Shankha - in Hindu Legend

In Hindu Legend

A Hindu legend in Brahma Vaivarta Purana recalls the creation of conchs: god Shiva flung a trident towards the demons, burning them instantaneously. Their ashes flew in the sea creating conchs. Shankha is believed to be a brother of Lakshmi as both of them were born from the sea. A legend describes a demon named Shankhasura (conch-demon), who was killed by Vishnu's fish Avatar – Matsya.

In the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, the symbol of Shankha is widely adopted. In the Ramayana epic, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna are considered as part-incarnations of Sheshanaga, Sudarshana Chakra and Shankha, respectively, while Rama, their eldest brother, is considered as one of the ten Avatars of shri Vishnu.

During the great Mahabharata war, Krishna, as the charioteer of the Pandava prince and a protagonist of the epic - Arjuna - resounds the Panchajanya to declare war. Panchajanya in Sanskrit means 'having control over the five classes of beings'. All five Pandava brothers are described having their own shankhas. Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva are described to possess shankhas named Ananta-Vijaya, Poundra-Khadga, Devadatta, Sughosha and Mani-pushpaka, respectively.

Association with Nāgas

Due to the association of the shankha with water, serpents (Nāga) are named after the shankha. The list of Nāgas in the Mahabharata, Harivamsha and Bhagavat Purana includes names like Shankha, Mahashankha, Shankhapala and Shankachuda. The last two are also mentioned in Buddhist stories of Jataka Tales and Jimutavahana. A legend narrates: while using Shankha as part of meditative ritual, a sadhu blew his shankha in the forest of village Keoli and a snake crept out of it. The snake directed the sadhu that he should be worshipped as Nāga Devata (Serpent god) and since then it has been known as Shanku Naga. Similar legends are narrated at many other places in Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh.