Putana

Herbert theorizes "Pūtanā" is derived from "Put", a hell in Hindu mythology, associated with parents and children.

[3] White translates Putana as "stinky", and relates it to pustulant sores, the eruption of which is a symptom of chicken pox.

The fragrant smoke rose out of the flames, as Putana was cleansed of all sin by breast-feeding Krishna and she attained the same heaven that Yashoda acquired.

Though Putana came with evil intentions, she is portrayed as being happy to see Krishna and her maternal instinct rises, telling her "Take this lovely boy to your breast.

[10] The Garga Samhita (a work on the life of Krishna) and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana further tell of the previous birth of Putana as Ratnamala, the daughter of demon king Bali.

[13] Another theory interprets Putana as an infantile disease that Krishna survived, which can be cured by forcefully suckling the child affected.

[14] In the Vishnu Purana, it is explicitly stated that Putana should work in the dark, symbolizing the lack of illumination of knowledge.

[18] Kakar further adds: The secret fantasy of poisoned milk, of nourishment that kills, originates early in life when the decisive separation between child and mother takes place.

He interprets Krishna clinging to Putana's breast as not only the infant's excitement and anger, but also a form of "incestuous intercourse", as in the killing of other maternal demons.

Though the word yātudhānī is rarely used, yātudhāna - the masculine form - is frequently used in Hindu scriptures to mean an evil spirit.

Both incidences enforce the view that though Putana's mortal body is killed by Krishna, she lives on in the world as a spirit.

[4] The medical text Balatantra mentions Putana as the common name of 16 sisters of the demon king Ravana, who are permitted to eat the flesh of infants.

[4] The Buddhist text Saddharmapundarika Sutra and the 1131 CE encyclopedia Manasollasa by Western Chalukya king Someshvara III lists multiple demons, including a group of Putanas.

The Brahmanda Purana and the Harita Samhita mention Putanas as a sub-group of Matrikas and Grahinis, whose individual names include Kali and Dakini.

[25] The Ayurvedic medical text Sushruta Samhita describes Putana as "black in colour, with a gaping mouth and projecting teeth and disheveled hair, clad in filthy garments, very smelly, and dwelling in empty broken-down buildings."

[4] Kumaratantra ("Rituals related to childhood"), a branch of Ayurveda, specifically mentions that it aims to heal diseases that arise from "empoisoned milk of Seizers" (Grahini), Putana being one.