The Myth of the Durva grass.

We have all seen a set of grass (better known as Durva) being offered to gods. Let me tell you a myth associated with it.

As per the myth, once Garuda (the eagle faced bird, also the carrier of Lord Vishnu) got some nectar from the moon for the Nagas (the serpent gods) as a price for releasing Garuda’s mother who was forcefully serving the serpents (why, is a different story). On seeing this, Indra tried to convince Garuda not to give it them, lest the Nagas become immortal.

Garuda was not agreeable to this as he had to get his mothers release, but suggested to Indra, that once he gave it to the Nagas, Indra could go and steal the nectar from them. Garuda placed the vessel on the grass and while the Nagas were bathing in the river, Indra stole the vessel.

The Nagas thinking that the nectar was on the grass, licked it, and the sharp spikes of the grass slit their tongues. Since then the serpents are said to have forked tongues and the grass which had touched the nectar is considered to be holy! That is the Durva grass.

A lesser known myth related to Draupadi.

All of us know the popular myth that it was Lord Krishna who came to the rescue of Draupadi when she was being disrobed by Dushhasana, after she was lost in the dice game, by Yudhishtir. The famous vastra-haran scene of tons of sarees unfolding from Draupadi’s body, till Dushhasana giving up the effort, is etched in everybody’s mind.

However, there seems to be a very different version of this aid to Draupadi.

It is said that the unfolding of sarees was not an act of Lord Krishna, but it was due to a boon by Sage Durvasa (yes, the famous sage better known for his curses!).

The myth says that once Sage Durvasa was taking a bath in the Ganga and suddenly his loin-cloth slipped away due to the gush of the water. It went off, down-stream in full view of the people, which embarrassed the sage to no end. Draupadi who was having a bath upstream noticed it. She immediately tore a strip from her garment and let it reach the sage, who immediately grabbed the strip. This saved the day for sage Durvasa.

The sage then gave a boon to Draupadi that her garment would increase on her body in case she ever needs it. The boon came to her aid, when Dushhasana was disrobing her!

[This is according to Shiv Purana (III.19.63-66)]

Fair-skinned Draupadi.

A recent newspaper article mentioned that Prakash Jha after the success of his recent Rajneeti was thinking of making Draupadi with Angelina Jolie as Draupadi. Angelina Jolie as Draupadi? A fair-skinned Draupadi?

Let me tell you the story of Draupadi’s birth.

King Drupad had no son and he desired a son to punish and kill the strong Dronacharya. So a sacrifice was arranged for the great purpose of getting a son. At the end of the sacrifice, the queen was called for to partake the offering, (which was to beget twins), but she was not ready at that very moment to come out in the open. The offering, could not wait, so it was cast in the fire. No sooner was the offering cast in the fire, out came a son of the colour of flames, ready to fight.

After him came a very beautiful girl, dark-skinned and black-haired (as described in Mahabharat). The priests named the son Dhristadyumna, and the girl, Krishne. In Mahabharat, one can find Lord Krishna referring to Draupadi, as Krishne many a times. By the way, Krishne also means dark, which was also the meaning of Lord Krishna’s name, who too was dark.

Birth from fire and the very name implying dark – how can there be a fair-skinned Draupadi? Even with the objective of “reaching out to the international mass…”?

The case of the missing river, Saraswati

We have all heard about the famous Triveni Sangam – the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. Obviously, there is no river Saraswati. Why?

It is said that the river Saraswati was the most famous river during the Vedic period (some say it was the tributary of the Bhagirathi River). As times changed, due to a poor flow, Saraswati began to reduce into lakes and ponds. Though the river began to lose its prominence as a river, it slowly started gaining importance as the Goddess of Speech, due to the practice of sacrifices being offered at the banks of the river and the necessary recitation of mantras, also soon became the basis of her being associated with the Goddess of Learning, and as an obvious progression, as the wife of Brahma.

Around the same time, the river Ganga was gaining prominence as it was an absolute contrast to the river Saraswati in its ability to flow constantly, though she never attained the status that the elevated Saraswati did. But soon the river was nearly wiped out and all the practices and the rituals associated with the river Saraswati, got associated with the Ganga.

The importance of Saraswati as a river is still seen in the famous Triveni Sangam, where though there is no river Saraswati, the place hasn’t lost the name and the significance.

Vahana – the carriers of Gods

In Indian Mythology, all gods and goddesses have been depicted with a carrier or a ‘vahana’, which serves as a mount or a vehicle for the deity. Vah in Sanskrit means to carry or to transport.

Deities have always been depicted to have an animal or a bird as a vahana. This could be a real animal, or a mythological and sometimes even a combination of both.

In iconography, the vahana is both the symbol and the emblem of the deity that it carries. Nandi the bull, vahana of Shiva, represents strength and virility. Parvani the peacock, vahana of Skanda, represents splendour and majesty. The swan, mount of Saraswati, represents grace and beauty.

As the assistant of a deity, the vahana serves the function of doubling the deity’s powers. Durga the warrior destroys the demon Mahishasura with the aid of her mount, Manashthala the lion. Lakshmi, goddess of fortune, dispenses both material and spiritual riches from her mount, Uluka the owl. Ganesh, remover of obstacles, cannot go everywhere despite his elephant-like strength. However, his vahana, Mushika the mouse, can slide into the smallest crevices and overcome the greatest obstacles. He also carries Ganesh's benedictions.

The vahana symbolizes the evil forces over which the deity dominates. Mounted on Parvani, Skanda reins in the peacock's vanity. Seated on Mushika, Ganesh crushes useless thoughts, which multiply like rats in the dark. Shani, protector of property, has a raven in which he represses thieving tendencies. Under Shani's influence, the raven can make even malevolent events bring hope.

There are a number of smaller myths about each animal and its relation to the respective god and how they become their vahana.