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Shree Vallabha
A very iconic event of the Hindu Pantheon is the Samudra Manthan where two opposing entities, the Devas and the Asuras, worked together as Force and counter Force to extract Amrit, or the Nectar of Immortality, from the ocean of milk, or the Ksheer Sagar.
Amidst the series of events leading up to the revival of immortality, there is an incident that needs much attention in this modern era where ancient patriarchy, misogyny and inequality depicted in the Hindu mythology are always highlighted. This story focuses on the marriage of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. It has been written with the hope of breaking some prevailing notions or stereotypes about Indian Society and Hindu Mythology.
One day, Lord Indra was walking around the capital city of Swarga (the paradise where there is no shortage of luxury and ecstasy). Drenched in his own tranquillity on being the king of the Devas, the Hindu angels, he refused to greet Rishi Durvasa who had just arrived at his heavenly capital, Amravati. Even then, Rishi Durvasa, who was a highly reputed sage of that time, presented Indra with a beautiful garland that was acquired by him after great penance. However, Indra very arrogantly placed the garland on his royal white elephant, Airavat. The fragrance of the flowers in the garland irritated Airavat and in a fit of frenzy, the elephant threw it on the ground and crushed it.
Durvasa took this as a huge disrespect of his offering and himself, and cursed Indra and all the Devas by taking away their Amritva (immortality) and other divine powers. As the godly prosperity, Shree, disappeared from all the celestial realms, chaos ensued everywhere. The Asuras or demons, who were always looking for an opportunity to capture Amravati, finally got their chance.
The Devas went to Lord Brahma, their grandfather, for help. Brahma scolded Indra for his incompetence as a king at having lost Amravati to the Asuras and his lack of humility towards his subjects and great sages like Durvasa, but decided to help the Devas nevertheless. Lord Brahma directed them to go to Lord Vishnu for help.
And so, the sons of Aditi (Devas) reached Vaikuntha, the great cosmic realm above all the celestial realms in which Lord Vishnu resides. They found him sleeping on the magnanimous coils of a seraphic serpent called the Adi Anant Shesha. He was already aware of what had transpired and told the Devas that they had to work with the Asuras to get their powers back. All the Devas were left astonished at this statement and so he explained further, "You, the Adityas, and your half brothers, the Daityas, will have to perform the great cosmic churn, Samudra Manthan. Only that can restore all that you have lost, only that can get your Immortality back. The loss of your powers has disrupted the cycle of life of all the creatures in the fourteen Lokas, the earthly and non-earthly worlds."
Indra, the cause of all this mayhem, now had a lot to do. He went o Vasuki, the king of serpents, and convinced him to be the churning cord in the great churn, in return of a share of the Amrit. He also visited Pataal Lok, the underworld, to meet Kaalketu, the leader of the Asuras, in order to convince him to perform the churning with the Devas. Once Kaalketu realised that he could gain much more than just Swarga by performing the churning, including immortality, he agreed to the arrangement.
As the time for the great Cosmic Churn drew close, Garuda, the eagle mount of Lord Vishnu, brought the humongous Mount Mandar in his claws to be used as a Spindle, while the serpent Vasuki was to be used as the rope that would be pulled on one side by the Devas, and by the Asuras on the other. With everyone busy taking their assigned places, Indra cleverly stepped towards Vasuki’s head, but Kaalketu’s men took it as disrespect to them as they would have to stand near the tail, and consequently asked to switch places. This was Indra's plan all along. Now the Asuras were standing near the head of Vasuki and the Devas, being mindful to remember Lord Vishnu’s advice that the serpent might spit out poison from his mouth, stood near the tail.
Finally, the Churn was set in motion. But the massive force applied by the two sides unbalanced Mount Mandar, their churning rod. Upon witnessing this, Lord Vishnu took the Avatar (form) of Kurma (tortoise) named Akupara, the king of Kurma, and acted as the enormous base on which the mountain can stand in the ocean. And so the great churn continued successfully.
A lot of valuables emerged out of the ocean of milk – fourteen in total. First came Kamadhenu, the wish granting cow, which was given to the sages by Indra in order to pacify them for the disrespect he had shown to Rishi Durvasa. Then came Uchhaishravas, the seven-headed horse, which was given to the Asuras. Indra took his white elephant Airavat back after it emerged from the ocean. Many other things started coming out of the ocean one by one like the Chintamani (the jewel of limitless wealth), Kalpataru (a flower that can blossom at wish during any hour of the day), Soma (Moon god), Gandharwas (celestial beings famous for their divine singing), Apsaras (water nymphs) and Somaras/Varuni/Sura (liquor); some of these were taken by the Devas and some by the Asuras.
All was well, until soon, terrible fumes of poison started surfacing out of the ocean. This was Halahal, which was lethal for both the parties, and so together, they prayed to Lord Shiva for help.
The God of Destruction appeared and drank the Halahal, concentrating it in his throat. Lord Shiva's wife, Goddess Shakti, also came with him and pressed his throat tightly so that the poison would not pass down his throat. Halahal was so poisonous that it turned his throat blue, thereby giving him the name ‘Neelkanth’.
The poisonous fumes were now replaced by a dense white fog, and as the fog faded away, everyone present there was left surprised by the marvelous sight in front of them.
A herd of white elephants were showering water from their trunks at a beautiful feminine figure that stood in the midst adorned with precious jewels and donned in red silk clothes. She had a luscious gold complexion and was the most bewitching thing that had emerged from the ocean. This was the Goddess of wealth, luxury, auspiciousness and prosperity- the Goddess Lakshmi.
From the moment that she had appeared, the goddess had beguiled all the Devas and Asuras that stood there. However, after gaining back their senses, a conflict erupted between the camps to decide on whom she should belong to. Who should be worthy of possessing this enchanting goddess?
The Devas argued that Indra should be her suitor, while the Asuras vouched for Kaalketu. It seemed that this dispute would break the temporary truce between both the sides. After having enough of the verbal squabble, Lord Brahma interrupted the quarrel to bring back order.
Lord Brahma announced that the Goddess was well independent to choose a suitor for herself. It was them who had needed her, after all.
Lakshmi was the Goddess of wealth, prosperity, riches and luxury. She herself was Maya, the illusionary magic. It would not be an easy task to accomodate her. Men who were looking to keep her only as a commodity and treat her like a tamed cow would never suit her, as she is excitable, unpredictable and self-assertive. Goddess Lakshmi had a charm about her. She was a force that could not be possessed. And so, no one could choose her. Only she could choose whom she wanted to be with.
And so, the Goddess was asked to choose her husband in a Swayamvar- a practice where the bride chooses her bridegroom herself. Her eyes glanced through all of the beings present there and stopped only at Lord Vishnu. She had noticed that everyone had taken something from the great churning but Lord Vishnu remained empty-handed.
Lord Vishnu had never been the one to be motivated by rewards. He did his duty for duty's sake, not to gain something from it. The goddess went to stand by Lord Vishnu's side, choosing him to be her suitor.
Accepting Goddess Lakshmi's proposal, Lord Vishnu marked ‘Shreevatsa’ (beloved of Shree) on his chest as a symbol of their togetherness. It is believed that she accompanies him everywhere through this symbol. She always resides in the hearts of his incarnations.
Together, they are ‘The Shreevallabha’. Shree refers to Lakshmi, which means intangible wealth and the one who enables wealth to flow unhindered to everyone without any biases of good or bad, rich or poor, Deva or Asura). She is Maya and He is Mayapurushottam, . Together, they are a great divine duo that eradicates Adharma (chaos) and restores Dharma (principles).
After the Swayamwar, the god of medicine, Dhanwantry, arose from the ocean of milk holding the Amrit kalash( the pot of immortality). Everybody chased him like a lion chases its prey.
Thirsty for the Amrit, the Asuras snatched the pot and tried to flee as the Devas, being bereft of their powers, were left very weak from the churning. Realizing that the Devas are at a huge disadvantage which could lead to further chaos in the world, Lord Vishnu incarnated as a beautiful seductress named Mohini, which means an enchantress. Both the sides calmed down upon seeing Mohini. The Lord, as Mohini, told them that she (He) would distribute the nectar of immortality equally between them. However, Mohini gave all of the Amrit to the Devas and tricked the Asuras into drinking a plain liquid.
Meanwhile, a cunning Asura, named Rahuketu, disguised himself as a demigod and infiltrated the camp of the Devas. He tasted the Amrit along with them. Fortunately, the Moon God, Soma, and the Sun God, Surya, noticed his presence and brought it to Lord Vishnu's attention. He turned back to his Chaturbhuj roop or the Four-Armed form and unleashed his celestial discus (known as the Sudarshana Chakra) to slice Rahuketu's head off of his torso. The body of Rahuketu was later brought back to life by the Asura Guru Shukracharya by using the Mritsanjeevani-vidya, which he had gained by performing a great spiritual discipline to please Lord Shiva.
Gaining back their powers, strength and immortality from the Amrit, the Devas defeated the Asuras and secured Amravati again.
Time and again, this story has been used to depict one thing or the other. What stands out in the story is the fact that Goddess Lakshmi is given full power to choose a husband for herself and her choice is respected by all. She chose a husband that complemented her in every way. People usually criticize the patriarchal nature of ancient Indian society and the stories of Hindu mythology that justify this approach, while anecdotes like these, where a woman is deemed capable to make her own choices, gain little attention..
By – राja and Swasti.
© All Rights Reserved
Amidst the series of events leading up to the revival of immortality, there is an incident that needs much attention in this modern era where ancient patriarchy, misogyny and inequality depicted in the Hindu mythology are always highlighted. This story focuses on the marriage of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. It has been written with the hope of breaking some prevailing notions or stereotypes about Indian Society and Hindu Mythology.
One day, Lord Indra was walking around the capital city of Swarga (the paradise where there is no shortage of luxury and ecstasy). Drenched in his own tranquillity on being the king of the Devas, the Hindu angels, he refused to greet Rishi Durvasa who had just arrived at his heavenly capital, Amravati. Even then, Rishi Durvasa, who was a highly reputed sage of that time, presented Indra with a beautiful garland that was acquired by him after great penance. However, Indra very arrogantly placed the garland on his royal white elephant, Airavat. The fragrance of the flowers in the garland irritated Airavat and in a fit of frenzy, the elephant threw it on the ground and crushed it.
Durvasa took this as a huge disrespect of his offering and himself, and cursed Indra and all the Devas by taking away their Amritva (immortality) and other divine powers. As the godly prosperity, Shree, disappeared from all the celestial realms, chaos ensued everywhere. The Asuras or demons, who were always looking for an opportunity to capture Amravati, finally got their chance.
The Devas went to Lord Brahma, their grandfather, for help. Brahma scolded Indra for his incompetence as a king at having lost Amravati to the Asuras and his lack of humility towards his subjects and great sages like Durvasa, but decided to help the Devas nevertheless. Lord Brahma directed them to go to Lord Vishnu for help.
And so, the sons of Aditi (Devas) reached Vaikuntha, the great cosmic realm above all the celestial realms in which Lord Vishnu resides. They found him sleeping on the magnanimous coils of a seraphic serpent called the Adi Anant Shesha. He was already aware of what had transpired and told the Devas that they had to work with the Asuras to get their powers back. All the Devas were left astonished at this statement and so he explained further, "You, the Adityas, and your half brothers, the Daityas, will have to perform the great cosmic churn, Samudra Manthan. Only that can restore all that you have lost, only that can get your Immortality back. The loss of your powers has disrupted the cycle of life of all the creatures in the fourteen Lokas, the earthly and non-earthly worlds."
Indra, the cause of all this mayhem, now had a lot to do. He went o Vasuki, the king of serpents, and convinced him to be the churning cord in the great churn, in return of a share of the Amrit. He also visited Pataal Lok, the underworld, to meet Kaalketu, the leader of the Asuras, in order to convince him to perform the churning with the Devas. Once Kaalketu realised that he could gain much more than just Swarga by performing the churning, including immortality, he agreed to the arrangement.
As the time for the great Cosmic Churn drew close, Garuda, the eagle mount of Lord Vishnu, brought the humongous Mount Mandar in his claws to be used as a Spindle, while the serpent Vasuki was to be used as the rope that would be pulled on one side by the Devas, and by the Asuras on the other. With everyone busy taking their assigned places, Indra cleverly stepped towards Vasuki’s head, but Kaalketu’s men took it as disrespect to them as they would have to stand near the tail, and consequently asked to switch places. This was Indra's plan all along. Now the Asuras were standing near the head of Vasuki and the Devas, being mindful to remember Lord Vishnu’s advice that the serpent might spit out poison from his mouth, stood near the tail.
Finally, the Churn was set in motion. But the massive force applied by the two sides unbalanced Mount Mandar, their churning rod. Upon witnessing this, Lord Vishnu took the Avatar (form) of Kurma (tortoise) named Akupara, the king of Kurma, and acted as the enormous base on which the mountain can stand in the ocean. And so the great churn continued successfully.
A lot of valuables emerged out of the ocean of milk – fourteen in total. First came Kamadhenu, the wish granting cow, which was given to the sages by Indra in order to pacify them for the disrespect he had shown to Rishi Durvasa. Then came Uchhaishravas, the seven-headed horse, which was given to the Asuras. Indra took his white elephant Airavat back after it emerged from the ocean. Many other things started coming out of the ocean one by one like the Chintamani (the jewel of limitless wealth), Kalpataru (a flower that can blossom at wish during any hour of the day), Soma (Moon god), Gandharwas (celestial beings famous for their divine singing), Apsaras (water nymphs) and Somaras/Varuni/Sura (liquor); some of these were taken by the Devas and some by the Asuras.
All was well, until soon, terrible fumes of poison started surfacing out of the ocean. This was Halahal, which was lethal for both the parties, and so together, they prayed to Lord Shiva for help.
The God of Destruction appeared and drank the Halahal, concentrating it in his throat. Lord Shiva's wife, Goddess Shakti, also came with him and pressed his throat tightly so that the poison would not pass down his throat. Halahal was so poisonous that it turned his throat blue, thereby giving him the name ‘Neelkanth’.
The poisonous fumes were now replaced by a dense white fog, and as the fog faded away, everyone present there was left surprised by the marvelous sight in front of them.
A herd of white elephants were showering water from their trunks at a beautiful feminine figure that stood in the midst adorned with precious jewels and donned in red silk clothes. She had a luscious gold complexion and was the most bewitching thing that had emerged from the ocean. This was the Goddess of wealth, luxury, auspiciousness and prosperity- the Goddess Lakshmi.
From the moment that she had appeared, the goddess had beguiled all the Devas and Asuras that stood there. However, after gaining back their senses, a conflict erupted between the camps to decide on whom she should belong to. Who should be worthy of possessing this enchanting goddess?
The Devas argued that Indra should be her suitor, while the Asuras vouched for Kaalketu. It seemed that this dispute would break the temporary truce between both the sides. After having enough of the verbal squabble, Lord Brahma interrupted the quarrel to bring back order.
Lord Brahma announced that the Goddess was well independent to choose a suitor for herself. It was them who had needed her, after all.
Lakshmi was the Goddess of wealth, prosperity, riches and luxury. She herself was Maya, the illusionary magic. It would not be an easy task to accomodate her. Men who were looking to keep her only as a commodity and treat her like a tamed cow would never suit her, as she is excitable, unpredictable and self-assertive. Goddess Lakshmi had a charm about her. She was a force that could not be possessed. And so, no one could choose her. Only she could choose whom she wanted to be with.
And so, the Goddess was asked to choose her husband in a Swayamvar- a practice where the bride chooses her bridegroom herself. Her eyes glanced through all of the beings present there and stopped only at Lord Vishnu. She had noticed that everyone had taken something from the great churning but Lord Vishnu remained empty-handed.
Lord Vishnu had never been the one to be motivated by rewards. He did his duty for duty's sake, not to gain something from it. The goddess went to stand by Lord Vishnu's side, choosing him to be her suitor.
Accepting Goddess Lakshmi's proposal, Lord Vishnu marked ‘Shreevatsa’ (beloved of Shree) on his chest as a symbol of their togetherness. It is believed that she accompanies him everywhere through this symbol. She always resides in the hearts of his incarnations.
Together, they are ‘The Shreevallabha’. Shree refers to Lakshmi, which means intangible wealth and the one who enables wealth to flow unhindered to everyone without any biases of good or bad, rich or poor, Deva or Asura). She is Maya and He is Mayapurushottam, . Together, they are a great divine duo that eradicates Adharma (chaos) and restores Dharma (principles).
After the Swayamwar, the god of medicine, Dhanwantry, arose from the ocean of milk holding the Amrit kalash( the pot of immortality). Everybody chased him like a lion chases its prey.
Thirsty for the Amrit, the Asuras snatched the pot and tried to flee as the Devas, being bereft of their powers, were left very weak from the churning. Realizing that the Devas are at a huge disadvantage which could lead to further chaos in the world, Lord Vishnu incarnated as a beautiful seductress named Mohini, which means an enchantress. Both the sides calmed down upon seeing Mohini. The Lord, as Mohini, told them that she (He) would distribute the nectar of immortality equally between them. However, Mohini gave all of the Amrit to the Devas and tricked the Asuras into drinking a plain liquid.
Meanwhile, a cunning Asura, named Rahuketu, disguised himself as a demigod and infiltrated the camp of the Devas. He tasted the Amrit along with them. Fortunately, the Moon God, Soma, and the Sun God, Surya, noticed his presence and brought it to Lord Vishnu's attention. He turned back to his Chaturbhuj roop or the Four-Armed form and unleashed his celestial discus (known as the Sudarshana Chakra) to slice Rahuketu's head off of his torso. The body of Rahuketu was later brought back to life by the Asura Guru Shukracharya by using the Mritsanjeevani-vidya, which he had gained by performing a great spiritual discipline to please Lord Shiva.
Gaining back their powers, strength and immortality from the Amrit, the Devas defeated the Asuras and secured Amravati again.
Time and again, this story has been used to depict one thing or the other. What stands out in the story is the fact that Goddess Lakshmi is given full power to choose a husband for herself and her choice is respected by all. She chose a husband that complemented her in every way. People usually criticize the patriarchal nature of ancient Indian society and the stories of Hindu mythology that justify this approach, while anecdotes like these, where a woman is deemed capable to make her own choices, gain little attention..
By – राja and Swasti.
© All Rights Reserved
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