21 – When The Divine Guardians Fought The Strong Saviour

Hi Friends!

Today let us take the story forward from where we left the action last time. Two battle-ready armies stood in front of each other, to fight for respect and supremacy. Let us learn a little more about their leaders, and champions.

The Asura Army – The Saviour and Other Strong Ones

The Asuras were led by Taraka-Asura, the Strong Saviour. He was the son of Vajranga and Varangi.

He was intent on avenging the earlier defeats of the sons of Diti and Danu, as well as the disrespect to his mother Varangi, by Indra in the form of a monkey. Being the son of Vajranga, he was strong by birth. He also had a very specific boon, from Lord Brahma, that he could be killed by an individual who fulfilled all the three criteria below:

• Be a boy aged just seven days;
• Be the son of the Lord Shiva; and
• Be devasenapati (literally meaning the leader of the army of the devas).

This boon made him even more “invincible”. Please note due to a sad turn of events, Lord Shiva had lost his beloved wife, Sati. The Great Lord was so bereaved, that it seemed he would never again marry, and hence was expected to remain progeny-less.

Tarakasura was supported by many major Asuras, each a powerful entity in his own right. Let us know about the seven main commanders of Taraka briefly.

Amongst them were three Asuras, who had the boons of being undefeatable by any males – deva, asura or human. They were Mahisha (taking his name from the word for water buffalo), Sumbha (literally meaning the miserly one, or The One Who Tortures), and Sumbha’s brother Nisumbha (whose name means killing, or The One Who Kills). We will try and know more about them (and their ultimate deaths) in some other story.

In addition, there were three Asuras, who were especially strong, and had interesting names based on their prowess. They were Mathana (the one who churns), Jambha (the one who bites), and Grasana (the one who swallows). Incidentally Grasana was the commander-in-chief of Taraka’s army. So together they were expected to “eat up the opponents”, i.e. confidently win. We will find out soon if this confidence was well placed.

Along with these seven, there was a very ferocious warrior. He was so powerful, and his victory considered so certain, that he was called the Wheel (“nemi”) of Time (“kaal”), i.e. Kaalanemi. He features in many mythological stories. In fact his later mortal incarnation, Kansa, is one of the most well-known characters. Kansa was born during the Dwaapar Yuga, in the chandra-vansh line of kings and chieftains, and had the good (and bad?) fortune of being the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna, the Eighth Avatar of Lord Vishnu. One thing common in all the stories Kaalanemi features in, is that he is so strong that only Lord Vishnu is able to defeat and kill him.

In addition to these eight main fighters, there were more Asuras. A few of them were named after strong animals, just like Mahisha-“the-Buffalo”-Asura. Like Mesa-Asura (meaning “the strong male-sheep”) and Kunjara-Asura (meaning “the strong elephant”). This may have been based on their sheer animal strength, or may be to denote the emblems on their personal flags.

The Deva Army – The King and Other Guardians

The Devas were led by Indra, the King. He was the son of Sage Kashyapa and Aditi. He was the defeater of Vrtra. He was the dikpala of poorva, or Guardian of the East. His mount was Airavata, the three-headed white elephant, who came out from sagara-manthan.

The main stay of the deva army, and their champion in many past and future conflicts, was Lord Vishnu, the Preserver. Sometimes referred to as the youngest Aditya (son of Aditi), and sometimes as the Naarayana (coming from the primeval waters or “naar” which existed before Creation). He was the dikpala of adhah, or Guardian of Down-ward Direction. His mount was Garuda, the divine eagle.

This army’s commander-in-chief was the god of death and good behaviour (“dharma”), Yama. He was the son of Vivaswan, the bright god of Sun, and Saranyu, the swift. He was the dikpala of daksina, or Guardian of the South. His mount was the buffalo.

Another Aditya, or son of Aditi and Sage Kashyapa, who fought as a leader of the deva army, was Varuna, the god of oceans, seas and truth. He was the dikpala of paschima, or Guardian of the West. His mount was the crocodile.

The Guardian of South-East, or the dikpala of agneya, is Agni, the god of fire. Agni holds an important position, being the means of sustenance of men (through cooking, and safety in the dark), as well as for gods (being the “mouth” for all gods to receive sacrifices of the yagna). It is said all that enters the mouth of Agni gets shared by all the devas. This specific characteristic become very important in a later connected story. So do remember this. Agni, sometimes also referred to as Hutasa and sometimes as Anala, was fierce and strong. His mount was the horned wild-sheep.

The Guardian of North-West, or dikpala of vayavya, is Vayu, the god of wind. He was strong, and fierce. He was most probably supported by the forty-nine Maruts, the gods of stormy winds. They were sons of Diti, but sworn brothers of Indra, and given positions as devas. Vayu, sometimes also referred to as Pavana and sometimes as Anila, was strong and brave. His mount was the speedy gazelle. Please note that two heroes of mythological tales known for their prowess in fighting, and sheer strength, were referred to as Son-of-Vayu (“vayuputra”) or as Son-of-Pavana (“pavanaputra”). They are namely Lord Hanuman (son of Anjani) and Prince Bhima (son of Kunti).

Fighting along side these gods were two more guardians, who were born first as humans, and then achieved such a high position. Let’s know them next, and cover the story of their ascension from mortal manushyas to divine dikpalas.

First of them was the god of wealth, Kubera. He was the son of Sage Vishrava, hence also called Vaisravan. Sage Vishrava was the son of Sage Pulastya, one of the Seven Great Sages, or Saptarishis. The Saptarishis as we discussed earlier were the mind-born sons of Lord Brahma, to help him with the work of Creation as Prajapatis. Kubera’s mount is sometimes a man, and sometimes chariot drawn by horses with faces of men. He was the dikpala of uttara, or Guardian of the North. The story of how he became so is quite interesting.

THE STORY OF GUNANIDHI (KUBERA)

There was a performer of yagnas for others (for a fee), or a “dikshita”. He had a son, who was wayward, and indulged in gambling, and occasional stealing. The son was named Gunanidhi (or Store of Virtues). He is sometimes referred to as Duhsaha (or Difficult to Endure). The father abandoned this son, making him bereft of fatherly discipline, as well as monetary support.

One day Gunanidhi, decided to steal from a temple of Lord Shiva. He waited till all the guards were asleep. By that time the lamps of the temple had burnt out, and hence it was too dark to find the treasures. So, he tore off part of his lower garment (“dhoti”) to make wicks, and lit up a few lamps. After this, before he could escape with his loot, the guards of the temple woke-up and proceeded to thrash him. Sadly he died, being in a weakened state. The store of virtue (albeit unknowingly) he got from lighting lamps in a dark temple, gave him good karma, and he was born as Prince Dama, a son of the King of Kalinga.

When Dama became king, he somehow remembered to always keep the lamps in the temples always lit. After his death, this store of good karma, was enough for him to be reborn as the son of Sage Vishrava.

Kubera became the king of the yakshas. Later, he requested his great-grandfather, Lord Brahma, for a position of responsibility, and was made the god of wealth and guardian of the North. He was also given the rule of an island, which had risen up when Garuda threw a massive branch into the ocean, before flying to heaven to steal amruta. This was Lanka, the golden city, which Kubera later lost to his half-brother Ravana, the mighty king of rakshashas. After that Kubera settled into another golden city called Alaka, which is close to Mount Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva.

Kubera was a devotee and friend of Lord Shiva. His jealousy (of the fact that Shiva’s wife was closer to Shiva than him) is said to have caused one of his eyes to turn yellow. Hence he is also called Ekapinga, or The One with One Yellow (Eye).

The second of these ascended individuals fighting in this battle was Nirrti, the king of deva-rakshashas. He was also called Rakshashendra, or Indra of the rakshashas. Nirrti’s mount is sometimes said to be a man, and sometimes a chariot drawn by horses with faces of rakshashas. Very similar to the the imagery of the mount(s) of Kubera. He was the dikpala of nairrtya, or Guardian of South-West. The story of this guardian’s ascension may be one of the most interesting (and different) stories in Indian mythology.

THE STORY OF PINGAKSHA (NIRRTI)

There was a chieftain of a tribe of hunters living in the forests near Vindhya. He was called Pingaksha, or the Yellow-Red-Eyed-One. Think of a man of soil, living a difficult life in the forests, and making his living by hunting birds and small animals, for food and for their pelts. He would have eyes frequently bloodshot, and yellowing due to lack of proper nutrition.

Unlike the other similar chieftains (including his uncle Taraksha, the Bright-Eyed-One), our heroic Pingaksha tried to live a life of virtue. He never killed animals for sport, only to fulfil his needs. He spared the very young, or the visibly pregnant, or those sleeping or searching for water. He also protected the pilgrims and travellers passing through the region. He fought and many times killed the looters and dacoits who preyed on these travellers, inviting great danger to his self. He also hunted down carnivorous animals that attacked villagers and travellers. He shared food with those who were hungry, and distributed soft animal felts and shoes of leather amongst those who lacked proper clothing and footwear.

It became known, far and wide, that the travel paths passing through Pingaksha’s territory were safe for all. Hence those routes became more popular for those who needed to cross these mountainous forested regions. Taraksha, the evil uncle of this hero, saw an opportunity in this. He decided to loot those travellers as they would be less cautious, and kill them so that the word won’t spread and more would keep coming.

So one day Taraksha, and his band of robbers, attacked a caravan of pilgrims, after getting information that Pingaksha has gone for a hunt. The hapless pilgrims being surrounded by dacoits, cried out, “Alas, we thought we were safe based on the word of Pingaksha, but he seems to be far away. Please take our belongings, but spare our lives.”

By a stroke of luck, Pingaksha was nearby and he rushed to their rescue. He shouted, “What kind of evil deed is this, O Uncle of Mine? Why are you attacking these helpless people, when I have given my word to protect those who travel here? I cannot let this happen while I draw breath.”

The evil Taraksha said, “This Yellow-Eyed coward has forsaken the way of our ancestors. Let us kill this black spot on my family’s name, and then we will kill those he thinks he can save from us.”

Pingaksha fought alone but bravely with the band of armed robbers. He somehow escorted the caravan to safety. The fierce robbers had broken his bow, and pierced him with many fatal arrows. As he lost his life blood from these cruel wounds all he thought was, “If only I was more powerful! I could have defeated all these evil doers, and keep protecting the weak and helpless.”

The store of virtue of Pingaksha’s noble life (and heroic death) was so immense that his last thought at the time of death came true. He was reborn as a guardian of south-west direction, and was crowned as the king of the deva–rakshashas. These were divine individuals born (re-born) in fearsome form, but who were good natured, and did noble deeds. They were supporters and friends of the Devas. In fact they acted more as protectors, or rakshakas, rather than those from whom protection is needed, i.e. rakshashas.

These are two interesting stories.

• The story of Gunanidhi seems to keep hinting that though he was born in a well-to-do family but his actions weren’t always noble. He achieved divine status through the accumulation of good karma, but some of it was merely by accident.
• In contrast the story of Pingaksha tries to communicate the idea that even though he was born in a family of evil-doers, his actions were always noble. He too achieved divine status through good karma, but each one of those were by his efforts and intent.

Sadly more people know about Kubera (Ekapinga), the wealthy one; rather than Nirrti (Pingaksha), the protective one. Is it because wealth is appreciated more?

Anyway, along with these guardians of the directions, there were other devas and divine entities. These included the Vasus (eight of them), the Rudras (eleven of them), the AshvinKumars (twins), the various other Adityas (twelve in all), and many others.

Now that we know the main combatants of this Deva-Asura battle, let us see who all survived, who defeated whom, and who was victorious at the end.

Just to pique your interest, after the battle ends, there is a well appreciated and entertaining dance, by monkeys.