Praacheen kaal mein Durvasa rishi, apne bhayaanak krodh ke liye prasiddh, ne ek baar devtaon ke raaja Indra ko pavitra pushpon ki maala bhent ki. Mad se choor Indra ne maala laaparvaahi se apne haathi ke sir par rakh di, aur vishaal pashu ne use bhoomi par phenkkar raund diya. Durvasa ke netra krodh se dahak uthe, aur unhone devtaon ko shaap diya: unki mahima, unka saubhaagya, unki Lakshmi unhein tyaag dengi, aur ve bina seenche paudhon ki bhaanti murjha jaayenge. Us din se devta peele aur durbal hone lage, unka tez pheeka pad gaya, aur daanavon ne avsar dekhkar unhein swarg se khaded diya.
Shaap ne sheeghra kaarya kiya. Devtaon ke astra kunthit ho gaye, unke rath mand pad gaye, aur unke netron ka prakaash bujh gaya. Jab daanavon ne aakraman kiya, to jo dev kabhi sankat par hanste the ve ab kutton ke samaksh hiranon ki bhaanti bhaage. Indra kamal-naal mein chhipe, Agni ki jwaala bujh gayi, aur aakaash mein soorya bhi dhundhla prateet hua. Devtaon ki raksha se vanchit teenon lok avyavastha mein pad gaye, aur rishiyon ke yagya anuttarit rahe.
Hataasha mein devta Vishnu ke paas gaye, jinhone unhein saahasik paraamarsh diya: daanavon ke saath milkar Ksheersaagar, doodh ke saagar ka manthan karo, aur uski gehraaiyon se amrit uthega, jo unki shakti punah sthaapit karega. Devtaon ne shatruon se sandhi ki, aur mahaan manthan aarambh hua. Unhone Mandaraachal parvat ko mathaani aur sarparaaj Vasuki ko rassi banaaya, aur swayam Vishnu ne Koorm ka, vishaal kachchhap ka roop liya, taaki jab parvat doobne laga to use apni peeth par dhaaran kar sakein.
Manthan brahmaandiya parimaan ka shram tha, aur jalon se ek-ek karke aashcharya uthe. Pehle ghaatak halaahal vish aaya, jisne samast srishti ke naash ki dhamki di jab tak Shiv ne, apni karuna mein, use peekar kanth mein dhaaran nahin kiya, jo sada ke liye neela ho gaya. Phir chandrama utha, divya ashv Uchchaihshrava, kalpavriksh Paarijaat, divya haathi Airaavat, aur mohini apsaraaen. Pratyek ratn ek ya doosre paksh ne hadap liya, kintu mahaanatam aashcharya abhi aana shesh tha.
Antatah jal phate, aur ve uthin. Lakshmi, saubhaagya ki devi, poorna vikasit kamal par viraajmaan saagar se oopar uthin, alaukik saundarya se damakti huin, chaaron haathon mein kamal-pushp dhaaran kiye. Divya haathiyon ne swarn-paatron se un par pavitra jal daala, rishiyon ne unki stuti ke stotra gaaye, aur teenon lokon ka pratyek praani vismay se dekhta raha, kyonki ve swayam saubhaagya thin, dhan, vaibhav aur kripa ka srot. Devta aur daanav donon ne unki kaamna ki, pratyek aasha karta tha ki ve usi ka paksh chunengi, kintu Lakshmi ka chunaav unka apna tha, jaisa saubhaagya ka chunaav sada hota hai.
Unhone paraakramiyon ki sabha mein drishti daudaayi, aur unke netra Vishnu par thahre, brahmand ke paalankarta par, jo garv ya pakshpaat ke bina samast praaniyon ka paalan karte hain. Ve vismit neeravta mein unke paas chalin aur taaze kamalon ki maala unke gale mein pehna di, unhein apna shaashvat pati chunte hue. Unke aagaman se devtaon ko samriddhi aur tez laut aaya, jinki mahima rishi ke shaap ne chheen li thi. Swarg mein punah dhan behne laga, devtaon ke mukh chamak uthe, aur daanav, jinhone unhein jeetne ki aasha ki thi, rikt haath reh gaye, kyonki saubhaagya chheenne vaalon ke saath nahin balki paalan karne vaalon ke saath nivaas karta hai.
Daanav chillaae ki unhein unke raaja Bali ko chunna chaahiye, jinhone manthan ke doosre chhor ka netritva kiya tha, kintu Lakshmi ne unki or dekha tak nahin. Unhone gehraaiyon se samast manthan dekha tha, aur unhone dekha tha ki kaun samast praaniyon ke liye shram karta hai aur kaun keval apne liye. Devtaon ne lokon ke hit mein Vishnu ki sahaayta maangi thi; daanav keval amrit ke liye jude the. Saubhaagya, swayam pragya hokar, antar pehchaan saka. Tab ve daanav-panktiyon ke paas bina dekhe guzrin aur maala paalankarta ke kandhon par rakh di, aur saagar swayam taali bajaata prateet hua, uski lehrein aanand mein uthin.
Tab se Lakshmi dhan aur saubhaagya ki devi ke roop mein pooji jaati hain, aur Vishnu se unka milan divya kripa ka sansaar ka paalan karne vaali shakti se yog ke roop mein sammaanit hai. Diwali, prakaash-parv par, ghar aur mandir deepon ki panktiyon aur kamal-pushpon se unka swaagat karte hain, praarthna karte hue ki saubhaagya unke saath nivaas karna chune. Yah katha vachan ke roop mein bani hui hai: sachcha saubhaagya bal se chheena ya dhoortata se jeeta nahin jaata, balki apni kripa se unhin ko chunta hai jo sansaar ka paalan aur raksha karte hain.
Is katha ke paatra
- Lakshmi
- Vishnu
