When Lord Visnu’s Name resounds, all of them become afraid and go away

Witches in India

SB 10.6.4 Purport,  The Killing of the Demon Putana:

Raksasis learn mystic powers by which they can travel in outer space without machines.
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. Assuming the feature of a very beautiful woman, she entered Nanda Maharaja’s abode, Gokula.

750224SB.CAR Lectures 208247/530501

Therefore the next verse says, nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam : “This real service is enunciated here as the essence of all Vedic knowledge.” Nigama means the Vedas, and it is called kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. Vedic knowledge is so perfect that you can receive from the Vedas all different types of knowledge. You can receive knowledge from the Vedas, all types of knowledge, means that social, political and scientific, and there are so many departments of knowledge, even engineering, medical science. The medical science is called Ayur-veda. Ayur-veda means the Vedic knowledge about the duration of life. Similarly, there is Dhanur-veda. Dhanur-veda, military science. There are so many departments. Just like this aeroplane. That is also mentioned in the Vedas. There are not only aeroplanes; there are three other sciences. It is called kapota-vahi. Kapota-vahi means… The ka means the sky, and pota means ship. So as there is science how to manufacture the airship, that is there. There is another science of the same type, it is called kapota-vahi. Kapota means pigeons. You can train up pigeons, and they will carry you from one place to another.

There is another science which is called akasa-yanam. Akasa-yanam means in the akasa, in the sky, you can fly with any vehicle. There are mantras… Suppose I am sitting on this throne. By chanting those mantras this seat will be, fly in the sky. We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam that Kapiladeva? No, Kardama Muni, father of Kapiladeva, he made an aeroplane or a exactly a township with big, big buildings, with lake, garden and so many people, that was flying in the sky and visited all the planets.    Therefore it is said, nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. So Vedas are compared with the desire tree . Desire tree means just like here in this material world you go to the mango tree. You get mangoes. But you cannot get samosa. (laughter) But desire trees there are. In the spiritual planets there are desire trees. Whatever you want, you can get from that tree. If you go to any tree and whatever you like, you get it from it. So that is called kalpa-taru. So these Vedas are compared with the kalpa-taru because you can derive any kind of knowledge from Vedic literature. So Veda means knowledge. The word Veda means knowledge. …..

KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead – 1970 Edition : Volume 1 : KB 1-6 / Putana Killed:

After consulting with his demonic 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. Such witches can play their black art only where there is no chanting or hearing of the holy name of Krsna . 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 . And this is certainly true of the place where the chanting of the holy name of Krsna is done seriously–especially in Vrndavana when the Supreme Lord was personally present. Therefore, the doubts of Nanda Maharaja were certainly based on affection for Krsna. Actually there was no danger from the activities of Putana, despite her powers. Such witches are called khecari, which means they can fly in the sky . This black 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. Putana knew this witchcraft, and therefore she is described in the Bhagavatam as khecari.

SB 10.6: The Killing of the Demon Putana : , SB 10.6.27-29 : TRANSLATION :

The evil witches known as Dakinis, Yatudhanis and Kusmandas are the greatest enemies of children, and the evil spirits like Bhutas, Pretas, Pisacas, Yaksas, Raksasas and Vinayakas, as well as 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. Like the most experienced evil stars, they all create great disturbances, especially for children, but one can vanquish them simply by uttering Lord Visnu’;s name, for when Lord Visnu’s name resounds, all of them become afraid and go away.

Comment by Hasti:

Awesome!! Mother Subhudis (they are Indian)son here in Toronto told me of the time he was in north India in an obscure village. He was traveling all over India for 2 years collecting different holy waters for an ISKCON project many years ago. He was allowed to see this old witch performing her black arts. In black dress around a fire during a clouded day. The sky opened up after she urinatied on the fire. She swung one leg over an upturned small tree sat back and swuuush! up into the sky she went into  the opening in the clouds.

He was unable to sleep for a few days. It would be awesome to be able to grow a Samosa tree.   Thanks  Hasti