Hindu Mythology - 16

Answer:

Asura – Sage Mandavya

Story:

The sage Mandavya who had acquired strength of mind and knowledge of the

scriptures, spent his days in penance and the practice of truth. He lived in a hermitage in the forests on the outskirts of the city. One day while he was immersed in silent contemplation under the shade of a tree outside his hut of leaves, a band of robbers fled through the woods with officers of the king in hot pursuit. The fugitives entered the ashrama thinking that it would be a convenient place to hide themselves in. They placed their booty in a corner and hid themselves. The soldiers of the king came to the ashrama tracking their footsteps. The commander of the soldiers asked Mandavya, who was rapt in deep meditation in a tone of peremptory command: "Did you see the robbers pass by? Where did they go? Reply at once so that we may give chase and capture them." The sage, who was absorbed in yoga, remained silent. The commander repeated the question insolently. But the sage did not hear anything. In the meantime some of the attendants entered the ashrama and discovered the stolen goods lying there. They reported this to their commander. All of them went in and found the stolen goods and the robbers who were in hiding. The commander thought: "Now I know the reason why the brahmana pretended to be a silent sage. He is indeed the chief of these robbers. He has inspired this robbery." Then he ordered his soldiers to guard the place, went to the king and told him that the sage Mandavya had been caught with the stolen goods.

The king was very angry at the audacity of the chief of the robbers who had put on the garb of a brahmana sage, the better to deceive the world. Without pausing to verify the facts, he ordered the wicked criminal, as he thought him, to be impaled. The commander returned to the hermitage, impaled Mandavya on a spear and handed over the stolen things to the king. The virtuous sage, though impaled on the spear, did not die. Since he was in yoga when he was impaled he remained alive by the power of yoga. Sages who lived in other parts of the forest came to his hermitage and asked Mandavya how he came to be in that terrible pass. Mandavya replied: "Whom shall I blame? The servants of the king, who protect the world, have inflicted this punishment."

The king was surprised and frightened when he heard that the impaled sage was still alive and that he was surrounded by the other sages of the forest. He hastened to the forest with his attendants and at once ordered the sage to be taken down from the spear. Then he prostrated at his feet and prayed humbly to be forgiven for the offence unwittingly committed.

Mandavya was not angry with the king. 

He went straight to Dharma, the divine dispenser of justice, who was seated on his throne, and asked him: "What crime have I committed to deserve this torture?" 

Lord Dharma, who knew the great power of the sage, replied in all humility: "O sage, you have tortured birds and bees. Are you not aware that all deeds, good or bad, however small, inevitably produce their results, good or evil?" 

Mandavya was surprised at this reply of Lord Dharma and asked: "When

did I commit this offence?" 

Lord Dharma replied: "When you were a child."

Mandavya then pronounced a curse on Dharma: "This punishment you have decreed is far in excess of the deserts of a mistake committed by a child in ignorance. Be born, therefore, as a mortal in the world."

 Lord Dharma who was thus cursed by the sage Mandavya incarnated as Vidura and was born of the of Ambalika, the wife of Vichitravirya.

Hindu Mythology-15

Name the sage who cursed Lord Dharma to be born in mortal world

Hindu Mythology-14

Answer:

Asura – Rahukethu

Story:

Lord Indra, the King of Devatas, while riding on an elephant, came across a sage named Durvasa who offered him a special garland. Lord Indra accepted the garland and placed it on the trunk of the elephant. The elephant was irritated by the smell and it threw the garland on the floor. This enraged the sage as the garland was a dwelling of Sri (fortune) and was to be treated as prasada. Durvasa Muni cursed Lord Indra and all devas to be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune. In battles that followed this incident, Devas were defeated and Asuras (demons) led by king Bali gained control of the universe. Devas sought help from God Vishnu Who advised them to treat asuras in a

diplomatic manner. Devas formed an alliance with asuras to jointly churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality and to share it among them. However, Lord Vishnu told Devas that He would arrange that they alone obtain the nectar.

The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process. Mount Mandarachala, also known as Mount Meru, was used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the churning rope. The demons (asuras) demanded to hold the head of the snake, while the demigods (devas), taking advice from Vishnu, agreed to hold its tail. The Samudra Manthan process released a number of things from the Milk Ocean. At last, Dhanvantari - the Divine Physician appeared with a pot of Amrita (nectar of immortality) in his skilful hands. Fierce fighting ensued between devas and asuras for the nectar. 

To protect the nectar from Asuras, the divine Garuda took the

pot, and flew away from the battle-scene. While Garuda was in his flight over planet Earth, it is believed that four drops of nectar fell at four places - Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. This legend is the basis for the belief that these places acquired a certain mystical power and spirituality. However, Rahu, one of the Asuras, eventually got hold of the nectar and started celebrating. Frightened, devas (demigods) appealed to Vishnu, who then took the form of Mohini. As a beautiful and enchanting damsel, Mohini distracted the asuras, took the amrita, and distributed it among the Devas, who drank it. 

Asura RahuKetu , disguised himself as a deva and drank some nectar. Due to their luminous nature, the sun god Surya and the moon god Chandra noticed the switching of sides. They informed Mohini. But before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head with her divine discus, the Sudarshana Chakra. But 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.

It is believed that this immortal head from time to time swallows the sun, causing eclipses. Then, the sun passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse. The body also turned into Ketu due to a boon, and it in turn swallows the moon on timely basis to cause a lunar eclipse.

Astronomically, the Moon in its orbit, on a northerly course from South to North, crosses the ecliptic (the apparent path of Sun). This point of intersection is known as Rahu or "Dragon's head". 180 degrees away from this point, the Moon on its southerly course crosses the ecliptic. This point is called "the dragon's tail" or Ketu. Thus, Ketu and Rahu denote the points of intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon as they move around the celestial sphere. Therefore, Rahu and Ketu are respectively called the north and the south lunar nodes. The fact that eclipses occur when the Sun and the Moon are at one of these points is explained in stories as the swallowing of the Sun and the Moon by the demon snake. Thus, Rahu and Ketu do not have physical identity but only

mathematically calculated sensitive points. The Rahu and Ketu points are not stationary in space but have a mean motion of about 19 degrees and 30 minutes in a year.

Hindu Mythology-13

 

Name the asura who disguised himself as deva/sura and drank amrutham/nectar of immortality emerged from ksheera sagara mathanam

 

 

 

Hindu Mythology-12



Answer:

 

 

Asura – Tarakasura

 

Story:

A rakshasa called Tarakasura had become a curse to the world. He had performed tapas in the Pariyata Mountain regions and had secured from Lord Brahma a boon that no god who had been born by then would be able to kill him. He had a clever boon that he could be defeated only by the son of seven days of age to be born of Shiva.

(Taraka knew the Sati episode and thought that Shiva will not remarry).

 

Intoxicated by the boon, Tarakasura repeatedly defeated the gods until heaven was on the verge of collapse. Unable to suffer his harassment the gods approached Lord Brahma. Brahma told them, None of the gods of the present can kill Tarakasura. A new god has to be born. Brahma asked the gods to ensure that Parvati (daughter of Himawantha- king of mountains and manorama) who is Sati reincarnate was meditating for Shiva in the

Himalayas, should marry Shiva as only a son of Shiva could kill Tarakasura.

The gods said to themselves, How can we awaken Lord Shiva who is absorbed in

meditation? Who can persuade him to marry Parvathi? Then, Manmatha, the God of Love, offered to help them. He had a bow and arrows made of flowers. His arrow would awaken love in any one whom it hit. He said to the gods, Go to the Himalayas and talk to Parvathi.Persuade her to hover near Shiva. I shall then shoot my floral arrow, and make him fall in love with her. The gods liked the plan. But they were also worried, thinking What if Shiva is angry with Manmatha?But Manmatha said, 'It does not matter even if Shiva is displeased and destroys me. The gods should be free from the threat of Tarakasura.

The gods met Parvathi and explained their plan. They sought her co-operation. She was yearning to marry Shiva and gladly consented. They all came to the region where Shiva had forgotten himself in spiritual pursuit. There was Shiva on a rock, lost in meditation. He looked so grand that none of the gods dared to stand before him. They all hid themselves behind trees. Parvathi stood before him and began to worship him.

Manmatha waited for the right moment and then fixed his arrows of flowers and shot them. The arrows struck Shiva. He became a veritable live volcano in his fury, for his meditation had been disturbed. Manmatha arrows had disturbed Shiva tapas and he opened the eye in his forehead. The gods who were watching from behind trees were terrified. At once they cried out in one voice,Lord, withhold your wrath. Save Manmatha. But already it was too late. Lightning darted from Shiva eye and, as the gods watched aghast, Manmatha was just a heap of ashes. Shiva resumed his tapas.

He did not even throw a glance at Parvathi. The gods were deeply disappointed and in dismay. Parvathi realized that she could win over a god only through sacrifice and tapas.I shall win over Shiva by my devotion, she decided; and she began a most rigorous tapas. Finally Shiva appears before her please with her tapas. The wedding of Shiva and Parvathi was celebrated with great grandeur.

Later a son was born to Shiva and Parvathi. He was given the name Subramanya. The goddesses Krithikadevis were appointed to tend  kumaraswamy. So Kuamara is also known as Karthikeya. He encounters Tarakasura in a blood-chilling duel and kill him and establish peace in heaven.