Mohini The Enchantress(Bronze Age, Source: The Mahabharata,10th Century Bc) Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

Mohini is the only female form
Incarnated by Purana's God Vishnu.
A female fatale, an enchantress,
Who maddens and dooms men of her choice.
She is known from the Mahabharata
As appearing to thieve the pot
Of elixir of immortality
From the demons (asuras)to the demigods. (Devas)1

Mohini is the female form of Vishnu.
Power to seduce sages and demons
Is vested with her to distract men
From spiritual reality by entrapping
In material reality. She enchants.
Shiva needs to open his eyes from trance
To sensual reality and lust.
Mohiny did this role to perfection.2

Mohini comes and dances before Shiva,
Who is disturbed and opens his both eyes
To look at her, and is enchanted by her.
He chases her as the cock does the hen.
She eludes from him as the hen behaves.
They join and his seed falls into her thigh,
From which evolve a child, Hari-Haran,
The product of the Vishnu cult and Shiv cult.3

Bhasmasura, a greedy demon,
Got power by penance from Shiva
That anyone he touches on head
Would turn into ashes; he sought to test
On Shiva, who ran for shelter to Vishnu,
Who in the form of Mohini tempted him
And made him swear by touching his own head
to marry her; he did and went to ash. 4

The churning of the Milk Sea was ordered
By Vishnu on devas and asuras
So that they can share the valuables therefrom.
The sea was churned using mount Mantara
As stem and Snake Vasuki as the rope.
When the poison came, both refused to share.
Shiva gulped it to be stuck in his throat.
When Lakshmi came out Vishnu got her.5

When elixir came out, both fought for it.
Asuras by their might got hold of it.
Vishnu in the form of Mohini came.
She was the lady with divine beauty.
She took the pot and saw that only devas
Drank it. One asura stealthily got it.
Mohini cut him into head and tail
To stay as Rahu and Kethu planets.6

Mohini is perfection made possible.
From the essence of Vishnu has she come.
She is part of him and yet she revels
In enchantment and independence.
Set to act, she takes action at her will.
She is loved and desired by all males
And yet she is elusive to their hold.
A tantalizing temptress she has been.7

Mohini has independent existence;
As a pure temporary delusion,
She existed and was absorbed back
Into Vishnu after serving her goal.
Mohini may be the mother of Sastha (Aiyappa)
But is taken as the son of Vishnu;
Rarely is he known as Shiva's offshoot.
Mohini is more than apsaras in looks. 8
13.11.2020
(Mohini is a mythological creation conceived well before 2000 BC during the Mahabharata period. No literature on her except puranic stories in different forms at different periods in different regions, all confirming that Mohini is Vishnu in female form and no apsaras -nymphs- is equal to her in elegance and beauty)