Uchaishravas: The magical horse

The Devata and Danavas were submerged in the process of ocean churning, but there was yet no trace of the pot of amrit. However, the emerging magical things kept them fascinated by the action. After halahal, goddess Lakshmi, Kamadhenu, and Apsaras, whose was the next to come out?

The magical horse, Uchaishravas; Image source- Pinterest

The Asura king, Bali, was now enraged since they had gotten nothing from this cosmic churn. He had decided that no matter what emerged now, it would end up in the bags of Danavas. His thoughts were soon interrupted by a swirl in the sea. This time, it was the magical horse, Uchaishravas.

He was a seven-headed horse that was as white as the snow. Its pure white color, long ears, wide wings, and beautiful fury tail were the reason for his impeccable beauty. As his name “uchaishravas”, (loud sound) meant, he could produce a loud and sharp neigh.

With a single gaze on the divine Uchaishravas, the Daitya King Bali decided to get this exceptional horse. He asked Indra to hand over this horse to the Asuras, to which Devraj agreed, and Uchaishravas came into the hands of King Bali.

This special horse is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna says to Arjuna that he is the ultimate source of the universe and, out of horses, he is the Uchaishravas. This further supports the belief that this celestial horse is an avatar

of Lord Vishnu. There are various additional traditions about the origins of Uchaishravas, but the majority of them believe that the Samudra Manthan is to blame.

The Uchaishrava was said to have been installed as the king of horses when King Prithu appeared as the first king of the earth. He is also mentioned in various Puranas like the Vishnu Purana, the Ramayana, the Vayu Purana, the Matsya Purana, etc. However, the Kumarasambhavam by Kalidasa regards Uchaishravas as the best horse, who was mastered and owned by Devraj Indra.

There is also a tale about the tail of Uchaishravas that focuses on two of Sage Kashyapa's wives, Kadru and Vinata, the mother of Snakes and Garudas. They made a wager on the color of Uchaishravas' tail one day. Kadru mentioned it to be black, whereas Vinata mentioned it to be white, but according to the bet, the one who loses has to be the servant of the other.

But, soon, Kadru got to know that the color of the tail of the Uchaishravs was white. She immediately ordered her snake sons to hang on the tail of the horse, so that it appeared to be black, thus making her the winner. They followed the instructions of their mother. Thus, Vinata lost the bet and became a slave under Kadru.

In another story in the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Uchaishravas becomes the cause of a curse on Lakshmi. One day, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi were engrossed in a talk session when Revanta, the son of Surya, came to visit Vishnu. He rode the gorgeous horse Uchaishravas, and Lakshmi was so taken aback by the sight that she missed the query from Vishnu. She kept on staring at the captivating beauty of the white horse.

This incident enraged Lord Vishnu, and thus he cursed Lakshmi to be born as a mare in her next birth. Lakshmi was guilty of her actions and she apologized to Vishnu. Her weeping moved him, he promised she would return to Vaikuntha after giving birth to a mighty and glorious son. Lakhmi took birth as a mare in the Heheya dynasty, and Lord Vishnu also descended to earth as a horse. They bore the mighty king, Kartavirya Arjuna, who once defeated the great Ravana.

In the mythology, Uchaishravas was a precious jewel among horses, with all the blessed features: heavenly, graceful, and irresistible at every age.

A sculpture portraying the multi-headed Uchaishravas; Image source- Ancient pages