# पूतना (pūtanā)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/putana

पूतना (pūtanā) is a Sanskrit word meaning a particular class of demons or spirits, a kind of disease in a child, terminalia Chebula, a species of valerian, a female demon sent to kill the infant Krishna, a childhood disease involving atrophy and wasting. Its 19 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them Kṛṣṇa's Adversary Pūtanā, Various Malevolent Spirits/Demons, Lexical or Referential Note.

- **Etymology:** E. पूत to be pure, nominal verb, युच् aff — E. pūta to be pure, nominal verb, yuc aff
- **SLP1:** `pUtanA`  **IAST:** pūtanā  **Devanagari:** पूतना
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putana
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/putana/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** पूतन (pūtana), पुटन (puṭana)

## Meanings by context

### Kṛṣṇa's Adversary Pūtanā (9 definitions)
- A female demon associated with children diseases and Krishna.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 641,2] पूतना (pūtanā) b f. N. of a female demon (said to cause a partic. disease in children, and to have offered her poisoned breast to the infant Kṛṣṇa who seized it and sucked away her life; regarded also as one of the Mātṛs attending upon Skanda, and as a Yoginī), MBh.; Hariv.; Kāv.; Pur. [ ID=127436 ]
- 1. Yellow myrobalan. 2. A female demon killed by Krishna. 3. A childhood wasting disease.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पूत (pūta) ना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 548 ] पूत (pūta) ना (pūtanā) f. ( - ना (-nā) ) 1 Yellow myrobalan, ( Terminalia chebula.) 2 The name of a female demon killed by KṚṢṆA. 3 A disease, atrophy and wasting in a child, ascribed to the malignant operations of the female fiend PŪTANĀ. E. पूत (pūta) to be pure, nominal verb, युच् (yuc) aff. [ ID=25324 ]
- 1. Yellow myrobalan. 2. A female demon. 3. A childhood disease of atrophy caused by the demon.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 491-b ] पूतना (pūtanā) ( ना ) ((nā)) 1. f. Yellow myrobalan; name of a female demon; a disease, atrophy, which is ascribed to the demon. [ ID=24805 ]
- Name of a female demon killed by Krishna  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 448-16 ] पूतना (pūtanā) f. Name of a female demon killed by Kṛishṇa. (See App. II.) [ ID=23214 ]
- 1. Yellow myrobalan. 2. A female demon killed by Krishna in his infancy. 3. A childhood disease of wasting and atrophy attributed to that demon.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 464-a ] पूतना (pūtanā) f. ( - ना (-nā) ) 1. Yellow myrobalan, (Terminalia chebula.) 2. The name of a female demon killed by KRISHṆA, when he was but an infant on her attempting to take his life. 3. A disease, atrophy and wasting in a child, ascribed to the malignant operations of the female fiend PŪTANĀ. E. पूत् (pūt) to be pure, nominal verb, युच् (yuc) aff. [ ID=25606 ]
- 1. Yellow myrobalan. 2. A female demon associated with childhood diseases, killed by Krishna.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 0567-a ] पूतना (pūtanā) pūtanā, 1. Yellow myro- balan, Terminalia Chebula. 2. The name of a female demon causing a certain disease of children, and killed by Kṛṣṇa. [ ID=9070 ]
- 1. A female demon sent to kill the infant Krishna. 2. A childhood disease involving atrophy and wasting. 3. Yellow myrobalan. 4. A species of valerian.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 0590-a ] पूतना (pūtanā) pūtanā, f., N. of a female demon (said to cause a particular disease in children; she was sent by Kaṃsa to destroy the infant Kṛṣṇa, and having assumed a pleasing form [according to Hari-vaṃśa 3423, Śakunī-veśa-dhāriṇī] appeared to the child and offered him her poisoned breast to suck, which he seized and held till he had sucked away her life; she is enumerated among the Mātṛs attending upon Skanda, and associated with Śakuni as a daughter of Bali; cf. andha-p°, ahi-p°, kaṭa- p°, gandha-p° ); a kind of disease, atrophy and wasting in a child (ascribed to the demon Pūtanā); yellow myrobalan, Terminalia Chebula or Citrina ( = harītakī ); a species of Valeriana ( = gandha- māṃsī ). —Pūtanā-mokṣaṇa-prastāva, as, m., N. of a chapter of the Brahma-vaivarta-Purāṇa. —Pūtanāri (°nā-ari°), is, m. ‘enemy of Pūtanā,’ an epithet of Kṛṣṇa. —Pūtanā-sūdana, as, m. ‘destroyer of Pūtanā,’ an epithet of Kṛṣṇa. —Pū- tanā-han, ā, m. ‘slayer of Pūtanā,’ an epithet of Kṛṣṇa. [ ID=29667 ]
- a female demon  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 572-2 ] Pūtanā 1, a female demon (in the shape of a bird). § 290 (Śiśupālavadhap.): II, 41, 1436 (had been slain by Kṛṣṇa). —§ 502 (Manuṣyagrahak.): III, 230, 14480 ( °ṃ Rākṣasīṃ prāhus taṃ vidyāt Pūtanāgrahaṃ ).—§ 567 (Bhagavadyānap.): V, 130, 4409 ( śakunī, had been slain by Kṛṣṇa). [ ID=8864 ]
- 1. A demoness and friend of Kamsa who was killed by infant Krishna while trying to poison him. 2. A deity propitiated during the construction of palaces.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > पूतना (pūtanā) [Printed book page 2-372 ] Pūtanā (I) — a demoness and a friend of Kamsa; was deputed by him to kill all infants. Once she came to Vraja and changing her form to that of a fascinating lady, entered Nanda's house and began to suckle the baby Kṛṣṇa. He understood the purpose and sucked her life out to the wonderment of the Gopīs and Gopas. Her body was cre- mated and she reached heaven; 1 to be propitiated at the commencement of building operations of palaces. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. X. 2. 1; 6. 2-17, 28 and 34-38; 14. 35; 26. 4; 43. 25; Br. IV. 29. 124; III. 73. 100; Vā. 9. 97; 98. 100; Vi. V. 4. 1; 5. 7-11, 23; 6. 23; 15. 2; 29. 5.] [ Footnote: 2) M. 268. 29.] [ ID=8214 ]

### Various Malevolent Spirits/Demons (3 definitions)
- a particular class of demons or spirits  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 641,2] पूतन (pūtana) m. a partic. class of demons or spirits (also = वेताल (vetāla) ), Mālatīm.; Bālar.; SaddhP. [ ID=127434 ]
- 1. A daughter of Bali. 2. Mother of the bhutas and a graha.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Pūtanā (II) — a daughter of Bali; 1 mother of the bhūtas and a graha. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Br. III. 5. 43; Vā. 67. 84.] [ Footnote: 2) Br. III. 7. 158 and 161.] [ ID=8215 ]
- A demoness and wife of Bhadra.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Pūtanā (IV) — a Rākṣasī and wife of Bhadra: Her sons are called Naiṛrtas. Br. III. 59. 12-4. [ ID=8217 ]

### Lexical or Referential Note (2 definitions)
- See next  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 641,2] पूतना (pūtanā) a f. See next. [ ID=127435 ]
- wrong reading for prutana  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > w.r. for पृतना (pṛtanā) [ ID=127440 ]

### A children's disease (1 definition)
- a kind of disease in a child  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a kind of disease in a child (ascribed to the demon P° ), W. [ ID=127437 ]

### A Mātṛ (Divine Mother) or Yoginī (1 definition)
- a divine mother  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Pūtanā 2, a mātṛ. § 615 u (Skanda): IX, 46 θ, 2634. [ ID=8865 ]

### A Varṇa Śakti (1 definition)
- a Varna shakti  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Pūtanā (III) — a Varṇa śakti. Br. IV. 44. 59. [ ID=8216 ]

### The plant Terminalia Chebula (1 definition)
- Terminalia Chebula  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Terminalia Chebula, L. [ ID=127438 ]

### The plant Valeriana (1 definition)
- a species of valerian  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a species of Valeriana, L. [ ID=127439 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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