Shree Ravi Randal Mataji – the daughter of Lord Vishwakarma
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Ravi Randal Maa is a Hindu Goddess and Kuldevi, whose main temple is located in Dadva. She is thought to be the consort of the Sun Deity: Ravi/Surya and Randal Mataji is mainly worshipped by the Gujarati people of India.
Birth of Mataji
Ravi Randal Mataji is the Daughter of Lord Vishwakarma. As Randal Mataji grew older, Lord Suryanarayan caught a glimpse of her went crazy behind her. He went directly to her father Lord Vishwakarma and placed a proposal of marriage with his Daughter. But Lord Vishwakarma strongly rejected the proposal.
Marriage
Once Mother of Randal Mataji went to the house of Lord Suryanarayan to borrow a baking plate made of clay. Lord Suryanarayan’s mother gave the plate on a condition that it should not break. If the plate breaks she will demand the hand of her daughter for Lord Suryanarayan.
Lord Suryanarayan used a trick. She was carrying it by her horse. Lord Suryanarayan made two bulls fight in her way. Somehow the plate fell down and broke. As per the promise Randal Mataji’s mother had to marry her daughter to Lord Suryanarayan.
So due to this trick of Lord Suryanarayan, he got what he wanted that is he married Randal Mataji and from here the story starts.
Surya Dev and Randal Mataji
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After Marriage
Randal Mataji gave birth to a son (Yamraj) and a daughter (Yamunaji). Due to the extreme shine of Suryanarayan Randal Mataji wasn’t able to look at him. Lord Suryanarayan doubted that Randal Mataji was proud of her beauty and just because of that she was not looking towards him. Hence, He gave curse that her children (Yamraj and Yamunaji) will suffer by roaming in jungle.
Due to the terror of Lord Suryanarayan, Randal Mataji replaced herself with her shadow-image, to take care of Lord Suryanarayan and she went to her father’s place. When Vishwakarma asked Randal Mataji what she was doing back home, she replied that she had left her husband, Lord Suryanarayan and came back. Vishwakarma didn’t support her, and said that; after marriage daughter’s right place is her husband’s house. Randal Mataji left her father’s house and went into jungle. She decided to sit and do “Tap” – meaning a prayer consisting of no food and no water. Randal Mataji prayed for 14,000 years. [One day of her prayer was about 1 year of ours].
Tap in Jungle
Randal Mataji had now no other way since she can’t go to her husband and her father also won’t let her to live there. So she had only way that was to go to jungle and do Tap. Meanwhile Mataji’s shadow-image, which she left with Lord Suryanarayan gave birth to two children (Sanidev and Tapidevi). Yamraj and Sanidev had a quarrel, so Sanidev’s mother gave curse to Yamraj that he will bleed whenever, he’ll put his legs on land. In the evening, when Lord Suryanarayan came back, Yamraj told him that mother gave him a curse that he’s bleeding whenever; he’ll put his legs on land.
Lord Suryanarayan made Yamraj well, but Lord Suryanarayan felt that a mother wouldn’t give curse to her children and even if she gives her children wouldn’t suffer. Because of this reason he felt that something is wrong. He called shadow-image of Randal Mataji and asked what the truth is. The image was going on telling that she is Mataji. Lord Suryanarayan wasn’t agreeing to accept that and strongly asked to say the truth else he would burn her to ashes. Due to this she had to tell the truth. After Lord Suryanarayan found out the truth he decided to enquire about Randal Mataji’s whereabouts at Lord Vishwakarma’s house. But Vishwakarma said that Randal Mataji left his house.
Surya Dev and Randal Mataji
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After so many inquiries, no one was able to answer about where Randal Mataji was. Lord Suryanarayan took meditation and saw where Randal Mataji was. He converted himself into a horse and went to place where Randal Mataji was praying. He broke her prayer and asked the reason behind the prayer. She answered that she was not able to look at him due to his shine. Suryanarayan was surprised to hear this, so he dimmed his shine.
He gave his 1/4 shine to different places. He divided his 1/4 shine to four different places equally.
They are:-
1) Trident (a three-pointed weapon) of Lord Shiva
2) Sudarshan chakra of Lord Vishnu
3) Cow
4) Earth
The return of Mataji from Jungle
During that period, Randal Mataji gave birth to two more children called Ashwini kumars. Ashwini kumars were the Ayurvedic Doctor of gods.
Lord Suryanarayan brought Randal Mataji back to his house. At that time the shadow-image of Randal Mataji asked the actual real Mataji to do something for her in return for the favor she carried out. Randal Mataji gave promise to her that when any person will do ‘Lotas’ (a rituals done by Hindus after fulfilling their hopes) will always be in pairs, i.e., one for Randal Mataji and one for her shadow-image. Lord Suryanarayan promised that during ‘Lotas’ he would be there in the form of horse. Unless and until the activity called ‘Ghoro Khundavo’ is not completed the ritual is not completed successfully.
Lord Suryanarayan asked Randal Mataji to go to ‘Mrityu Lok’ (earth) and rescue the lives of people from anti-social elements and show them the path of religion and truth.
Mrityulok (The Earth)
It was hard to go on earth in her original form. So she had to find some other alternative. Hence Mataji took the form of child and sat under a tree without making any sort of noise. That was the time of famine in Gujarat and Saurashtra. So the shepherds of Maldhari (a tribe) were roaming here and looking for fodder to serve their cattle. One of the shepherds saw the child under the tree. He went to that child and asked her who was she? And why she was alone in jungle? Who kept her there? Mataji didn’t spoke anything but answered by making expressions that she was dumb and alone. Maldhari felt pity on her and took her with them. They named her ‘Randal’ as she was found in desert.
The wife of Maldhari took care of her as her own daughter. As Mataji was with Maldhari, famine was over and rain was in plenty. Many people in the family of Maldhari were lame, blind, and leprous. Mataji cured them and made them healthy. Maldhari people were not able to identify her. Once Maldhari made camp near Vasavadi River. At the bank of this river there was a city named Dhutarpur was situated (which later was renamed as Vasavad).
Servants of King were taking Milk, curd etc from Maldharis. Randal Mataji showed herself as teenager girl of 16 years to them. Her beauty amazed the servants so they praised the beauty of Randal Mataji in front of king. On hearin
g this king got crazy about her. King went to the camp and asked for the beautiful girl of 16 years in the group. But Maldharis were surprised to hear this since Randal Mataji was in the form of child with them. King thought that Maldharis didn’t want to give the girl and hence he ordered his soldiers to kill everyone in the group.
The soldiers started killing the people very cruelly. At that time Randal Mataji couldn’t control herself. She became angry; she put her hand on a cow and converted to a lion. She sat on the back of lion and started killing the soldiers. King and other people realised their mistake and saw that she is none other than goddess Jagdamba! They bowed down before her and requested that they did not know the real truth and begged to forgiveness. Mataji calmed down and gave life to dead soldiers. Because of this battle the place got the name ‘Darva’.
Randal Mataji blessed the Maldharis and she took a promise from king that he will not repeat the mistake in the future. Randal Mataji gave place in heaven to Maldhari and disappeared. The People started praying Randal Mataji from then on.
Article supplied by Kishan-Satish Maru (Bhuvo)