Depredations of Rakshasas in Darukavana

Suta said

Now I will tell how the paramatman's supreme jyotirlinga called Nagesha arose. There was a rakshasi called Darukaa, arrogant because of a boon from Parvati. Her husband Daruka was supremely strong, and with many other rakshasas he caused carnage among the virtuous, destroying sacrifices and dharma in the worlds. On the shore of the western ocean was a forest, prosperous in every way, extending sixteen yojanas in every direction. Whenever Darukaa went to the forest for her pleasure, the ground there was covered with trees and everything else suited to it. Devi had given Darukaa that forest to look after, so she went there as she wished with her husband, and they lived there and terrified everyone. All the people suffered because of Daruka and Darukaa, and they went and took refuge with Ourva, bowing their heads with special joy. "Great sage, give us shelter or the wicked ones will kill us. You blaze with energy and can do anything. No one else on earth can shelter us. Near you we are happy, and when they see you all rakshasas run far away. Shiva's blazing energy always shines in you." Entreated so, grieving and begging, "Shelter us, save us," Ourva replied: "The rakshasas may be very strong, but if they do violence to other beings on earth they will lose their lives. When sacrifices are destroyed all rakshasas will lose their lives. I speak the truth." And he reassured the people. For the good of the worlds Ourva performed many kinds of austerity. The gods learned the reason for this curse and made efforts to fight the enemies of the gods. With many weapons Shakra and the other gods came to fight.

Seeing this, the rakshasas held great consultations, all the wicked ones gathered in one place. "What shall we do? Where shall we go? A difficulty has come. We fight and are killed; they fight and are not killed. If we stay here, what will happen among us? There is misery everywhere. How can it be countered?" Daruka and the rest thought, but unable to find a way they stayed miserable. Rakshasi Darukaa learned that disaster had come, and she spoke of the boon Bhavani had given her: "When I worshipped her earlier, Bhava's wife gave me a boon. If you wish, come with me to the forest. How can we put up with this misery? Let the rakshasas be taken to the forest in the water and live there happily." The rakshasas rejoiced, lost their fear and said to each other, "She is blessed. Our queen has saved our lives." They bowed to her and said lovingly: "If we have the strength to go, why discuss whether to go? Queen, we will go and always live happily in the water." There were also people who had earlier suffered many miseries from the rakshasas and who came to fight alongside the gods. Suffering from all this, the rakshasas fell back on Bhavani's strength.

They took everything to the city that was land in the middle of the water. The rakshasi praised Devi and cried "Victory", and flew through the sky like mountains with wings. Fearless, all of them lived there in the middle of the ocean, and the companions of Shivaa's follower rejoiced. They stayed in the city in the water and amused themselves. Happy, the rakshasas lost their fear, and never came to earth again. Afraid of the sage's curse they stayed in the water. They seized people travelling in boats and took them to the city, throwing some into prisons and killing others. Fearless by Bhavani's boon, they began causing suffering again wherever they could. Earlier people had feared them on land, and now they feared them in the water. Sometimes the rakshasi came out of the water city and blocked the path, and from there made the people on land suffer. Meanwhile many fine boats arrived there, full of people. The rakshasas were delighted. Those crooked ones rushed up, seized them, and brought them, very strong, to the city. They threw them into prison and bound them in strong fetters. The prisoners in those jails were miserable and repeatedly abused.

Among them was a vaishya named Supriya, of good conduct, always devoted to Shiva and loved by him. He never went without worshipping Shiva. He followed Shiva's dharma in every way, wearing ash and rudraksha as ornaments. When he could not worship, he did not eat. Even there in prison the vaishya worshipped Shiva. Supreme among rishis, in that prison he taught many people how to worship Shiva with an earthen lingam, and each worshipped as he wished, in the ways he had seen or heard. Some sat in good postures and sank into meditation. Some worshipped Shiva happily in their minds. Their leader made an earthen lingam, followed the rules and worshipped Shiva directly. Others who did not know the methods remembered the supreme mantra "Namo Shivaya" and absorbed themselves in meditation on Shankara. The noble vaishya Supriya, loved by Shiva, meditated in his mind and worshipped Shiva. In whatever form Shambhu was addressed, he accepted all of it directly. Supriya himself did not know that Shiva accepted everything. Lords among sages, so, as the vaishya worshipped Shiva, six months passed without obstacle. Best of rishis, hear with attentive minds what the one with the moon on his crest did next.