On the ninth and concluding night of Navaratra, Durga slays demon Mahisha bringing peace and prosperity on the earth. This leads to the celebration of Dasara or Dussehera festival across India. The myth of Goddess and buffalo is prevalent in India from ancient times. While the main motif of Goddess killing demon Mahisha remains constant in the myth, the narrative changes from region to region. The following is the Tamil version of Goddess and buffalo myth, noted in Arunalachalam Puranam which differs from the popular version of the myth in Devi Mahatmya.

Once, while playing a game of dice Shiva and Devi (Parvati) quarrelled. Impulsively, Devi covered the eyes of Shiva and the whole world plunged into darkness. Shiva had to open his third eye so the world could be be restored to normalcy and sages could continue with the sacrificial rituals .

Shiva told Devi since she had brought the disaster upon the world, albeit for few moments by closing his eyes, she would have to go through a period of renunciation and cleansing to make amends for her impulsive action. Devi was thus sent to Kanchipuram to perform penance. Devi made a linga out of sand and started worshiping it.To test her devotion, Shiva flooded the earth, washing away the whole world, But Devi stayed firm by embracing the sand linga and salvaged it from disintegrating in the flood waters. Pleased by her devotion, Shiva directed her to Arunachalam mountain where she could continue her tapas.

Soon a congregation of gods from devloka approached Devi, complaining about the demon Mahisha who had created havoc in devloka. ” He takes hold of Adisesha by his head and tail and flings him like a sling rocking Vishnu and disturbing his sleep” said one god.  “He has stolen Agni’s ram” complained another , ” And of course he was seen riding Indra’s Airavat …” echoed the rest of the gods. Hearing these misdeeds Devi got angry and instructed Durga to kill Mahisha. Durga aided by Arunanayaki , Shaktis, and Bhairavas, along with the army of seven mothers engaged in a fierce battle with Mahisha. Finally Durga killed him by severing his head with her trident. But to the horror and amazement of all , as soon Durga pierced Mahisha’s neck, a crystal linga sprang out of his severed neck. Mahisha was actually a staunch devotee of Shiva.

Durga, handed over the crystal linga to Devi as a war trophy . But as soon as Devi took the linga in her hands it got stuck to her palm. Alas! Devi had committed a sin by killing the devotee of Shiva. To expiate herself from the sin of killing of Mahisha, she asked Durga to strike the Mountain ( Arunachalam ) with a sword. When Durga executed the command, water gushed out of the mountain in great force . Devi stood beneath the water spout till the linga got detached from her hand. She then circumambulated the mountain with the linga in her arms. Shiva was pleased by her devotion and granted her request to merge with his body by becoming the left half of Shiva.

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Text Source: Tamil Temple Myth by David Dean Shulman
Location: Tamil Nadu
Image Copyright: Vidya Kamat

One of the striking feature of Indian gods and goddesses is their multiple heads. It is not just gods but demons and animals too are represented with multiple heads. Divine creatures having multiple heads is a significant feature of Vedic mythology which has been carried on later into the Puranas . In Vedic mythology, Agni has four heads, Parjanya has three, Brihaspati has seven heads. Thus there are references to three heads, four heads, five heads and even sahahtra meaning numerous heads for certain divinities. Among the Puranic gods, Brahma is said to have four heads. Bhagavad Puranas suggest that while Vishnu lay in deep sleep on the serpent Ananta, a lotus stalk emerged out of his navel and bloomed giving birth to god Brahma. As soon as Brahma emerged into this world he looked around in four directions and manifested four heads, one for each direction. Brahma’s four heads represent the space or four direction or four cardinal points. However there are certain Puranic texts that suggest Brahma originally had five heads and not four. So, what is the mystery behind the fifth head of Brahma?

There are various versions of this tale that introduces the fifth head of Brahma.
Vaman Purana states in the beginning of creation Vishnu lay floating on the waters. First he created Brahma who had five heads. His next creation was Shiva, who too had five heads. Both the gods started quarrelling about their superiority and finally Shiva in a fit of anger chopped Brahma’s fifth head. According to Skanda Purana, as Brahma and Vishnu sat arguing about who is superior, a fiery column emerged out of nowhere seeming to have no beginning nor end and stretching into the skies , Vishnu and Brahma decided to find its origin and its end point. Brahma took the form of a swan and flew skywards to lookout for the head of the column. And Vishnu took the form of the boar and dived into deep waters. After a while they returned and Shiva asked them “Did you find its source?’ and Vishnu admitted that he could not find its source. But Brahma uttered a lie and said he had seen its end point. Shiva immediately chopped Brahma’s fifth head for uttering that lie. Yet in another context it is said the fifth head of Brahma gazed passionately at his own daughter therefore Shiva chopped off that head. It is also said, that all the four heads of Brahma recited four vedas, ie Rigveda, Yajurveda, Atharveda and Samveda each, while fifth head could recite all the Vedas and also the Itihasa. This ability of Brahma to assimilate and hold so much of knowledge worried the other gods who begged Shiva to contain Brahma’s powers. Thus Shiva clipped the fifth head of Brahma with his nail of left hand. In yet another instance it is said that while arguing over who is superior between Shiva and Brahma, all five heads of Brahma started abusing Shiva, and in anger Shiva cut Brahma’s fifth head.

Brahma Purana itself gives an interesting variation of this myth. Once a fierce battle broke out between Asuras and Devas. While Brahma stood amidst armies of Devas, his fifth head which was of a donkey, brayed loudly- ” O you Daityas, why do you run away? Why are you scared of Devas? I shall devour all the Devas for you in a moment”. Hearing this the other Gods got scared and approached Vishnu. He heard them out and then said ” If you cut the head of Brahma and if it falls on earth it would destroy the whole Earth. You need a god who could hold his head in hand without letting it fall on the earth.Only Shiva has the strength to fulfil such an act. Gods thus approached Shiva who promptly cut Brahma’s fifth head . But the severed head got stuck on his palm- and Shiva could not shake it off. It had turned into a skull. Shiva thus roamed earth as Kapalika, or the skull bearer. In another version it is said Bhairav cut off Brahma’s head.

All the versions of the tale concur on the common motif that Brahma’s fifth head had to be clipped off as it spoke inanities, and Shiva is the one who cut off the the fifth head of Brahma. While trying to understand the meaning of the myth, the act of cutting of Brahma’s fifth head cannot be taken literally. But it has to be understood within the context of the Vedic ritual tradition.

Story Collected by Vidya Kamat
Source: Puranic Myth and Culture by S. A. Dange
Location: Pan India
Image Copyright : Vidya Kamat

Kashi is said to be the city of Gods. Kashi is specially known as the abode of Lord Shiva who is called as  Kashi-Visheshwara. There is an interesting myth that reveals how Shiva came to Kashi and chose to stay on in the city. The story is narrated in the Kashi-khand which is part of Skandapurana.

After her marriage with Shiva, Parvati travelled to Kailash mountain, the abode of Shiva to stay with him. But Parvati soon got bored of the solitude and silence of the mountains and started feeling lonely. She began impressing upon Shiva to leave the mountains for a city. ” People live in cities and we must live amidst them to be able to understand their problems. We can help them whenever they need us” Parvati argued. Shiva accepted Parvati’s demand, and thus Shiva and Parvati came to Kashi and settled amidst people. Soon hoards of minor gods also came to Kashi and made it their home. The city of Kashi thus got crowded with gods occupying each and every nook and corner of the city.

Kashi was ruled by a virtuous king Divodas. Divodas belonged to solar and lunar dynasties and was a very powerful king as he had the blessings of all the gods. As Kashi got more and more crowded with new gods settling in, Divodas could not perform his duties to his human subjects as their King. He finally confronted the gods and argued “The heaven is the exclusive abode of the gods, and nether region is the abode of Nagas and other semi divine beings. Earth was created for the human beings. Now that gods are living in Kashi and have crowded the earth, it is making life difficult for humans. As the the King of Kashi, it is my duty to bring justice to my subjects, so I would request all the gods to leave Kashi.” Gods were extremely saddened by Divodas’s order, but could not counter his argument. Thus all the gods had to pack their bags, and leave the city of Kashi. That included Shiva and his family .

Shiva with his wife Parvati chose Mount Mandar as their new home. But Shiva began to miss Kashi and longed for the life in Kashi. Gods were saddened watching Shiva being so unhappy and disturbed, and decided to help out by finding some space in the city of Kashi for him to stay. They tried various ways to enter the city but King Divodas was adamant and held on to his word ” No gods in Kashi please.”

Finally Vishnu and Vinayaka decided to find a solution to the problem. Vinayaka took the form of an astrologer and came to Kashi. Soon he became popular among the people of the city for his accurate predictions. Divodas too got the wind of the new astrologer in the town and decided to invite him to his court. Vinayaka went to Divodas’s court and proclaimed that a divine couple would visit the city soon and advised the king that people should obey couple’s advise, which will bring peace and prosperity to the city of Kashi. As predicted by Vinayaka, Vishnu and Lakshmi came in the form of a mendicant couple and started helping people with their problems. People soon started trusting them as the couple brought great relief to the people of Kashi by solving the problems they were facing. After gaining their trust Vishnu and Lakshmi began telling people to stop all the Dharmic activities in Kashi. People took their words to heart and stopped all the yagnas and offerings to the gods. And soon city of Kashi fell into the chaos and darkness of adharma. Lawlessness and crime increased, weakening the position of king Divodas. Shiva ceased this opportunity and attacked Kashi with his army and captured the city by defeating Divodas. Divodas was driven out of Kashi and Shiva resettled with his family and all the parivar devatas in Kashi and Kashi became the city of Gods.

In another tale narrated in the Harivamsha, it is said that Divodas was a great and virtuous King who ruled the city of Kashi. But he was deeply troubled that he had no son to hand over his kingdom. One day he came to know that there is a yaksha named Nikumbha who lives in Kashi and helps people with their problems. People praised Nikumbha for granting them their wishes and soon his popularity started growing. Divodas too tried to seek his blessings and sent his wife to ask for a boon to have a son. But Nikumbha did not help Divodas and refused to grant him the boon of having a son. Divodas got angry with Nikumbha and destroyed all his shrines in Kashi. As Nikumbha left Kashi he cursed Divodas that one day his city would get destroyed and will become like a cemetery. And indeed his curse came true. The city of Kashi was completelpely destroyed and turned into a cemetery. It is then Shiva who likes to live in cemeteries decided to come to Kashi and make it his abode. Along with Shiva came his parivar devatas and they too settled down in Kashi. Thus Kashi became the city of gods, and since then Kashi has been the abode of Shiva on this earth.

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Source: as narrated by  Pranav Goghale. Textual source: Kashi Khand, and Harivamsa
Location : Kashi, Uttar Pradesh
Image copyright: Vidya Kamat

Sthala puranas are ancillary texts of the Puranic literature. As the name suggests sthala meaning place or region, and purana meaning ancient tradition or tale primarily describe the traditional stories of regions, villages, or temples. Sthala puranas can be roughly categorised along three main themes such as tirth ( water body) , khestra (geographic area), and daivat or ( primary divinity).These stories, or legends are found in mahatmya or elegiacal texts can throw some light on the history of a place, temple, or village.

Is there any such story behind the name of the city ‘Mumbai’ ?
In 1995 the city was renamed Mumbai from Bombay to reclaim its local histories and identity. These cluster of western coastal islands, collectively identified as Mumbai went through various political, geographical, economic and social changes and thus was known by different names during various historical periods. The region came into limelight after the Portuguese acquired the islands from Gujarat Sultanate under the treaty of Bassein in 1534 and called it ‘Bombaim’ meaning a good bay. Later the port and the cluster of islands were gifted as dowry to British King Charles II, who married princess Catherine of Portugal. During British rule the city was referred to as Bombain, Bambayee and finally the name settled down onto Bombay. So, why was city renamed and become Mumbai in 1995?

According to popular belief the name Mumbai is derived from goddess Mumba devi, belonging to Koli community who are the original inhabitants of the islands. It is believed British while constructing CST railway station (then Bori Bunder) relocated the temple to its current location in Bhuleshwar area. Etymologically Mumbai is explained as Mumb + aai or Mother of Mumb, or Maha+ amba, or great mother. But who was Mumb? And who is goddess Mumba, and what is her connection to this island city?

Mumbadevi Mahatmya, a Sthala Purana written in late 16th -17th C. A.D can throw some light on the name Mumbadevi. Written in Sanskrit, Mumbadevi Mahtmya contains 52 verses. The legend states, once upon a time, there was daitya by the name Mumb ( in other versions of the story he is also called Mumbarak). Mumb/Mumbarak worshipped Brahma for years as an ardent devotee of the god, and acquired a special boon that he would not be killed by men, gandharvas, gods ,yakshas, animals, demons or serpents or beasts. Having acquired the boon of invincibility Mumb the daitya grew arrogant and began to harass the population of the island.

Fed up with his deeds, people of the island sought help from God Vishnu to curtail Mumb. Vishnu along with Brahma approached Shiva to stop daitya Mumb’s harassment of their devotees. Shiva then requested all the gods to part with a little bit of lustre from their bodies, and created a goddess out of combined lustre the three gods. She was named Ambadevi. Shiva then gave her the task of destroying the daitya Mumb. Riding on her vahana a ferocious lion, Ambadevi waged fierce war against the Daitya and defeated him. But as Ambadevi was about to push him into Patala, Daitya Mumb or Mumbark pleaded with the goddess to spare his life. Mumb promised her that he would remain her devotee for life. He also requested her to change her name from Ambai to Mumbai ( Mumb + aai or Maha + amba) meaning the goddess who tamed the daitya Mumb. Goddess agreed to his request and has remained on the island since then. Thus anyone who devotes himself or herself to Mumbai or Mumba devi is blessed with wealth and prosperity.

Interestingly, author of the Mumbadevi mahatmya also adds that when Rama narrated the story of Mumbadevi to Hanuman, he was inspired to visit the islands and has continued to live there. Thus the island city of Mumbai  is fortified with the blessing of the goddess Mumbadevi, and the presence  of  god Hanuman.

Story Collected by Vidya Kamat
Source: Mumbadevi Mahatmya by Suraj Pandit, Sanskrit Sources of Indian History Vol-I Ed. By Shripad Bhat
location: Maharashtra
Image copyright; Vidya Kamat

Shukra, a brahmana by birth was a son of sage Bhrigu, and an ardent devotee of Shiva. After years of penance he managed to please Lord Shiva who bestowed on him the secret of sanjivanividya– the secret knowledge of immortality, by which he could bring a dead person to life. People feared Shukra for his knowledge and power.  Soon Shukra pledged his allegiance to Asuras and became their preceptor , thus he was known as Shukracharya.

Once a dreadful battle broke out between Asura Andhaka and Shiva’s army. There were high casualties on both the sides and victory seemed far away from the grasp of Devas. At one point it appeared as though Devas would lose the battle as the Asuras literally outnumbered Devas. Nandi, Shiva’s commander wondered, “How is it possible that in spite of killing so many Asuras their numbers doesn’t seem to diminish”? He rushed to Shiva, his master and said, ” My lord, it is time you got into the battlefield, else Devas would certainly lose this battle. Our army is simply getting outnumbered and slaughtered by Asuras”. Listening to Nandi’s pleas Shiva entered the battle and began the massacre of Asuras. But there was no respite, as Asura soldiers kept on coming in hordes. Intrigued by this phenomena Nandi stealthily followed Asuras to their camp and discovered the secret. Shukracharya, the preceptor of Asuras was bringing the dead asuras back to life with the power of sanjivanividya.

Nandi rushed back to Shiva and described what he witnessed at the Asura camp. Shiva realised that if Shukracharya is abducted and hidden away from Asuras he would no longer be able to administer sanjivinividya and bring dead Asuras back to life, and devas could win the battle. Shiva ordered Nandi to capture Shukracharya and bring him. Nandi immediately went ahead and managed to abduct Sukracharya and brought him to Shiva. Shiva grabbed and tucked him away in his mouth, thus hiding Sukracharaya from the Asuras. Soon enough Devas won the battle and Asuras were vanquished. Now it was time to bring Shukracharya back into world from his mouth, else Shiva would have committed the grave sin of killing a learned and distinguished brahmana.
Alas! In the heat of the battle Shiva had unknowingly swallowed Shukracharya, and there was no way to spit him out. Shiva then released Shukracharya back into the world through his body fluid in the form of semen. Shiva thus addressed him ” O scion of Bhrigus! now that you are born out of my body fluids, you are a son to me.”

Story collected by : Vidya Kamat
Text source: Skanda Purana II.16
Location: Pan India
Image copyright : Vidya Kamat

In India rivers are venerated as mothers. And are given the status of ‘Jagat Mata’ or world mother, the same status given to cows. The tale of river Payoshani explains how the symbolism of the river gets equated to that of the cow.

King Gaya was known for his generosity and hospitality towards all, and especially towards ascetic Brahmanas. But Gaya’s charity and larger than life presence considerably diminished the power of the Brahmana’s asceticism.The Brahmanas became very unhappy, but they could neither curse Gaya nor bring down the power and influence he had acquired through charity. So the Brahmanas decided to force Gaya to commit a breach of hospitality in order to reduce his influence.

One day during the very hot days of summer, when the land is parched, and grass is dry, and cows yield less milk, the Brahmanas began arriving in large numbers at Gaya’s palace. Soon the numbers amounted to seventy million. They gathered around Gaya’s palace, demanding cow’s milk to be served as lunch.

Worried Gaya began searching for milk all across the universe. But even Indra’s Kamadhenu ( Wish-fulfilling cow) could not meet the demand of providing milk to so many ascetics, nor could Vishnu’s milky ocean hold that much milk. Finally Gaya approached Shiva who offered him the moon’s daughter, the crescent of the moon that rests on Shiva’s head. She assumed the form of a beautiful maiden and followed Gaya to his palace. She then served each and every one of the seventy million ascetics cupfuls of warm milk, refilling every now and then whenever the ascetics would demand for more.

Ascetics did not want to give up so easily. So they kept on drinking milk till their mouths could not swallow and their stomachs were bloated. Out of desperation they poked holes in the bottom of the leaf cup that was used to serve milk to them. But the cups kept on refilling with milk and started overflowing and began flooding the earth. Unable to hold the milk in their stomach, ascetics started vomiting milk through their nose and mouth.They became intrigued by the beautiful maiden who had the magical ability of producing milk in abundance, and began pursuing her. Soon the moon’s daughter reached the earth and immediately began flowing across the land as river Payoshani ( ushna paya= warm milk)

Story collected by : Vidya Kamat
Source: Payoshani Mahatmya ; Water and womanhood by Anne Feldhause
Location: Maharashtra
Image copyright: Vidya Kamat.

This is a tribal myth from the Gond community, told during harvesting as part of ‘bidri rites’ or sowing time in the month of November.

Once Earth and Sky fell madly in love with each other. They decided to approach the creator Bhagwan and confess to him about their love.

Bhagwan was very happy and said” Let us get you married, and I will offer the bride”. Having said this, Bhagwan made grand preparations for the wedding and invited each and every creature to celebrate the event. All the creatures rejoiced as the festivities began. But the Jackal was grumpy and stayed aloof with a smirky smile. He did not take part in any of the festivities, nor helped Bhagwan to entertain the guests. As the moment of wedding approached, Bhagwan brought out the coy bride Earth clad in red wedding saree, adorned with the finest jewellery to offer her hand in marriage to the Sky. As she was about to offer her hand to the Sky, Jackal shouted in a loud and clear and contemptuous voice,” Surely Bhagwan has gone mad. The world is coming to an end!” Everyone in the wedding hall turned their heads towards the Jackal in shock. Earth, visibly startled and confused, halted her hand midway. Many were angry. But Jackal kept on repeating that Bhagawan is making a big mistake by agreeing to the marriage of Earth to Sky. “We are all doomed if Earth and Sky are married “he said adamantly.

Bhagwan patiently approached Jackal and asked him why he was uttering such unholy words during an auspicious moment. The cunning jackal replied, ” Oh Bhagawan! How come you have forgotten a simple truth? When Earth and Sky have their conjugal embrace there will be no space left between the two, and all the creatures living on Earth will be crushed to death. We all will die.”

Bhagawan at once realised the seriousness of his comment and immediately cancelled the wedding. Earth was married to Sun.

——————————–

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat

Source: Folktales from Central India by Durga Bhagvat

Location : Madhya Pradesh

Image Copyright: Vidya Kamat

In India, Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is grown in every home. Locally known as tulasi, its numerous medicinal benefits are well known to its people. In fact this plant is revered in India as a sacred plant – holy basil and worshipped everyday in a form of a goddess. There are many stories in Puranas narrating how a humble wild herb turned into a goddess.

The Curse

Saraswati, Ganga and Lakshmi were wives of Lord Mahavishnu. The Lord loved all three wives equally, but each one of the wives wanted his undivided attention and love. Once all three of them along with Lord Vishnu were sitting together in the garden when Ganga lustfully glanced at Mahavishnu, which was immediately noticed by Saraswati and Lakshmi. Saraswati got angry and caught hold of Ganga by her hair, and dragged her to ground, and a catfight broke out between them. Seeing this Lakshmi intervened and caught hold of Saraswati preventing her from further assaulting Ganga. But Saraswati who was in a state of extreme anger poured her rage on Lakshmi by cursing her to be born as a plant on the earth. Ganga cursed Saraswati that she would be born as a river on the earth. Saraswati then cursed Ganga that she too would be born as a river on the earth. Once the whole drama settled down, Visnu called Lakshmi to his side and said, “ Oh Devi do not worry. Things have happened as predestined. You shall go to earth and take birth as the daughter of Dharmadhvaja. Your divine grace will transform you into a plant, sacred enough to make all three worlds pure by your presence and that plant will be known as ‘Tulasi’. A demon named Shankhachuda who shares part of my virile strength will marry you and I will retrieve you from him and thus you will be my wife once again”.

Birth of Tulasi

Dharmadhvaja and Kushadhvaja did penance and propitiated Mahalakshmi and persuaded her to be born in their homes as their daughter. Thus Kushdhvaja’s wife Malavati gave birth to a daughter and they named her Vedavati ( Sita), who later married Shree Ram.

Meantime Dharmadhvaja’s wife Madhavi delivered a pretty daughter, and they named her Tulasi meaning, the matchless one. But Tulasi after renouncing all worldly pleasures went off to Badrikashrama, praying for Mahavishnu to become her husband. Eventually, Brahma appeared before Tulasi and asked her the purpose of her penance, and she told him that she wants to marry only Mahavishnu and no one else. Brahma said “Devi, it is very difficult to marry Vishnu on this earthly plane or bhu-loka. Instead, why don’t you marry Sankhachuda as he is part of Vishnu himself? This Sankhachuda is none other than Sudama, a friend of Krishna. Once you are married to him, Vishnu will come seeking and marry you in the form of a Tulasi plant. Thus Tulasi will become the dearest plant for Vishnu, and you will be always be united with him in this bhu-loka”.

Marriage of Tulasi

Due to the curse of Radha, Sudama, the childhood friend of Krishna was born as the demon Shankhachuda. Sankhachuda did penance to propitiate Brahma, seeking Vishnu-Kavach. Brahma was pleased by Sankachuda’s penance and granted him the boon that death will touch him only when Vishnu -kavach is removed from his body, or his wife’s chastity is lost. Meanwhile, Tulasi met Sankhachuda as per Brahma’s advise and married him. Having acquired Tulasi in marriage, Sankhachuda became arrogant and started teasing Devas by boasting that he has the most prized woman in all three worlds – the most beautiful and chaste woman, his wife Tulasi. He also knew the boon he had received from Brahma had made him invincible. His arrogance caused innumerable troubles to the Devas, who then approached Mahavishnu. Mahavishnu sent Shiva to kill Shankhachuda. Shankhachuda took leave of Tulasi to fight with Shiva. As Tulasi was at home alone, Mahavishnu assumed the form of Shankhachuda and entered the home of Tulasi. As the dutiful wife Tulasi ‘entertained’ her husband. But soon realised the man in her bed is not her husband but an imposter. Thus Sankhachuda was defeated and killed in the war against Devas because Tulasi lost her chastity.

Tulasi cursed the imposter for defiling her. Mahavishnu assuming his real form told her “Oh Devi, don’t worry, you had prayed and asked me to be your husband on this bhu-loka. I will marry you in the form of a plant here on this earth and our marriage will be celebrated by all of mankind and thus your wish to be my wife will be fulfilled.” The body of Tulasi decayed and became the holy river Gandaki, and her hair became the Tulasi plant.

Alternate Myth

The demon Jalandhar was becoming more and more powerful day by day. He had already conquered Patal and Dharti and was gaining on the kingdom of Devas, i.e. Swarga. Gods began to panic as they knew Jalandhar was invincible and the defeat of gods was imminent. They approached Vishnu and pleaded with him to help the gods. Vishnu knew that Jalandhar ‘s power lay with his chaste wife Vrunda. Her chastity was his real strength. One day when Jalandhar was away in battle, Vishnu assumed the form of Jalandhar and entered Vrunda’s home. Not knowing the man is not her husband, she entertained him as the dutiful wife. But then Vishnu assumed his real form and Vrunda realised that she has been ‘defiled’. Meanwhile, as a result, Jalandhar lost the battle with the gods. Vrunda turned herself into the holy basil or Tulsi plant and she cursed Vishnu, and asked him to redeem herself from the blot of shame. Vishnu accepted her plea and told Vrunda that he would marry her. Following that promise, Vishnu/Krishna comes to marry Vrunda every year under the bright moon of 12th day, in the month of Karttika according to the Hindu calendar.

Ritual

Skanda Purana describes the festival dedicated to Krishna from the 9th to 12th bright Karttika month, culminating in the marriage of Krishna /Vishnu with Tulsi Plant.

‘A gold idol of Vishnu is brought home accompanied by musical instruments and the chanting of Vedic mantras. Tulsi plant and idol of Vishnu are then joined in wedlock during the dusk strictly following all the wedding rites which include, kanyadana, saptapadi, hastagrahan, lajjahome etc’.

Story collected by : Vidya Kamat

Source: Bhartiya Sanskruti Vishva kosh Ed By Lakshmanshastri Joshi

Location : Pan India

Image Copyright: Vidya Kamat

Gajendra-moksha or the salvation of elephant king Gajendra is a very popular story in the Hindu religious texts. Gajendra Moksha tale gets prominent mention in Bhagvat Purana, Skanda Purana, and Vishnudharmottara Purana with a few variations in the narrative. The tale is recounted as the example of Bhakti tradition in Vaishanv cult.

According to the tale in Bhag. P. A herd of elephants lived on the Trikuta mountains led by an elephant named Gajendra. The herd would graze in the nearby forest and drink water from the lake close to the mountain. Following this routine, one day the herd after having their fill of fruits and foliage from the forest went to the nearby lake and began frolicking in the crystal clear waters peppered with lotus flowers. As Gajendra the elephant stepped into the lake, a large crocodile clamped its powerful jaws on to his leg . The massive elephant tried with all his might to extricate himself from the iron grip of the crocodile, but in vain. The tussle between the elephant and crocodile went on for hours but the crocodile wouldn’t let go and the exhausted massive elephant started sensing defeat and the approach of his inevitable death. As a last resort he started praying to lord Vishnu for help.

When Hari ( Vishnu ) heard the desperate cries and prayers of the elephant, he came riding on the wings of his vehicle Garuda. At the very same moment the elephant caught sight of Lord Vishnu, he was dragged violently into the lake by the crocodile, and as the last act of devotion before his death, the elephant plucked a lotus flower and offered it to Vishnu and saluted him. Hari (Vishnu) was so moved by this act of devotion by the elephant, he rescued it by slashing open the jaws of crocodile with his Sudarshan chakra. Thus the elephant Gajendra was saved from certain death.

It is Skanda Purana that gives us the back story of the elephant and the crocodile and the reason for their enmity. According to Skanda Purana, the crocodile was a noble Gandharva in his previous birth by name Huhu who was cursed by sage Devala to turn into a crocodile. When Vishnu flung his sudarshan chakra on the crocodile to save the elephant, the curse was broken and the Gandharva freed from the sage’s curse regaining his original form and was free.

The elephant too was the victim of a curse by sage Agastya. In his previous birth the elephant was a Pandya King by the name of Indradymna. Sage Agastya had rebuked and cursed him for neglecting his duties as a king and for being unmindful of his responsibilities towards his subjects. It is said that when Indradymna in the form of the elephant let go off his pride and surrendered his life to Vishnu, he achieved moksha or salvation.

Vishnudharmottara Purana gives the same account with a significant variation. A crocodile and an Elephant lived in the vicinity of Jambudvipa on the top of the mountain called Sringavan. In their former births they were Gandharvas by the name Huhu and Haha. These two Gandharvas were well known for their singing skills. One day both of them got into an argument to decide who is the superior singing talent. They went to sage Devala for a asked him for his opinion and requested him to judge who is the superior talent. But when they did not get a favourable response, both of them insulted the sage Devala by saying he has donkey’s ears as far as the knowledge of music goes. The enraged sage cursed both the Gandharvas to turn into beasts. Accordingly Haha became an elephant and Huhu turned into a crocodile and lived that way until the day Hari ( Vishnu) pleased with their devotion rescued them from their plight by removing the curse.

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Text Source: “ Gajendra Moksha”, Puranic Myth and Culture by S. A. Dange
Location : Pan India
Image Copyright: Vidya Kamat

The Warli tribe settled along the Maharashtra and Gujarat state border are supposed to be one of the original inhabitants of the Konkan region. Over a period spanning a number of decades they have assimilated with many other tribals such as the Bhils, Kunbis of Konkan, and Kolis of Maharashtra. The mythological narratives belonging to Warli tribe reveal that their gods have been assimilated from various other tribes. According to K. J. Save, originally the god Naran Dev belonged to the Dodiya tribe. It is said that Naran dev did not like the songs sung in his praise by Dodiya tribals and ran away. As he was wandering through the jungle he heard songs sung in praise of the Sun by someone. He loved the songs so much that he decided to follow the person singing the songs. Bhagat the singer was from the Warli tribe and by following his song Naran dev ended up among the Warlis. Since then Naran dev is worshipped by both Warlis and Dodiya tribes.

Warlis narrate following myth about the birth of Naran dev