Andhaka Becomes a Gana

Sanatkumara said

The mantra begins with OUM and a bow to the lord of the gods, before whom gods and asuras bow. It hails him as great lord of the past and future, green- and tawny-eyed, strength itself, intelligence in form, clothed in tiger hide, born through the fire-sticks, potent in the three worlds. It calls him Ishvara, Hara, tawny-eyed, the one who ends a yuga, fire, lord of ganas, protector of the worlds, mighty-armed and large-handed, trident-bearer, large-fanged, Kala, Maheshvara, without decay, whose form is time, blue-throated, large-bellied, controller of ganas, present in all selves, creator of everything who goes everywhere, destroyer of death, vow-keeper on Mount Pariyatra, celibate student, known through Vedanta, the height of austerity, Pashupati, bodiless, bearer of the Pinaka, with the bull on his banner, Hari, matted-haired, topknotted, staff-holder, immense in fame, lord of beings, cave-dweller, one who keeps the beat of the veena and panava, immortal, worthy to be seen, with the colour of the rising sun, dweller in cremation grounds, Bhagavan, Uma's lord, scorcher of enemies, who struck out Bhaga's eyes and broke Pushan's teeth. It names him cutter of the cruel, holder of the noose, time at dissolution, foremost of flames, with Agni on his banner, the sage, the blazing one, lord of the universe, the uplifter, the father, the fourth, supreme in the worlds; Vamadeva, eloquent in speech, left-path mendicant in mendicant form, matted, himself mysterious, who paralysed Shakra's hand and stupefied the Vasus. It calls him the sacrifice and the sacrificer, time, the intelligent one, maker of honey, the mover, he who is in the trees, worshipped by all the ashramas as Vajasana, creator and preserver of the universe, Purusha, eternal, fixed, controller of dharma, of the three paths, three-eyed, many-formed, with the brilliance of ten thousand suns, sounder of all trumpets, freer from every obstacle, binder, upholder of everything, supreme dharma, Pushpadanta, the share, the mouth, destroyer of everything, golden-eared, the gatekeeper, the terrible one, terrible in valour, and ends with a bow to him.

Sanatkumara continued

Inside the cage of the stomach Shukra recited this excellent mantra and, like powerful semen, came out by Shambhu's path. Gouri accepted him as a son, and Shankara, lord of the universe, made him immortal and free of age, like a prosperous second self. When three thousand years had passed on earth, Shukra, the sage who was a store of the Vedas, was born again through Maheshvara. He saw Andhaka, lord of danavas, dried up on the trident, performing austerities and meditating on Parameshvara. Andhaka meditated on a list of the supreme self's epithets, which the text counts as one hundred and eight but which, as printed in this edition, runs to a hundred: Mahadeva, Virupaksha, Chandrarddhakritashekhara, Amrita, Shashvata, Sthanu, Nilakantha, Pinaki, Vrishabhaksha, Mahajneya, Purusha, Sarva-kamada, Kamari, Kamadahana, Kamarupa, Kapardin, Virupa, Girisha, Bhima, Sragvin, Raktavasa, Yogi, Kaladahana, Gudavrata, Gudamantra, Gambhira, Bhavagochara, Animadi-gunadhara, Trilokyaishvaryadayaka, Vira, Virahana, Ghora, Virupa, Mamsala, Patu, Mahamamsada, Unmatta, Bhairava, Maheshvara, Trailokyadravana, Lubdha, Lubdhaka, Yajnasudana, Krittikanam-sutairyukta, Krittivasa, Gajakritti-paridhana, Kshubda, Bhujagabhushana, Dadyalamba, Vetala, Ghora-shakinipujita, Aghora, Ghoradaityaghna, Ghoraghosha, Vanaspati, Bhasmanga, Jatila, Shuddha, Bherunda-shata-sevita, Bhuteshvara, Bhutanatha, Pancha-bhutashrita, Khaga, Krodhita, Nishthura, Chanda, Chandisha, Chandikapriya, Tunga, Garutman, Nityamasava-bhojana, Lelihana, Maharudra, Mrityu, Mrityoragochara, Mrityormrityu, Mahasena, Smashanaranya-vasi, Raga, Viraga, Ragandha, Vitaraga-shatachita, Sattva-rajas-tamas, Dharma, Adharma, Vasavanuja, Satya, Asatya, Sadrupa, Asadrupa, Ahetuka, Arddhanarishvara, Bhanu, Bhanu-kotishata-prabha, Yajna, Yajnapati, Rudra, Ishana, Varada and Shiva. As the danava meditated on Shiva he was freed from the great fear. Kapardin sprinkled him with a shower of divine amrita, and he was satisfied and freed from the trident's tip where he had been impaled.

Mahesha spoke to the great daitya and reassured the asura about all he had done. Ishvara said he was pleased with his self-control, discipline, valour and perseverance. Excellent in vows, he should ask a boon. Because he had constantly worshipped him, all his sins were cleansed, and he deserved a boon from the giver of boons. By his good deeds he would live three thousand years and then be liberated.

Hearing this, Andhaka trembled, folded his hands and sank to his knees. He said Shiva was greater than the greatest, and though he himself was lowly, Shiva had spoken to him as to one not lowly. In the field of battle he had spoken to him in delighted, faltering words and foolishly done a deed condemned in the worlds, because he did not know him; Shiva should not hold it in mind. Through the taint of desire he had done a wicked thing towards Parvati and asked Mahadeva's pardon. He was miserable and suffering greatly, and one should show compassion to the unhappy; he was always devoted to Shiva and had taken refuge in him, and it was ordained that Shiva would save him. His hands were cupped in salutation. The Devi was mother of the universe, and he asked that she be satisfied with him, cast aside her rage and look on him kindly. Who would she be angry with, a miserable daitya? He would not be able to bear it, being wretched, overwhelmed by the taints of desire and anger and suffering from old age and death. Shiva's son Viraka was extremely strong and terrible in battle, and he asked that Viraka see his misery and not be filled with rage towards him. Let him always look on Parvati as a mother, with the honour due to a senior. Shiva was fair as a necklace of ice or the cool beams of the moon, with a complexion like a conch or kunda flower, and Andhaka asked to be always devoted to both of them, to bear no enmity towards the gods, to live with the ganas with a tranquil self, thinking on yoga, and, when born again, not to remember the hostile feelings of his birth as a danava. With these words the daitya lord fell silent, meditated on the three-eyed one and looked at Parvati as one looks at a mother.

Pleased, Rudra looked at him with a kind glance, and, extraordinarily, Andhaka at once remembered the story of his former birth, and with that all his wishes were fulfilled. His aim achieved, he bowed to his mother and father, and Parvati and the intelligent Shankara smelled the fragrance of his head. The one with the crescent moon on his brow was satisfied and Andhaka got all he wished. Sanatkumara closed by saying he had thus told the whole of Andhaka's earlier story and how he became a ganapati through Mahadeva's favour and gained supreme happiness, and had told the mrityunjaya mantra that destroys death, which one should make efforts to read, for it grants everything desired.