Uchchaihshravas

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Uchchaihshravas
A painting depicting seven-headed Uchchaihshravas
AbodeSvarga
TextsMahabharata

In

churning of the milk ocean. It is considered the best of horses, the prototype and the king of the horses.[1] Uchchaihshravas is often described as a vahana ("vehicle") of Indra (the king of the gods), but is also recorded to be the horse of Bali, the king of the asuras (demons). Uchchaihshravas is said to be snow white
in colour.

Literature

Mahabharata

Main article: Samudra Manthana

The

the milk ocean") and Indra—the god-king of heaven—seized it and made it his vehicle (vahana). The stallion rose from the ocean along with other treasures like goddess Lakshmi - the goddess of fortune, who chose Vishnu as her consort, and the amrita - the elixir of life.[2] The legend of Uchchaihshravas, rising from the milk ocean, also appears in the Vishnu Purana, the Ramayana, the Matsya Purana, the Vayu Purana etc. While various scriptures give different lists of treasures (ratnas) of those appeared from the churning of the ocean of milk, most of them agree that Uchchaihshravas was one of them.[3][4]

The Mahabharata also mentions a bet between sisters and wives of

Aruna—said it was white, Kadru said it was black. The loser would have to become a servant of the winner. Kadru told her Naga ("serpent") sons to cover the tail of the horse and thus make it appear as black in colour and thus, Kadru won.[2][3]

A seven-headed winged Uchchaihshravas with other treasures from Samudra manthan.

Bhagavad Gita

Uchchaihshravas is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita (10.27, which is part of the Mahabharata), a discourse by god Krishna—an avatar of Vishnu—to Arjuna. When Krishna declares himself to be the source of the universe, he declares that among horses, he is Uchchaihshravas—he who is born from the amrita.[5]

Hariharacaturanga

The twelfth-century Hariharacaturanga records once Brahma, the creator-god, performed a sacrifice, out of which rose a winged white horse called Uchchaihshravas. Uchchaihshravas again rose out of the cosmic Ocean of Milk and was taken by the king of the demons (Asura) Bali, who used it to attain many impossible things.[6]

Vishnu Purana

The Vishnu Purana records that when Prithu was installed as the first king on earth, others were also given kingship responsibilities. Uchchaihshravas was then made the king of horses.[7]

Kumarasambhava

The

Tarakasura from heaven.[8]

In popular culture

See also

Notes

  1. ^
    ISBN 9780141903750
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-8426-0822-2
    .
  3. ^ a b Beér, Robert (2004). The encyclopedia of Tibetan symbols and motifs. Serindia Publications, Inc. pp. 65, 109.
  4. Horace Hayman Wilson (1840). "The Vishnu Purana: Book I: Chapter IX". Sacred Texts Archive. Archived
    from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  5. ^ Radhakrishnan, S. (January 1977). "10.27". The Bhagavadgita. Blackie & Son (India) Ltd. p. 264.
  6. ISBN 81-7020-894-7
    .
  7. Horace Hayman Wilson (1840). "Vishnu Purana: Book 1: Chapter XXII". Sacred Texts archive. Archived
    from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  8. ^ Devahar, C R, ed. (1997). "2.47". Kumāra-Sambhava of Kālidāsa. Motilal Banarasidas Publishers. p. 25.

References

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