Most Beautiful Women Based on Hindu Scriptures

 

Hindu mythology has characters that are so formidable, impressively large and larger than life that it sometimes seems impossible to believe that such characters ever walked this planet or ever existed. Many stories are also of revenge and hatred; seemingly, most revolve around the powerful patriarchs of the time. But it is also in the Hindu scriptures, recorded the accounts of the most beautiful women, who have inspired enthralling and enigmatic legends of the time. Their intelligence, beauty, and courage all have changed the course of Hindu history. These beautiful women were not only mere objects of beauty but they also changed the course of Hindu mythology time to time. 

• Mohini 

Mohini is the only female form incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. In this, she is shown in such a feminine form that can captivate everyone. Being subdued in his love, one forgets everything. 

Mohini Avatar and Bhasmasura

Bhasmasura was such a demon in mythology who had sought a boon from Lord Shiva that the person on whose head he lays his hand, would be burnt to ashes. According to the legend, Bhasmasura started the wrong use of this power and went to consume Shiva himself. Shiva asked Vishnu for help. Vishnu took the form of a beautiful woman, attracted Bhasmasura and inspired him to dance. While dancing, Bhasmasura started dancing like Vishnu and seeing the right opportunity, Vishnu placed his hand on his head, which was imitated by Bhasmasura, who was intoxicated with power and work. Bhasmasura was consumed by his own boon.

 Samudra Manthan and Mohini Avatar

   The mention of this incarnation also comes in the Mahabharata. At the time of churning of the ocean, when the gods and asuras had got nectar from the ocean, then the gods were afraid that the demons might become immortal by drinking nectar. Then he went to Lord Vishnu and prayed to stop this from happening. Then Lord Vishnu incarnated as Mohini, gave nectar to the gods and enchanted the demons and prevented them from becoming immortal.

• Ahalya

Ahalya or Ahilya is a female character mentioned in the stories of Sanatan Dharma, who was the wife of Rishi Gautam.  His story is found sporadically in many places in the Brahmins and Puranas and his story is described in detail in the Ramayana and later Ramakathas.  According to the legends, she was the wife of Rishi Gautam and the daughter of Lord Brahma.  Brahma made Ahalya the most beautiful woman.  All the gods wanted to marry him.  Brahma put a condition that the one who comes first after visiting Trilok will choose Ahalya.  Indra came first to visit Trilok with all his miraculous power.  But then Narada told Brahmaji that sage Gautam had done it before Indra.  Naradji told Brahmaji that in his daily worship sequence, sage Gautam gave birth to a calf while circumambulating the cow.  According to the Vedas, circumambulating a cow in this state is similar to circumambulating Trilok.  In this way Mata Ahalya was married to Rishi Gautam, the son of Atri Rishi. 

Due to Indra's mistake, sage Gautama cursed Mother Ahilya and turned her into a stone.  Later she became a woman again by the touch of Lord Shri Ram's feet.

 In Hindu tradition, she is counted as one of the Panchakanyas, the holiest five daughters of the universe, and is considered a morning remembrance.  According to the belief, remembering the names of these five girls in the morning destroys all the sins.

• Tilottama

Tilottama is the name of a famous Apsara.

The name given to her was Tilottama. ‘Til’ means sesame seeds, and ‘Uttam’ means of very high quality or best quality, every bit of whose body is perfect, is what the word translates to.

 The demons Sunda and Upasunda fighting among themselves to get Tilott

 The daughter of Tilottama Kashyap and Arishta, who was a Brahmin in her previous birth and who was cursed to be an Apsara for the crime of taking an untimely bath.  According to another legend, it was a woman named Kubja who attained the position of Vaikuntha by her penance.  At that time the tyranny of the demons Sunda and Upasunda had increased a lot, so for their annihilation, Brahma created this unique beauty by taking sesame and sesame beauty from the best things of the world (from this the name Tilottama was given).  On seeing him, both the demons started fighting among themselves to get him and both were killed by each other.

• Urvashi

The Sanskrit name "Urvasi" can have many meanings.  It is derived from the roots- uru and as. Some believe that the name is of non-Aryan origin. 

 According to the scripture Devi Bhagavata Purana, Apsara is known as Urvashi because she is born from the uru-'thigh'-of the divine-sage Narayana. The Indologist Monier Monier-Williams proposes a different etymology in which the name means 'widely widespread' and suggests that Urvashi was the identity of Bhor in its first appearance in Vedic texts. 

The description of the birth of Urvashi is found in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana.  In the legend, brothers Nara and Narayana are doing penance to please the creator Lord Brahma, but this leaves Indra (the king of the gods) insecure about his throne and does not want the sage to receive divine powers.  As a result, he creates many illusions to break their penance, but all his tricks fail.  Finally, he orders the apsaras of his court, including Rambha, Menaka and Tilottama, to go to Nar-Narayan and distract them through temptation. 

 Along with the love deity Kama and the lust deity Rati, the apsaras approach Nar-Narayan and perform a seductive dance in front of him.  However, Rishi is unaffected by this and decides to break the pride of the Apsaras.  Narayan slaps her on the thigh, causing Urvashi to escape.  Her beauty leaves Indra's Apsaras unmatched and they become ashamed of their evil act.  Nara and Narayan assure Indra that they will not take his throne and will present it to Urvashi.  He occupied a place of pride in Indra's court. 

Urvashi became the glory or the most beautiful apsara of Indra’s court. Not only this but she is also considered as one of the most beautiful women in Hindu Mythology.

• Mandodari 

Mandodari(wife of demon king Raavan)is described in Ramayan as a ‘beautiful’ woman. 

According to the legend, once an Apsara named Madhura reached Mount Kailash.  Not finding Goddess Parvati there, she started trying to attract Lord Shiva.  When Goddess Parvati reached there, seeing the ashes of Lord Shiva's body on Madhura's body, she became angry and in anger she cursed Madhura to become a frog.  She told Madhura that she would remain in this well in the form of a frog for the next 12 years.

 On repeated requests of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati told Madhura that only after rigorous penance she can come to her original form and that too after a year.  Madhura lived in a well for 12 years and did severe penance in the form of a frog.  When the 12 years were about to be completed, Mayasura and his wife Hema, wishing their daughter, reached the place where Mathura was doing penance.  As soon as Madhura's years were over, she returned to her true form and started crying out for help to get out of the well.

Hema and Mayasura were absorbed in penance near the well there. Hearing Madhura's voice, both of them went to the well and saved her. Later both of them adopted Madhura and named her Mandodari.

• Damayanti

Princess of Vidharbha kingdom, Damyanti was believed to be extremely beautiful. Yudhishthira had to go on a 12-year exile and a year's exile along with his brothers, having lost everything in gambling. During this exile, on the request of Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, Maharishi Brihadashva narrated the story of Nala-Damayanti.

 There has been a king named Nal, son of Veerasen in the Nishad country. He was very virtuous, supremely beautiful, truthful, Jitendriya, loved by all, knowledgeable of Vedas and devotee of Brahman, his army was very large. He himself was very skilled in weaponry. They were brave, warrior, benevolent and irresistibly valiant too.

 In those days a king named Bhishmak used to rule in the country of Vidarbha. He pleased Daman Rishi and got four children by his boon, three sons Dum, Dant, and Daman and a daughter named Damayanti. Damayanti was in the form of Lakshmi.

 Those who used to come to Vidarbha country from Nishadha country, they used to admire the qualities of Maharaj Nal. This praise reached Damayanti's ears as well. Similarly, people coming from Vidarbha country would discuss the form and qualities of the princess in front of Maharaj Nal. As a result, Nal and Damayanti became attracted towards each other.

Damayanti's swayamvara took place.  In which not only the kings of the earth, but also the gods came.  The tap was also going to the swayamvar.  The gods stopped him and told him not to go to the swayamvara.  He already knew that Damayanti would choose Nal.

 All the deities also took the form of taps.  There were several taps standing simultaneously in the swayamvara.  Everyone was puzzled as to who would be the real tap.  But Damayanti was not disturbed at all, she recognized the real tap through her eyes.  All the gods also greeted him.  In this way, Damayanti recognized the real tap and chose her life partner with the expressions reflected in her eyes.

 The newly-weds got the blessings of the gods.  Damayanti Nishadha - King became the queen of Nal.  Both started spending time happily.  Damayanti was the head of the husbands.  Pride could never touch him.  According to the time, a son and a daughter were born from Damayanti's womb.  Both the children were endowed with beautiful appearance and qualities just like their parents, time does not always remain the same, the cycle of sorrow and happiness keeps on going on continuously.

Although Maharaj Nala was virtuous, virtuous and virtuous, but he had one flaw, the addiction of gambling. Nal had a brother named Pushkar. He lived away from the tap. He invited them to gamble. The game started. Luck was unfavourable. The taps were lost, gold, silver, chariots, and the royal palace all went out of hand. Queen Damayanti, knowing the unfavorable time, sent both her children to Kundinpur, the capital of Vidarbha country.

 Here the tap lost everything in gambling. He took off all the clothes from his body. Wearing only one garment, he came out of the city. Damayanti also followed her husband in just a sari.

 One day King Nal saw some birds with golden feathers. King Nal thought, if they are caught, then some money can be earned by selling them for subsistence. Thinking so, he opened his clothes and threw it at the birds. The birds flew away with that clothes.

Now King Nal had no clothes left even to cover his body.  Nal was more disturbed by Damayanti's grief than himself.  One day both were hiding their bodies under a tree in the forest with the same cloth.  Damayanti fell asleep due to exhaustion.  King Nal thought, Damayanti is having to suffer a lot because of me.  If I leave it here in this state, it will somehow reach its father.

 Thinking of this, he cut off half of her sari with a sword and covered his body with it and left Damayanti in that state and left.

 When Damayanti lost her sleep, the poor woman started lamenting sadly, finding herself alone.  Distraught with hunger and thirst, she suddenly went near the dragon and the dragon started swallowing her.  Hearing Damayanti's scream, a huntsman saved her from being possessed by a python.  But the huntsman was evil in nature.  Enchanted by the beauty of Damayanti, he wanted to make her a victim of his lust.

 Damayanti cursed him and said: If I have thought of any other man except my husband King Nal, then the life of this sinful huntsman should end now.

 As soon as Damayanti's promise was fulfilled, the huntsman lost his life.  Deviating from the divine, Damayanti one day reached Chedinresh Subahu and after that to her father.  Finally, due to the influence of Damayanti's chastity, one day the sufferings of Maharaj Nal also ended.  Both were reunited and King Nal got his kingdom back.

• Rukmini

Rukmini was the wife of Lord Krishna. Rukmini is also considered an incarnation of Lakshmi. He had a love marriage with Shri Krishna. Rukmini (or Rukmini) is the only wife and queen of Lord Krishna. Prince Krishna of Dwarka abducted her at her request to prevent an unwanted marriage and eloped with her and saved her from the evil Shishupala (mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana). Rukmini is the only queen of Krishna. Rukmini is also believed to be an incarnation of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune.

 Birth According to traditional accounts, Princess Rukmini was born on Vaishakha 11 (Vaishakh Ekadashi). Although born as an earthly queen, her status as an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi is described throughout Puranic literature:

 A hero among the Kauravas, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna himself married Vaidarabhi Rukmini, the daughter of King Bhishmaka, who was a direct incarnation of the goddess of fortune. The citizens of Dwarka were eager to see Krishna united with Rukmini, the goddess of fortune. Lakshmi ji took birth on earth in her share and took birth as Rukmini in Bhishmak's family. Rukminidevi, the queen of Krishna is Swarup-Shakti, the essential power of Krishna and she is the queen/mother of the divine universe, Dwarka/Vaikuntha.

 She was born in Haridwar and was a royal princess of the Vedic Aryan tribe. As the daughter of a mighty king Bhishmak. The Shruti which is associated with the past narratives of the Vraja-gopis with the self-styled god Sri Krishna, Parabrahma, has declared this truth (Gopala-tapani nanisad 57). They cannot be separated. Just as Lakshmi is the Shakti of Vishnu, Rukmini is also the power of Shri Krishna.

• Draupadi 

Draupadi was born from Havanakund.

 According to the Mahabharata text, King Drupada became very worried after being defeated by the Pandavas because of Dronacharya. Then he reached a city named Kalmashi in the desire of a son who killed Dronacharya. At the same time, he got two Brahmins, Yaj and Upayaz, who performed a havan to obtain a son for him. A divine Kumar appeared from that agrikund. But, from the same havankund, Kumari Panchali was also born, who was as soft as a lotus petal.

Draupadi became the wife of 5 Pandavas by the words of mother Kunti, got the name Panchali

 King Drupada had organized a swayamvara Sabha for the marriage of his daughter Draupadi.  Arjuna fulfilled the conditions given in the swayamvara and thus Draupadi got married to Arjuna. 

• Sita 

Mother Sita is the Godess of Fortune

Lakshmi devi. She is the energy of Lord Vishnu and beyond the material modes of nature. There have been many such women in the mythological period whom we consider to be women of ideal and perfect character. But the best among them is Mata Sita.  Just as Shri Ram is said to be the best among men, in the same way Mata Sita is also the best among women.  

Mata Sita represents the ideal wife, daughter and mother to the Hindu people, and is remembered for her fine attributes and revered for having the noblest qualities of women

Goddess Sita was the eldest daughter of King Janak of Mithila, hence she is also called 'Janaki'.  According to Valmiki Ramayana, once King Janak was very upset by the severe drought in Mithila, then to get rid of this problem, a sage suggested him to perform a yajna and run a plow on the earth.  On the suggestion of that sage, King Janak got the yajna done and after that King Janak started plowing the earth.

 Then he found a beautiful girl wrapped in clay in a golden nugget from the earth.  Taking that girl in his hands, King Janak named her 'Sita' and adopted her as his daughter.    

Lord Shri Ram and Janakiputri Janaki (Sita) were married on the Panchami of Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha (Aghan) month, since then this Panchami is celebrated as 'Vivah Panchami festival'.