Hindu Mythology

Lesson 4: Vishnu

Mohini the Enchantress

We continue the narrative.

Vishnu realised that if the squabble continued for long then the nectar would spill out and be lost forever. He also did not want the Demons to drink any of the nectar, as that would firmly entrench the forces of evil in the world. Hence he appeared on the scene as Mohini, a woman of breath-taking beauty and allure. Both the demi-Gods and the Demons stopped fighting and began to ogle at her. Flaunting her charms, Mohini convinced both the demi-Gods and the Demons that she would distribute the nectar equitably.

She asked the demi-Gods to form one line and asked the Demons to stand in another. She first gave a drop of the nectar to the demi-God who was foremost in the queue. Then she turned around to serve the Demon standing first in line. But as she turned around, she replaced the urn of nectar with a similar urn of water, and gave a drop of water to the Demon. The Demon was so excited by the oozing sultriness of Mohini, that he did not notice the switch. When Mohini turned to serve the second demi-God, she again divined the urn with the nectar. This way, she fooled the Demons into believing that they were drinking the nectar.

However a demon named Rahu saw through the trick and he quietly went and stood in the queue of the demi-gods. Thus he was given a drop of the nectar. But the Sun and Moon demi-Gods recognized him and warned Mohini. Mohini then assumed her true form that of Vishnu, and before the drop of nectar could go down Rahu's throat, he set loose his Sudarshana chakra (a divine weapon in the form of a disc) and cut off Rahu's head. Hence Rahu's bodiless head was destined to roam around the heavens forever. Because the Sun and Moon demi-Gods had ratted on him, he would from time to time bite of a part of the sun and the moon thus causing the solar and lunar eclipses.

When they saw Mohini turn into Vishnu, the Demons realised that they had been conned. But by then the demi-Gods had partaken of the nectar and had become immortal and were able to defeat the Demons.

This legend opens up certain issues for discussion. One of the purposes of mythology was to provide an explanation for natural phenomenon. This narrative builds in an explanation for solar and lunar eclipses. All is fair in the war against evil. The supreme Gods, Vishnu in particular, are not averse to using a bit of deceit in order to hoodwink the forces of evil. This is seen in many legends. As you read the Ramayana and Mahabharata take note of how the rules of fair play are bent in the war against evil. The big question, that is asked even today, is do the ends justify the means.

This episode is a very crucial one in Hindu mythology. The demi-Gods have become immortal, while the Demons remain very much mortal and so more than half the battle is won. But each Demon King thinks that he can defeat Indra and rule the kingdom of heaven at least as long as he lives. (Heaven here is not to be confused with the religious concept of heaven. It is simply the realm of the demi-Gods ruled by Indra.) Some of them succeed in doing so for a short time, only to be killed by Indra or one of the Supreme Gods or their consorts. However the successor thinks he will succeed and the eternal war continues. In recorded history we have seen so many malevolent (or not so malevolent) rulers who have tried to conquer the world. But none have succeeded. Hindu mythology tells us that there is a place for everyone and if you try to extend your domain by subduing someone else you will ultimately fail.

The Demons were deprived of Amrita but this did not prevent them from seeking immortality. They would perform severe penance and ask for the boon of immortality from one of the Supreme Gods. Such boons were granted but with a loophole. The Demon secure in his vision of immortality would terrorize the earth. When his atrocities exceeded the limit of tolerance the supreme Gods would make use of the loophole to kill the demon.

Optional Exercises

3a. Read this myth from ‘Hindu Myths’. It is on page 277.

3b. Read about eclipse myths from other mythologies by searching the following site
http://www.pantheon.org

3c. Vishnu in his incarnation as the dwarf tricked the Demon king Bali into surrendering the control of the universe. How did he trick Bali? Read about in on page 178 of ‘Hindu Myths’. Do the ends justify the means?

3d. In the chapter on Indra in ‘Hindu Myths’, there are several myths of Indra slaying various demons. These will give some idea about the eternal war between the demi-Gods and Demons.

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