46 Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

on the ground, spread her arms and legs and began to cry, “Oh child, leave
me, leave me!” She was crying loudly and perspiring, and her whole body
became wet.

As she died, screaming, there was a tremendous vibration both on the
earth and in the sky, in all directions, and people thought that thunderbolts
were falling. Thus the nightmare of the Piitana witch was over, and she
assumed her real feature as a great demon. She opened her fierce mouth
and spread her arms and legs all over. She fell exactly as Vrtrasura when
struck by the thunderbolt of Indra. The long hair on her head was scattered
all over her body. Her fallen body extended up to twelve miles and smashed
all the trees to pieces, and everyone was struck with wonder upon seeing
this gigantic body. Her teeth appeared just like ploughed roads, and her
nostrils appeared just like mountain caves. Her breasts appeared like small
hills, and her hair was a vast reddish bush. Her eye sockets appeared like
blind wells, and her two thighs appeared like two banks of a river; her two
hands appeared like two strongly constructed bridges, and her abdomen
seemed like a dried-up lake. All the cowherd men and women became
struck with awe and wonder upon seeing this. And the tumultuous sound
of her falling shocked their brains and ears and made their hearts beat
strongly.

When the gopis saw little Krsna fearlessly playing on Piittana’s lap, they
very quickly came and picked Him up. Mother Yagoda, Rohini, and other
elderly gopis immediately performed the auspicious rituals by taking the
tail of a cow and circumambulating His body. The child was completely
washed with the urine of a cow, and the dust created by the hooves of the
cows was thrown all over His body. This was all just to save little Krsna
from future inauspicious accidents. This incident gives us a clear indication
of how important the cow is to the family, society and to living beings in
general. The transcendental body of Krsna did not require any protection,
but to instruct us on the importance of the cow, the Lord was smeared
over with cow dung, washed with the urine of a cow, and sprinkled with
the dust upraised by the walking of the cows.

After this purificatory process, the gopis, headed by mother Yasoda and
Rohini, chanted twelve names of Visnu to give Krsna’s body full protection
from all evil influences. They washed their hands and feet and sipped water
three times, as is the custom before chanting mantra. They chanted as
follows: “My dear Krsna, may the Lord who is known as Maniman protect
Your thighs; may Lord Visnu who is known as Yajiia protect Your legs,
may Lord Acyuta protect Your arms; may Lord Hayagriva protect Your
abdomen; may Lord KeSava protect Your heart; may Lord Visnu protect
