Andhaka's Austerities

Sanatkumara said

Once, as they were amusing themselves, Hiranyanetra's son heard his evil-minded brothers mock him. They said he was blind, so what would he do with a kingdom. Hiranyanetra had been foolish: after terrible austerities and worship of Girisha he had got a disfigured, malformed, quarrelsome, eyeless son who could never have a share, for how could one born through someone else get the kingdom? They said he should think it over himself, though they might give him a share. Hearing this he reflected and was dejected, but reassured them with many words. That night he left for a deserted forest and practised austerities for ten thousand years, standing on one leg doing japa, arms raised, observing rules and taking no food, something no other god or asura could do. He lit a fire and for a whole year offered his own flesh and blood as oblations. Using a sharp weapon he cut parts from his body and offered them daily with mantras, until he was like a corpse of nerves and bones with all his blood drained. When no flesh was left he wished to offer his body itself into the fire. The heaven-dwellers saw him thus and were amazed and afraid. All the immortals quickly entreated Brahma, bowing, applauding and pleasing him, so the grandfather restrained Andhaka and told him to ask a boon, even one impossible for the three worlds to give.

Hearing the lotus-born one, the wretched daitya bowed. He said that those cruel ones, Prahlada foremost, had taken his kingdom, so let them become his servants. He was blind, so let him have divine sight. Let Indra and the others pay him taxes. Let him not die at the hands of devas, daityas, gandharvas, yakshas, uragas or humans, nor through Narayana, enemy of daitya lords, nor through Sharva, who pervades everything and is in all beings. Hearing these terrible words Brahma was afraid. He said that everyone born must perish, that no one who is born, is being born or will be born escapes the mouth of death, so he should accept some means of death; men like him should give up the idea of living infinitely long.

Hearing this, the daitya spoke again. In the three times, he said, there are women old, middle-aged and young, and among them one is the true jewel. Let her always be like a mother to him; in thought, word and deed this woman must be unapproachable in the world and impossible for others to win. If he ever desired her, Bhagavan Svayambhu should let him be destroyed and he should no longer be a lord of daityas. Hearing him, the lotus-born one was amazed and remembered Shankara's lotus feet. Having taken Shambhu's instruction, he said everything Andhaka wanted would happen as he wished, and he should rise, satisfy his wishes and always fight the brave. Andhaka bowed devotedly. Since he was reduced to nerves and bones, he asked the lord of the worlds how, with such a body, he could go and fight his strong enemies, and asked him to touch him with his auspicious hand and give him flesh. Brahma touched his body with his hand. Worshipped by sages and siddhas and accompanied by the lords of gods, he returned to his own abode.

As soon as he was touched the daitya king's body became whole and strong and eyes appeared. Fortunate and healthy, he entered his own city and made Prahlada and the other chief danava lords give up the kingdom. Because he had come with a boon they judged they should come under his control and serve him. With soldiers and a retinue of servants Andhaka went to heaven to conquer it, defeated all the foremost gods and made the vajra-wielder pay taxes. Nagas, birds, the best of rakshasas, gandharvas, yakshas, humans, mountain kings, trees and all quadrupeds, lions foremost, he beat in battle. He brought every moving and unmoving being in the three worlds under his rule and set them to work. Thousands of beautiful women of noble birth came to him, and exceedingly lovely women of Rasatala, earth and heaven were with him as he took his pleasure in the mountains, on lovely riverbanks and elsewhere. Among them the danava lord was filled with joy. He drank inferior liquor, divine liquor and the liquor of humans, enjoyed divine juices, fruits and fragrant roots, and got excellent mounts and vehicles and supreme houses made by Maya. He played among flowers, incense and unguents, wonderful to see. Ten thousand years passed. He did not know what was good or what would bring him happiness in the next world. Foolish and wicked in mind, Andhaka kept bad company and, deluded, used evil arguments to defeat the best among the learned. With the daityas he wandered as a great soul and destroyed all the dharma of the Vedas. Intoxicated by wealth he dishonoured the Vedas, brahmanas, immortals and gurus. By destiny he had been given a lifespan, but by his own indulgences he shortened it.

Crores and countless years passed. Once he came to earth with many soldiers and happily went to Mount Mandara. Proud, with his soldiers, he saw its beautiful golden splendour and, deluded, approached it to play and live there. Delighted by his power, the daitya lord created an auspicious, firm city there and gradually had the wonderful place settled. The excellent danava had two ministers, Duryodhana and Vaidhasahasti. Once, in a fine spot on the mountain, the three of them saw an extremely beautiful woman. The excellent daityas went quickly and joyfully to their great lord and told Andhaka, foremost of the brave, all they had seen.

The ministers said they had seen a sage in a cave, eyes closed in meditation, handsome, with the crescent moon on his head, a huge elephant hide tied round his waist, nagas coiled all over his body, a garland of skulls for ornament and matted hair. He held a trident, arrows and quiver, a great bow, a string of rudraksha beads, a sword and a staff, was four-armed and exceedingly fair, smeared with ashes, and dazzling with energy in extraordinary appearance and garb. Not far off they had seen a monkey with a terrible, cruel face, a guard with every weapon, and an aged fair bull. Seated near the ascetic was a charming young woman of exceeding beauty, a jewel of the earth, adorned with coral, pearls, jewels, gold and gems, in fine garments and garlands. Whoever sees her has truly seen, and having seen her what need is there to see anyone else? She should be the wife of a great, respected lord, yet she was the beloved of a sage of auspicious vows. Andhaka, who enjoys excellent jewels, was worthy to see her, so they urged him to have her brought. Hearing them, he was overcome by desire and his whole body spun.

The daitya at once sent Duryodhana and the others to the sage. The aged ministers, skilled in royal policy, approached the immeasurable sage, bowed, and gave Andhaka's message. They said Hiranyanetra's great-souled son, the emperor of the daityas, named Andhaka and lord of the three worlds, had by the creator's command settled in this region and was occupied with pleasure. They were his brave ministers sent to him. They asked whose son he was, why he sat so cheerfully, and whom such a young and lovely woman belonged to, and said she should be given to the daitya lord. They mocked him: his body was smeared with ash and he wore a garland of skulls, he was malformed, why did he carry a quiver, bow, arrows, swords, bhushundi, trident, vajra and club, with Jahnavi on his matted hair and bits of corpse bones along with the moon on his body, poison in his breath and a long mouth, and what was this snake, and how could he be with a heavy-breasted woman? Riding a bull was not praised and only to be pardoned, no one had seen such a thing, and where was his dharma of bowing at sandhya, and what was this food against the world's custom? With these peaceful words he should give the lady to Andhaka. Why was he, a fool, doing austerities with a woman beside him? It was not fitting. In the three worlds Andhaka was lord of jewels, so he should follow his words and put his weapons down; only then would he be pure. If he challenged and defied the command he would be rid of everything, even his body.

Maheshvara, following worldly custom, judged Andhaka the foremost of all the evil-minded. Hearing all the messengers said, he smiled and answered. He said that, being Rudra, he had no business with Andhaka, who had spoken falsely, and he should hear Shiva's powers and should not have spoken so. He did not remember his father. In this cave he was keeping the terrible pashupata vow that no one else had kept. He did not know his mother, he was ignorant and malformed, he had no root, and giving up all this was not possible for him. This wife of his was young, exceedingly beautiful and tolerant of everything, the embodiment of all success. That being so, Andhaka could take whatever seemed fitting. Having said this, Shambhu in the garb of an ascetic fell silent and stayed where he was before them. Hearing his deep words, the danavas bowed their heads and returned to the supreme daitya, who had sworn to destroy the three worlds. They bowed, told their intoxicated, indomitable lord, cried victory, and reported what Rudra had said with a smile.

The ministers then taunted: where is a danava whose valour and perseverance are fickle, who is miserable and spiritless, who is always cruel, ungrateful and afraid of the son of Surya? Andhaka had enjoyed the whole kingdom, yet an ascetic and sage was laughing at him. He was surely the foremost of the brave and extremely energetic, regarding the three worlds as blades of grass by his own judgement. They quoted what the ascetic said with mock humility: where did he have terrible weapons, what was this battle that would terrify death, who was this Viraka with a monkey's face, aged and weak in limb; his form was ugly, he was unfortunate and, against Andhaka's strength, like a creeper. If Andhaka was able he should try to fight, since the ascetic's side had terrible weapons equal to the vajra that could destroy him. Was his body as delicate as a lotus? He should think and do as he liked. The ministers added that the ascetic had laughed at him, that it was proper for him to fight him, and that the many words were empty, but he should remember that when weighing the sage's words. Though the words were true, beneficial, crooked and piercing, the evil-minded one blazed in rage, as if ghee had been poured on a fire. Intoxicated by his boon, he took a sword and assumed a terrible form, and, driven by perverse destiny and pierced by desire's arrow, prepared to go.