| It is the practice that after a snake has been killed, its body is cut into various pieces for fear that it may come to life again simply by interacting with air. Merely killing a serpent is not sufficient; after it is killed, it must be cut to pieces and burned, and then the danger will be over. Pūtanā resembled a great serpent, and therefore the cowherd men took the same precautions by burning her body to ashes. | | | La costumbre es que, después de matar a una serpiente, su cuerpo sea cortado en pedazos, por temor a que el contacto con el aire le devuelva la vida. No basta con matar a la serpiente; una vez muerta, hay que cortarla en pedazos y quemarla. De ese modo, no habrá más peligro. Pūtanā era como una gran serpiente, de modo que los vaqueros, tomando esas mismas precauciones, redujeron su cuerpo a cenizas. | |