Dharba/Kusha

[Guest guest]

Stories concerning the origin of Darbha/Kusha:

 

1. Said to have been produced from the churning of the ocean of milk.

2. Said to have fallen to Earth from the pot of Amrita (which was produced

from the churning of the ocean of milk.)

These two stories reminded me another related story. Apparently the pot

containing Amrita was placed on the sacred Dharba grass and snakes(children of

Garuda's step mother Kadru) were about to get to it and attain amritatva.

Garuda, in an attempt to prevent his not so nice step siblings from becoming

immortal, briskly carried away the pot. The snakes ended up licking the

Dharbasana, with the hope that some Amrita might have spilled on it. The sharp

blades of Dharba caused their toungue to split and which is why snakes have

forked tongues.

 

Deeply embedded in the popular psyche, serpents'tongues have

long been a part of the world's religious iconography. Although, the snakes

missed out on Amrita as intended, the forking of their tongues caused by

Dharba might have provided them a blessing in disguise. Because according to

modern science, the evolutionary success of advanced snakes might be due, in

part, to forked tongues. The forked tongue allows the snake to simultaneously

sample two points along a chemical gradient, which is helpful in instantaneous

assessment of trail location. Also may have role in mating.(Ref: Why snakes

have forked tongues, by Kurt Schwenk, Science Vol 263, 1573-1577, 1994)