Thor - The Thunder God with the Hammer

As the second part of the Thor movie series releases this week, we present our first article on the Norse mythology.

For starters, Norse mythology (also referred to as Scandinavian mythology) is the body of mythology of the North Germanic people stemming from Norse paganism and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia and into the Scandinavian folklore of the modern period.

Most of us are already aware of a little bit of Norse mythology through the superhero movie series ‘Thor’. The first Thor movie released in 2011 and the second one released in India this Friday. In between, Thor was also seen in The Avengers.

[caption id="attachment_712" align="aligncenter" width="256"] Thor (2011)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_710" align="aligncenter" width="256"] Thor - The Dark World (2013)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_715" align="aligncenter" width="255"] The Avengers (2012)[/caption]

In this post we try and find out little more about the 'real' Thor and how it has become a part of our daily life.

Let’s start with the ‘mythological’ Thor.
According to the Norse mythology Thor is

- son of the God Odin and Fjörgyn
- a God associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility
- Is served by Þjálfi and Röskva
- rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr
- ascribed three dwellings - Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, and Þrúðvangr
- husband of the golden-haired goddess Sif
- father of Þrúðr with Sif, Magni with Járnsaxa, Móði with a mother whose name is not recorded
- the stepfather of the Ullr

Thor was known in Old English as 'Þunor' and in Old High German as 'Donar' which came from a Common Germanic word 'Þunraz' which means "thunder".

A few other names of Thor (anglicized) are as follows:
Asabrag, Asa-Thor, Bjorn/Biorn, Einridi/Eindridi, Ennilang, Hardveur, Hloridi/Hlorridi, Oku-Thor, Rym, Sonnung, Vethorm, Veud/Veod, Veur, Vingthor

Thor is generally described as fierce-eyed, red-haired and red-bearded.

Another item associated with Thor is his very powerful hammer, Mjölnir. He wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr.

[caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="238"] Thor's Battle Against the Jötnar (1872) by Mårten Eskil Winge[/caption]

The Poetic Edda (collection of Old Norse poems) along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda (Old Norse compilation made in Iceland in the early 13th century), considered the most important surviving source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends  mention Thor numerous times and talk about the various adventures he had. (a detailed post on the adventures later)

Thursday is named after Thor

The name of Thor is the origin of the weekday name Thursday.
Latin dies Iovis ("day of Jupiter") was converted into Proto-Germanic Þonares dagaz ("Thor's day"), from which stems modern English "Thursday".

Marvel Comics 'superhero' - Thor

One of the most famous depictions of Thor is the Marvel Comics superhero Thor, created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby.
It debuted in the science fiction/fantasy anthology title Journey into Mystery #83 (cover-date Aug. 1962)

[caption id="attachment_720" align="aligncenter" width="217"] Journey into Mystery #83 (Aug 1962): The debut of Thor[/caption]

This is how Stan Lee describes Thor’s genesis

“ How do you make someone stronger than the strongest person? It finally came to me: Don't make him human — make him a god. I decided readers were already pretty familiar with the Greek and Roman gods. It might be fun to delve into the old Norse legends... Besides, I pictured Norse gods looking like Vikings of old, with the flowing beards, horned helmets, and battle clubs.  ...Journey into Mystery needed a shot in the arm, so I picked Thor ... to headline the book. After writing an outline depicting the story and the characters I had in mind, I asked my brother, Larry, to write the script because I didn't have time. ...and it was only natural for me to assign the penciling to Jack Kirby... ”

Thor movies are based on this comic book character published by Marvel Comics.

There are other interesting connections with Thor. A few of them are mentioned below:

- The first electric clothes washer sold commercially in the United States was named as ‘Thor washing machine’.

[caption id="attachment_721" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Thor Washing Machine[/caption]

- An active volcano on Jupiter's moon Io was named 'Thor'

[caption id="attachment_722" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Volcano Thor on Jupiter's moon Io[/caption]

- In 1828, a naturally occurring radioactive chemical element discovered by Norwegian mineralogist Morten Thrane Esmark and identified by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius was named Thorium after Thor.

[caption id="attachment_723" align="aligncenter" width="262"] Element 'Thor'ium[/caption]

- There are numerous cities and geographical features named after Thor.
Thorsberg moor (Thor's Hill) in Germany, Tórshavn (Thor's Harbor) - the capital city of the Faroe Islands, Thundersley in England, Mount Thor in Canada which features the world’s tallest purely vertical drop are a few examples

The Norse mythology throws up a lot of interesting characters and stories, a lot of which are woven intricately into our current system.

In the coming few weeks we will se a few of them.

Till then, leaving you with the 'Thunder God' - Thor :)

Control Kaama and Eliminate Holika, Dhundhi and Pootana - Message of Holi

What do Holika, Dhundhi, Pootana and Kaama Deva have in common?

Well, one festival which connects all these is the festival of colors, Holi.

In this post we will look at all the legends associated with Holi.

1. Holika

The most ‘popular’ event associated with Hoil is the burning of the demoness Holika. Infact the name ‘Holi’ is a shortened version of the name ‘Holika’.

Legend has it that there was a great king of Asuras called Hiranyakashipu. He pleased Lord Brahma with severe tapasya and got a boon that he could not be killed 'during day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or in the sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra'. He became so self obsessed that he forbid worship of any God and in fact declared himself as the ‘Master of one and all’. But such is Prabhu’s maya that his own son Prahlada turned out to be a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.

[caption id="attachment_699" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Hiranyakashyipu threatening Prahlad to stop worshiping Lord Vishnu[/caption]

Hiranyakashipu couldn’t digest the fact that his own blood was going against his wishes. After trying very hard to pursue Prahlad to stop worship of Vishnu, Hiranyakashyapu reached a stage where he thought that killing his son was the only solution to end this ‘revolt’.

[caption id="attachment_700" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Prahlad locked up with snakes[/caption]

He poisoned Prahlada; but the poison got converted to nectar in his mouth.

He ordered Prahlada to be trampled by elephants; but Prahlada remained unharmed.

He put Prahlada in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes; no damage was done to Prahlada.

He threw Prahlada down a cliff; Prahlada easily survived the fall.

Thus all of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill his son failed.

Finally, he decided to employ the services of his demoness sister Holika in order to ensure the killing of Prahlad.

Prahlad was made to sit on a pyre in the lap of Holika.

Now the logic behind this was that Holika had a boon that she couldn’t be burned by fire.

So the plan was to make Prahlada burn while Holika would be unaffected by the fire. Prahlada quietly went and sat on Holika’s lap. The only thing he constantly did was to take the name of the Almighty - 'Om Namo Narayana'.

[caption id="attachment_696" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Holika gets burnt in the fire and Prahlad remains unharmed[/caption]

When the pyre was lit, much against the expectations of people around, Holika  was affected by the heat of the fire and slowly her body perished. On the other hand Prahlad was untouched and unaffected by the fire.

This event is known as Holika Dahan.

[caption id="attachment_697" align="aligncenter" width="194"] Holika Dahan, on the eve of Holi[/caption]

Even today bonfires are lit on the eve of the Holi festival to commemorate Holika Dahan.

 

2. Dhundhi

In the kingdom of Prithu there was an ogress called Dhundhi.

Now Dhundhi, had a boon from Lord Shiva that she could not be killed by Gods, men nor suffer either from arms or from heat, cold or rain. These boons made her almost invincible. but there was a catch. She was also cursed by Lord Shiva that she would be in danger from young boys.

Because of this Dhundhi used to trouble little children in particular.

Prithu was alarmed by this terror of Dhundhi. He consulted a lot of people and a solution was arrived at. It was decided that on last full moon day of Phalguna, when the season of cold vanishes and summer begins, young boys with bits of wood in their hands would go out of their houses, collect a heap of wood and grass, set it on fire with mantras, clap their hands, go around the fire thrice, laugh, sing and by their noise and laughter Dhundhi would die.

The plan worked and since that day Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna.

 

3. Pootana

This legend is about Pootana. Pootana was summoned by Kansa, ruler of the Vrishni kingdom to kill Krishna, his nephew, as it was foretold to Kansa that Devki's 8th son i.e. Sri Krishna would kill him.

Just like Hiranyakashipu had tried numerous times to kill Prahlad, Kansa also made a lot of attempts to kill Krishna.

One such attempt was through Pootana. Kansa called Pootana and ordered her to go down to Gokul immediately. Pootana assumed the disguise of a young beautiful woman and entered Krihsna’s home town. Somehow she managed to distract all the women of the town and while they were away from their babies Putana made the babies suck her breast which had been smeared with poison. Thus slowly and slowly all the new born babies of Gokul died. Finally when Pootana came into Nand and Yashoda’s house and made Krishna suck her breast, she was in for a surprise. Krishna squeezed her breasts and sucked her milk as well as her life.

[caption id="attachment_701" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pootana's life sucked by Krishna[/caption]

Pootana couldn't bear the pain and went back to her real demonic form. She ran out of the house with Krishna still clinging to her. When the people of Gokul arrived at the place where Pootana fell, they were stunned to see small Krishna still alive and the dangerous Pootana dead.

The people of Gokul were releived that no harm had been done to Krishna and decided to hold a special celebration. Since then this celebration has become a part of the many legends associated with Holi.

This legend is particularly famous in the state of Goa.

 

4. Kaama Deva

Sati and Lord Shiva were happily married to each other. Once Sati’s father Daksha organised a yagya, but did not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation with Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted to attend the yagya, went even though Lord Shiva did not appreciate the idea. To here great anguish, Daksha ignored her presence and did not even offer a place for Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated herself.

Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard the news of Sati’s immolation. Carrying the body of Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava (dance of destruction) and wiped out the kingdom of Daksha. Everybody was terrified as Shiva’s Tandava had the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12 pieces and threw them on earth. It is said that wherever the pieces of Shakti’s body fell, there emerged a Shakti Peetha.

Lord Siva undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She also started performing penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his attention.

During this time a demon by the name of Tarkasur terrorized the Devtas and became the ruler of the world. Tarkasur had a boon that he could be only killed by the son of Lord Shiva.

[caption id="attachment_704" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Shiva opening Third-eye and turning Kaama Deva into ashes[/caption]

As Shiva was paying no heed to Parvati's tapasya, the Devtas requested Kaama Deva (also known as Madan) to accelerate the process of bringing together Shiva and Parvati. So Kamadeva shot his love-arrow on Shiva's heart. A deeply disturbed Lord Shiva opened his third eye and the fury of his third eye instantly turned Kamadeva into ashes. Kaama Deva's wife Rati requested Shiva  to restore her husband's life. Shiva agreed to Rati's request and granted immortality to Kamdev, but added that Kaamdeva would exist in a disembodied (free from a body) form. Since this day Kamadeva is also known as 'Ananga' or 'Atanu' (both meaning 'without body').

This event is celebrated as Kaama Dahan in southern parts of India.

 

Thus we see that Holi might be given any name, but the essence and message of Holi remains the same - eliminate and burn the negativities inside us (just like Holika, Dhundhi, Pootana and Kaama Deva were burnt) and lead a positive and colorful life.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Holi :)

 

 

 

 

 

Making men pay for the pranks of Krishna - Lath Maar Holi!

Every year around this time, Barsana, a small town in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh comes alive; tourists from around the world flock the city; everyone who sees the sight is mesmerised at this event which has no such parallel in the world.

I am talking about the Lath Maar Holi which takes place every year around Holi.

[caption id="attachment_683" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Yashoda and Krishna[/caption]

According to mythological legends and stories, Lord Krishna who was dark in colour, was jealous of the fair-coloured Radha. He used to bring this up in front of his mother Yashoda all the time. (The sentiments are beautifully brought out in this super hit song from the 1978 movie Satyam Shivam Sundaram starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman and sung by Lata Mangeshkar )

One fine day Yashoda maiyya lost patience and ‘advised’ Krishna that he could change Radha's skin by sprinkling her with colours.

Encouraged by the ‘idea’, Krishna along with his shepherd friends visited Radha and her cowherd girls in Barsana and teased her by throwing colours at her. Radha and the girls got back at the boys and chased them away with lathis (sticks).

[caption id="attachment_684" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Holi at Barsana[/caption]

This practice has continued in the town of Barsana ever since. In the Lathmar Holi festival, the men from Nandgaon first come to the neighbouring village of Barsana to play Holi with the women there. But instead of colours, they are greeted with sticks. On the second day, men from Barsana travel to Nandgaon to play the game with their women.

[caption id="attachment_687" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bachke Rehna Re Baba[/caption]

Even after thousands of years, the women of Barsana are making the men of Nandgaon pay for the natkhat pranks of Krishna :)

The Great Night of Lord Shiva - Maha Shivratri

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

Meaning - We meditate on the Three-eyed reality which permeates and nourishes all like a fragrance. May we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality, even as a cucumber is severed from bondage to the creeper.

Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva.

Shivaratri literally means 'the great night of Shiva'.

It is celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar.

The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael or Bilva/Vilvam leaves to Lord Shiva, all-day fasting and an all-night-long vigil.

Numerous legends are associated with the origin of Maha Shivratri.

1. Marriage of Shiva and Shakti

[caption id="attachment_674" align="aligncenter" width="298"] Shiva and Shakti[/caption]

Legend goes that once Lord Shiva and his wife Sati (or Shakti) were returning from sage Agastya’s ashram after listening to story of Ram. On their way through a forest, Shiva saw Lord Rama searching for his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the King of Lanka. Lord Shiva bowed his head in reverence to Lord Rama. Sati was surprised by Lord Shiva’s behavior and inquired why he was paying obeisance to a mere mortal. Shiva informed Sati that Rama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sati, however, was not satisfied with the reply and Lord asked her to go and verify the truth for herself.

Using her power to change forms, Sati took the form of Sita appeared before Rama. Lord Rama immediately recognized the true identity of the Goddess and asked, "Devi, why are you alone, where's Shiva?" At this, Sati realized the truth about Lord Ram. But, Sita was like a mother to Lord Shiva and since Sati took the form of Sita her status had changed. From that time, Shiva detached himself from her as a wife. Sati was sad with the change of attitude of Lord Shiva but she stayed on at Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.

Later, Sati’s father Daksha organised a yagna, but did not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation with Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted to attend the Yagna, went even though Lord Shiva did not appreciate the idea. To hre great anguish, Daksha ignored her presence and did not even offer Prasad for Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated herself.

Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard the news of Sati’s immolation. Carrying the body of Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava or the dance of destruction and wiped out the kingdom of Daksha. Everybody was terrified as Shiva’s Tandava had the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12 pieces and threw them on earth.

Lord Siva was now alone undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She performed penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his attention. It is said that Parvati, who found it hard to break Shiva’s meditation seeked help of Kamadeva - the God of Love and Passion. Kaamadeva asked Parvati to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced, Kaamadeva shot his arrow of passion at Shiva breaking his penance. Shiva became extremely infuriated and opening his third eye that reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. It was only after Kamadeva’s wife Rati’s pleading that Lord Shiva agreed to revive Kaamadeva.

Later, Parvati undertook severe penance to win over Shiva. Through her devotion and persuasion by sages devas, Parvati, also known as Uma, was finally able to lure Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism. Their marriage was solemnized a day before Amavasya in the month of Phalgun. This day of union of God Shiva and Parvati is celebrated as Mahashivratri every year.

2. Neelkantha and Samudra Manthan

[caption id="attachment_675" align="aligncenter" width="203"] Lord Shiva drinking Halahala[/caption]

During the Samudra Manthan, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean. (detailed post here) This terrified the Gods and demons as the poison was capable of destroying the entire world, and they ran to Shiva for help. To protect the world from its evil effects, Shiva drank the deathly poison but held it in his throat instead of swallowing it. This made his throat turn blue, and he was given the name Neelakantha, the blue-throated one. Shivaratri is the celebration of this event by which Shiva saved the world.

3. Lingam and the battle for 'Greatness'

Once the other two of the triads of Hindu Gods, Brahma and Vishnu, were fighting over who was the superior of the two. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their fight, Shiva assumed the form of a huge column of fire in between Brahma and Vishnu. Awestruck by its magnitude, they decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. Brahma assumed the form of a swan and went upwards and Vishnu as Varaha went into the earth. But light has no limit and though they searched for thousands of miles, neither could find the end. On his journey upwards, Brahma came across a Ketaki flower wafting down slowly. When asked where she had come from, the Ketaki replied that she had been placed at the top of the fiery column as an offering. Unable to find the uppermost limit, Brahma decided to end his search and take the flower as a witness.

At this, the angry Shiva revealed his true form. He punished Brahma for telling a lie, and cursed him that no one would ever pray to him. The Ketaki flower too was banned from being used as an offering for any worship, as she had testified falsely. Since it was on the 14th day in the dark half of the month of Phalguna that Shiva first manifested himself in the form of a Linga, the day is especially auspicious and is celebrated as Mahashivaratri. Worshipping Shiva on this day is believed to bestow one with happiness and prosperity.

4. Lord Shiva's Favourite Day

After Creation was complete, Parvati asked Lord Shiva which devotees and rituals pleased him the most. The Lord replied that the 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is his most favourite day. Parvati repeated these words to her friends, from whom the word spread over everywhere.

On this auspicious day, lets bow down to Bholenath and seek his blessings.

Har Har Mahadeva :)

CERN and Lord Nataraja

[caption id="attachment_659" align="aligncenter" width="244"] Nataraja - The Lord of Dance[/caption]

"It is the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of."

[caption id="attachment_664" align="aligncenter" width="210"] Statue of Nataraja at CERN[/caption]

In June 2004, an unusual new landmark was unveiled at CERN, the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva — a 2m tall statue of Lord Shiva in his Nataraja form. The statue, symbolizing Shiva's cosmic dance of creation and destruction acknowledged the profound significance of the metaphor of Shiva's dance for the cosmic dance of subatomic particles, which is observed and analyzed by CERN's physicists.

The man who started the discussion of the parallel between Shiva's dance and the dance of subatomic particles was Fritjof Capra, an Austrian-born American physicist and the founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. In an article titled "The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics" published in Main Currents in Modern Thought in 1972.

[caption id="attachment_660" align="aligncenter" width="195"] The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capara[/caption]

Shiva's cosmic dance then became a central metaphor in Capra's international bestseller The Tao of Physics, first published in 1975 and still in print in over 40 editions around the world.

"Fritjof Capra, in The Tao of Physics , seeks . . . an integration of the mathematical world view of modern physics and the mystical visions of Buddha and Krishna. Where others have failed miserably in trying to unite these seemingly different world views, Capra, a high-energy theorist, has succeeded admirably. I strongly recommend the book to both layman and scientist."

In the words of Mr. Capra -

"Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter," and that "For the modern physicists, then, Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter."

"Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics."

The place which helped Lord Shiva get rid of the heat when he drank the Halahala - Gosaikunda Lake

[caption id="attachment_653" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lord Shiva drinking Halahala[/caption]

One of the products that came out of the Samudra Manthan was Halaha (poison). The poison was so powerful that it could annihilate the entire universe. And it was the Maha Yogi, Lord Shiva who came to the rescue of everyone and inhaled the poison. As a result, the color of Lord Shiva's neck turned blue giving him the name "Nilakanta" (the one with the blue throat). When the heat from the poison finally became unbearable for Lord Shiva, he used his trishul to dig for water, thus forming the Gosaikunda Lake.

[caption id="attachment_654" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Gosaikunda Lake[/caption]

Gosaikunda is an alpine freshwater oligotrophic lake in Langtang National Park, located at an altitude of 14,370 ft above sea level in the Rasuwa District of Nepal.

The lake melts and sips down to form the Trishuli river and remains frozen for six months in winter October to June. There are 108 lakes in this area, small to medium in size.

Hindu mythology attributes Gosaikunda as the abode of Hindu deities Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri. Its holy waters are considered of particular significance during Gangadashahara and the sacred thread festival Janai Purnima when thousands of pilgrims from Nepal and India visit the area.

Gosaikunda is a significant place of interest in the Dhunche-Helambu trekking route.

How 'Churning of the water body' connects Japanase and Hindu mythologies!

In Japanese mythology, the Japanese creation myth, Tenchikaibyaku ("Creation of Heaven and Earth"), is the story that describes the legendary birth of the celestial and earthly world, the birth of the first Gods and the birth of the Japanese archipelago.

Two books namely Kojiki, the first book written in Japan (712 AD), and the Nihon Shoki (720 AD) form the literary basis of Japanese mythology and Shinto.

According to the Kojiki, at the beginning the universe was immersed in a beaten and shapeless kind of matter (chaos), sunk in silence. Later there were sounds indicating the movement of particles. With this movement, the light and the lightest particles rose but the particles were not as fast as the light and could not go higher. Thus, the light was at the top of the Universe, and below it, the particles formed first the clouds and then Heaven, which was to be called Takamagahara (“High Plain of Heaven"). The rest of the particles that had not risen formed a huge mass, dense and dark, to be called Earth.

When Takamagahara was formed, five deities known as Kotoamatsukami appeared spontaneously.

Subsequently two other gods arose after which five pairs of gods were born (total of ten deities), each pair consisting of a male deity and a female deity.

All these 12 deities are collectively called as Kamiyonanayo ( "Seven Divine Generations").

Following the creation of Heaven and Earth and the appearance of these primordial gods, the last pair of the Kamiyonanayo - Izanagi and Izanami went on to create the Japanese archipelago (Kuniumi) and gave birth to a large number of gods (Kamiumi).

[caption id="attachment_644" align="aligncenter" width="135"] Izanami and Izanagi churning the sea[/caption]

To help them to achieve this, Izanagi and Izanami were given a Naginata decorated with jewels, named Ame-no-nuboko ("Heavenly Jeweled Spear"). The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth, Amenoukihashi ("Floating Bridge of Heaven") and churned the sea below with the halberd ( two-handed pole weapon).

Drops of salty water formed the island, Onogoro ("self-forming"). The deities descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island. Eventually, they fell in love and wished to procreate.

From their union were born the Oyashima, or the eight great islands of Japan:

[caption id="attachment_645" align="aligncenter" width="300"] 8 Islands of Ancient Japan[/caption]

1. Awaji
2. Iyo
3. Oki
4. Tsukushi
5. Iki
6. Tsushima
7. Sado
8. Yamato

Thus we see that the concept of “churning a water body” is also present in mythologies other than that of the Hindus.

How Sage Vashishtha brought down River Gomti on Earth

There is an interesting tale describing how sage Vashishtha had brought down Gomti from the heaven to earth.

At the time of deluge when the whole world had submerged in water, a lotus flower manifested from Lord Vishnu's navel on which was seated Brahma. Lord Vishnu instructed him to perform his duty as a creator to which Brahma agreed.

First of all Brahma created his manasputras and sought their help in increasing the population of the world by becoming householders. But, all of them were extremely virtuous and did not show any inclination towards getting married.

Ultimately all of them went to the western coast and engaged themselves in austere penance. Their penance continued for a number of years after which 'Sudarshan Chakra' appeared before them. As all of them looked up in bewilderment, they heard a heavenly voice - "O sons of Brahma! Very soon the almighty Vishnu is going to manifest himself. The 'Chakra' you are seeing is his. You all must perform the rituals of 'ardhya' in the name of Lord Vishnu to show your reverence towards him."

All the Manasputras eulogized Sudarshan-Chakra with deep devotion. All of them wished that there were a holy river, with whose water they could perform the rituals of ardhya. But to their utter dismay there was no such holy river nearby. They then remembered Lord Brahma, who immediately understood what they desired.

Lord Brahma instructed Ganga by saying - "Ganga! Go to the earth, where you would be known as Gomti. Sage Vashishth will lead you to your destination. Just follow him like a daughter follows her father."

Finally, when sage Vashishth followed by Gomti reached their destination, all the Manasputras were delighted. They eulogized Ganga and expressed their gratitude to Vashishth for bringing Ganga on earth.

All of them thanked Vashishth by saying - "Since you have brought Gomti on earth, you would be considered as her father."

They offered 'ardhya' to Gomti and subsequently eulogized Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu appeared after being pleased and blessed them - "Your unflinching devotion in me has pleased me no bound. Since you did this penance with the objective of Moksha (salvation), this place would become famous as Moksha Dayak (giver of salvation). This sacrosanct place would also be called Chakra teerth because of Sudarshan chakra, who informed you all of my manifestation on earth. I assure you that I won't abandon this sacrosanct place even for a moment."

This way, all the Manasputras were finally successful in their objective of offering ardhya to Lord Vishnu with the holy water of Gomti. At last, Gomti having fulfilled her mission for which she had descended down to Earth merged with the ocean. Lord Vishnu disappeared from there and Manasputras continued to live there.

 

A to Z of Samudra Manthan

As discussed in the previous post, the Devtas were greatly depleted of their powers due to the curse on Indra by Sage Durvasa. The Asuras thought of this as the most opportune time to strike and attacked Swarga.

The Devtas were outclassed by the Asuras on the battlefield and had to flee to save their lives. They approached Lord Brahma to help them.

Lord Brahma in turn directed the Devtas to Lord Vishnu.

The sixth Manu (more on this term later) was Caksusha, the son of Cakshu Manu. During the reign of this Manu, Mantradruma was Indra. The wife of Vairaja, whose name was Devasambhuti, gave birth to an incarnation of Lord Vishnu named Ajita (meaning invincible).

Lord Vishnu (Ajita) advised the Devtas to make a peace proposal to the Asuras, so that after formulating a truce, the Devtas and Asuras could churn the ocean of milk (ksheer sagar) for Amrita. The rope would be the biggest serpent, known as Vasuki, and the churning rod would be Mandara Mountain.

[caption id="attachment_605" align="aligncenter" width="221"] Vasuki[/caption]

He directed that all sorts of medicinal herbs should be cast into the sea of milk and then taking the mountain Mandara for the churning-stick and the serpent Vasuki for the rope the ocean should be churned.

Following the instructions of Lord Vishnu the Devtas joined hands with Maharaja Bali, the King of the Asuras. Then both the Asuras and the Devtas started for the ocean, taking Mandara Mountain with them. Because of the great heaviness of the mountain, the Devtas and Asuras soon became fatigued, and some of them even died.

[caption id="attachment_603" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lord Vishnu and Garuda carrying Mandara mountain[/caption]

To help with lifting of the Mandara Mountain,Lord Vishnu appeared on the back of his carrier, Garuda, and placed it on the back of Garuda. Garuda along with Vishnu carried the mountain to the spot of the churning and placed it in the middle of the sea. Then Vishnu asked Garuḍa to leave that place because as long as Garuda was present, Vasuki (a snake) could not come there.

Lord Brahma was requested to sit on top of the Mandara Mountain to provide balance. The Devtas and Asuras then summoned Vasuki, king of the serpents. They coiled Vasuki around Mandara Mountain as a churning rope.

The leaders of the Asuras thought it unwise to hold the tail, the inauspicious portion of the snake and protested that they wanted to hold the front of the snake. The Devtas agreed to this demand.

[caption id="attachment_607" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Asuras and Devtas all set to begin the Samudra Manthan[/caption]

After thus adjusting how the snake was to be held, the sons of Kashyapa, both Devtas and Asuras, (a post on this will follow soon) started the process of churning the ocean of milk.

The Mandara Mountain had no support, and therefore although held by the strong hands of the Devtas and Asuras, it sank into the water.

[caption id="attachment_600" align="aligncenter" width="261"] Kurma Avatar[/caption]

This is when Lord Vishnu took his Kurma Avatar and taking the shape of a tortoise, entered the water, and lifted the great Mandara Mountain. The mountain rested on the back of the great tortoise, which extended for eight hundred thousand miles like a large island.

Such is the leela of Lord Vishnu that the rolling of the mountain on the tortoise was just a means of scratching his body, and thus he felt a pleasing sensation.

This action by Lord Vishnu enlivened and energised the Devtas and Asuras and the churning of the samudra resumed.

Vasuki had thousands of eyes and mouths. From his mouths he breathed smoke and blazing fire, which affected the Asuras, headed by Pauloma, Kaleya, Bali and Ilvala. Thus the Asuras gradually became powerless.

After struggling for years, the first item to come out of the ocean was halahala (poison).

[caption id="attachment_608" align="aligncenter" width="212"] Lord Siva drinking the Halahala[/caption]

The poison was so venomous that the whole world started getting inflamed by it. This halahala was the most vicious and venomous poison of universe and it started killing both sides. As no one could bear the poisonous fumes emitted by the poison, both Devas and Asuras began to collapse due to asphyxiation. They ran for help to Brahma, who looked to Vishnu for advice. Vishnu said that only Shiva could digest the deadly poison. So both parties went to Kailasha and prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Shiva chose to consume the poison and thus drank it. His wife Parvati, alarmed, stopped it in his throat with her hands, thus earning him the name Vishakantha (the one who held poison in his throat). The poison made his throat turn blue; hence, he is also known as Nilakantha (the one with a blue throat).

Gosaikunda lake is believed to have formed from the digging of the land by the Trishul of Lord Shiva, as after he drank the poison, he desperately wanted cold water to quench the thirst generated due to overwhelming heat of the poison.

It is believed that the scorpions, cobras, poisonous drugs and other animals whose bites are poisonous took the opportunity to drink whatever little poison had fallen and scattered from Lord Shiva's hand while he was drinking.

After the halahala was consumed by Lord Shiva thus saving everyone’s lives, the Devtas and Asuras once again resumed churning the ocean with renewed vigour.

[caption id="attachment_609" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kamadhenu or Surabhi[/caption]

After some time a cow known as Kamadhenu or Surabhi appeared. Great sages who were completely aware of the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies took charge of the Surabhi cow, which produced all the yogurt, milk and ghee absolutely necessary for offering oblations into the fire.

[caption id="attachment_610" align="aligncenter" width="178"] Uchaishravas[/caption]

The next thing to emerge from the samudra was a horse named Uccaihsrava, a seven-headed flying horse. Bali Maharaja desired to possess this horse, and Indra agreed.

[caption id="attachment_611" align="aligncenter" width="264"] Airavata[/caption]

The next thing to be generated was eight great he-elephants headed by Airavata and eight she-elephants, headed by Abhramu. Indra decided to have Airavata as his mount. Abhramu became the wife of Airavata.

After the elephants came the celebrated gems Kaustubha-mani and Padmaraga-mani. The Devtas and Asuras decided to gift the the most valuable jewel in the world, the Kaustubha-mani to Lord Vishnu.

[caption id="attachment_612" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Parijat flower[/caption]

Generated next was the Parijat flower, a divine flowering tree with blossoms that never fade or wilt. The Parijat tree was taken to Indraloka by the Devas.

[caption id="attachment_613" align="aligncenter" width="222"] Apsaras[/caption]

Next there appeared the Apsaras lead by Rambha, Menaka, Punjisthala etc. They were fully decorated with golden ornaments and lockets and were dressed in fine and attractive clothing. They chose the Devtas as their companions.

[caption id="attachment_614" align="aligncenter" width="193"] Goddess Lakshmi[/caption]

Then there appeared the Goddess of fortune, Lakshmi. She accepted Lord Vishnu as her eternal consort.

Next appeared Varuni or Sura, the Goddess and creator of alcohol which was claimed by the ignorant Asuras.

In addition to the above mentioned treasures which came from the samudra manthan, according to different sources of literature the following items are also attributed to have come out of the ksheera sagar.

1) A powerful bow - symbolic of the demon's belligerence.
2) Chandra, the moon which adorned Shiva's head
3) Shankha Vishnu's conch
4) Jyestha - the Goddess of misfortune
5) The umbrella taken by Varun
6) Earrings given to Aditi, by her son Indra
7) Tulasi plant
8) Nidra (sloth)
The Devtas and Asuras started becoming impatient as a lot of things had come out of the manthan except the one they had started out to obtain.

So finally when a strongly built man emerged out of the sagara carrying a jug filled to the top with Amrita the joy of Devtas and Asuras knew no bounds.

[caption id="attachment_615" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Dhanvantari emerging with Amrita[/caption]

This person was Dhanvantari (who is considered an Avatar of Vishnu). He became the physician of the Devas and the God of Ayurvedic medicine.

Upon seeing Dhanvantari carrying the jug of nectar, the impatient Asuras, desiring the jug and its contents, immediately snatched it away by force.

This resulted in a fierce fight between Devas and Asuras for the nectar. It is believed that during this struggle for the kumbha of Amrita four drops of nectar fell at four places – Allahabad or Prayag (Uttar Pradesh), Haridwar (Uttrakhand), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and Nasik (Maharashtra). A Kumbh Mela is celebrated at the four places every twelve years for this reason.

[caption id="attachment_616" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mohini - female Avatar of Lord Vishnu[/caption]

At this moment, Lord Vishnu took the form of a beautiful and enchanting damsel, Mohini to bail the Devtas out. She mesmerised the Asuras with her beauty and fooled them to give her the Amrita saying that she would distribute the Amrita amongst the Asuras and Devtas in a fair manner.

[caption id="attachment_617" align="aligncenter" width="233"] Mohini beheading Rahu[/caption]

The distracted Asuras were so lost in the beauty of Mohini that they didn’t even realise that Mohini was distributing the Amrita among the Devas and not the Asuras. Rahu understood what was happening and disguising himself as a Deva went and sat amongst the Devtas. Due to their luminous nature, Surya and Chandra noticed the switching of sides. They immediately informed Mohini. But before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head with the Sudarshana Chakra. However as the nectar had gone down his throat he did not die. From that day, his head was called Rahu and body was called Ketu who became planets later.

Another battle took place between the Devtas and the Asuras. And this time, rejuvenated with the Amrita, the Devtas handed a huge defeat to the Asuras.

How Rishi Durvasa's curse resulted in the 'Greatest Show on Earth - The Kumbh Mela'!

Rishi Durvasa holds a special place in the many lores of Hindu mythology.

To begin with he was the ‘avatar’ of Lord Shiva born to Atri and Anasuya.

He was extremely feared for his short temper. He didn’t think twice before giving a shraap (curse) to anyone who didn't please him.

[caption id="attachment_577" align="aligncenter" width="218"] Durvasa cursing Shakuntala[/caption]

Right from Ambaraisha to Shakuntala and even Lakshman ‘suffered’ due to his curse. (more on these stories later)

But the one person who was one of his earliest ‘victims’ and whose attempts to get back to what he had lost resulted in a series of events due to which millions of followers come together once in 12 years to wash away all their sins.

The individual I am talking about is Indra and it is the Kumbh Mela which resulted from curse Sage Durvasa had given Indra.

Let’s know more about this story today.

[caption id="attachment_578" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Vidyadhari giving the garland to Durvasa[/caption]

Once Durvasa was wandering on earth, when he came across a female Vidyadhari (a nymph of the air) who was wearing a beautiful garland of flowers. Seeing Durvasa being attracted to the garland the nymph respectfully gave it to the sage. When he came back from earth, the sage came across Indra riding his elephant, Airavata.

[caption id="attachment_579" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Indra riding on Airavata[/caption]

Durvasa presented the garland to Indra, who not sure of what to do with the garland placed it on Airavata's head. The elephant was irritated by the fragrance of the nectar in the flowers and threw the garland to the ground with its trunk and crushed it with his feet. Durvasa was enraged to see his gift treated so callously and immediately cursed Indra that he would be cast down from his position of dominion over the three worlds, just as the garland was cast down.

Indra immediately begged Durvasa's forgiveness, but the sage refused to retract or even soften his curse, and went on his way.

Because of the curse, Indra and the Devas were diminished in strength and shorn of their lustre. Seizing this opportunity, the Asuras led by Bali waged war against the gods. The Devtas were routed and turned to Brahma for help.

Brahma in turn directed them to seek refuge with Vishnu. Vishnu in turn gave the idea for the Samudra Manthan.

Stay tuned; the story becomes very interesting from here ;)

"Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya" - Message of Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious occasions for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of India with different customs and names; but with the same spirit everywhere.

Makar Sankranti as a Harvest Festival
Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. According to the lunar calendar, when the sun moves from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Tropic of Cancer or from Dakshinayana to Uttarayana, in the month of Pausha in mid-January, it commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. The movement of the Sun from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti and as the Sun moves into the Capricorn zodiac known as Makar in Hindi, this occasion is named as Makar Sankranti in the Indian context.

The festival of Makar Sankranti is highly regarded by the Hindus from North to down South. The day is known by various names and a variety of traditions are witnessed as one explores the festival in different states.

Astrological Significance of Makar Sankranti
Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti stands for transition. There is a sankranti every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and thus there are twelve sankranti's as well. Each of these sankranti's has its own relative importance but two of these are more important - the Mesh (Aries) Sankranti and the most important, the Makar (Capricorn) Sankranti. Transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn, during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. From this day begins the six-month long Uttarayana, considered very auspicious for attaining higher worlds hereafter.

While the traditional Indian Calendar is basically based on lunar positions, but sankranti is a solar event, so while dates of all festivals keep changing, the English calendar date of Makar Sankranti is always same, 14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar month of Magha. There is another significance of this day, after this day the days start becoming longer & warmer, and thus the chill of winter in on decline.

Mythological Legends associated with Makar Sankranti



1. The Puranas say that on this day Sun visits the house of his son Shani, who is the swami of Makar Rashi. These father & son do not ordinarily get along nicely, but inspite of any difference between each other Lord Sun makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the family.

2.  From Uttarayana starts the ‘day’ of Devatas, while Dakshinayana is said to be the ‘night’ of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half is called Pitrayana.

3.  It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terrorism of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandar Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.

4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaj Bhagirath, did great Tapasya to bring Ganga down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption of the curse of Bhagirath’s ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar. Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.

5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration.

Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere and thus it signifies an event wherein the Sun-God seems to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'- may you go higher & higher, to more & more Light and never to Darkness.

To Hindus, the Sun stands for knowledge, spiritual light and wisdom. Makar Sankranti signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in which we live, and begin to enjoy a new life with bright light within us to shine brighter and brighter. We should gradually begin to grow in purity, wisdom and knowledge, even as the Sun does from the day of Makar Sankranti.

Wishing all of you a Happy Makar Sankranti :)

Lo aa gayi Lohri :)

Lohri is essentially a festival dedicated to fire and the sun god. It is the time when the sun moves towards the north.

When is Lohri celebrated?
According to the Bikram calendar, Lohri falls in the month of Paush i.e. around 13 January, as per the Gregorian calendar. It is, actually, celebrated a day before Makara Sankranti, as it marks the end of the winter season. Lohri is celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti. Makara Sankranti marks beginning of the solar Maagha masa, and Lohri must be celebrated on the last day of the solar Dhanur masa, which also marks the exit of the sun from Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius).

Legends behind the origin of Lohri
1. Loi - Kabir's wife
Some people believe that Lohri has derived its name from Loi, the wife of Saint Kabir.

2. Loh
There is a legend amongst some people that Lohri comes from the word 'loh', which means the light and the warmness of fire

3. Til and Reodi
Eating of til (sesame seeds) and rorhi is considered to be essential on Lohri day. Perhaps the words til and rorhi merged to become tilorhi, which eventually got shortened to Lohri

Connection between Lohri and Dulla Bhatti
The central character of most Lohri songs is Dulla Bhatti. He lived in Punjab during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He was regarded as a hero in Punjab. Besides robbing the rich, he rescued girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East from the Sandal Bar region. He arranged their marriages to boys of their religion with rituals and provided them with dowries. For such popular actions aimed at disbursing looted money amongst poor, he is also known as 'Robin Hood of Punjab'. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti.

Mythological Legend behind Lohri
Lohri and Holika were two sisters. It is said that Hiranyakayshapu ordered Holika to sit in the fire taking Prahlad in her lap along with Lohri. Prahlad escaped with Lohri whereas Holika perished in the fire.

 

Lohri Festival is celebrated with great pomp in North India. People gather around the bonfire and throw til, puffed rice & popcorns into the flames of the bonfire. Prayers are offered to the bonfire seeking abundance & prosperity.

In January, the fields come up with the promise of a golden harvest, and farmers celebrate Lohri during this rest period before the cutting and gathering of crops. Lohri is traditionally associated with the harvest of the rabi crops. The purpose of the Lohri harvest ceremony is to thank the God for his care and protection. throughout the day and night.

Wishing all of you a Happy Lohri :)