever the chanting of the holy name of Krsna is done, even negligently, all bad elements - witches, ghosts and dangerous calamities - immediately disappear
L
- Like the most experienced evil stars, they (evil witches known as Dakinis, Yatudhanis, Kusmandas and evil spirits like Bhutas, Pretas, Pisacas, Yaksas, Raksasas, Vinayakas) all create great disturbances, especially for children - SB 10.6.27-29
- Lord Sri Krsna, the all-pervading Supersoul, lying on the bed, understood that Putana, a witch who was expert in killing small children, had come to kill Him. Therefore, as if afraid of her, Krsna closed His eyes - SB 10.6.8
O
- O King, Indra first fled to the sky, but there also he saw the woman of personified sin chasing him. This witch followed him wherever he went. At last he very quickly went to the northeast and entered the Manasa-sarovara Lake
- One can vanquish them (evil stars, evil witches and evil spirits) simply by uttering Lord Visnu's name, for when Lord Visnu's name resounds, all of them become afraid and go away - SB 10.6.27-29
P
S
- She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, "May You be blessed with a long duration of life." But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimai
- She then began to drink the hot blood that flowed from the necks of the beheaded rogues and thieves, as if this blood were liquor. Indeed, she drank this intoxicant with her associates, who were witches and female demons
- Srila Rupa Gosvami has compared possessing these bhukti (material) and mukti (liberation) desires with being influenced by the black art of a witch: in both cases one is in trouble
T
- The evil witches known as Dakinis, Yatudhanis and Kusmandas are the greatest enemies of children SB 10.6.27-29
- The incident in which the great witch attempted to kill the child but was killed herself is certainly wonderful. Therefore this verse (SB 10.6.44) uses the word adbhutam, meaning - specifically wonderful
- The kamakhya witches, from the black art. That Putana was like that. They suck the blood of children by some mantra
- The material desire to enjoy the material world and the desire to become liberated from material bondage are considered to be two witches, and they haunt one like ghosts
- The wife is maya but at the same time a great friend. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu remarked that the wife is the goddess of fortune somewhere and somewhere she is a witch
- The Yaksas, Raksasas, ghosts and witches, who are habituated to eating flesh, transformed Lord Siva's incarnation Rudra (Bhutanatha) into a calf and milked out beverages made of blood and put them in a pot made of skulls
- There (in forest) they (parts of Jarasandha's body) were later found by a witch named Jara, who was skilled in the black arts. She managed to join the two parts of the baby from top to bottom. Knowing this, Lord Krsna therefore also knew how to kill him
- They (brahmana imposters) make great artificial endeavors, advertising themselves as great devotees of the Lord or as mystic hypnotists knowledgeable in witchcraft, hypnotism and miracles
- This (Putana attain position of Krsna's mother) is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, where Uddhava says to Vidura that Krsna is so kind, God is so kind, that even the witch who wanted to kill Him with poison was accepted as His mother
- This black art of witchcraft is still practiced by some women in the remote northwestern side of India
W
- When Putana, the demoniac witch, was struck down and killed by Krsna, Mother Yasoda was struck with wonder and began to cry emotionally, "Oh, what is this? What is this?"
- When Putana, the demonic witch, came to poison Baby Krsna, she came as a beautiful young girl and asked Mother Yasoda - Oh, Yasodamayi, you have a very nice baby. Will you kindly give Him to me so I can nurse Him
- Witches are called khecari, which means they can fly in the sky. This art of witchcraft is still practiced by some women in the remote northwestern side of India. They can transfer themselves from one place to another on the branch of an uprooted tree
- Witches can play their black art only where there is no chanting or hearing of the holy name of Krsna
- Witches like Kotara, Revati, Jyestha, Putana and Matrka, are always ready to give trouble to the body, the life air and the senses, causing loss of memory, madness and bad dreams - SB 10.6.27-29