Vishṇu’s Eye and the Sudarśana Cakra

This account from the Śiva Purāṇa tells how Bhagavān Vishṇu came to hold the Sudarśana Cakra, the divine discus that is his best known weapon. Bhagavān Vishṇu was worshipping Bhagavān Śiva with a thousand lotus flowers. Bhagavān Śiva wished to test his devotion and secretly took away one lotus. Bhagavān Vishṇu then offered his own eye in its place. Pleased, Bhagavān Śiva gave him the Sudarśana Cakra.

Vishṇu’s worship of Hārīśvara

Bhagavān Vishṇu was worshipping a Śivaliṅga called Hārīśvara, near Kailāsa. His worship was a sahasranāma pūjā: the reciting of one thousand names of Śiva in order, with one lotus flower offered for each name. One thousand names meant one thousand lotus flowers.

Bhagavān Vishṇu gathered one thousand lotus flowers and began. At each name he offered one flower, with full and sincere devotion.

Śiva’s test

Bhagavān Śiva watched the worship. He knows all things, and he decided to test how deep Vishṇu’s devotion was. He secretly took away one lotus flower from the offering. He did not do it where Bhagavān Vishṇu could see. His divine power worked on the heap of flowers without being seen.

Bhagavān Vishṇu went on offering one flower for each name. He came to the nine hundred and ninety-ninth name, and then reached for the thousandth flower and found none. The flowers had run out one short. One name of Śiva was still to be recited, and there was no lotus to offer.

Vishṇu offers his eye

Bhagavān Vishṇu thought about it for a moment. Then, without any delay, he plucked out his own eye and offered it as the thousandth lotus. His eye is called kamala-netra (lotus-eye), because his eyes are as large and beautiful as lotuses. The eye was itself a lotus. The name was recited and the offering was made, and the thousand-name worship was complete.

This act, giving his most precious limb to complete the worship of Śiva, is shown as the highest expression of Vishṇu’s devotion to Śiva.

Śiva gives the Sudarśana Cakra

Parameśvara appeared before Bhagavān Vishṇu, moved by this great offering of himself. He said how deeply pleased he was with Vishṇu’s devotion. He gave back Vishṇu’s eye. Then, as a gift that matched such devotion, Bhagavān Śiva gave Bhagavān Vishṇu the Sudarśana Cakra, the divine discus of blazing and unbreakable power.

The Sudarśana Cakra became the chief weapon of Vishṇu. Bhagavān Vishṇu uses it in his avatāras (descents) to destroy adharma and protect the order of the world. It was given to him by Bhagavān Śiva in answer to Vishṇu’s own offering to Śiva.

Sources

• Śiva Purāṇa, Koti Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 34