Chapter 24 - Jalandhara is slain

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

1. O excellent son of Brahmā, O intelligent one, you have narrated a wonderful story. What happened thereafter in the battle? How was the Asura killed? Please narrate.

Sanatkumāra said:—

2. Unable to see Pārvatī, the king of Daityas returned to the battle ground. The groups of deceptive Gandharvas vanished. It was only then that the bull-bannered deity regained awareness of the surroundings.

3. On seeing the illusion vanished, Śiva woke up. Following the way of the world, the annihilator became very furious.

4. Then Śiva was a bit surprised in the mind. He approached Jalandhara angrily in order to fight with him. On seeing Śiva approaching again, the Asura showered him with arrows.

5. Lord Śiva immediately split the cluster of arrows discharged by the powerful Jalandhara by means of his own excellent arrows. This was not surprising for the annihilator of the three worlds.

6. Seeing Śiva exhibiting wonderful feats of valour, Jalandhara created Pārvatī by means of his illusion in order to delude Śiva.

7. Śiva saw Pārvatī tied to the chariot and crying. She was being harrassed by Niśumbha, Śumbha and other Daityas.

8. On seeing that in her plight, Śiva became dispirited and dejected in the mind like an ordinary man pursuing the way of the world.

9. He, an expert in various kinds of sports, remained silent with face drooping down, utterly dejected, exhausted and forgetful of his own prowess.

10. Then Jalandhara hurriedly hit Śiva in his chest, belly and the head with three arrows that went deep down as far as their feathered tail.

11. Then within a trice, lord Śiva, the principle of perfect wisdom, expert in great sports, assumed a terrific form, dreadfully blazing.

12. On seeing his excessively terrible form, the Daityas fled to the ten different quarters. They were unable to stay facing him.

13. O great sage, even Śumbha and Niśumbha who were renowned for their prowess could not stand in the battle ground.

14. The illusion created by Jalandhara had vanished in an instant. In that all out battle there was great hue and cry.

15. On seeing Śumbha and Niśumbha fleeing, the infuriated Śiva rebuked them and cursed as follows.

Śiva said:—

16. “You are wicked and excessively roguish. You have offended me by harassing Pārvatī. Now "both of you have deserted the battle ground.

17. A person fleeing the battle ground shall not be killed. So I do not kill you. Since you have escaped from a fight with me you would be killed by Pārvatī.”^[1]

18. Even as Śiva was saying, Jalandhara, son of the ocean, became very furious with Śiva like the blazing fire.

19. One after the other, he showered many sharp arrows on Śiva in the battle. The whole of the Earth became enveloped in darkness by his arrows.

20. Śiva split the arrows swiftly, the powerful Daitya hit the bull with an iron club.

21. Due to that blow the bull turned away from the battle field. Even when dragged by Śiva it did not stand there.

22. Then the great Śiva put forth an unbearable splendour visible to all in the battle field. O great sage, this is true.

23. Then the infuriated Śiva assuming a terrible form, became as dreadful as the fire of dissolution, all of a sudden.

24. On seeing the Daitya standing in front like the lofty peak of Meru and hearing from others that he could not be killed, he stood ready for it.

25. As desired by Brahmā, the lord protector of the worlds decided to kill Jalandhara, blessing him in the heart of his heart.

26. Becoming excessively angry, the trident bearing deity made a mysteriously terrible wheel in the great waters by means of his big toe indulging in a divine sport.

27. Creating a sharp wheel in the waters of the ocean and remembering that the three worlds had been harassed by Jalandhara, the lord Śiva who had slain Dakṣa, Andhaka Antaka and destroyed the three cities and the sacrifice of Dakṣa^[2] and annihilated the three worlds said laughingly.

Śiva said:—

28. O Jalandhara, if you are powerful enough to lift the wheel created by me with the leg in the great waters, you will be competent to stand and fight with me, not otherwise.

Sanatkumāra said:—

29. On hearing his words the Daitya’s eyes gleamed fiercely with anger. He looked at Śiva as if burning him with his eyes and said:—

Jalandhara said:—

30-31. After uplifting the wheel, I shall be killing you with your Gaṇas. Like Garuḍa killing the serpents I shall kill all the people in the world along with the gods. I can destroy the mobile and immobile along with Indra. O lord Śiva, who is there in the three worlds that can escape being pierced by my arrows?

32. Even in my childhood, lord Brahmā had been defeated by my vigour. That powerful Brahmā is in my abode now along with the sages and leading gods.

33. Within a trice, the entire universe of the mobile and immobile has been burnt by me. O Śiva, what can be done by you or by your penance? Even lord Brahmā has been defeated.

34. Indra, Agni, Yama, Kubera, Vāyu, and Varuṇa and others were unable to endure my valour like the serpents unable to bear even the odour of the lord of birds.

35. O Śiva, I have never been obstructed either in the heaven or on the earth. I have gone over all the mountains and crushed all the leading Gaṇas.

36. To remove the itching sensation in my arms I have hit the lofty mountain Mandara, the glorious mountain Nīla and the lustrous mountain Meru.

37. Just for the sport the river Gaṅgā was checked by me on the Himalaya mountain. Even my servants were victorious over the gods, my enemies.

38. I seized the submarine fire^[3] and closed its mouth when the entire ocean became one single unit instantaneously.

39. Airāvata and other elephants have been hurled into the ocean. Lord Indra along with his chariot has been thrown by me a hundred Yojanas away.

40. Even Guruḍa (Garuḍa?) has been bound by me along with Viṣṇu by means of the serpent noose. Urvaśī^[4] and other women have been imprisoned by me.

41. O Śiva, you do not know me the conqueror of the three worlds, Jalandhara, the great Daitya and the powerful son of the ocean.

Sanatkumāra said:—

42. After saying this to lord Śiva, the son of the ocean did not move nor did he remember the Dānavas killed in the battle.

43. Lord Śiva was slighted and insulted by means of harsh words by the haughty impudent Daitya after slapping each arm by the other forcibly.

44. On hearing the inauspicious words of the Daitya, lord Śiva laughed mockingly and became furious.

45. Śiva held in his hand the wheel Sudarśana which he had made with his toe and got ready to kill him.

46. Lord Śiva hurled the discus Sudarśana which resembled a crore suns and the fire of dissolution.

47. Blazing the heaven and the earth, the discus hit Jalandhara and severed his head with wide gaping eyes.

48. The body of the son of the ocean fell on the ground from the chariot making the earth resonant. The head too fell. There was a great hue and cry.

49. His body fell in two halves like the mountain of collyrium split by the thunderbolt and hurled in the ocean.

50. The whole universe was filled with his terrible blood O great sage, the entire earth became deformed.

51. His entire blood and flesh, at the bidding of Śiva was taken to the hell Mahāraurava^[5] and became a big pit of blood there.

52. His splendour that came out of his body merged into Śiva just like the splendour that came out of the body of Vṛndā and merged into Pārvatī.

53. On seeing Jalandhara killed, the gods, the Gandharvas and the serpents became highly delighted and said “Well done, O lord”.

54. The gods, Siddhas and great sages were delighted. Making showers of flowers they sang his glory loudly.

55. The celestial damsels excited by love and joy danced. In the company of Kinnaras they sang in harmonious sweet voice.

56. O sage, the quarters became clear when Vṛndā’s husband was killed. The three winds, gentle to the touch and sanctifying, blew.

57. The moon became cool. The sun blazed brilliantly. The fires blazed quietly. The sky became clear.

58. O sage, thus the entire universe of the three worlds regained their earlier health and normalcy much when the son of the ocean was killed by Śiva of infinite forms.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

As cursed by Śiva, the Asuras Śumbha and Niśumbha were killed by Pārvatī later on. For the detailed description of their destruction, see Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa.

[2]:

For the destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice sec Śiva-purāṇa Rudrasaṃhitā Section 2. Chs 29-37. For the destruction of Andhaka, ibid. Section 5. Chs 42-49.

[3]:

The submarine fire (Baḍavā) is a flame with the head of a horse that consumes the water of the rivers falling into the ocean. When it is incapacitated, the water overflows the shore and drowns the universe. The entire units of creation are then drawn together and remain invisible in the ocean.

[4]:

The celestial damsels, Urvaśī, Rambhā, Menakā, Tilottamā and others are the symbols of heavenly beauty.

[5]:

Mahāraurava is one of the many hells to which the souls of the wicked are sent. But as Jalandhara had emanated from Rudra, his soul was merged into Rudra’s soul but his flesh and blood went to Mahāraurava hell and were turned into a pool of blood.