Hinglaj Mata Temple,
Balochistan – Legends
Shakthi
Peethas:
In Hindu
mythology, Daksha Yajna or Daksha-Yaga is an important
event, which is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (sacrifice)
organized by Daksha,
where his daughter Sati immolated herself. The wrath of
god Shiva,
Sati's husband, thereafter destroyed the sacrifice. The tale is also
called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha (destruction of Daksha's sacrifice). The
story forms the basis of the establishment of the Shakti
Peethas, temples of the Hindu Divine Mother. It is also becoming a
prelude to the story of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation who later marries
Shiva. The mythology is mainly told in the Vayu
Purana. It is also mentioned in the Kasi Kanda of
the Skanda Purana, the Kurma
Purana, Harivamsa Purana and Padma
Purana. Linga Purana, Shiva
Purana, and Matsya
Purana also detail the incident.
Sati-Shiva marriage:
Daksha was one of the Prajapati,
son of Brahma,
and among his foremost creations. The name Daksha means "skilled
one". Daksha had two wives: Prasoothi and Panchajani (Virini). Sati (also
known as ‘‘Uma’’) was his youngest daughter; born from Prasoothi (the daughter
of the Prajapati Manu), she was the pet child of Daksha and
he always carried her with him. Sati (meaning truth) is also called Dakshayani
as she followed Daksha’s path; this is derived from the Sanskrit
words Daksha and Ayana (walk or path).
Sati, the youngest daughter of Daksha, was
deeply in love with the god Shiva and wished to become his wife. Her
worship and devotion of Shiva strengthened her immense desire to become his
wife. However, Daksha did not like his daughter’s yearning for Shiva, mainly
because he was a Prajapati and the son of the god Brahma;
his daughter Sati was a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility and their
imperial royal lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva.
As an emperor, Daksha wanted to increase his influence
and power by making marriage alliances with powerful empires and influential
sages and gods. Shiva on the other hand led a very modest life. He lived among
the downtrodden, wore a tiger skin, smeared ashes on his body, had thick locks
of matted hair, and begged with a skull as bowl. His abode was Mount Kailash in
the Himalayas.
He embraced all kinds of living beings and did not make any distinction between
good souls and bad souls.
The Bhutaganas, his followers, consisted of all
kinds of ghosts, demons, ghouls and goblins. He wandered through garden and
graveyard alike. As a consequence, Daksha had aversion towards Shiva being his
daughter’s companion. However, unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had the
revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by
undergoing severe austerities (tapas).
Despite Daksha's disappointment, Sati married Shiva.
Brahma's Yajna:
Once Brahma conducted a huge yajna (sacrifice),
where all the Prajapatis, gods and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and
Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the
yajna and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived,
everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma, Shiva and Sati, stood up
showing reverence for him. Brahma being Daksha's father and Shiva being
Daksha's son-in-law were considered superior in stature to Daksha. Daksha
misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and considered Shiva's gesture as an insult.
Daksha vowed to take revenge on the insult in the same manner.
Daksha Yaga:
Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's yajna.
With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha initiated a great yajna,
similar to that of Brahma. The yajna was to be presided over by the sage Bhrigu.
He invited all the gods, Prajapatis and kings to attend the yajna and
intentionally avoided inviting Shiva and Sati.
Dadhichi – Daksha argument:
The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the
sage Dadhichi and
Daksha. After the sacrifice and hymns where offered to the twelve Aditya
gods; Dadhichi noticed that there was no sacrificial portion (Havvis) allotted
to Shiva and his wife, and no Vedic hymns were used in the yajna addressing
Shiva which were part of Vedic hymns. He warned Daksha that he should not alter
the Holy Vedas for personal reasons; the priests and sages supported this.
Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so and insulted Shiva. Dadhichi
left the yajna because of this argument.
Sati's Death:
Sati came to know about the grand yajna organized by her
father and asked Shiva to attend the yajna. Shiva refused her request, saying
that it was inappropriate to attend a function without being invited. He
reminded her that she was now his wife more than Daksha’s daughter and, after
marriage, is a member of Shiva’s family rather than Daksha’s. The feeling of
her bond to her parents overpowered the social etiquette she had to follow. She
even had a notion that there was no need to have received an invitation in order
to attend as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter and no formality existed
between them.
She constantly pleaded and urged Shiva to let her attend
the ceremony and became adamant in her demands without listening to the reasons
Shiva provided for not attending the function. He allowed Sati to go to her
parents' home, along with his followers including Nandi,
and attend the ceremony, but refused to accompany with her. Upon arriving, Sati
tried to meet her parents and sisters; Daksha was arrogant and avoided
interacting with Sati. He repeatedly snubbed her in front of all the
dignitaries, but Sati maintained her composure.
Because of Sati’s persistence in trying to meet him,
Daksha reacted vehemently, insulting her in front of all the other guests at
the ceremony to which she had not been invited. He called Shiva an atheist and
cremation ground dweller. As planned, he took advantage of the situation and
continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati felt deep remorse for
not listening to her beloved husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and
especially her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests was growing each
moment she stood there. The shameless insult and humiliation of her and her
beloved, eventually became too much to bear.
She cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her
and Shiva and reminded him that his haughty behavior had blinded his intellect.
She cursed him and warned that the wrath of Shiva would destroy him and his
empire. Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati committed suicide by jumping
into the sacrificial fire. The onlookers tried to save her, but it was too
late. They were only able to retrieve the half-burnt body of Sati.
Daksha's pride in being a Prajapati and his prejudice
against his son-in-law created a mass hatred within himself, which resulted in
the death of his daughter. The Nandi and the accompanying Bhootaganas left the
yajna place after the incident. Nandi cursed the participants and Bhrigu
reacted by cursing the Bhootaganas back.
Destruction of the Yajna by Lord Shiva:
Lord Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's
death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he realized how Daksha had
viciously plotted a treachery against him; but it was his innocent wife who fell
into the trap instead of him. Shiva learned of Daksha’s callous behavior
towards Sati. Shiva's rage became so intense that he plucked a lock of hair
from his head and smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his leg.
Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings Virabhadra and
Bhadrakali (Rudrakali)
emerged. Lord Shiva ordered them to kill Daksha and destroy the yajna.
The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with the
Bhutaganas, reached the yajna spot. The invitees renounced the yajna and
started running away from the turmoil. Sage Bhrigu created an army with his
divine penance powers to resist Shiva’s attack and protect the yajna. Bhrigu’s
army was demolished and the entire premises were ravaged. All those who
participated, even the other Prajapatis and the gods, were mercilessly beaten,
wounded or even slaughtered.
The Vayu Purana mentions the attack of Bhutaganas:
the nose of some goddesses were cut, Yama's
staff bone was broken, Mitra's
eyes were pulled out, Indra was trampled by Virabhadra and
Bhutaganas, Pushan's
teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily, all of the
Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard
was cut off. Daksha was caught and decapitated, the attack culminated when the
Bhutaganas started plucking out Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory
souvenir.
The Vayu Purana do not mention the
decapitation of Daksha, instead it says Yagna,
the personification of yajna took the form of an antelope and jumped towards
the sky. Virabhadra captured it and decapitated Yagna. Daksha begs mercy from
the Parabrahmam (the
Supreme Almighty who is formless), who rose from the yajna fire and forgives
Daksha. The Parabrahmam informs Daksha that Shiva is in fact a manifestation of
Parabrahmam. Daksha then becomes a great devotee of Shiva. The Linga
Purana and Bhagavatha Purana mention the
decapitation of Daksha.
Certain other puranas like Harivamsa, Kurma,
and Skanda narrate the story from the perspective of the
Vaishnava-Shaiva community feud prevalent in ancient times. In these puranas,
there are fights between Vishnu and Shiva or Virabhadra, with various victors
throughout. The story of Daksha Yaga in Vaishnava and Shaiva puranas
end with the surrendering of Daksha to the Parabrahmam or with the destruction
of yajna and decapitation of Daksha.
Aftermath:
As the obstruction of the yajna will create havoc and
severe ill effects on the nature, Brahma and the god Vishnu went
to the grief-stricken Lord Shiva. They comforted and showed their sympathy
towards Shiva. They requested him to come to the yajna location and pacify the
Bhutaganas and allow the Yaga to be completed; Shiva agreed. Shiva found the
burnt body of Sati. Shiva gave permission to continue yajna. Daksha was
absolved by Shiva and the head of a ram (Male goat) meant for yajna was fixed
on the decapitated body of Daksha and gave his life back. The yajna was
completed successfully.
The later story is an epilogue to the story of Daksha
yajna mentioned in Shakta Puranas like Devi Bhagavata Purana, Kalika
Purana and the folklores of various regions. Shiva was so distressed and
could not part from his beloved wife. He took the corpse of Sati and wandered
around the universe. To reduce Shiva's grief, Vishnu cuts Sati's corpse as per
Vaishnava Puranas; whose parts fell on the places Shiva wandered. The Shaiva
version says that her body disintegrated on its own and the parts fell while
Shiva was carrying Sati's corpse in various places. The head of Goddess Sati
fell here.
These places commemorating each body part came to be
known as the Shakti Peethas. Shakti
Peethas are holy abode of the Mother Goddess. Each temple have
shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava.
There are 51 Shakti Peethas, representing the 51 letters of Sanskrit.
Some of the puranas which came in later ages gave more importance to their
supreme deity (depending on Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta sects) in their
literature. Shiva went to isolation and solitude for ages and wandered all
around until Sati reincarnated as Parvati,
the daughter of the King Himavan. Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities
and gave away all her royal privileges and went to forest. Shiva tested her
affection and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati is Sati herself.
Shiva later on married Parvati.
Hinglaj
Devi protected Kshatriyas from Parasurama persecution:
As per the popular folklore of Treta
Yuga, a virtuous Haihaya king of Mahishmati of Malwa region,
Sahastrabahu Arjuna or Sahastararjun, more widely known as Kartavirya
Arjuna drunk with power and sense of invincibility ends up
killing the great Brahman sage Jamadagni over
a sacred cow Kamadhenu. Furious at this heinous crime, son
of Jamadagni, Lord Parashurama vows to vanquish the Kshatriya clan
from Earth. Wielding his divine Axe, he eliminates Sahastararjun and later on,
he rages on earth 21 times, each time decimating unvirtuous and unworthy kings
wherever he went.
Terrified with the prospect of death at Lord Parashuram,
the progeny of Sahastararjun seek Janaka Maharaj,
one of the most learned king of Videha
who advises them to seek Hinglaja Mata's blessing. The clan devotedly pray to
Devi at Hinglaj, Hinglaj Devi assures them shelter in her place. Over time,
when Lord Parashuram visits this place, he was pleasantly surprised to see
Kshatriya clan involved in many Brahmanical activities having shed their arms.
Hinglaj Mata intervenes on their behalf, and since then the clan disowned arms.
Lord Parashuram not only taught them scriptures and
Vedas, but also weaving for a living. The clan with a sense of relief then
branches out and spread across Sindh, Panjab, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, and later on to South India, such as Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka.
And where ever they went, they continued worshiping Hinglaj Devi. Bhavasars, Barot
(caste), Shimpis and Khatris of
Somavansha Sahasrarjun Kshatriya trace their origin to this clan.
Some of those who remained in Sindh province later on
converted to Islam. Of note, even today, they are one of the oldest non-Brahmin
clans who had knowledge of Vedas. To this day, many works as weavers and
tailors. Amba Bhavani or Jagadamba is considered as one of the later
incarnations of Hinglaj Devi is worshipped by the same communities in Western
India.
Family
Deity of Brahma Kshatriyas:
The Brahma
Kshatriyas venerate Hinglaj Mata as their family
deity. They believe that when the god Parashurama was
persecuting kshatriyas (the warrior caste), some Brahmins (priest
caste) provided protection to 12 kshatriyas and disguised them as Brahmins, and
they were protected by Hinglaj Mata.
Hinglaj
Mata ordered Parasurama to end his killing spree:
As per another legend, sage Dadhichi provided
protection to Ratna Sena, a king ruling in Sind, in
his ashram (hermitage).
However, Parashurama killed him when he ventured out. His sons remained in the
ashram. When Parashurama visited the ashram, they were disguised as Brahmins.
One of them, Jayasena, returned to Sind to rule the kingdom, armed with a
protective mantra of
Hinglaj Mata, given by Dadhici. Hinglaj Mata protected Jayasena and ordered
Parashurama to end his killing spree.
Lord
Ram's pilgrimage to Hinglaj:
After killing Ravana,
Lord Rama returns
from exile to ascend to the throne of Ayodhya. A sage Kumbodhar explains
that to cleanse himself of this sin, Rama should make a pilgrimage to Hinglaj
Mata, the only place that can purify him. Rama follows the advice and
immediately leaves with his army for Hinglaj. Sita, Lakshmana,
and Hanuman also
accompany him. At the mountain pass, the Goddess’s army, which guards the entry
to the Sacred Valley of Hinglaj stopped them and a war broke out between them
in which goddess's army defeated Ram's army and told his army must retreat.
When Rama sends a messenger to the Goddess to inquire
why she fought him, she responds that he must return to his first stop, which
is now called Ram Bagh, and make the journey again as a simple pilgrim.
So, Lord Rama leaves his entourage, his army, and vehicles behind and sets out
to walk to the shrine, accompanied only by his closest friends. Rama’s men are
devastated at not being allowed to accompany their lord to the Goddess’s abode.
The Devi thus promises them that their descendants will,
at some point in time, all come back to do the pilgrimage. For guidance through
the harsh desert, Rama calls on the pious Lalu Jasraj, a hermit who resides
nearby at some hot springs, to be their guide for the yatra. Only now does the
Goddess allow the group to cross the pass. After walking a few kilometres, Sita
becomes thirsty in the burning desert heat and requests Hanuman and Lakshmana to
bring her water.
Hanuman tries to extract water from the soil by stomping
his foot violently on the ground, but this produces only a dry riverbed. With
the same aim, Lakshmana shoots an arrow into the mountain range but only
succeeds in detaching one of the hills. In agony, Sita places her palm down on
the soil and thereby makes five wells appear, from which the group drinks. These
five wells are known as Seeta Koowas. The river followed by a series of
five wells reportedly produced either by the power of Sita or by Hinglaj
herself. But any of these landmarks are not seen today.
After a physically challenging journey, Rama reaches the
shrine of the Goddess, and the Devi grants him purification of his sin. To mark
the end of his Yatra, he carves the symbols of the sun and moon on
the mountain opposite the temple which can be seen even today. Hinglaj
pilgrims before going to Hinglaj goes to Khari Nadi, where people take a bath
in the ocean and worship Rama.
Marutirtha
Hinglaj:
Since the shrine is located in a desert which is called
Maru in Sanskrit,
the shrine is referred to in holy texts as "Marutirtha Hinglaj" which
means Hinglaj, the Shrine of the Desert.
Slayer
of Hingol:
Another legend is that Devi killed
Hingol, a demon, as he tormented the people. She followed Hingol to the cave,
which is currently the Hinglaj Mata shrine. Before he was killed, Hingol
requested the goddess to name the place after him, which she granted.
Hingula:
The stone is smeared with Sindoor (vermilion),
which possibly gives the location its Sanskrit name
Hingula, which is the root of the present-day name Hinglaj.
Other
Names of Shrine:
The shrine is known as Hingula, Hingalaja, Hinglaja, and
Hingulata in Hindu scriptures, particularly in Sanskrit.
Other
Names of Goddess:
The goddess is known as Hinglaj Mata (the Mother
Hinglaj), Hinglaj Devi (the Goddess Hinglaj), Hingula Devi (the red goddess or
the Goddess of Hingula) and Kottari or Kotavi.
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