Social media, in the Yuga we live in, has blessed us with the luxury of ranting whatever pleases our wits. But only if such a luxury was adopted by the Vedic legends, trust us we wouldn’t have needed nuclear weapons to ignite a catastrophe into the world.
Back in the Vedic days, the Gurus, Gods, and even the demons used curses (Shraaps) as a deterrence tool. And we here have listed some of the most interesting of those curses, which only changed the lives of people but also the course of the war.
It is a no hidden fact that how in the eternal fight between the Devas and the Asuras, the Devas usally were undefeated. With the regret and shame that came from seeing the loss of the Asuras, Shukra Acharya (the Guru of Asuras) got very upset. It was then he decided to please Lord Shiva to gain mritasanjeevani, that would have made the Asuras more powerful than the Devas.
As Shukra Acharya went out for his meditation, the asuras took refugee at the ashram of Rishi Bhrigu. One day when Bhrigu was out, the Devas, using the absence of Bhrigu, took the opportunity to attack the asuras camping at Bhrigu’s home. However, the wife of Bhirgu was present at the space who not only saved the Asuras but also immobile Indra (one of the Devas who came to kill asuras).
All the deities, then went to Vishnu to seek help to recover Indra. Lord Vishnu, agreeing to help, went to Bhrigu’s home to retrieve Indra. There, he bumped into Bhrighu’s wife and cut her head using his Sudarshana Chakra.
On returning, and comprehending the loss of her wife, Bhrighu cursed Vishnu that he would be born again and again to suffer the pain of worldly life. This is the reason why Vishnu has taken so many forms to date, one among which was of Sri Krishna.
After the battle of Kurukshetra, Yudhishthira was performing the last rites of all his lost family members. Among all the lost was also Karna who was Yudhishthira’s brother. However, Yudhishthira’s mother, for so many years, had hidden the truth from Yudhishthira that Karna was his brother.
Upset about the same, in a sobbing tone, he cursed the womanhood that no one of them will ever be able to keep a secret ever after. Maybe this is why women are usually less trusted with secrets
Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu, was killed in the course of the war. But only a few know that it was Jayadrath who had killed Abhimanyu. Angered by the loss of his beloved son, Arjuna had vowed that he would kill the one who had killed his son before the sunset of the next day.
However, Lord Krishna was aware of the fact that when Jayadrath was born, an astrologer had predicted and told his father that his son will die a terrible death where his head would be slain. In a countermeasure, Jayadrath’s father, Vriddhakshatra, had narrated a curse that who so ever slays the head of his son to roll down on the ground, his own head too shall burst into fragments.
During the war, Krishna advised Arjuna to hurl arrows and cut Jayadrath’s head in such a way that the same fells on the lap of his father. Krishna did the same and as Jayadrath’s head fell in his father’s lap, he threw it on the ground out of horror, and as cursed by himself, Vriddhakshatra’s head burst into a hundred fragments.
Jaya and Vijaya were the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha (celestial abode of Lord Vishnu). Once, the adobe was visited by four Kumaras. Unknown of their identity, Jaya and Vijaya stopped the Kumaras from entering Vaikuntha.
The four Kumaras got angered by the disrespect subjected to them. It was then they cursed Jaya and Vijaya to leave Vaikuntha. The terrified Jaya and Vijaya, went to Vishnu to plead him to reverse the curse, but Vishnu was unable to do so.
However, Vishnu offered Jaya and Vijaya two choices: either they could be born as a devotee of Vishnu in seven births or enemies of Vishnu in three Births. Jaya and Vijaya, with a motive to stay away from Vishnu, choose the latter.
Later, Jaya and Vijaya took birth as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha; Ravana and Kumbhakarna; and Dantavakra and Shishupala respectively. Here, you can say that Jaya and Vijaya experience curse and blessing both together.
Ahalya, who was the daughter of Brahma, was married to Maharishi Gautam. When once Maharishi Gautam was out of town, Indra took his form to enter his home. Ahalya was not able to recognise the foul play by Indra and lost her chastity. Later when Rishi arrived and was made aware of the deed. He got furious and it was then he cursed Indra to have 1000 vaginas all over his body.
It was after a lot of pleading, Gautam turned those vaginas into eyes. Rishi gave one curse to his wife too. He turned her into a stone and cursed her that only when Lord Ram touches her, she would come back in her original form.
As per the legends. Karna was the spiritual yet abandoned son of Surya and princess Kunti. However, Surya wasn’t aware of this fact in the earlier days of his life.
Karna was raised by, as legends say, a low-caste charioteer and thus when he went to Droona to learn archery, he was sent back because he was not a Kshatriya. Thereafter, Karna went to Lord Parashurama to learn war skills. There, he lied to Parashurama that he is a Brahmin.
One day, when Lord Parashurama was sleeping with his head on Karna’s lap, Karna took the bite of a Scorpio and didn’t disturb the guru. This made Parashurama realise that only a Kashritya can tolerate such pain.
It was then he cured Parashurama that he will forget the skills he had acquired when he will need them the most. The curse thus became the reason why Karna, along with others, lost in the battle of Kurukshetra.
You must all have heard of the dialogue, “Ashwatthama hai apun, kbhi nhi marega”. But do you know who Ashwatthama is and why he never dies? Ashwatthama is the son of Guru Drona. Though Guru Drona trained the Pandavas, however, Drona’s son, Ashwatthama, fought against the Pandavas.
At the end of the battle of Kurukshetra, Ashwatthama hurled a Brahmastra towards the womb of Uttara (wife of Abhimanyu) who was carrying Abhimanyu’s son (Parikshit) in an attempt to end the lineage of Pandavas.
However, Sri Krishna saved Uttara and cursed Ashwatthama of immortality smeared with pain and sorrow, for attacking a woman.
Lord Krishna cursed Ashwatthama that he will carry the sins of all and roam alone like a ghost without any love till the end of the kaliyuga. His body was cursed to suffer from diseases.
It is believed that in Kaliyuga, his name will be “Suryakanta”. Thus, Ashwatthama will be in search of death every moment, and yet he will never die. At the end of Kali Yuga, Ashwatthama is to meet Sri Kalki, the tenth and final avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Also Read: Why did King Ravana once capture all the 9 planets & how were they rescued?
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