Story of Heera Shankh

[Guest guest]

Story of Heera Shankh

 

There is a story that exists behind Heera Shankhs. Thousands of years

back an old poor lady used named Heera-ujawala used to stay in a

village at North East India, earlier there were River Ganges used to

flow. She was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi.

Once there was an epidemic that spread in her village and the

villagers were dying in high numbers.

 

Her two sons and their wives too came in the grip of that epidemic

and caught the disease. To save the lives of her sons, daughters in

law and the rest of the inmates of the village and bring the

prosperity again in the village She was told in her dream to do

fasting and worship of Laxmi Narayan.

 

Since she was an ardent devotee and was doing very severe penance to

please Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi, Lord Vishnu appeared and

promised her that very soon the village will be free from all

epidemic and all affected village inmates will soon be blessed with

good health.

 

But to bring prosperity she was advised to worship Dakshinavarty

Laxmi Shankh as Goddess Laxmi can be pleased easily with the worship

of Dakshinavarty Shankh. With the blessing of Lord Vishnu very soon

the village was free from diseases.

 

Heeraujawala continued her penance to please Goddess Laxmi. While she

was performing the penance, it is said that very heavy rains started

and the water from the ocean started overflowing and one strong wave

of ocean unlit the 'Agni Jwala'(the fire which was lit to undertake

the yajna) and destroyed the complete place and taken away

all 'Ahutis' and donations like fruits, utensils etc. along with the

wave itself to the ocean.

 

This made the Heera-ujawala very sad and in the rage of anger she

cursed that the place used immediately be relieved of ocean and

become plain. That place has number of water species especially there

was a high concentration of Dakshinavarti Shankhs and suddenly when

the water receded, these species remained there and could not go back

to the ocean.

 

Since the species was endangered, Lord Varuna (the God of ocean)

pleaded Goddess Laxmi to save the species. Goddess Laxmi immediately

appeared where the Heera-ujawala was performing the penence and

requested her to take the curse back. Heera-ujwala told Laxmi that

now her Shankh has become stone how can she continue her penance.

Goddess Laxmi promised the lady that hence forth all the worshipper

of Dakshinavarti Shankhs will be blessed with immense fortune but

they will be now available in very less number since most of them

have changed into stones Shankhs. Goddess Laxmi further given a boon

that all the stone Shankhs will be glittering with gems and precious

stones. All the Shankhs which had turned into stones were named as

Heera Shankhs.

 

The worship of Heera Shankhs will be blessed immense fortune and luck

if the japa of the Goddess Laxmi mantra will be done using the

sphatik mala. The Heera Shankhs will be most beautiful Shankhs that

can happen by virtue of presence of diffent coloured gems and

precious stones and can take the devotee to the Laxmi Siddhi. It is

highly recommended to keep Heera Shankhs in the puja room or Altar.

 

Heera Shankha is also called Pahadi Shankha (conch from mountains).

It used in worship of Goddess Lakshmi, especially by the tantriks. It

opens like the Dakshinavarti. It is found in the mountains and has

sparkling crystal like substance in the opening and sometimes on the

shell also. Its dull from outer crust but Its inner portion shines

like diamonds.Being rare,its very costly. Worship of this Shankh

attracts prosperity and abundance.

 

There is one more ancient Tibetan text available which states that

Guru Matsyendranath was as famous as Gorakhnath in the field of

Tantra. It is said that when it comes to the highest level of

Sadhanas Guru Matsyendranath was even more accomplished than Guru

Gorakhnath. He had accomplished a very secret Sadhana related to

Goddess Lakshmi using Heera Shankh.

 

/articledt.php?art_id=301 & cat_id=27