aho bakÄ« yaá¹ stana-kÄla-kÅ«á¹aá¹
jighÄá¹sayÄpÄyayad apy asÄdhvÄ«
lebhe gatiá¹ dhÄtry-ucitÄá¹ tato 'nyaá¹
kaá¹ vÄ dayÄluá¹ Å›araṇaá¹ vrajema
aho - alas; bakÄ« - the she-demon (PÅ«tanÄ); yam - whom; stana - of her breast; kÄla - deadly; kÅ«á¹am - poison; jighÄá¹sayÄ - out of envy; apÄyayat - nourished; api - although; asÄdhvÄ« - unfaithful; lebhe - achieved; gatim - destination; dhÄtrÄ«-ucitÄm - just suitable for the nurse; tataḥ - beyond whom; anyam - other; kam - who else; vÄ - certainly; dayÄlum - merciful; Å›araṇam - shelter; vrajema - shall I take.
Here is an example of the extreme mercy of the Lord, even to His enemy. It is said that a noble man accepts the good qualities of a person of doubtful character, just as one accepts nectar from a stock of poison. In His babyhood, He was administered deadly poison by PÅ«tanÄ, a she-demon who tried to kill the wonderful baby. And because she was a demon, it was impossible for her to know that the Supreme Lord, even though playing the part of a baby, was no one less than the same Supreme Personality of Godhead. His value as the Supreme Lord did not diminish upon His becoming a baby to please His devotee YaÅ›odÄ. The Lord may assume the form of a baby or a shape other than that of a human being, but it doesn’t make the slightest difference; He is always the same Supreme. A living creature, however powerful he may become by dint of severe penance, can never become equal to the Supreme Lord.
Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted the motherhood of PÅ«tanÄ because she pretended to be an affectionate mother, allowing Kṛṣṇa to suck her breast. The Lord accepts the least qualification of the living entity and awards him the highest reward. That is the standard of His character. Therefore, who but the Lord can be the ultimate shelter?