Jalandhar - Concluding Part

In the first part, we read about Jalandhar challenging Lord Indra and subsequently winning Lord Vishnu on his side. In the second part we read about Jalandhar trying to seduce Parvati, and she recognising him through his disguise. Upset about the deception, she approached Lord Vishnu to teach Jalandhar a lesson.

On the request of Parvati, Vishnu decided to teach Jalandhar a lesson, by paying him in the same coin.

With his powers, Vishnu assumed the form of Jalandhar and went to meet Vrinda. It is said that Jalandhar got much of his powers from her chastity which had made him near invincible (besides the blessings of Lord Brahma). But unlike Parvati, Vrinda could not realise that this was not her husband. For a brief moment, this chastity was broken and when Vrinda realised that she was cheated, she cursed Vishnu to become a stone, as it was a stone-hearted person who could think of such an act. After cursing, she jumped into the fire and ended her life.

Vishnu accepted the curse and promised her that he

Shaligram shila

would take the form of Shaligram shila on the banks of the river Gandika (now in Nepal). He also blessed Vrinda that she would reside with him at his abode, Vaikuntha, and on earth in the form of the Tulasi (basil) plant, she would be seen as the purest of all pure things. Thus the Tulasi plant is considered to be the purest of all, and a leaf of the plant is enough, if put on anything, to make it pure too. Tulasi is considered to be so close to Vishnu that the devotees never offer him anything without Tulasi leaves on it.

When Jalandhar came to know about the death of Vrinda, he felt both angry and sad. He realised that this was part of his doing. In the meanwhile, Shiva and his army realised the illusory effect created by Jalandhar. The battle ensued with an even greater vigour. Jalandhar was bent on avenging his wives death and Shiva was determined to end what was destined, but his creation nonetheless.

Without the protection of his wives chastity cover, Jalandhar started losing. After a heavy battle, Shiva killed Jalandhar. However, it is said, that after his death, the soul of Jalandhar united with Lord Shiva.

Some other versions say, that after the death of Jalandhar, the gods came to know that Vishnu was suffering from guilt of leading to the death of a chaste woman. In his depression, he smeared the ashes from the place where Vrinda burnt herself and moved around aimlessly. The gods approached Lord Shiva, who directed them to Parvati, as it was on her request, that Vishnu did whatever he did. Parvati, then

Malati flowers

gave a few seeds and asked them to sprinkle them at the place where Vrinda’s ashes lay. From there came up three plants, Tulasi, Amla and Malati (Chinese Honeysuckle). Later, Tulasi and Malati, found place in Vishnu’s Vaikuntha.

The above myth is written due to clarifications sought by some of my regular readers, who had some misconceptions about Jalandhar due to some representations they had come across. Such myths assume importance as they carry with them, many smaller myths, which gain individual importance. In this case, the personality of Jalandhar, the chastity of Vrinda, the presence of kirti-mukha as part of the temple architecture, the birth of medicinal plants like Tulasi and the presence of shaligram-shila in the riverbed, etc.

Just to reiterate –

• Jalandhar was not a demon. He simply led the demons against the gods.
• Jalandhar was a brave and courageous man, who was blessed by Lord Brahma, who impressed Lord Vishnu in battle and ended up being one with Lord Shiva. This makes him an impressive mythological character.
• Besides the fact that he was a brave man, he also derived his strength from his wives chastity which speaks volumes of his personality and his conjugal life.
• He was not a twin or a lookalike of Lord Shiva. He assumed Shiva’s looks only once and that too to seduce Parvati. However, Shiva’s radiance was not a demon out to seduce Parvati, it was a ploy of Shiva with the help of Narada, to lead to Jalandhar’s elimination.
• Also, he was not the child of Shiva, he was just an ‘aspect’ of him, which came out of Shiva’s angry looks which needed a destination. Some also say that he was truly the child of Sea and Ganga as he was found at the confluence of the two and brought up by the Sea.

Tulasi Vivaha

Tulasi Vivaha (marriage of Basil tree) is considered to be a very important festival and also marks the beginning of the Marriage season amongst the Hindus. Tulasi Vivaha is the marriage of Vishnu (as Shaligram) with Tulasi, the Basil (also known as the Holy Basil) tree.

Once upon a time Tulasi Devi was married to a demon by the name of Jalandhara (one who was born from water). Jalandhara derived all his strength and power from her chastity and purity. So strong was this aspect of Tulasi Devi that even Lord Shiva could not defeat Jalandhara, when he declared war over the gods, by claiming sovereignty over the oceans and all the treasures that were churned out of the ocean during the samudra manthana. As it happens always, the gods went to Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu decided to trick Tulasi Devi by assuming the form of Jalandhara and went to her. Tulasi Devi thinking Vishnu was her husband greeted him and her chastity was broken for a short while. Taking advantage of this, the gods managed to kill Jalandhara.

When Tulasi Devi came to know about this deceit, she cursed Vishnu to be a stone for being so stone-hearted. Vishnu accepted the curse and promised her that he would take the form of Shaligram shila on the banks of the river Gandika (now in Nepal). He also blessed Tulasi Devi, that she would reside with him at his abode, Vaikuntha, and on earth she would be seen as the purest of all pure things, and thus Tulasi plant is considered to be the purest of all, and a leaf of the plant is enough if put on anything to make it pure too. Tulasi is considered to be so close to Vishnu that the devotees never offer him anything without Tulasi leaves on it. On this day of Tulasi Vivaha, Lord Vishnu in the form of the black Shalgram shila gets married to Tulasi, as a plant on earth.

Besides this, there are few other myths which come to the similar conclusion of the annual marriage between Lord Vishnu (and sometimes Lord Krishna) and Tulasi plant. It is worth noting, that in the olden days, such traditions could have been initiated to grant an elevated position to the plant. This could be in recognition of its medicinal qualities. Tulasi or Basil is used for a number of common ailments, like skin disorders, coughs and colds, to name just a few. Recently during the outbreak of Swineflu, many doctors suggested a daily intake of 4-5 Basil leaves, to help strengthen ones immune system. Such festivals gave the plant an upgraded status and influenced people to plant them more commonly at homes, thus have the plant handy! It is not uncommon to find Tulasi plant in Indian homes for both religious and medicinal purposes. Thus, behind every ritual, there is a meaning or purpose. However, it is to each, as to how s/he celebrates such festivals. Grandeur and opulence in celebration might not have been in mind with our early thinkers, but since the advocates of religion have turned recognition to reverence – then so be it!