Ambaji
Temple, Ambaji – Legends
Sakthi 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 behaviour
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 heart 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.
Down Hill Ambaji Temple:
Once, the King of Danta, who
was probably tired of climbing up the hill to worship Ambaji, requested the
Goddess to shift to Danta. The Goddess agreed to the request with one
condition: the King should not stop on the way to Danta and he should not look
back even once till he reached Danta. If he did, she would root herself to the
spot where he stopped or turned to look back. She would stay in the place
forever.
The king accepted the
condition and he led the way down the hill towards Danta. He heard the Goddess
anklets tinkling from time to time convincing him that she was following him.
After a while, the King realised that he could not hear the anklets and doubts
crept in. He decided to stop and take a quick look. Goddess did not come
further and stopped at that place
itself. The spot where the King stopped to turn and look back became the site
for the Ambaji Temple at downhill.
Maha
Maya:
As per legend, Mangal and his wife, a devotee couple of
Mata Ambaji used to go near Gabbar hill for grazing their cows. Once, they saw
an unknown white cow, usually grazing near their ones and then disappearing
over Gabbar Hill. They decided to follow this cow and went on the hills of
Gabbar. They reached the top at night and found a beautiful palace. The doors
of the palace got opened by the voice of the cow. The couples found Adi Shakthi
sitting in her palace. The couples
requested remuneration from Amba Mata, for the service of grazing the white
cow.
Mother gave them some grains of Barley, but they threw
the invaluable grains on the hills of Gabbar. They found some of the grains are
made of gold in the morning. They repented for their act and went back on the
hills to see Ambaji and begged for mercy. Mother got pleased and graced them to
reincarnate as their daughter in future. As per Mother boon, the couple born
again as Nand & Yashoda, the foster parents of Lord Krishna. Mata
Ambaji reincarnated as their daughter Maha Maya, who
disappeared in jail, after warning Raja Kansa.
Origin
of Navratri Festival:
As per legend, Princess Rukmani had worshiped her Kul
Devi Mata Ambika on the mountain of Gabbar Hill on the Full Moon Day
Purnima of the month of Bhadrapad, in order to invite her beloved Lord Krishna,
to abduct her from her Swayamvara to marry. Mother blessed her. Rukmini married
Lord Krishna and became regal queen of his Kingdom. Rukmini started the
Navaratri festival for first time in gratitude to Mother Ambaji in Dwaraka.
Powerful
Arrow Ajay:
As per a legend, Lord Rama and Laxman came to Ashram of
Shrungi Rishi in search of Sita, where they were advised to worship Ambaji at
Gabbar. Rama worshiped Ambaji as advised. Mother Ambaji blessed Lord Rama with
a powerful arrow Ajay. He used this arrow in his war with Ravana and
effectively killed him.
Pandavas
worshipped goddess Ambaji during their exile:
The Pandavas worshipped goddess Ambaji during their
exile. She gave Bhimsen a garland called Ajaymala which would ensure victory in
battles. She also gave Arjun divine costumes for disguise as Brihannal in their
last year of exile while hiding at the court of Virata.
Mundan Ceremony
of Lord Krishna:
As per legend, the Mundan ceremony (head shaving
ceremony) of Lord Krishna was conducted in Gabbar Hill. The ceremony was
conducted in presence of his foster parents Nand and Yashoda, who had worshiped
Ambaji and Lord Shiva.
Sword of
Rana Pratap:
Maha Rana Pratap,
famous Rajput King of Mewar, was an ardent devotee of Arasuri Amba
Bhawani. It is believed that he was once saved by Ambaji, so he had gifted
his famous sword to the holy feet of Ambaji.
References
in Puranic Scriptures:
As per puranic scriptures, Gabbar Tirth is situated on
the bank of the origin of the Vedic river Saraswathi, in the hills of
Arasur in Ambika forest, towards south-west side to old hills of Aravalli.
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