Mohini

Of all the twenty-two avatars of Vishnu listed by the Bhagvatam, surely none is as delightful as the Mohini Avatar. It is not even classified as an avatar usually, as the technical specifications of an avatar require it to be a descent of the Vishnu energy onto the earthly or Creation plane, to perform a particular task or series of tasks and then merge back into the primal Vishnu who is every where as his name itself, Vishnu, 'He-who-pervades', indicates. The avatar is thus a local specialized concentrated energy manifestation of a divine energy that is everywhere in the universe, engaged in sustaining it. Mohini however seems to be outside this rule though her manifestations are always concerned with matters of Cosmic Gravity that require Vishnu's intervention.

Mohini is regarded as coexisting with Vishnu, she is one of his polymorphous analogues. She is not, strictly speaking, an incarnation but a form that Vishnu assumes at will. This is a vital difference but then that assumed form does everything the avatar does anyway, so the distinction is moot. Mohini is not exactly Vishnu's Maya either (see our glossary for details on the Maya concept) though she certainly makes the fullest use of it. Mohini has been called the Enchantress, but she does not enchant the mind so much as drive it bereft of reason by infusing every particle of it with desire - for her! Mohini is supernaturally beautiful, beautiful in a manner a woman never can be, for they have to be real, but she is a facsimile of the Creative Feminine and can be starkly, cruelly flawless. In the dramatic tradition of Japan, for a long time the hero would be played by a female actor as only she could convey the abstract essence of male heroism, any male attempt being invariably and inevitably flawed by the common clay of being a man. Mohini is the reverse of that principle, a fantastic version of femininity, her attraction being precisely that she is not a woman; she seems to be, and in reality is, a woman like no other. Trying to possess this impossibly beguiling 'woman' is what drives men mad.

It must be noted here that Vishnu is the archetypal Trickster god of mythology and nothing would appeal to his humor more than to be a woman who drives reason out of the mind. Moha, the quality of desire after which Mohini has been named, always has as an unexpressed component the loss of all ratiocinative facility. It is an abdication of the human dignity, a turning away from being Manava, Human, itself a word derived from Manas, the mind, and indicative of man's unique position as a self-aware biological being. Mohini, by causing Moha, causes man to forsake that particular dignity, and it is always a choice of free will operating here. The turning away from the operative consciousness to mere desire for sexual gratification has always excited the peculiar contempt of the Hindus and Mohini is thus the worst punishment that can be visited upon evil.

It is a Titanic energy however, something primal and ancient, lurking in the seedbeds of galactic creation, ready to erupt forth just when one feels most smug and complacent about the many virtues one possesses. It is not merely sexual in context or scope, though that is the most obvious manifestation of it. Mohini is Yin to Vishnu's Yang, he would not be able to uphold and protect and preserve Creation if he did not have this terrible force for dissolution under his control as part of his nature. Vishnu can maintain order precisely because he knows how to disrupt it - instantly, any time, and as an integral part of himself. However, it is recognized as being dangerous, which is why there is no temple or even any worship of the Mohini aspect of Vishnu. The dangers of adoration sliding into lust are too strong, especially when Sanskrit devotional poetry was so erotically charged to begin with. Mohini is a dissolutive force, not a preservative one (preserving through dissolution, a typical trickster concept) and hence not a fit object of worship, though there is awed respect in the concept itself and is one of the unique contributions of Hindu mythology to the pantheons of the world. There is also hardly any artistic representation of Mohini available anywhere, except for the great and gorgeous murals of Kerala palaces and temples. The normal artist did not have the hardihood to attempt a representation of this elemental force.

In the June of 2004 I came to know that, contrary to expectation and common perception, there is indeed a temple to Mohini in India in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is at Ryali, a small township 30 kms near the city of Rajahmundry. The five foot tall black stone image of Jagan Mohini - the enchantress of the world - is actually the rear side of a Vishnu image in his form as Keshava, protector of the universe. To emphasize the link with Mohini and the Coorma Avatar, Vishnu has been depicted holding the Mandhara mountain instead of the usual lotus in one of his left hands. [See Coorma avatar for details.] There is a sculpture of the river goddess Ganga, at Vishnu's feet which perpetually drips holy water. The Jagan Mohini sculpture is not particularly extraordinary except in that it exists in the first place! Nevertheless, the fact that it is part of a dual image instead of standing alone reinforces the instinctive wariness about Mohini worship.

The first appearance of Mohini is during the great myth of the Churning of the Cosmic Ocean. (For details see the Coorma Avatar article.) The demon horde got hold of the Nectar of Immortality obtained in cooperative effort with the gods and they were refusing to share it. A fight would have meant serious casualties and an explosive stalemate was broken only by the appearance of this ravishing creature. She offered to arbitrate, and in the grand tradition of all Tricksters proceeded to rob the trustful demons (trustful because lustful) blind. She doled out the nectar to the gods first, making sure that not a drop was left by the time she came to the demons. They were held in thrall by her personality as well as the hope that if they behaved she would share her favors with one of them and the others could go hang. Nothing is ever promised, but the appearance of Mohini always induces such erroneous assumptions. The poor demons got massacred because they had abdicated their reason.

Next, Mohini appears to save the great god Shiva. That worthy, named the Simpleton God by his frustrated admirers, had just granted a demon coming out of horrendous penances to please him, the ability to turn anything he touched into ashes. This got him the epithet of Bhasmasura, the Ash-demon, and matters would have gone well if the demon had not decided to test the efficacy of his world conquering boon on Shiva first. One cannot slay somebody one has just granted a boon to, it is not correct protocol, so Shiva had to choose the better part of valor and take to this heels, chased by the demon through all the quarters of the universe. This impossible situation could not be resolved by anybody, for nobody dared to come near the Ash-demon. Nobody except Mohini. Upon seeing her, Bhasmasura forgot his conflagration experiments and instantly wanted to marry her. She answered that she was under a vow that she would marry only the man who could match her in a dance competition. It says much for the general levels of culture prevalent that the demon was a great dancer too, as befits a devotee of Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, and felt confident of holding his own. The great competition began and the infatuated demon gave a very credible account of himself until the ruthless humor of the Trickster came into play. Mohini began to dance with various Mudras, positions of the hands, which required her to frequently touch her head. The poor asura, under the control of moha, did not realize what he was doing and reduced himself to an ash heap.

This myth has a very delightful sequel. One of the great classical dance forms of Kerala is called Mohiniattam, the dance of Mohini, though literally it means the Sway of Mohini, and the pun works exactly the same in the original Malayalam. It is danced only by women, odd in a culture that used to have only men play female characters in its other great dance form, Kathakali. This is pure shringara however, the erotic element alone, and the psychic risks for men to dance that particular aspect of feminity were correctly recognized as being too great and better left alone. The dance is exceedingly beautiful, and after a while you realize that there is nothing there a man can really access, except as a spectator, held in the grip of the creative feminine spiral, which, by no accident, is the commonest motion in the dance form.

Kerala mythology also provided the last great public appearance of Mohini, when she joined hands with Shiva to give birth to Ayyapan, Kerala's guardian god and the strongest in the Hindu pantheon. (For details see our Ayyapan article in Gods.) Shiva had his doubts initially whether this would work, as he was a yogi and self-controlled, as well as being committed to his wife Parvati. When the Mohini form was before him however, the myths are very clear that he was bedazzled instantly. There are many wall paintings in Kerala, charged with erotic intensity, that depict this moment. Parvati is gazing upon the amorous Shiva and Mohini, hot with jealous anger, yet she is also accepting of the situation, as there is really nothing else to be done. As to the questions they raise about gender identities and sexual orientations, the pious Indian response has always been to state these things blandly and never think about them.

It is also worth noting that the 'Dark side' of the dark blue skinned Vishnu is a white and dazzlingly beautiful woman form! This is one Shadow that functions only in the open and in the light, a pretty remarkable concept. But when you are Vishnu the Trickster, what else would your Shadow be? It is also worth noting that this form is not assumed cavalierly, it is brought in only at supreme crises in the Cosmos, the consequences of letting Mohini loose are far worse than the usual angry god rampage category so familiar to Hindu myth. What is frightening here is that Mohini is mockingly, laughingly, in control and all everybody else goes out of their minds. She had to be pulled out to overcome the great Yogic control of Shiva - that is how potent this avatar of Vishnu is, and gives a measure of its strength. That is another reason Mohini is not worshipped and never will be. Some things are merely to be respected, not adored, and never interacted with. The lesson Mohini teaches is that of the drastic and dramatic consequences of losing one's conscious awareness. It is enough that it be understood and acted upon, there is only danger in worshipping it. Some lessons are needed but in minuscule doses. Vishnu the Preserver took good care to ensure this avatar would never gain any popularity.

Readers Contribution - Ms. Bhagya, India
Lord Ranganatha temple is the first divya desam. In this temple in Srirangam, Vaikunta Ekadasi is celebrated in a grand manner.

A day before Vaikunta Ekadasi, the Utsavar is dressed as Mohini in dazzling jewels etc. From morning pujas are performed and hymns and vedas are chanted in front of goddess Mohini. On that day Mohini is indeed a beauty and lakhs offer their prayers.