SIVA RAHASYA 6

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Om Namah Sivaya

 

 

The Shadows of War

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Lord Skanda, the General of the Devas, was camping at Tiruchendur along with His army, He sent from His camp a messenger to Mahendrapuri, the capital of Surapadma.

 

 

 

 

The Lord ordered the messenger to inform Surapadma that the Devas were ready for a fight with him and that the war could be averted only if the Asura released Jayanta, son of Devendra, from prison and abstained from giving any more trouble to the Devas. As envoy to Surapadma, Veerabahu Devar was chosen; and he obeyed the words of the Lord and prepared himself for his southward journey across the ocean to Mahendrapuri.

 

With the blessings of the Lord, Veerabahu Devar started on his journey. On the way he came across an Asura, Veerasingan by name, who was the ruler of Lanka. The Asura tried to prevent the messenger from crossing over his land. Dragged to fight the demon, Veerabahu showed his prowess by making short work of the Asura. This was repeated in the case of another Asura, Ativeeran. The messenger then continued his journey to Surapadma’s capital. To his great surprise Veerabahu saw that innumerable Asuras with curious shapes were guarding the numerous gates of the fort round the city of Veeramahendrapuri and that it was no easy task to effect an entrance into it. Deciding, however, to cut away for himself into the city, he approached one of the gates of the fortress.

 

An elephant-faced Asura, Gajamukhasura by name, challenged him and engaged him in combat, and it was only after a hard fight that Veerabahu was able to overcome his opponent. Desirous of obtaining an intimate knowledge of the city and the life of the people there, Veerabahu entered the city incognito. Assuming the form of a very small creature by the Siddhi of Anima, Veerabahu entered the city of Surapadma unknown to and unseen by the Asuras.

 

A sight of the city of the Asuras created feelings of sympathy and jealousy in the mind of the messenger—sympathy that a city of such incomparable grace and beauty should come to be inhabited only by people of low Asuric nature and that it was to perish so soon for the sins of its inhabitants; and jealousy at the power of the Tapas of the Asuras, by which they had been able to create such a super-city with all its many enviable perfections.

 

The messenger, in the course of his perambulations in the city, sighted the prison in which Indra’s son Jayanta was bemoaning his fate as a prisoner. He cheered him up and assured him of a quick release by Lord Karttik. Thence Veerabahu proceeded in his subtle shape to the Durbar hall of Surapadma. He was greatly dazzled at the grandeur and the pomp of the Asura’s Durbar, unparalleled even in Devaloka.

 

 

 

 

By the Grace of Lord Subrahmanya, the messenger Veerabahu was provided with a Divine Simhasana (throne) on a level with the one on which Surapadma was himself sitting. Disconcerted and annoyed at the unprecedented disturbance created by the messenger and enraged at his defiant demeanour, Surapadma, controlling himself with a mighty effort, enquired of Veerabahu of his identity and the purpose of his visit.

 

Undaunted in spirit and unswerving in his faith in Lord Shanmukha, Veerabahu explained his mission, after introducing himself as the humble messenger of the glorious son of Lord Siva. He informed Surapadma that he had been ordered to visit his capital and ascertain his mind as to whether he was agreeable to releasing Jayanta and abstaining from troubling the Devas further or whether he was prepared for a fight with Lord Subrahmanya, who had come down from Kailasa for the purpose of saving the righteous and punishing the wicked. Insulted and infuriated, Surapadma bluntly refused to accept any of the terms offered by the Lord to him, on the ground that it would be below his dignity and prestige even to listen to such messages. He ridiculed the idea of his being dictated to by a mere child, of whom he would make mincemeat at the first encounter. These haughty and arrogant words of Surapadma so excited and provoked Veerabahu, who, in an outburst of

anger, cursed Surapadma and his Asura dynasty to an early ruin at the hands of the Lord. This was sufficient to enrage Surapadma and his followers and induce them to vent their spleen on the messenger. But Veerabahu outwitted them all and returned safe to Tiruchendur to report to the Lord all that had happened in Veeramahendrapuri.

 

In the meantime, imperious Surapadma called a council of war and, with the help of his ministers, began to concert measures for offensive and defensive operations against the enemy. A few of his advisers tried to persuade against Surapadma to release the Devas and Devendra’s son and make peaceful compromise with the Lord.

 

 

 

Simhamukha pleaded that as Lord Subrahmanya was, as the messenger had pointed out, none other than Lord Siva Himself in the form of a young boy, “To obey Him would be worthy of us and could bring nothing but good to all of us, and to disregard Him is to court certain destruction.†But the doomed Asura king, in his arrogance and pride, would not listen to such wise counsels.

 

Accordingly, on the orders of the king, mighty preparations for the ensuing fight were taken in hand and completed with great expedition. Simhamukha went back to his capital, promising his brother to come to his help when the time came and bring his army immediately on the declaration of war.

----Sri Swami Sivananda

 

 

 

 

Sivaya Namah