Why does Lord Vishnu/Vittala wear Kaustubha Mani | The Churning of the Ocean of Milk | Samudra/Ksheer Sagar Manthana | Durvasa's curse on Indra | Neelkantha | Gosaikunda | Rahu Ketu | Mohini | Amrita and other treasures from the ocean

It all started when a sage named Durvasa (meaning of his name - the one who is impossible to live with), known for his fiery impetuous nature, cursed Lord Indra (the King of the Gods) that he would lose his position, powers, fortune and see his kingdom collapse.

Root cause for the elaborate process of Samudra (ocean) Manthana (churning) : 

Once, sage Durvasa was in a great ecstatic mood, as a part of spiritual progress and was wandering all over the places on earth. One day during his rounds with the same feeling, he saw a Vidyadhari (nymph) on his way. She was wearing a fresh and fragrant garland made of colourful flowers which would never wither. He stopped her and asked if she could lend him her ever fresh garland. The Vidyadhari knowing about the sage, bowed to him with respect and at once gave away her special garland and disappeared. He wore it and continued walking with the same blissful trance when he met Lord Indra riding on his vahana (vehicle) Airawata (elephant). Indra bowed to this great sage on seeing him. In return, Durvasa flung his special garland at Indra as a blessing. Indra received the garland and without realising the sacredness of it, he put it over Airawata's trunk. The elephant being annoyed with the fragrance of the flowers tossed it unto the ground and crushed it. The special garland which was thrown and crushed had been an embodiment of Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and fortune). Sage Durvasa, being humiliated by this sight, grew furious and lost his temper. He yelled at Indra, "The pride of your wealth is riding on your head! May Goddess Lakshmi abandon you!!". Shocked and frightened, Indra begged of Durvasa's pardon, but the sage just passed off. Thus being cursed, Indra and the devas (gods) lost their powers, fortune, position and divinity.

Invasion of the asuras (demons) into heaven:

The devas had become very weak. Taking advantage of this plight of the devas, the king of asuras - Bali Chakravarthi along with his army of asuras invaded heaven - the kingdom of devas (Indraloka) and claimed a war. Since the devas had lost their superior divine energies, they were easily defeated by the demons. Indra lost his kingdom and Bali got hold of ruling the universe. The devas then turned to Lord Brahma for help who in turn redirected them to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu suggested the devas that, in order to regain their lost powers and become immortal, they would have to consume Amrita (nectar of immortality) which can be fetched from the Ksheera Sagara (celestial ocean of milk) by churning it.

The devas would need to churn the ocean of milk till the Amrita emerged out of the ocean. They decided that Mount Mandara would act as their churning stick and King of Snakes - Lord Vasuki which adorned Lord Shiva's neck served as their churning rope.
The devas tried to move the mountain into the ocean. But since they had lost all energy, they failed to move the mountain even one bit. They ran back to Lord Vishnu and sought for help. The Lord suggested them to include asuras in the churning by making a diplomatic deal with them by telling them that the Amrita would be shared between the two groups. Lord Vishnu also affirmed the devas that only they would get to consume the Amrita. Following Lord Vishnu's advice, the devas lured the asuras into churning of the milk ocean.

Churning of the milk ocean | Kurmavatara (Lord Vishnu's second avatar):

Samudra Manthana

Together the devas and asuras pulled the mountain and placed it in the ocean. The asuras insisted upon being on Vasuki's head side and devas held the tail side. They pulled back and forth on Vasuki which caused the mountain to rotate which in turn churned the ocean. Due to the force and long period of rotation, Mount Mandara began sinking to the ocean floor. Lord Vishnu rescued the mountain from sinking by taking the form of a gigantic tortoise (Kurmavatara) and supported the mountain by holding it on his back. This was Lord Vishnu's second avatar - Kurmavatara. Then the churning continued for a thousand years.

Lord Shiva's role in dealing with the Halahala poison :

The continuous churning by pulling Vasuki's body back and forth caused the emission of fumes from his mouth. The asuras felt lethargic and dizzy because of the fumes from Vasuki's mouth. This was followed by a deadly poison called Halahala oozing out of Vasuki's mouth. It was so noxious that it had to be attended immediately; otherwise it would merge in the ocean and contaminate the Amrita as well as cause the devastation of whole creation. Neither the devas nor the asuras were capable of handling this fatal poison. They were left terrified. Lord Vishnu advised them to seek Lord Shiva's help who then prayed to Lord Shiva. Only He was capable of handling the devastation caused by the poison. The compassionate Lord Shiva appeared and consumed the poison before it could integrate in the ocean and destroy the universe. It is said that Goddess Parvati (Lord Shiva's consort) held Shiva's throat while He swallowed Halahala so that it didn't descend into His system. The poison was trapped in Lord Shiva's throat which eventually turned His neck to blue colour. Lord Shiva is also referred by the name Neelkanth (Neel=blue; kanth=throat) since then. When Shiva's throat began burning due to the poison and became unbearable, He thrust His Trishul (His weapon with three pointed spikes) into a mountain to extract water. Thus, the holy Gosaikunda lake (in Nepal) originated.

The rise of the most valuable Kaustubha Mani jewel :

The gods and demons continued to churn. A lot of treasures emerged from the ocean during the process and they divided them amongst Lord Vishnu and themselves. Lord Vishnu took possession of the treasures which were too magnificient to be handled by devas/asuras. Out of the many things they obtained, there were also 14 ratnas (precious jewel stones). Kaustubha mani, Chinta mani and Shamantaka mani are a few divine jewels to name. Kaustubha mani being the most significant one.

Kaustubha mani was the fourth gemstone that emerged from the ocean. The devas and asuras were mystified by this stone's magnificence, it's colour, and radiance that was equal to that of the Sun. An aura of indomitability shone on it's facet. It was a precious, divine and powerful gem. It was pure-consciousness personified. It's sheen reflected all over the place. This extremely beautiful and spectacular gemstone is believed to bestow fortunes, grandeur and invincibility to the bearer such that the bearer develops an avaricious greed to possess it forever. It was impossible for anybody to handle this mani (pearl or stone), considering it's marvel and brilliance. Lord Shiva said that nobody in the universe except Lord Vishnu could handle this powerful stone. Hence it was possessed by Lord Vishnu. He wore this jewel on His neck as an ornament. The green stone on Vittala's neck in Pandharpur (Maharashtra, India) is nothing but this grand Kaustubha Mani.

Emergence of Dhanvantari and the nectar of immortality - Amrita : 

After the release of numerous treasures from the ocean, a pious looking heavenly man emerged with a pot in his right hand. He was the great Dhanvantari - the heavenly physician carrying a pot filled with Amrita in it. Once he emerged, the devas and asuras fought fiercely amongst themselves to obtain the pot. At this instance, Lord Vishnu came to the devas' rescue by taking the form of Mohini. She was so enchanting and graceful that the asuras kept gazing at Her. She smiled and told all of them that She would serve them Amrita, and that everybody must wait patiently for their turn. She carried the pot of Amrita with Her and began serving it to the devas first. The asuras had been tranced by Mohini's beauty and elegance. Keeping an eye on the asuras with her gracious smile, Mohini distributed the Amrita amongst the devas.

Onset of planets Rahu and Ketu :

However, an asura by name Rahuketu (who was a demonic snake) joined the row of devas by disguising himself as a deva and drank some Amrita. Due to their luminous nature, the sun god Surya and the moon god Chandra identified this asura in disguise and informed Mohini. She immediately cut his head off with Her Sudarshana Chakra (Lord Vishnu's weapon - discus) before the Amrita could pass down his throat. But the demon had already swallowed it and become immortal and so his severed head and tail did not die. Since then, his head is called Rahu and tail is called Ketu which became two planets thereon. It is believed that Rahu and Ketu swallow Sun and Moon respectively, as a revenge, when they meet at certain points of their orbits in a year, causing solar and lunar eclipses, leading to darkness in the world.

By this time, the asuras realised what was going on and attacked Mohini to snatch the pot of Amrita. But they were defeated by the immortal devas and Lord Vishnu (Mohini) and thus the elaborate manthana came to an end.

Following were the treasures that emerged from the ocean :

• Halahala poison - consumed by Lord Shiva.
• Parijata tree - the divine flowering tree with blossoms that never vanish was taken by the devas to Indraloka.
• Sharanga bow was owned by Vishnu initially but was later given to the asuras.
• 14 ratnas (divine jewel stones). One of them was Kaustubha mani - the most valuable ratna was worn by Lord Vishnu. Remaining 13 gems were divided between devas and asuras.
• Chandra - the crescent moon which adorned Shiva's head.
• Shankha (conch) - owned by Vishnu.
• Kalpavriksha  - wish fulfilling tree taken by the devas.

          Three goddesses :- 

• Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity chose to belong to Lord Vishnu as She had accepted Lord Vishnu as Her eternal consort. 
• Varuni, the goddess of wine was taken by the asuras.
• Apsaras like Rambha, Menaka etc. were taken by the devas.

          Three supernatural animals :- 

• Airawata, the elephant was taken by Lord Indra.
• Uchchaishrawas, the seven headed horse was taken by the asura Bali.
• Kamadhenu / Surabhi, the wish fulfilling cow was taken by Lord Brahma and then lent to the rishis (sages) so that it's milk could be used for producing ghee required for yagnas (oblations).

          And lastly :-

• Dhanvantari - the heavenly physician with the pot of Amrita which was part taken by the devas.

God exists where pure devotion exists | Power of devotion | Ramayana-Story of Rama, Hanuman and Vanara Sena| Rama Setu | Why Indian palm squirrels have 3 stripes on their back

Sri Rama and Hanuman

Following is a snippet from Ramayana. It is an incident that happened during the days when the Vanara Sena (Monkey Army) was building Rama Setu (bridge), from Rameshwaram to Lanka in order to cross the sea and rescue Rama's wife Sita who was kidnapped by Ravana - the demon King of Lanka.

Background:

Hanuman is the greatest devotee of Lord Rama as known to all. He was the key helper of his Lord in this mission of rescuing Sita from Lanka. Lord Rama along with his brother Lakshmana, Hanuman and the Vanara sena reached the end of land (Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram) while looking out for Sita. Now, they had to cross the sea to reach Ravana's Lanka where Sita was held hostage. Rama called out to the Sea Goddess seeking help to cross the sea. Seeing that he got no response, Rama shot arrows into the sea in order to dry it up. This caused havoc and disaster, causing the sea creatures to struggle for life, causing heavy storms, disturbing the water bodies such that it could drown the surrounding land areas. A startled Sea Goddess then appeared before Rama and pleaded to stop the disaster and to return it to its equilibrium. Rama did as requested. She then suggested them to build a bridge across the sea to cross it, with the help of two vanara brothers Nala and Nila.

Building the Rama Setu

Building the Rama Setu took five days to complete. During these days, the Vanara Sena including Hanuman built the bridge by inscribing Rama's name on the rocks and then carrying them uttering their Lord's name with heartfelt devotion and throwing them in the sea where they planned to make the bridge. The rocks thus thrown floated over the waters.

Story:

On one of those days, in the early morning, Hanuman was walking by the sea shore when he heard someone chanting Rama Rama Rama... He wondered who was chanting it as they were not yet working with the rocks to build the bridge. He looked around, walked amidst the trees and found a vanara squatting and defecating. It was he who was chanting the Lord's name. Hanuman being a staunch devotee of his Lord got furious instantly at the sight of the vanara and thought it to be very disrespectful and awful to chant his dear Lord Rama's name while doing such a chore.
He immediately kicked the vanara from behind. The vanara fell down and hurt his limb. With a wobbly voice, he asked Hanuman as to why he kicked him. Hanuman questioned the vanara in anger, "How dare you take my Lord Rama's name while defecating?! Such disrespect towards my Lord!?". The vanara left the place stumblingly after apologising to Hanuman.

Later in the day, Hanuman was doing Sandhya Vandana on the sea shore under the setting sun when he heard somebody moaning while walking. He turned to see who it was, and gosh, it was Lord Rama himself.
Hanuman ran towards his Lord and asked Him worriedly, "What happened to You my Lord? Why are You limping?"

Rama said, "What do I tell you Hanuman..? Today morning, when I was defecating, somebody kicked me from behind very hard. I am hurt badly and have sprained my knee. That's why I'm limping."

Hanuman realises Rama's omnipresence

Hanuman was shocked and replied saying, "I'm so sorry my Lord. I did not know it was You. I saw a vanara chanting Your name while excreting and so I kicked him."

Rama said, "Dear Hanuman, I'm always there, wherever my devotee utters my name with devotion. I always exist with the pure hearted devotee."

Hanuman knelt down and bowed to his Lord in agreement and realisation. Thus, Rama taught Hanuman how His name could be chanted boundlessly and also illustrated His omnipresence.




A few deets:

Rama caressing the squirrel

• During the bridge building, a palm squirrel saw the vanaras' activity and started imitating them. It took tiny rocks and by chanting Rama's name, it carried them, stumbling and rolling in the sand and threw the rocks into the waters with great effort. Rama who was sitting by the sea observed the squirrel and with doting affection, He caressed it by running His hand on it's back. It was so tiny that only three fingers covered it's back, leaving behind three white stripes. Based on this fact, it is believed that the Indian palm squirrels have three white stripes on their back as a mark of blessing from Shri Rama.

• Nala and Nila were the architects who planned the Rama Setu. These brothers were one among the vanaras. Nala was the son of Vishwakarma (architect of the Gods) and had inherited the skills from his father. Under their supervision, the vanaras built the bridge in 5 days.
• While building Rama Setu, the strong muscular vanaras inscribed Rama's name on the gigantic rocks and then carried them to throw them into the sea where the bridge plan was laid out. Their devotion made the rocks float on water. Rama who watched over, thought, "They are writing my name and throwing rocks into the sea which is making the rocks float. What if I do it myself too? The bridge can be built faster". So, He just wrote His name on a rock and threw it into the sea, but, alas, the rock sank. He was taken aback. He wondered and thought as to what would have caused it. Soon He realised that the vanaras did it with great devotion which made the rocks float. That intense pure devotion was missing when Rama himself did it. This event depicts the power and energy of devotion.
• This is my personal experience. I had been to Rameshwaram with family and from there we travelled to Dhanushkodi which is the starting point of Rama Setu. This point of India is the closest to Sri Lanka. It was just 30Kms (18 miles) away from here. This town of Dhanushkodi was destroyed in a cyclone in 1962 and stays uninhabited since then. We could see the remains of the town's last railway terminal and a Church. Though the Rama Setu is now submerged in the sea, we could notice a dark line from a distance in the place of the epic bridge. There was a small temple by the sea which had a floating rock kept in a small tank. This is the same rock which was used by vanaras to build the bridge. We were free to inspect the rock. It weighed at least 10kgs but floated on water. It was dark and porous. Considering its weight, it was a wonder to see it float.

Everything happens for the good and for a reason | One must have faith

Once upon a time, there was a king in a remote kingdom of India. He had a very shrewd minister.
One sunny afternoon, the king and the minister went for hunting to the forests.

During their hunt in the jungle, the king found a rapid Cobra slithering closer to him. In order to save himself, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and placed it on his bow. But, alas, the snake was faster. In spite of his efforts, the fast snake bit him in an instant. The king shrieked in pain. The venomous reptile had bit his second toe. He rolled down in pain.

The minister heard the king's shriek and ran towards him. He examined what had happened. He had to immediately do something to save the king. The king was becoming unconscious. The minister thought and then hurriedly cut the bitten second toe to save the king. Otherwise, the poison would have spread across the body and costed the king's life. He then treated the wounded area and waited for the king to wake up.

When the king was back to his senses, he grieved the loss of his second toe.

Instead of consoling the grieving king, the minister said, "Whatever happens, happens for the good!".

The king was infuriated by these insensitive words of the minister.
He said, "How dare you say that the loss of my toe is a good thing? In spite of my distressed condition, you are jeering at me?"
The minister tried to explain what he meant but the king was in no temper to listen to anything from him. He just swiftly rode his horse to his palace with the minister following him on his horse.

In the court of his palace, the king summoned to jail the minister. Immediately, the courtiers followed the king's command and imprisoned the minister.

In a couple of days, the king went to the jungle for hunting all alone. He reached an area of the forest where tribal people resided. The tribes had their own different ancestral rituals and beliefs. Also, sacrifices were made to appease their demon Gods.

It was one such occasion for the tribes that day where they had to sacrifice a human to offer ritual blood to their demon God. So, they were out in the forests looking out for a life to sacrifice. Just then, they found this king who was in jungle for hunting. They carefully planned and attacked the king. The king failed all his attempts to fight them back as he was alone and they were many. Helplessly, he pleaded unto them to let go of him.
But the tribal attacker said, "How can I leave you? Luckily I have caught a royal human for sacrifice. We shall offer some royal blood to our God today. Our God shall be pleased".

They tied the king in ropes and carried him to the site of their deity, where they had arranged for the ritual of sacrifice and offering of human blood.

Just while preparing for the sacrifice ritual, one of the tribes observed the king's missing toe and yelled, "Stop. I'm afraid this cannot happen" by pointing to the missing toe.

Tribes about to sacrifice a human

Then the elderly man looked and said, "Yes, you are right."

He looked at the king and sighed.
Then he said, "We cannot offer a mutilated human's blood to our God though it is a slight one... Release him!", he ordered.

The king gasped with relief. He was released and he rushed back to his palace with mixed feelings.

He approached his minister in cell and told him what had happened.

The minister then explained to the king the meaning of his line, "Whatever happens, happens for the good", for which he was jailed.

The king soon realized what he had meant and then said, "I'm sorry. I misunderstood you. If I hadn't jailed you, I would have taken you for hunting with me and all this would not have happened."

The minister smiled and replied, "No dear king, then the tribes would have sacrificed me if I was there! Thank goodness you jailed me".
The king learnt that day that everything happens for a reason and we must just have faith.

   

Where There is a Will, There is a Way | Story of Ekalavya | Significance of Idol Worship | Story that depicts devotion, dedication, perseverance, loyalty, bravery

Long time ago, in the land of ancient India, there lived a boy called Ekalavya. He was the son of the Chief of his tribal clan called Nishada who lived in the forests of the kingdom of Hastinapur. They belonged to the hunter ethnicity.

As a young boy, Ekalavya was very much engrossed in the art of archery. He ate, slept and breathed with a bow and arrow. Such was his love for the art.
With time, he had acquired an intense desire to seek Guru (teacher) Dronacharya to train him in archery, in order to master the art and become a warrior. 

Dronacharya was a famous Guru and his name was known to everyone. He was very well versed in archery and had gained expertise in military arts. He possessed and had knowledge of the divine weapons. Whoever got trained under Drona in his gurukul (school) would turn out to be expert archers.

Ekalavya expressed his desire before his father. But the father became sad, because they belonged to a lower class (Shudra) and expecting lessons like archery, from a Guru was out of question. Archery was meant only for the royal class i.e.,Kshatriyas (Warriors). The Gurus were from the highest class i.e., Brahmins.

Guru Dronacharya was appointed by the king of Hastinapur to teach the royal princes of the kingdom, which included Pandavas and Kauravas. Drona's gurukul consisted of his disciples, princes of Hastinapur along with princes from neighbouring kingdoms. He was a royal teacher.

Of all the princes, the third Pandava prince Arjuna had emerged to be a dedicated, hard-working and most naturally talented student. Arjuna meticulously served his Guru. He exceeded Drona's expectations in several challenges. Drona was impressed by Arjuna's intellect, concentration and determination. He was the most devoted student. One fine day, Drona promised Arjuna that he would become the greatest archer on earth. He also gave Arjuna a special knowledge of the divine weapons.

Those days in India, a Word meant everything. 'A man of his words' as they say. If a person vowed something, he would do anything to uphold it, no matter what.

Ekalavya left his home to go to seek Guru Drona for training him, in spite of his parents' unwillingness and disapproval.

He walked in the forests and reached the area of the forest where Drona's gurukul was set up. He glanced at the gurukul from a distance. In the midst of trees, were a group of huts on one side where the residents of gurukul lived and an archery yard on the other side. He saw the royal princes practicing with bows and arrows in the yard. His eyes unceasingly focused to find his master - his Guru Dronacharya, though he had never seen him before. He eagerly looked around. As he gazed through the archery yard, he found a man detailing a prince with a bow and arrow under a tree and giving him keen instructions. With his wit and calculations, in no time, he guessed the man to be Dronacharya himself. The prince with the Guru was Arjuna.

Ekalavya approached Drona while he was training Arjuna and bowed down with respect.

Drona was taken by surprise to see a strange boy at his gurukul. He enquired the boy as to who he was.
"Pranam Acharya Deva (Greetings to the God in the form of teacher), I suppose you are the great Guru Dronacharya. My name is Ekalavya, I'm the son of the tribal chief in the western forests of Hastinapur. I'm your devotee and I aspire to be trained by you. Please accept me as your disciple.", said Ekalavya bowing down with respect.

Drona sighed, "Ekalavya!...., if you are from a hunter tribe, you must be a Shudra (low class). I'm a Brahmin (high class) and I teach only Kshatriyas (royal class/warriors). Archery is for warriors and not for low class tribe like you. I cannot accept you."

Arjuna being enraged at the disturbance caused to his training by the tribal boy, yelled at him saying, "Acharya (teacher) is appointed by the king to teach us, the royal princes and high-born. How dare you enter the gurukul and seek him? Leave right now!". Arjuna shooed him away.

Drona didn't say anything to Arjuna for his malicious behaviour. Ekalavya was shocked by Arjuna's ill treatment, for he himself being a chief's son had never treated anyone below him so disrespectfully.
The innocent boy looked at Drona expecting support but was disheartened to see Drona say nothing. It was understood by their shunning gestures that he had to get out of the place.

Ekalavya walked out of the gurukul with a heavy broken heart, feeling resentful about the unjust treatment he had undergone.

But it didn't hinder his passion for archery. He strongly believed that Dronacharya was the best teacher and those who learnt under him became great warriors. He believed that he wouldn't become a warrior without a Guru. On his way back in the forest, he was passing by a river. The clay soil on the river bank invoked him to make an idol of his guru. He fetched the soil and walked further to find a suitable place for his practice.

Soon he found a secluded clearing suitable for his practice. He made a Murti (idol) of Dronacharya out of the soil and placed it on a platform in the clearing.
Owing to his undying passion and beliefs, he proceeded to learn the art.

He commenced his training by worshipping the idol of his most revered Acharya and started off practice in front of it. He assumed his Guru to be instructing him, to be watching him practice and mending his shooting skills.
With immense devotion, dedication and determined practice, he excelled the art. He mastered various sorts of challenging shots.

One morning, during his practice, he heard a dog bark. He ignored it initially and concentrated on his practice. But the dog's incessant barking disturbed Ekalavya and he at once, shot in the direction of the sound, right into the dog's mouth without looking at it and without injuring it. He shot several arrows back to back into the dog's mouth without hurting it. The sight of the dog was an amazing feat of archery though it was a plight of the dog.

The same morning, Drona and his students were walking in the forest. Drona was training his students in the wild under natural conditions, when they found this dog with mouth full of arrows. Drona and his students were wonder struck to see this stunning master stroke. They were curious enough to learn as to who this master archer was. Thus they started off looking for him, who had shot the arrows into the dog with such expertise.

Meanwhile, they found a dark skinned, bright-eyed, energetic and tough tribal boy, dressed in black, who was practicing with his bow and arrow. They could easily conclude that it was him.

Walking closer to him, Drona exclaimed, "Your aim is truly remarkable!".
Ekalavya looked at him in awe. Drona continued, "You are a great archer. I must admit. From where did you learn the art and gain mastery?"

Ekalavya being his devotee, was pleased to see his Guru and was in a trance hearing praise from him, which was a dream come true moment for him. He bowed to his Guru with respect and replied, "Thank you Acharya. You are my Guru."

All the disciples, princes and Drona were surprised. Drona asked, "Guru? And I? I've never seen you before. How have I probably been training you!?"

Ekalavya said, "My name is Ekalavya. I had come to your gurukul a few months ago to seek your training."

In a trice, Drona remembered the day when he and Arjuna had dispelled a hunter tribal boy from the gurukul premises. He asked Ekalavya, "Are you the same hunter boy who approached me at my gurukul a few months ago whom I refused to teach?"

Ekalavya nodded and replied, "Yes Acharya. I'm the same. You had refused to accept me as I'm a Shudra".
He then pointed out at Drona's idol he had made and said, "On coming back, I made your idol here and worshipped it everyday before starting practice. Thank you Acharya. I'm pleased to receive your appreciation today."

Drona and the rest looked at the idol, decorated with flowers offered and were impacted by the degree of devotion Ekalavya had for Drona.

Arjuna's ego was hurt as the Guru had always praised Arjuna and nobody else till then. Arjuna fumingly accused Drona saying, "How can this happen Acharya? You had promised me that you would make me the greatest archer in the whole world. Now, this normal tribal hunter is better than me!?"

Drona was shocked. He had no answer for Arjuna's accusations. He was afraid his promise did not stand true any longer. But it was a promise he had made to Prince Arjuna and had to abide by it at any cost, he thought. Then he came up with an idea.

"Where is your Guru Dakshina?" he asked Ekalavya.

Guru Dakshina is a gift that the student gives to his Guru at the end of his training.

Ekalavya was more than happy. He thought that Drona had accepted him as his disciple and hence asked for Guru Dakshina.

Overwhelmed and filled with devotion, he asked Drona, "Acharya, what would you accept as Guru Dakshina from me? It's my pleasure to serve you."

"What if you are not happy with what I ask from you? What if you refuse to give me?", enquired Drona cunningly.

The innocent Ekalavya faithfully replied, "No Acharya. I cannot deny you anything. I'm not so ungrateful to you. Please ask me."

Without delaying a second, Drona said, "I demand your right hand thumb as my Guru Dakshina!!!"

Everybody was aghast at Dronacharya's inhumane demand. There was absolute silence of dismay. How could their Guru be so cruel to a mere tribal boy?

Ekalavya stood speechless for a moment. Archery was his breath and his right thumb played a key role for shooting. What would he do without his thumb?

But then, the next moment he said, "Sure Acharya". He knelt down before his Guru. He took out his knife. In the blink of an eye, he cut his thumb off!! He picked up his severed thumb and held it forward. "Here is my Guru Dakshina Acharya", he said.

Ekalavya offering his severed thumb to Dronacharya as his Guru Dakshina
The princes gasped at Ekalavya's act of bravery. They were moved by the incident. Drona blessed Ekalavya saying that he would always be remembered in the world for his bravery and loyalty towards his Guru. Drona did not express, but was grieved at his own action. But at the same time, he was also satisfied that his promise to Arjuna was not compromised. They walked away into the forest thereon.

Ekalavya neither showed any trace of anger or displeasure towards his master's demand nor did he show any signs of pain after severing his thumb. Staunch devotee that he was, was proven. He's known to be the most loyal and devoted student in the mankind till date.

On the other hand, it is believed that Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge cursed Drona after this heinous, inhumane act of Drona towards a seeker of knowledge. Knowledge is meant for all. A Guru is supposed to be granting knowledge to whoever seeks it, irrespective of his race, caste, class, gender, colour etc.
She cursed him that he would die a horrific death without any weapons and armour on him.

Ekalavya did not leave his passion for archery even after losing his thumb. It is said that he continued his practice of archery using his point and middle fingers. With a lot of practice as he did earlier with dedication and perseverance, he achieved to be the best archer, better than before and his name and fame spread across the kingdom like wild fire.

This story of Ekalavya is mostly narrated to show the loyalty and devotion of a true student towards his Guru.

But I would like to see the brighter part of the story.
Though he was born in a mere tribal community, though he was refused to be taught, been a victim of racism, still he did what he aspired to. He mastered archery.

Without an actual Guru, but by believing that he has a Guru, he made the impossible into possible. He is the best example for the proverb "Where there is a Will, there is a Way!". We must learn from this story that, if you wish to do something in life, you can achieve it without giving excuses. Nothing can overpower your will and efforts you put across to accomplish your goals.

From another different perspective, I see this story also stands strong in portraying the power of idol worship. When you pour your positive energy into something solid (idol) made of earthly materials i.e., stone, soil, metal or wood, and worship it everyday with a particular aim/goal, your energy is accumulated in it with time. This same energy in turn helps you to fulfill your desires depending on the intensity of your energy for the desire. The time taken to reach your goal is directly proportionate to the strength of your desire and positive energy you've devoted with dedication unto the idol.

The story of Lord Krishna and Sudhama / Kuchela | The importance of honest behaviour | Krishna's favourite Sattu-Peeth-Pohe | God's love

Lord Krishna and Sudhama were little boys when they were studying in Guru Sandipani's ashram at Ujjain. They were the best of friends and classmates as well. Sudhama was from a poor Brahmin family while Krishna was from a royal family. Yet these differences never came in between their friendship.

As a part of the Gurukula system, the students were supposed to bring firewood to the ashram. The firewood was required for various mundane chores and for performing Yajnas/Havans by their Guru.

Once when Krishna, Balram (Krishna's elder brother) and Sudhama were heading to the forest to collect firewood, the Guru's wife sent some fried grams with Sudhama and asked him to share it with all and eat, before drinking water.
Later, in the forest, Krishna came to Sudhama and told him that he was thirsty.
Sudhama advised Krishna to take some rest saying that one should not drink water on empty stomach.
Though Sudhama had the fried grams given by the Guru's wife, he did not share them with Krishna.
Krishna laid His head on Sudhama's lap to rest and fell fast asleep. Once He was asleep, Sudhama opened the bundle of grams and started eating them.
On hearing the sound of chewing grams, Krishna woke up and enquired Sudhama, "Dada, are you eating something? I can hear some sound. I wish to eat too.."

Sudhama lied to Krishna saying, "What is there to eat? It is the sound of chattering of my teeth as I'm feeling very cold. I can't even recite the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra!"

Then the Omniscient Lord Krishna replied, "I just dreamt about a man who was eating something. When another person asked him as to what he was eating, he replied, "What mud should I eat?"(meaning there is nothing to eat). So the other person replied saying, "So be it..!!" Dada, this is just a dream. I know you won't eat anything without sharing with me. I asked you whether you were eating anything under the influence of this dream."

With this leela (dream story), Lord Krishna had hinted Sudhama that he must share food. But Sudhama had been very ignorant to understand it.

Had Sudhama known even a bit about the omniscient Krishna and his leelas, he would have shared the grams with Krishna. But alas, he had to face utter poverty in his later life as a consequence of this dishonest behaviour.

Later on, they grew up, parted their ways and lost touch with each other. Krishna got married to Rukmini and lived in Dwarka. Thereafter got involved in administrative duties of the kingdom. He became the King of his place. Sudhama also got married and made a living in a small remote village. He was still poor. Sudhama spent all his time teaching Vedas, Upanishads, Dharma (moral duties) and spreading spirituality through society. Rest of the time, he performed poojas and chanted the Lord's name.
At one point of time, Sudhama and his family were poverty stricken to such an extent that his children starved without food. His wife then told him, "It's alright if we stay hungry but our children must not starve like this. You keep talking about your friend Krishna so much, that he is your childhood friend and all. Now he's the King. Why don't you approach Him and seek some help?"

Though Sudhama was initially reluctant to seek Krishna's help, he was convinced by his wife and made up his mind to visit his friend, Krishna. He didn't have any gift to take for Krishna. His wife knew that Krishna liked Sattu Pohe (Beaten rice smeared with gram and wheat flour while it is fried) as Sudhama had casually told her many times. She had very little Pohe and Sattu in her kitchen that she had earned herself. She prepared the Sattu Pohe snack and bundled it in a piece of torn cloth. Sudhama left his hut with the small bundle of Sattu Pohe to visit Krishna. When he reached Dwarka, he was awestruck by the sight of the town. Nobody seemed to be sad or poor in there. Everyone looked fortunate, cheerful and contented.

He reached Krishna's palace which was made of gold. Sudhama was astonished at the glimpse of the grandeur and splendour of his friend's palace. The guards at the gates of Krishna's palace looked at Sudhama from top to bottom, gazed at his old torn clothes and enquired as to why he was there, as he looked like a hermit.
Sudhama replied, "My name is Sudhama. I want to see Krishna. I'm his childhood friend. Tell him that Sudhama has come to see him."

The guard smirked at Sudhama and went in to intimate Krishna. As soon as Krishna heard Sudhama's name, he ran to the gates barefooted to see his beloved friend. Everyone in the palace was surprised to see Krishna in such excitement.

Krishna welcoming Sudhama at His palace
Sudhama was welcomed royally. It is also said that Krishna washed Sudhama's feet on arrival (gesture of respect).
Seeing Krishna's riches and glory, Sudhama was ashamed to give Him the gift he had brought. He hid his hand with the bundle behind him. Krishna being the omniscient Lord, insisted his friend to tell him what he had been hiding behind him. He forced him to show his hand and to bring it forward. Sudhama was reluctant. But Krishna forced his hand forward and finally snatched the bundle, opened it and was delighted to find his favourite snack in it. He shared it with Rukmini and both munched on the Sattu Pohe very affectionately. He expressed His delight at Sudhama's gesture of bringing Him His favourite snack and said that it was the tastiest He had ever had. (Because Sudhama's wife had made it with all the pohe she had which she had earned herself; and Sudhama had brought the gift with immense love for Krishna.)

Sudhama spent two days in the palace. He was given royal treatment. He was so overwhelmed by Krishna's hospitality that he forgot to tell Krishna why he had come to meet him.

One evening, they were sitting on a swing and recalling their childhood memories of the days they had spent together in Guru Sandipani's ashram.

They talked of how the Guru and Guru's wife took care of them like their own children.
They talked about their mischievous acts and laughed together.

Then Krishna asked Sudhama, "Do you remember that day when I rested on your lap in the forest after cutting firewood?"

Sudhama replied, "Leave it, it's not worth talking about."

Krishna said, "It is Dada. Our Guru's wife had given you a bundle of fried grams and asked you to share them with me too. I heard the sound of chewing and knew that you were eating them up, so I asked you. But you lied to me saying that it's the sound of your teeth chatter due to cold and you ate them up all alone! How funny was that?"

Sudhama wailed, "Oh Krishna, did you know that I had something to eat?"
"Yes, I knew everything", said Krishna smilingly.
Sudhama realised his mistake and the effect of not sharing food with a hungry person and lying instead.

He realised that his ill Karma might have brought him such poverty.

Sudhama felt ashamed and asked His pardon. He expressed his grief over not sharing food with his dear friend.
Krishna hugged and consoled him and said that it's all over and to not worry about it.
Next day, Sudhama had to leave for his village but still hadn't asked Krishna to help him.
Krishna escorted him to the gates of His palace and bid him farewell while insisting him to visit again.

On his way back to his village, Sudhama kept thinking as to how to explain to his wife that he couldn't seek Krishna any help. When he arrived in his village, he couldn't find his hut. To his surprise, there stood a magnificent gold mansion in the place of his hut. He found his family happily dressed in grand attires, wearing lush jewellery and eagerly waiting for him. On seeing Sudhama, his wife overwhelmingly said, "Didn't I tell you, Lord Krishna would sort out all our problems?! See, he has not only gotten us rid of all our problems but also bestowed us with so much treasure. We'll never be poor ever again!"

Sudhama's eyes welled up with tears of joy. He felt ecstatic. He uttered Krishna's name dearly. His faith and devotion knew no bounds. He thanked his friend Lord for blessing him abundantly without he seeking any help from Him.

It is believed that it was the sacred day of Akshaya Tritiya when Sudhama visited Krishna and gave him that small bundle of Sattu Pohe which was Krishna's favourite. Sudhama had brought for Krishna all that he had i.e., a handful of that snack. He couldn't afford any gift for his dear friend yet he had brought all that he had. The Lord knew of Sudhama's plight. Hence Lord Krishna's wife, Rukmini who was an incarnate of Goddess Lakshmi, blessed Sudhama with inexhaustible wealth and prosperity. Hence it is believed that one must offer food, make donations on Akshaya Tritiya day and become a receiver of blessings from the Lord.

This story also shows us that the Law of Karma doesn't spare anyone. Sudhama hadn't lent his friend a few fried grams and he had to return to his friend to seek help later in his life.

Also, Krishna bestowed Sudhama with wealth and treasures not because he was his close friend but because of his faith and devotion, his divine karma that he did without expecting anything in return. Sudhama had spent his life performing poojas, reading scriptures and God's glory to people, spreading the knowledge of the vedas and morals unto people. He used to chant the Lord's name all the time while doing any work.

This story illustrates how the Lord blesses His devotees and how the God is always listening and present with His true devotees(bhaktas).

Note: 

• Sudhama was older to Krishna and hence Krishna addressed him as Dada; meaning older brother.
• Sudhama is also known by the name Kuchela in South India.
• Regarding the gift that Sudhama carried for Krishna, some scriptures say that he carried only Pohe whereas a few other scriptures say that he carried only Sattu peeth(powder). However, it seems that he carried a combination of both of these called as Sattu-peeth pohe. It's known as Atukulu in Telugu. This snack is of absolute fame amongst the Samvadi Lad Brahmins to which Sudhama belonged. Sattu peeth is prepared from gram and wheat flour. Pohe is parched/beaten rice. In this snack, the pohe is smeared with the sattu flour while it is fried.
• Only Bhagavat Puran details the stories of Sudhama. 

Work is Worship | Kayakave Kailasa | Basavanna's vachana | God helps those who help themselves

Vishwaguru Sri Basavanna

Today is Basava Jayanti. It is celebrated all over Karnataka with pomp and show. Basavanna was a 12th century revolutionary thinker, statesman, social reformer, a great poet and a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. His poems are called Vachanas written in Kannada, the local language of Karnataka. They are evergreen till date and applicable to all generations. Basavanna was the first one to establish the world's first democratic parliament called Anubhava Mantapa. He's entitled as Vishwaguru for His universal teachings.

One of his main teachings was "Kayakave Kailasa". Meaning "Work is Worship". On His birthday today, let me pay tribute to the Vishwaguru by writing a story that depicts this vachana (proverb). 

In a remote village of India, there lived a man named Manu. He was a very lethargic man who woke up late in the mornings and did no work at home or outside. He would just walk around the village, pass time sitting under trees and chat with fellow men. Although he frequently visited a Maha Lakshmi temple in the village and prayed for her blessings to bestow him with wealth and prosperity.

His wife and children were worried as Manu never earned anything for their livelihood. They somehow managed to fulfill their daily needs by earning petty wages working here and there. Nobody could persuade Manu to earn. He believed that Goddess Lakshmi would one day grant him his wishes and bless him.

The Sarpanch of the village was a good hearted humble senior man with a good spirit. He knew about Manu and his whereabouts and the difficulties his family members were facing. One fine day, when he saw Manu chatting with his friends under a tree, the Sarpanch called Manu aside.

Sarpanch asked Manu if he could do something for him.

Manu replied saying he could not deny doing anything for him.

Pleased with his reply, the Sarpanch placed a few seeds in Manu's hand and asked him to sow them in his fields.

Manu was bound to follow what the Sarpanch asked him to. He dragged himself unwillingly to the fields and just sowed the seeds.

Even the next day, Sarpanch called him and asked him to do the same.

Manu simply did what was asked of him.

This followed for a handful of days.
He had somehow started liking it. The fresh air, cool breezes, greenery and scenic mountains at a distance seemed to invite him.

One such day, while Manu was sowing the next set of seeds, his eyes fell on a pair of tender leaves sprouting out of soil. He felt happy to see them as he realised that he had sown it's seed. He felt proud of himself.

From next day, he naturally got an interest to visit the fields and water the seedlings.

The Sarpanch started giving Manu payments for his work.

Some time later, the saplings grew and began bearing vegetables and fruits. Manu was overwhelmed to see how quickly he had raised these plants to be yielding. The Sarpanch then paid him a pretty large amount after selling the produce from his fields.

Manu's family was overjoyed and thankful to the Sarpanch for showing Manu a way.

Manu had a different feeling altogether. He felt very content and self satisfied.

Now he had got an interest. He was determined to work even more harder. He worked hard and earned stably. After four to five harvests from the farms, he started getting richer and richer.

He then realised that he had wasted so much time in his life thinking that wealth would come on its own by worshipping the Goddess. That he could have earned so much if he had started much earlier.

Manu improved outstandingly by working harder each day. His progress became the talk of the town as it got noticed by the villagers and they praised him for working hard and sincerely.

Manu became wealthy in no time. Now he had his own lands, his own farms and trees that produced great harvests.

He started helping the poor and needy. Also donated to charities. Thus he gained a good name in the village and people started seeing him as a role model.

One night, Goddess Lakshmi appeared to him in his dream and said, "Son, I like your hard work. I will be at the doors of my devotees who work hard and lead their life. You have been working well and did not become arrogant after gaining all riches. You helped the needy. I wish to see you lead your life with this same positive spirit."

Next morning, he recalled his dream and tears filled his eyes. He had learnt that "Work is Worship". Only worshipping doesn't help. But one must work hard towards their goals without being greedy and selfish. He had also learnt that "God helps those who help themselves". Acquiring such knowledge from the Goddess' dream, he did not keep it unto himself but he spread the message to people around him. 

Wit and Wisdom | Ganesha and Kartikeya's race around the earth | The fruit of Knowledge | Competition

One day, sage Narad comes to Mount Kailash with a Mango and hands it over to Lord Shiva.

He says "Lord, this is not any normal fruit. It is a very special one. Lord Brahma has sent it. Whoever eats it will gain knowledge and wisdom. It is the Gnanaphalam (fruit of knowledge). Narayana, Narayana" smilingly.

Lord Shiva wishes to divide the fruit between His two sons. On knowing this, the sage counsels Shiva against cutting it.
Now Lord Shiva is in a predicament. Which one of His sons should he give the special Mango to? Ganesh or Kartikeya?
He then consults Lady Parvati and arrives at a decision of holding a competition between Their two sons Ganesh and Kartikeya.
Both the boys aspire to win the fruit at any cost.
The criteria of the competition is that, whoever encircles the earth three times would win the Mango.

As soon as the competition is declared, Kartikeya, the Lord of Wars hops onto His vehicle peacock and zooms away, starting his journey around the earth without thinking even for a moment.

But Ganesh stands perplexed. With His huge rotund structure and His vehicle being the little mouse, how could He possibly encircle the earth three times and win over His brother whose vehicle is a fast peacock?

He asks His parents Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati to sit together. He then joins His palms with respect and circumambulates Them three times.

Ganesh encircling His Parents Who mean the world to Him

He then tells His parents, "Pitashree (father), Matashree (mother), now give me the Gnanaphalam."

Shiva and Parvati are taken aback and ask Ganesh, "You have not fulfilled the terms of the competition and you are asking for the prize?"

Ganesh replies, "In my opinion, the world is nothing more than Shiva and Shakti combined. You are the world to me. So when I went around You, it was equivalent to going around the world."

Pleased with Ganesh's wit and discernment, Shiva awards the fruit to Ganesh.

On returning, Kartikeya gets very furious upon knowing that he lost the competition and all his efforts had gone in vain. He feels the need to grow more mature from boyhood and flees to Palani hills in Tamil Nadu, South India. He discards his weapons, ornaments and robes and remains there as a hermit. He is called Murugan in Tamil Nadu. The famous Murugan temple on Palani hills is dedicated to Lord Kartikeya.

With this story, we understand that, big decisions should not be made in haste. One must always think before acting. There would be smarter and better ways to tackle things in life. With wisdom and patience, big problems can be solved easily.

Nevertheless, Lord Ganesh shows how one must revere their parents and see the whole world at their feet.