Kurma Bane Manthan ka Aadhaar

Bahut samay pehle, jab devta swarg mein vaibhav ke saath raaj karte the, unke raja Indra abhimaani aur laaparwaah ho gaye. Ek din apne bhayankar krodh ke liye prasiddh maharshi Durvasa ne Indra ko aashirvaad swaroop pavitra phoolon ki ek maala bhent ki. Indra ne woh maala laaparwaahi se apne haathi Airavat ke sir par daal di, jisne use neeche giraakar raund daala. Durvasa ka krodh bhadak utha, aur unhone devtaon ko shaap diya: unki shakti, saubhaagya aur tez phoote ghade ke paani ki tarah beh jaayega. Us din se devi Lakshmi ne swarg se mukh mod liya, aur devta kamzor hone lage. Unke shatruon, raja Bali ke netritva waale asuron ne yeh badlaav turant bhaanp liya. Ek ke baad ek yuddh devtaon ke viruddh gaye, jab tak asuron ne unhe swarg se khadedkar unke sinhaasan nahi chheen liye. Ant mein Indra devtaon ko lekar Brahma ke paas gaye, jo unhe ksheer saagar par vishraam kar rahe Vishnu ke paas le gaye. Vishnu ne unki praarthna suni aur ek vichitra yojana bataayi. Unhone kaha, ab tum bal se asuron ko nahi hara sakte, isliye unse sandhi kar lo. Prastaav rakho ki devta aur asur milkar ksheer saagar ka manthan karein, jisse amrit niklega — amaratva ka ras. Amrit ke lobh mein asur maan jaayenge. Lekin daro mat, Vishnu ne joda. Main dekh loonga ki amrit keval tumhe mile. Devta prastaav lekar Bali ke paas gaye, aur Bali maan gaye, kyunki asur bhi sada jeevit rehne ka sapna dekhte the. Dono senaayein ksheer saagar ke tat par ja pahunchin. Unhe saagar mathne laayak mathaani chahiye thi, aur unhone Mandarachal parvat ko chuna. Devtaon aur asuron ne milkar use uthaane ki koshish ki, lekin woh haathon se phisalkar gira aur bahuton ko kuchal gaya. Tab Vishnu swayam aaye, parvat ko khilaune ki tarah uthaaya, aur apne mahaan Garud par rakh diya, jo use saagar ke beechonbeech le gaya. Nagraj Vasuki manthan-rajju banne ko taiyaar ho gaye aur parvat ko apne shareer se lapet liya. Asuron ne saanp ke sir waala chhor pakad liya, jabki Vishnu ne chupke se devtaon ko poonchh waala chhor pakadne ki salaah di, kyunki saanp ki saans vishaili thi. Manthan shuru hua — brahmaandiya paimaane par rassakashi. Lekin jald hi vipatti aayi. Parvat ke neeche koi aadhaar nahi tha, aur apne hi bheeshan bhaar se woh saagar ki talhatti mein dhansne laga. Manthan thahar gaya, aur dono paksha niraash dekhte reh gaye. Tab Vishnu ne Kurma ka roop dhara — akalpaniya aakaar ka ek kachhua. Ve doobte parvat ke neeche gaye aur saagar ki talhatti mein jam gaye, aur mahaan parvat unki chaudi peeth par tik gaya. Manthan phir shuru hua, parvat kachhue ki peeth par takue ki tarah ghoomne laga. Vishnu yahin nahi ruke. Apne ek ansh se unhone upar se parvat ko sthir rakha, aur doosre ansh se dono pakshon ke beech adrishya ghoomte hue unki thaki baanhon ko bal dete rahe. Is prakaar mahaan kaarya chalta raha — upar kheenchate haathon se aur neeche ek maun, dhairyavaan peeth se. Jaise-jaise manthan gehraaya, saagar ne apne aashcharya aur bhay diye. Sabse pehle halahal vish nikla — itna ghaatak ki uski bhaap saare lokon ko nasht kar sakti thi. Devta aur asur rassi chhodkar Shiv ke paas bhaage aur srishti bachaane ki praarthna ki. Shiv ne vish ko apni anjali mein lekar pee gaye. Unki patni Parvati ne unke gale par haath rakh diya taaki vish aage na badhe, aur woh wahin thaharkar unke gale ko gehra neela kar gaya. Usi din se ve Neelkanth kahlaaye. Manthan phir shuru hua, aur ek-ek karke ratna nikle: Kamadhenu ichchha-poorak gaay, divya ashva Uchaishrava, shwet haathi Airavat, Kaustubh mani, Parijaat vriksha, nritya karti apsaraayein, aur phir swayam Lakshmi, usha ki tarah deeptimaan, jinhone Vishnu ko apna swaami chuna. Ant mein Dhanvantari uthe, divya vaidya, ooncha uthaaye chamakta amrit-kalash. Asuron ne jaise hi amrit dekha, lobh ne unka vachan nigal liya. Ve kalash chheenkar bhaage. Lekin Vishnu ke paas ek aur roop baaki tha. Ve Mohini bane — aisi manohar stri ki asur amrit bhoolkar moorkhon ki tarah dekhte reh gaye. Meethe vachanon se unhone asuron ko mana liya ki wahi amrit ka nyaaypoorn bantwaara karengi. Mohit asur maan gaye. Mohini ne amrit pehle devtaon ko pilaaya, pankti-dar-pankti, jabki asur aagyakaari bachchon ki tarah prateeksha karte rahe. Ek asur, Rahu ne chhal samajh liya aur vesh badalkar devtaon mein baith gaya, aur amrit ki ek boond uske hothon ko chhoo gayi. Surya aur Chandrama ne use pehchaankar chillaaye. Vishnu ka chakra chamka aur Rahu ka sir kat gaya, lekin amrit uske gale tak pahunch chuka tha, isliye uska sir Rahu aur dhad Ketu ke roop mein jeevit raha — ve chhaaya-grah jo aaj bhi Surya aur Chandrama ka peechha karte hain. Devtaon ne amrit piya aur unki shakti sau guna laut aayi. Ve asuron par toot pade aur unhe swarg se khaded diya, aur teenon lokon mein vyavastha laut aayi. Aur in sabke beech, laharon ke neeche, Kurma ne apna dhairyapoorn sthaan banaaye rakha tha — ab tak ke sabse mahaan kaarya ka sabse bhaari bojh uthaaye, koi prashansa na maangte hue. Duniya unhe neeche waale us shaant sahaare ke roop mein yaad karti hai, jiske bina upar kuchh bhi ghoom hi nahi sakta tha.