SIVA RAHASYA 4

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Om Namah Sivaya The Tyranny of the Asuras In his rank ambition, Surapadma sent his son, Banukopan, to capture Indraloka and to make prisoners of Devendra and his consort. The army of the Asuras took and plundered Indraloka. Unable to bear the tortures, Devendra and his consort flew away from Devaloka in the guise of parrots and dwelt in Shiyali, in South India. But Indra’s son, Jayantan, was brought to Mahendrapuri and imprisoned there. The disguised Indra and his consort were offering prayers to Lord Siva to save them from the onslaught of the Asuras and restore them back to their kingdom. After a while, leaving his consort under the protection of Maha Shashta, Indra proceeded along with other Devas to Mount Kailasa, to request the Lord to protect them

from the ruthless tyranny of the Asuras. During his absence, Ajamukhi, sister of Surapadma, by the exercise of her black art tried to abduct Indrani forcibly and take her to Surapadma. But she herself got wounded in the attempt; and the news of the inglorious treatment meted out to Ajamukhi by Maha Shashta infuriated further the power-mad Surapadma, who in his wounded pride, used his whip on the Devas more mercilessly than before. In the meanwhile, Sage Agastya, at the command of Lord Siva, was proceeding South, with a Kamandalu of water from the Akasa Ganga. On the way, Krownchan, an Asura who had assumed the shape of a mountain, tried to entice the Rishi from his path. Aware of the trick the Asura was playing, the Rishi cursed him to remain in the shape of the mountain till he came to perish at the hands of Lord Karttikeya. Then Agastya continued his journey and, crossing the Vindhyas in due time, entered South India. One day, here, when his attention was engaged elsewhere, his Kamandalu of water was spilt on the ground by the mischievous pranks of a crow. Annoyed at this, the Rishi tapped the crow on the head. To his surprise, he saw before him Lord Ganesha. By his grace, the water that was spilt became the source of the river Cauveri, which flowed, among other places, alongside the garden in which Indra and his consort were doing Tapas for Lord Siva’s grace. Subsequent to this, Agastya killed the two sons of Ajamukhi. It came about thus. These two sons, Bilvalan and Vatapi by name, used to invite the passers-by in the forest for a feast in their house. On each of such occasions, Vatapi would be cut to pieces, cooked and served as meat for the guests. When the guests had finished their dinner, Bilvalan would call for his brother, Vatapi, and the

latter would come out alive and whole, piercing the abdomen of the guest who had eaten him. The Asura brothers would then feast on the unsuspecting, murdered guests. But, Agastya, who sensed this cruel trick in time, gently rubbed his abdomen, murmuring ‘Vatapi Jirnobhava’ (let Vatapi become digested), and the Asura thus perished, unable to do anything. Agastya then turned his wrath on the other and killed him also. The Devas imprisoned by Surapadma and his brothers were in the meanwhile undergoing agonies of torture. As days passed, the persecution was becoming more and more atrocious. Unable to bear their sufferings any longer, the Devas, led by Brahma, Vishnu and Indra, started on a journey to Mount Kailasa to make a supplication to Lord Siva for immediate relief and protection. ----Sri Swami Sivananda Sivaya Namah

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