Uchaishravas
Encyclopedia
In Hindu mythology
, Uchchaihshravas or (उच्चैःश्रवा; Uccaiḥśravā) is a seven-headed flying horse, that was obtained during the churning of the milk ocean
. It is considered the best of horses, prototype and king of horses. Uchchaihshravas is often described as a vahana
("vehicle") of Indra
- the god-king of heaven, but is also recorded to be the horse of Bali
, the king of demons. Uchchaihshravas is said to be snow white in colour
.
George Harrison
's Dark Horse Records
music label uses a logo inspired by Uchchaihshravas.
mentions that Uchchaihshravas rose from the Samudra manthan
("churning of the milk ocean") and Indra
- the god-king of heaven seized it and made it his vehicle (vahana
). He rose from the ocean along with other treasures like goddess Lakshmi
- the goddess of fortune, taken by god Vishnu
as his consort and the amrita
- the elixir of life. The legend of Uchchaihshravas, rising from the milking ocean also appears in the Vishnu Purana
, Ramayana
, Matsya Purana
, Vayu Purana
etc. While various scriptures give different lists of treasures (ratnas) those appeared from the churning of the milk ocean, most of them agree that Uchchaihshravas was one of them.
Uchchaihshravas is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita
(10.27, which is part of the Mahabharata), a discourse by god Krishna
- an Avatar
of Vishnu - to Arjuna
. When Krishna declares to the source of the universe, he declares that among flying horses, he is Uchchaihshravas - who is born from the amrita. The 12th century Hariharacaturanga records once Brahma
, the creator-god, performed a sacrifice, out of which rose a winged white horse called Uchchaihshravas. Uchchaihshravas again rose out of the milking ocean and was taken by the king of the demons (Asura
) Bali
, who used it to attain many impossible things. Vishnu Purana
records when Prithu
was installed as the first king on earth, others were also given kingship responsibilities. Uchchaihshravas was then made the king of horses.
Mahabharata also mentions about a bet between sisters and wives of Kashyapa - Vinata
and Kadru
about the colour of Uchchaihshravas's tail. While Vinata - the mother of Garuda
and Aruna
said it was white, while Kadru said it was black. The loser would have serve a servant of the winner. Kadru told her Naga
("serpent") sons to cover the tail of the horse and thus make it appear as black in colour and thus, Kadru won. Kumarasambhava
by Kalidas, narrates that Uchchaihshravas, the best of horses and symbol of Indra's glory was robbed by the demon Tarakasura from heaven.
Devi Bhagavata Purana narrates that once Revanta
, the sun-god Surya
's son came to god Vishnu's abode, riding Uchchaihshravas. Seeing Uchchaihshravas - her brother's brilliant form, Lakshmi was mesmerized and ignored a question asked by Vishnu. Suspecting that Lakshmi lusted for Uchchaihshravas and thus ignored him, Vishnu cursed her to be born as a mare in her next birth.
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
, Uchchaihshravas or (उच्चैःश्रवा; Uccaiḥśravā) is a seven-headed flying horse, that was obtained during the churning of the milk ocean
Samudra manthan
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan or Ksheera Sagara Mathanam, Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas...
. It is considered the best of horses, prototype and king of horses. Uchchaihshravas is often described as a vahana
Vahana
Vāhana denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular deva is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's mount. Upon the partnership between the deva and his vāhana is woven much iconography and mythology...
("vehicle") of Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
- the god-king of heaven, but is also recorded to be the horse of Bali
Mahabali
Mahabali , also known as Bali or Māveli was a benevolent Asura King, and the grandson of Prahlada. The festival of Onam commemorates his yearly homecoming after being sent down to the underworld by Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu.-Conquest of the Universe and banishment:Bali, an asura, was the...
, the king of demons. Uchchaihshravas is said to be snow white in colour
White horse (mythology)
White horses have a special significance in the mythologies of cultures around the world. They are often associated with the sun chariot, with warrior-heroes, with fertility , or with an end-of-time saviour, but other interpretations exist as well...
.
George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records
Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by George Harrison in 1974.-History:Harrison had recorded for EMI under a contract which expired in 1976. All his subsequent recordings were released through Dark Horse Records, starting with Thirty Three & 1/3 in 1976 and ending with Live in Japan in 1992...
music label uses a logo inspired by Uchchaihshravas.
Legends and textual references
MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
mentions that Uchchaihshravas rose from the Samudra manthan
Samudra manthan
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan or Ksheera Sagara Mathanam, Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas...
("churning of the milk ocean") and Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
- the god-king of heaven seized it and made it his vehicle (vahana
Vahana
Vāhana denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular deva is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's mount. Upon the partnership between the deva and his vāhana is woven much iconography and mythology...
). He rose from the ocean along with other treasures like goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
- the goddess of fortune, taken by god Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
as his consort and the amrita
Amrita
Amrit is a Sanskrit word that literally means "immortality", and is often referred to in texts as nectar. The word's earliest occurrence is in the Rigveda where it is one of several synonyms of soma, the drink which confers immortality upon the gods. It is related etymologically to the Greek...
- the elixir of life. The legend of Uchchaihshravas, rising from the milking ocean also appears in the Vishnu Purana
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana is a religious Hindu text and one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. It is considered one of the most important Puranas and has been given the name Puranaratna...
, Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana is the sixteenth purana of the Hindu scriptures. During the period of mahapralaya, Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya Avatar to save the seeds of all lives and Manu...
, Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
etc. While various scriptures give different lists of treasures (ratnas) those appeared from the churning of the milk ocean, most of them agree that Uchchaihshravas was one of them.
Uchchaihshravas is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
(10.27, which is part of the Mahabharata), a discourse by god Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
- an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu - to Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
. When Krishna declares to the source of the universe, he declares that among flying horses, he is Uchchaihshravas - who is born from the amrita. The 12th century Hariharacaturanga records once Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
, the creator-god, performed a sacrifice, out of which rose a winged white horse called Uchchaihshravas. Uchchaihshravas again rose out of the milking ocean and was taken by the king of the demons (Asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
) Bali
Mahabali
Mahabali , also known as Bali or Māveli was a benevolent Asura King, and the grandson of Prahlada. The festival of Onam commemorates his yearly homecoming after being sent down to the underworld by Vamana, the fifth avatar of Vishnu.-Conquest of the Universe and banishment:Bali, an asura, was the...
, who used it to attain many impossible things. Vishnu Purana
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana is a religious Hindu text and one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. It is considered one of the most important Puranas and has been given the name Puranaratna...
records when Prithu
Prithu
According to Hindu mythology, Prithu is a sovereign , named in the Vedic scriptures and considered an Avatar of the preserver god—Vishnu. He is also called Pruthu, Prithi and Prithu Vainya, literally, Prithu — the son of Vena...
was installed as the first king on earth, others were also given kingship responsibilities. Uchchaihshravas was then made the king of horses.
Mahabharata also mentions about a bet between sisters and wives of Kashyapa - Vinata
Vinata
Vinata . One of the thirteen daughters of Prajapati Daksha. Married to Kashyapa along with her 12 sisters. She bore him two sons, named Aruṇá and Garuda known as the Suparnas....
and Kadru
Kadru
In the mythology of India, Kadru , is usually the daughter of Daksha, wife of Kashyapa, and the mother of the Nagas. This is according to the Mahabharata ....
about the colour of Uchchaihshravas's tail. While Vinata - the mother of Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...
and Aruna
Aruna
In to Hindu mythology and Hindu scriptures, Aruṇá or Aruṇ is a personification of the reddish glow of the rising Sun, which is believed to have spiritual powers...
said it was white, while Kadru said it was black. The loser would have serve a servant of the winner. Kadru told her Naga
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
("serpent") sons to cover the tail of the horse and thus make it appear as black in colour and thus, Kadru won. Kumarasambhava
Kumarasambhava
Kumārasambhava is a Sanskrit epic poem by Kālidāsa; the first eight cantos are accepted as his authorship...
by Kalidas, narrates that Uchchaihshravas, the best of horses and symbol of Indra's glory was robbed by the demon Tarakasura from heaven.
Devi Bhagavata Purana narrates that once Revanta
Revanta
Revanta or Raivata is a minor Hindu deity. According to the Rig-Veda, Revanta is the youngest son of the sun-god Surya, and his wife Sanjna . Revanta is chief of the Guhyakas , semi-divine and demonic class entities – like the Yakshas – who are believed to live as forest dwellers in Himalayas...
, the sun-god Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
's son came to god Vishnu's abode, riding Uchchaihshravas. Seeing Uchchaihshravas - her brother's brilliant form, Lakshmi was mesmerized and ignored a question asked by Vishnu. Suspecting that Lakshmi lusted for Uchchaihshravas and thus ignored him, Vishnu cursed her to be born as a mare in her next birth.