There are many aspects that make Indian culture rich and attractive and one of them is Indian mythology. Out of the many divine and mysterious elements that are there in Indian mythology, the Sudarshan Chakra remains the most important one.
The word Sudarshan is made from the combination of 2 words "Su" and "Darshan", while Su means auspicious, Darshan means Vision. Sudarshan Chakra is the divine disc of Lord Vishnu, the protector of the universe as per beliefs in the Hindu religion, which he bears as a weapon. In his various depictions and portrayals, he is seen holding the Sudarshan Chakra bearing it on his right index finger. It protects those who are righteous and destroys evil forces. It is the weapon that helps the Lord restore law and order in the world. Worshiping the Sudarshan Chakra grants protection from negativity and blesses people with spiritual well-being.
There are many beliefs about the creation of Sudarshan Chakra. According to the Linga Purana, it was Lord Shiva who granted the Sudarshan Chakra to Lord Vishnu. When Lord Vishnu was fighting the asuras he battled them for an eternity but eventually, he had to seek the help of Lord Shiva. So he did tapasya and meditated on Mahadeva. He gathered 1000 lotus petals to offer to him. However, when he realized that he was short of one petal he pulled out his eye because he was known as Kamalanayani which means the One Who Has Lotus Like Eyes. Pleased with this gesture Lord Shiva granted the Sudarshan Chakra to Lord Vishnu to fight the asuras.
As per another legend, when Surya Dev’s wife Sanjana grew tired of bearing his excessive heat, she urged her father Vishwakarma, the Divine architect to help her. He lessened the heat of Surya Dev by 1/8th. The solar matter that fell on earth was used by Vishwakarma to forge the Pushpak Viman, Lord Shiva’s trident, and the Sudarshan Chakra which was given to Lord Vishnu.
There are many stories associated with Sudarshan Chakra. One of them is when Devi Sati immolated herself and Lord Shiva was roaming the universe in agony with her body. That is when Lord Vishnu used the Sudarshan Chakra to dismember her body. The various parts of her body were scattered in different places and formed the Shakti Peethas that are worshiped today by thousands of devotees.
in another instance, Lord Vishnu used it to slay the asura Rahu who had disguised himself as one of the devas to consume the elixir of immortality during the churning of the ocean, Lord Vishnu saw through the disguise and unleashed the Sudarshan Chakra on Rahu which beheaded him, but because he had already consumed the poison by then the body separated from the head continued to live and came to be called Ketu.
There are many instances of Lord Krishna, who was an avatar of Lord Vishnu, also using the Sudarshan Chakra. For instance, he hid the Sun with the help of the Chakra. This caused a faux sunset and that facilitated the killing of Jayadratha.
He also used it to behead Shishupala when he insulted Lord Krishna.
Wrapping Up -
Sudarshan Chakra is the most divine and powerful weapon that exists and questions about its creation have always intrigued people. It is the weapon of Lord Vishnu and is often associated with Lord Krishna as well who was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It has been used time and again by both the deities to maintain order in the world. Apart from being a celestial weapon it is the most divine mystery known to humankind.
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