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Spirituality

The cursed moon and the

blessed Bilva
Chandra was disappointed at the thought
of waxing and waning. His crescent shape
would just be a constant reminder of the
curse.

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Image used for representational purpose only

Express News Service

Updated on: 03 Dec 2017, 6:40 pm 4 min read

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09 Feb 2025
Chandra, was born three times, which
is why he also came to be known as Don’t mistake the map for the
Trijanmi. The first time, he was territory

created by Brahma, and the second Anil Bhatnagar 09 Feb 2025

time, he emerged from the eyes of

Sage Atri. Chandra’s radiance became
 so powerful and intolerable that he How could baby Krishna
Feb 13, 2025 1:04 AME-PAPER defeat demons?
was immersed in an ocean of milk to
Gaurav Yadav 09 Feb 2025
ensure WORLD
NATION the world’s survival.
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another event, which involved the Mahakumbh 2025: Ascetics
begin Agni Snan Sadhana on
churning of the ocean by the asuras
Basant Panchami
and the devas, Chandra was reborn
Namita Bajpai 03 Feb 2025
and released, along with Goddess
Lakshmi. Chandra came to be known
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as Lakshmi’s brother.

Among his 27 wives, Daksha’s

daughters, Chandra was especially
fond of his fourth wife, Rohini, and
spent most of his time with her. The
other wives resented his indifference
 to them and complained about it to
Feb 13, 2025 1:04 AM E-PAPER
their father. Daksha immediately
cursed Chandra.
NATION WORLD ‘May your
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decline with the passing of each day,’
he said, losing his temper as usual.

Now the daughters regretted telling

Daksha what they had. Their intention
was not to punish Chandra—all they
wanted was his attention. What if
their husband simply disappeared one
day along with his powers?

Chandra begged Daksha to take the

curse back. But once a curse is uttered,
no one can revoke it. ‘I am sorry, son,’
Daksha said. ‘There is nothing that I
can do now. Perhaps if you pray to
Shiva, he may help you.’

Holding on to this slim ray of hope,

Chandra went to the famed holy
ground Prabhas Patan, established a
linga and prayed earnestly to Shiva.
Pleased with Chandra’s devotion,
Shiva appeared and said, ‘Chandra, I
empathise with your plight and,
though I cannot reverse Daksha’s
curse, I can soften it to some extent.
From this day onward, you will
increase in brightness for 15 days in
Shukla Paksha and then wane for 15
days in Krishna Paksha. You will fill
the world with your radiance on full
moon days and disappear on new
moon days.’
 Chandra was disappointed at the
Feb 13, 2025 1:04 AM E-PAPER
thought of waxing and waning. His
crescent
NATION shape STATES
WORLD would justOPINIONS
be a CITIES BUSINESS SPORT
constant reminder of the curse and his
reduced strength! Shiva consoled him
by saying, ‘My dear child, the crescent
indicates that you will still retain
some of your powers. I will wear your
crescent in
my hair to show my devotees that they
are dear to me even in their lowest
moments. That way you will be my
constant companion.’

Thus Shiva came to be known as

Chandrasekhar, or ‘the one with
Chandra mounted on his head’.
The moon came to be known as Soma
and one day of the week—Somvar or
Monday—was dedicated to him. The
linga that Chandra worshipped
became famous as the pilgrimage site
of Somnath in Gujarat. Generous
donations were made to this site,
which was later plundered 17 times.
This linga is considered to be the first
jyotirlinga in our country.

Those 27 wives of Chandra are the

constellations surrounding the
moon’s orbit, and are frequently
referred to as nakshatras or stars. The
names of these nakshatras—for
example, Kritika, Rohini and
Ashwinin—are still an important part
of the Hindu calendar.
 ***
Feb 13, 2025 1:04 AM E-PAPER
Mandara the mountain was a great
devoteeWORLD
NATION of Parvati because
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kindness and the fact that she was the
daughter of the king of mountains.
Parvati lived with her husband, Shiva,
on Mount Kailash but Mandara longed
for her presence on his mountain.

One day, Shiva and Parvati danced for

many hours on end. Finally tired,
Parvati stopped to rest, wiping the
sweat off her forehead with her hand.
The droplets fell on Mandara and a
sapling sprang up there, growing
taller and stronger until it became a
beautiful tree within a few months.
Nobody had ever seen this tree before.
Each of its twigs sprouted three leaves
and it also bore fruit.

Mandara took some twigs to Parvati.

When he met her, he asked, ‘This tree
was born of your sweat. What must I
do with it?’Parvati looked at the twigs
and the leaves thoughtfully. ‘What a
wonderful tree!’ she exclaimed. ‘The
three leaves indicate the three eyes of
Lord Shiva and the three stages of all
existence—birth, the journey of life
and death. They also represent the
three realms—heaven, earth and the
world below. So three is an auspicious
number.’
She beamed at Mandara and
continued, ‘Your faith and devotion
pleases me. This tree will be called the
 Bilva tree and the leaves, Bilva patra.
Feb 13, 2025 1:04 AM E-PAPER
Everyone must pray to Shiva with
these leaves.
NATION WORLD And since weOPINIONS
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inseparable, worshipping in this
manner also means worshipping me.
You will always have the Bilva tree on
your mountain.’

Mandara couldn’t contain his

happiness and prostrated himself
before the beautiful goddess. His
prayers had been answered. This is
why Bilva leaves are used as an
offering to Shiva even today.
Extracted from The Man from the Egg,
Unusual Tales About the Trinity by
Sudha Murty, published by Puffin
Books (Penguin Random House,
India), MRP: `250

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