Question: The first demon killed by Rāma is a female. The first demon killed by Kṛṣṇa is Pūtanā, who is also a female. Do these incidences have some special significance?
Answer by Romapada Swami：
One Vaiṣṇava commentator gave the following explanation.
The first and foremost obstacle for those who are trying to progress in bhakti is material desire, the affinity to be the enjoyer of matter.
The Sanskrit word for that is āśā.
Āśā means desire.
In Sanskrit, āśā is feminine.
The first demon that Kṛṣṇa encounters and the first demon that Rāma encounters are feminine, a woman.
The significance is that both Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are trying to help us become free from the influence of material desire, such as the form of the opposite sex, or in general the tendency to become the enjoyer of material opulence.
