Rooster in Various Mythologies

Some time back, I had written about Vahanas (see Post dated July 28, 2010). Amongst many of the Vahanas, the Rooster has quite a prominent place in not just Indian Mythology, but other mythologies too. Let us go through some of them, before understanding what it symbolises –

Indian

In Southern India in the Tamil folklore, a large, red, fighting rooster (kukkuta in Sanskrit) adorns Lord Murugan's flag, heralding the dawn of wisdom and the conquest of the forces of ignorance. It is said in Mahabharata, that the rooster also adorned Srikhandi’s flag during the war of Kurukshetra. The carrier of Goddess Bahucharaji is also a rooster.

Greek mythology

According to a Greek legend, Alectryon - the ancient Greek word for "rooster" - was a youth who was ordered by the Ares, the god of war, to stand guard outside his door while the he carried on an adulterous dalliance with goddess Aphrodite. Unfortunately, Alectryon fell asleep at his post, and Helios, the sun god, walked in on the amorous couple. Spitefully, Ares turned Alectryon into a rooster, which never forgets to announce the sun's arrival in the morning.

Bible

The Bible provides a well-known reference in the passage where Jesus prophesied of his betrayal by Peter: "And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." (Luke 22:34) This made the rooster a symbol for both vigilance and betrayal.

Jewish legends

The Talmud speaks of learning "courtesy toward one's mate" from the rooster. This might refer to the fact that, when a rooster finds something good to eat, he calls his hens to eat first.

European Tale

In old central European folk tales the devil is believed to flee at the first crowing of a cock. A medieval myth posits that the Basilisk, a giant snake who kills with a single glance and is hatched by a toad from a hen's egg, will instantly die if it hears a rooster crowing.

Asian folklore

Historical documents from Koryo Kingdom (A.D. 918 - 1392) in Korea indicate that roosters were reared in the royal court for keeping time, as no clocks existed in that era. Travellers would take roosters with them on long trips to be woken on a timely basis.

China

In China the bird has traditionally been considered a good sign, as its crow meant the break of dawn and the beginning of a fresh start. It is also believed that ghosts and evil spirits afraid of the light vanish when a rooster crows. The five virtues attributed to the rooster in Chinese mythology are: knowledge, military expertise, courage, benevolence and credibility.

Rooster Symbolism –

A rooster represents male energy and possibly aggression. If one has ever observed a rooster in a hen-house, one would notice that the roosters are very aggressive, demanding and territorial. A rooster is seen as a virile bird and extremely productive. In the olden days, it was masculine to be in a position to be progeny-productive, irrespective of age and a rooster has a unique space amongst the birds/animals to be in that category.

Though the crowing of a rooster is considered to be a wake-up call as seen by the predominantly agrarian society, the symbolism associated with the crowing of a rooster is always that of a warning call. A call to say that light has spread and it is time for the darkness to recede. Darkness which is associated with evil has come to an end. It is time to begin the day in a new way and afresh. A roosters crowing heralds this new beginning each day bringing a new dawn in every listeners life.

Tattoo – Body Art

The universal body art of tattoo seems to have its origin in Mythology.

According to one of the myths, Goddess Lakshmi told her husband Lord Vishnu that whenever he went out of Vaikuntha, she felt very scared. Vishnu immediately took his weapons and pressed them on her body leaving marks of the same, saying that the weapon-marks would guard against any evil. This is probably one of the the first reference of tattoo or body art in our mythology.

Besides this there are some references of tattooing in tribal mythology of our country. The Baiga tribes of Central India believe that tattooing was started so that people could take such designs with them to grave. The meaningless of such tattoos is for God to keep trying them as riddles! The Muria community did such designs as per the instructions of their goddess.

Another interesting myth is recited amongst the Gond tribes of Central India. According to this, once Mahadeo (a Shiva incarnate) invited all the gods for a feast. All the gods and goddesses were there, among who was also a Gond god. The Gond god was there to take his wife away from there, but amongst all the goddesses, he could not recognise his wife and by mistake he dragged Parvati (Mahadeo’s wife) from the gathering. Mahadeo knew it was a mistake and started laughing, but this angered Parvati to no end. She then decided that people of different castes should have distinct tattoos and since then, tattooing has become a must amongst the tribes of Central India.

Tribal tattoos have a distinct design, which sometimes does not mean much. However, over time, such meaningless forms have given way to signs and motifs commonly understood by people, like a trishul, or a swastika or an Om. The tribal’s who have converted to Christianity sport a cross. But majority of them still carry meaningless forms like dots, triangles, etc. which might not have any significant symbolism behind them. Also, the tattoos were not restricted on only arms and other parts as done today as a fashion. Amongst the Tribals today, the tattooing was all over the body, including on the faces.

Probably the only distinction between these tattoos and what we see today is that the tattoos of the tribal’s were not a fashion statement, but a norm or a custom. People followed them out of respect for their cultures. Besides serving the purpose of teasing god’s brains, it also served as a caste differentiator.

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!

Ragging

Last week the Supreme Court passed a judgement on the death of a student Aman Kachroo who was killed by his seniors during a ragging session, a couple of years back. This judgement will definitely have a far reaching impact and one only hopes that this menace will cease. But what is this ragging and why do people resort to this menace?

Ragging is a kind of rite of initiation. Rite of initiation can be defined as a ceremony to mark the coming of age or an acceptance into a group or a society. In some cases it is considered to be an acceptance into adulthood. These rites were and in some cases still are, very common across the world. Many tribes have similar ceremonies for both boys and girls, but some are more prominent and of a public nature for boys.

Tribes or cultures consider such rites a must for an individual to be regarded as a member of the society. Some of them are so strict, that boys who have not been ceremoniously initiated are not allowed to participate in social rituals and ceremonies. Such boys are not allowed to get married too, till they have not undergone the rites. The tribal logic is that such rites enables boys and girls to understand themselves better and helps them prepare for the role of adulthood. Puberty rites, circumcision and many such activities are seen as examples of rites of initiation. Many cultures like the Australian Aborigines, go through elaborate ceremonies which include teaching them the laws of the society during the rites. The thread ceremony amongst the Hindu’s can be considered to be a similar rite, though it is performed only amongst a section of Hindus (Brahmins) and is thus not a universal rite.

Such rites have or had their own significance. It heralded the transition of an individual from childhood to adulthood and thus a change of responsibility, in the absence of a present modern day structure. In olden days it was used to communicate that the days of fun were over, and as an adult, it was time to join profession (hunting, farming, etc.). It also enabled the society to acknowledge the presence of adults in the society. Every culture, be it tribes from Africa, Central America or Australia, or religions like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism or Islam, such rites are documented in some form or the other. Some ceremonies are sometimes painful whereas some are harmless occasion of coming together and celebrating the status of adulthood.

But when such an ancient practice raised an ugly head in a modern avatar of Ragging is not known nor is it worth chronicling. Why this rite became a right by might, and why such acts became sadistic source of entertainment, is something that needs to be understood clinically. When temples of education become Guantanamo Bay’s of the world, then it is time for the Dronacharya’s of today to hang their heads in shame. If such Guru’s can show speed and the will in curbing this menace then it will go a long way in their true responsibility of imparting education. Terming such acts as ‘friendly introduction sessions’ is turning a blind eye to the massive menace that exists in our society, and if the bull is not held by the horns, we will only have more Aman Kachroos and unfulfilled dreams. Supreme Court needs to be thanked for the step taken, even if it means that four young careers have been nipped in the bud. But don’t rely only on Legislations. On our part, let’s teach our children to say ‘No’ to Ragging and help them avoid donning the roles of archaic mother-in-laws.

Govardhan Puja

During Diwali, many places in India observe what is known as Govardhan Puja. Let us go through the myth behind the puja first.

Once when Lord Krishna was a child, he saw his father make elaborate preparations for some worship. On enquiring he was told that they were preparing to worship Lord Indra, who was responsible for giving them rain, which led to the welfare of the people. Krishna reasoned with his father and all present, that it was not Indra, but mountain Govardhan who was responsible for the welfare of the people, as it was thanks to the mountain that they got grazing grounds for the cattle. It was the mountain which stopped the clouds and compelled them to rain and also gave them lots of greenery and different plants and shrubs required. Mount Govardhan was also home for numerous medicinal plants which was required for preparing local medicines. It made more sense to worship the mountain instead of Indra. At the end, Krishna convinced the people to stop the worship of Indra and start worshipping Govardhan Mountain. This angered Indra so much that he decided to punish the people of Vrindavan and sent merciless rains leading to days and nights of downpour. People got scared and went to Krishna, saying that they had angered Indra and something needed to be done.

Krishna, then came forward, worshipped the mountain as he had decided and lifted the  mountain in his last finger creating a giant umbrella to save the people from a potential deluge. Lord Indra was thus humbled, and accepted the supremacy of Krishna, and thus was started the practice of Govardhan Puja. Since this episode, Krishna was also referred to as Giridhari – the one who holds the mountain.

The myth makes a very important statement which is writ large in the theory of Mythology. No hero is forever. Indra had been a chief deity during the Vedic times, but by the Puranic age, Indra had lost considerable sheen. Gods like Vishnu (and his different avatars, like Ram, Krishna, etc.); Shiva and other gods had gained prominence. It is human tendency to demean someone to highlight the importance of another. This is exactly what happened to Lord Indra during the Puranic times. Indra who was also sometimes referred to as Devendra (Lord of the gods) was nothing but a caricature of a fallen god. There are numerous instances, where, even asuras have defeated Indra in battles and he has to seek help from Vishnu and other such gods. There is also the famous instance of Ravana’s son defeating Indra and earning the epithet of Indrajeet (literally - one who has achieved victory over Indra) in Ramayana. Such cases of old heroes making way for new are not unheard of in mythology. Many also see this conflict as a conflict of two cults, one gaining prominence at the expense of the other. Subsequently, Indra was relegated to a relatively smaller position of a smaller deity, that of being a god of rains.

Why only Mythology, isn’t the same visible in our real lives too? People who were heroes for our parents were not for us and our idols are not the ones our children look up to. But it is important to mention here that during the Vedic times, and in Rig Veda, Indra had occupied a prime position and a number of myths talk of his bravery and valour.