Vishnu Puran Episode 110
Nguyet Edmondson
Vishnu Puran (also written Vishnupuran) is an Indian television series, by B. R. Chopra on the Hindu deity Vishnu. It is based on the Bhagavata Purana. Bhagavata Purana tells about the 10 incarnations of Vishnu, as well as other stories, such as the legend of Dhruva. The weekly series first aired Sunday morning, 23 January 2000 on Zee TV.[1] The 124 episodes were later released on DD National.[2][3]
The chief roles are played by Nitish Bharadwaj as Bhagwan Vishnu and Vaidehi Amrute as Devi Lakshmi. Nitish Bharadwaj previously played the role of Krishna, in Chopra's television adaptation of the epic Mahabharat. The Story was narrated by Lata Haya in the role of Dharti Maa. The music is composed by Raj Kamal[1] who also worked on Mahabharat. The title song was sung by Shankar Mahadevan and the songs decoding summary of each episode was sung by Mahendra Kapoor & Soham Chakrabarty. During the COVID-19 pandemic in India, DD Bharati, DD National and Zee TV started re-airing episodes to entertain the public during the lockdown.
Episode 1: The narrator Mother Earth, Dharti Maa, introduces herself to the viewers. After the world ended in fire and flood, only the supreme God Vishnu was left alive. He gives rise to Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. Lord Brahma creates the world and the first humans, Manu and Shatrupa, who wander in the pristine nature and fall in love.
Episode 2: King Uttanpada, Manu and Shatarupa's son, becomes beguiled by his ambitious younger wife Suruchi and neglects his elder queen Suniti and her five-year-old son Dhruva. Suruchi throws Dhruva off his father's lap and Uttanpada fails to intervene. Suruchi tells the unhappy boy that no one but Lord Vishnu the supreme god can grant him the power to sit on his father's lap now.
Episode 3: Dhruva leaves the palace in search of Lord Vishnu. Goddess Lakshmi pleads with Lord Shri Vishnu to protect Dhruva, and takes matters into her own hands by manifesting as a snake to save the child from a gang of dacoits. Manu gives Uttanpada a talking to and Uttanpada and Suniti reconcile and search for their son. Sage Narada, sent by Vishnu, guides Dhruva to the forest and gives him a mantra to chant.
Episode 4: Goddess Parvati, at Goddess Lakshmi's request, protects Dhruva by sending her lion to guard the child from wild beasts. Dhruva asks Narada for further guidance and on his advice, gives up eating and drinking. Lord Vishnu tells Goddess Lakshmi, however, that he cannot come down to the world for just one person. Meanwhile, the king of the devas, Indra, fears Dhruva may ask Lord Vishnu for Indra's throne. Indra sends the apsara Rakshita disguised as Dhruva's mother, but Dhruva does not even notice her.
Episode 5: Uttanpada is miserable and Indra's attempts to frustrate Dhruva's penance fail. Dhruva begs Narada for further advice and, obeying his guru's instructions, stops breathing. The entire universe stands still. Now that just more than one person is affected, Vishnu appears before Dhruva.
Episode 6: Dhruva asks Lord Vishnu why his father didn't let him sit on his lap. Lord Shri Vishnu takes Dhruva on his own lap and heals his burns and hunger. Dhruva's questions disappear; he feels completely blissful. Lord Shri Vishnu instructs Dhruva to return to his people and be an example of an enlightened king. Dhruva returns home and forgives Suruchi, because if not for her he would never have found Lord Vishnu.
Episode 7: Dharti Ma narrates that sage Kashyapa had three wives, Diti, Aditi and Danu, the mothers of the daityas (demons), devas (gods) and danavas (monsters or giants or demons), respectively. Lord Vishnu entrusts the four scriptures, the Vedas, to Brahma, to be passed on to mankind. Hayagriva, a son of Danu, feels this is unfair to demons and determines to keep the Vedas away from humanity. Brahma is worried that mankind is too evil to receive the Vedas, and goes to consult Shiva about purifying the earth first. While Brahma is away, Hayagriva kidnaps the Vedas (who are in the form of four small boys) and imprisons them in his underwater lair.
Episode 8: Shiva agrees to flood the earth to destroy all evil life and purify it; Brahma can then create humanity anew and give them the Vedas. While Manu is bathing, a tiny fish swims into his hands and begs for protection. Manu takes it home, but it grows to giant size in a single night and he releases it into the ocean, where he realizes the fish is none other than Lord Vishnu. As Matsya, the fish, Lord Vishnu warns Manu of the coming flood and asks him to save anything important in a boat.
Episode 9: Hayagriva decides to destroy the Vedas but Matsya appears first and kills Hayagriva. Manu and Shatarupa gather plants and animals, deciding to save everything rather than having the pride to think they know what is valuable and what is not. At the last minute, Manu thinks of bringing the seven primordial sages, the Saptarishis. The deluge. Manu's boat is tossed by the storm but Matsya tows it to safety. After the flood, Lord Vishnu gives the Vedas again to the nine survivors.
Episode 10: At Hayagriva's funeral, a danava named Kaalaketu defeats another danava, Arshal, for the kingship. The danavas at once attack the devas in revenge for Hayagriva's death, but Lord Indra easily defeats them. Lord Indra boasts about his victory.
Episode 11: Shukracharya, the danava guru, chides his followers for attacking without a plan. He forms a plan of his own: to ask Lord Shiva for the Sanjeevani Mantra - a mantra that enables one to bring the dead back to life. Lord Indra goes to Lord Shiva to prevent this, but Shukracharya attracts Lord Shiva's attention first and earns the right to attempt Shiva's penance to obtain the mantra: to hang upside down from a tree, without eating, drinking or speaking, and breathing only the smoke of burning leaves, for one year.
Episode 12: Lord Indra is worried when it appears that Shukracharya will succeed. When the apsaras are afraid to try and interrupt the penance, Lord Indra's daughter Jayanti determines to go, against Lord Indra's will.
Episode 13: Jayanti throws chili peppers into the leaf fire and Shukracharya is in agony. However, he does not break his penance. Angry at the sabotage, Shiva ends the trial and grants Shukracharya the Sanjeevani Mantra on the spot. Guilt-stricken, Jayanti offers to marry Shukracharya and serve him to atone for causing him such suffering. He accepts.
Episode 14: The danavas attack the devas and with Shukracharya bringing each dead danava back to life, the devas can't win. They flee and ask Lord Shri Vishnu to help them. Lord Shri Vishnu Bhagwan tells Lord Indra he must churn the ocean to extract amrita, the nectar of immortality. This will make the devas and danava even. The catch is, the devas are not strong enough alone to churn the ocean. Lord Indra must obtain the cooperation of the danava.
Episode 15: Lord Indra points out to Shukracharya that when he dies, he won't be able to use the Sanjeevani Mantra on himself and the danava advantage will be lost. Concerned, Shukracharya agrees to help churn the ocean. Both sides agree to share equally whatever they obtain from the ocean, but Shukracharya privately asks the danava Swarbhanu to make sure the danavas get the amrita. The churning rope will be the serpent Vasuki; Sage Narada tricks the danavas into getting the head end while the devas grasp the tail.
Episode 16: Lord Shri Vishnu incarnates as Kurma, the divine turtle, and supports the churn - Mount Mandara - on his back. The first thing to emerge from the ocean is a lethal poison. Lord Shiva drinks it to save the world, earning the nickname Nilkanth. Second, Goddess Lakshmi emerges from the ocean. The danavas and devas fight over her until Lord Brahma protects her and decrees the eternal right for a woman to choose her own husband.
Episode 17: Lord Brahma holds a Swayamvara ceremony for Goddess Lakshmi to choose her husband. She chooses Lord Shri Vishnu. The churning of the ocean continues and the amrita emerges and is promptly stolen by Swarbhanu. Lord Shri Vishnu appears as Mohini, a beautiful woman, and dazzles the danavas into inviting the devas to watch them drink the amrita. She gives it to the devas first, however, and there is none left for the danavas. Swarbhanu disguises himself as a deva and receives some amrita, but Lord Shri Vishnu then cuts off his head.
Episode 18: Lord Brahma's four saintly sons visit Lord Shri Vishnu but are prevented from entering by the gatekeepers Jaya-Vijaya. The saints curse Jaya and Vijaya to be born three times as asuras and to be killed by Lord Shri Vishnu each time. Jaya and Vijaya are born as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyaksha steals the earth and hides it. Lord Shri Vishnu incarnates as Varaha and kills Hiranyaksha. Hiranyakashipu vows revenge.
Episode 19: To obtain his revenge, Hiranyakashipu does a penance to obtain a boon from Lord Brahma. Indra tries to help Lord Shri Vishnu by disrupting the penance, but every attempt is thwarted by Shukracharya. In desperation, Indra decides to kidnap Hiranyakashipu's wife Kayadhu and kill her unborn son. However, Sage Narada stops Indra and rescues Kayadhu. In his ashram, Narada chants Lord Shri Vishnu's name to Kayadhu and her unborn son hears it.
Episode 20: Lord Brahma puts off answering Hiranyakashipu's prayers, but is finally forced to do so. Hiranyakashipu asks for immortality, but Lord Brahma says no being can have that. Hiranyakashipu must ask for something else. Hiranyakashipu asks Lord Brahma to make it that he, Hiranyakashipu, cannot be killed by day or by night, inside a building or outside a building, on earth or in heaven, by god or man or animal, or by any weapon. Lord Brahma grants all the boons. Narada tells Hiranyakashipu about the whereabouts of his wife.
Episode 21: Kayadhu says she has never been so happy and asks to stay with Narada until her son is born. Hiranyakashipu agrees and celebrates his boon by declaring himself God and banning the worship of Lord Shri Vishnu. Swarbhanu joins Hiranyakashipu's court. Kayadhu gives birth to a son, Prahlad, and receives permission to stay with Narada until Prahlad is a little older. Hiranyakashipu makes Narada promise not to say the name "Vishnu" in front of Prahlad.