Śaṅkha the Asura

Śaṅkha was an asura of very great power, the son of the Ocean. He conquered the three worlds, drove the devas out of Amarāvatī, and took the Vedas from the Satya world while Bhagavān Viṣṇu slept. The devas woke Bhagavān Viṣṇu with song and worship. This is the origin of the Prabodhini, or Haribodhini, Ekādaśī festival. Bhagavān Viṣṇu took the form of a fish and killed Śaṅkha in the ocean. The gathering at Prayāga, the recovery of the Vedas and Brahmā’s horse yajña followed. After this Bhagavān Viṣṇu blessed Prayāga as the Tīrtharāja, the king of all tīrthas (holy places). Two Purāṇas tell this account.

Origin and conquest

Śaṅkha was the son of the Ocean. He had terrible power and could destroy the three worlds. He defeated the devas in battle and drove them out of Amarāvatī. He took away the powers of all the divine regents, including Indra. The devas, with their women, fled under Indra’s lead. They hid for many years in a cave in the Meru mountain.

(Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 90)

The theft of the Vedas

Even after their defeat, the devas still had some power left. This puzzled Śaṅkha. He thought: “Even though they have been defeated and their powers taken, they are still full of power. It is clear to me that the devas have the power of the Vedic mantras. I shall take the mantras from them. Then all will be powerless.”

Śaṅkha saw that Bhagavān Viṣṇu was asleep. He seized his chance and quickly stole the whole group of the Vedas from the Satya world. The Vedas fled from Śaṅkha, together with the yajña rites and the mantras, and went into the waters of the ocean. Śaṅkha searched the inside of the ocean for them. He could not find them gathered in any one place.

(Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 90)

The death of Śaṅkha

The Padma Purāṇa says that the awakening happened on the Ekādaśī of the bright fortnight of Āśvina, and calls it Haribodhini. The devas went to the house of Bhagavān Viṣṇu. They woke him with song, music and sixteen-fold pūjā. Bhagavān Viṣṇu appeared before them with the brightness of a thousand suns. He heard their prayers and promised to kill Śaṅkha and bring back the Vedas.

Bhagavān Viṣṇu took the form of a small, shining fish. He entered the cupped hands of Kaśyapa at the ṛṣi’s āśrama on the Vindhya mountain. Kaśyapa felt pity and put the fish in his water-pot. As the fish grew, Kaśyapa moved it first to a well, then to a lake, and then to the sea itself. In the ocean, Bhagavān Viṣṇu in his fish form grew to his full size and killed Śaṅkha. He then carried Śaṅkha’s body to the Badarī forest. He called all the ṛṣis there and told them to bring the Vedas up out of the water.

(Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 91)

What followed

The ṛṣis had great tapas (austerity). They lifted the Vedas out of the water, with the six Vedāṅgas and all the yajña rites. Each ṛṣi who received a part of the Vedas became the draṣṭā (seer) of that part. This is the account given for why each section of the Vedas has its own ṛṣi.

All the ṛṣis gathered at Prayāga. They gave the recovered Vedas to Bhagavān Viṣṇu and to Brahmā. Brahmā performed a great horse yajña there. Bhagavān Viṣṇu then blessed Prayāga as the Tīrtharāja.

Bhagavān Viṣṇu also declared that the Vedas would rest in water every year in the month of Kārtika, and that he too would live in water in Kārtika. This is the basis of the Kārtika vow of bathing in the early morning.

(Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 91)

The Skanda Purāṇa account

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa tells the story of Śaṅkha in Chapter 13 of the Kārtika Māsa Māhātmya, in its Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa. Nārada tells it to King Pṛthu. He is answering a question from Satyabhāmā: why is Kārtika the month most dear to Bhagavān Viṣṇu?

In the Skanda account, Śaṅkha is the son of Sagara, who is the Ocean. He took the powers of Indra and the other Dikpālas (guardians of the directions). The devas hid in the caves of the golden Meru mountain. Śaṅkha saw that the devas, though stripped of their powers, still looked strong. He thought: “The devas have power because of the Vedic mantras. I shall take them away. Then all will be powerless.” He saw Bhagavān Viṣṇu asleep and seized his chance. He stole the whole collection of the Vedas from Brahmā himself in Satyaloka. As Śaṅkha carried them off, the Vedas fled in fear. They entered the waters of the ocean, along with the seeds of the yajña mantras. Śaṅkha followed them into the ocean but could not find them gathered in any one place.

The devas then praised Bhagavān Viṣṇu and woke him. Bhagavān Viṣṇu said: “On the eleventh day in the bright half of the month of Kārtika, I have been awakened by you through the good sounds of musical instruments and songs. Hence this tithi (lunar day) shall be honoured much. It is exceedingly dear to me.” He promised that from that day on, the Vedas with their mantra-seeds would rest in the waters every Kārtika. He also promised that those who bathe in the early morning during Kārtika would gain the puṇya (merit) of the closing Avabhṛtha bath of a great yajña. He then took the form of a Śapharī fish and plunged straight into the water from the sky, while Brahmā watched from the Vindhya range.

After killing Śaṅkha, Bhagavān Viṣṇu went to the Badarī forest. He gathered all the ṛṣis and told them to search for the Vedas in the waters and bring them back. He himself went on to Prayāga with the groups of devas. The ṛṣis recovered the Vedas. Each ṛṣi recovered as many mantras as he could, and so became the draṣṭā of those mantras. They all went to Prayāga and gave the recovered Vedas to Bhagavān Viṣṇu and Brahmā. Brahmā performed a great horse yajña there, with the divine ṛṣis.

The devas asked Bhagavān Viṣṇu to make this place the best tīrtha on earth, and to make the Māgha season there especially purifying. Bhagavān Viṣṇu said: “This place has been chosen by me. Let it be famous by the name Brahmakṣetra and known as Tīrtharāja. By the mere sight of the Tīrtharāja all pāpa (sin) is destroyed. In the month of Māgha, when the Sun is in Capricorn, it shall grant Sālokya-mukti (liberation).”

(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa, Kārtika Māsa Māhātmya, Chapter 13)

In this account the awakening is on Kārtika Śukla Ekādaśī, called Prabodhini.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 90–91
• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa, Kārtika Māsa Māhātmya, Chapter 13