Story of Cital

(Termites). Cital has got its own place in the purāṇas. Devī Bhāgavata has the following story about the origin of it.

Mahāviṣṇu once looking at the face of Lakṣmī laughed without any apparent reason. Lakṣmī, thinking that Viṣṇu was laughing at her and that he had an eye on some other woman more beautiful than her lost her temper and cursed Viṣṇu that his head would be severed from his body.

No sooner was the curse pronounced than the asuras came in batches fully armed and challenged Viṣṇu to war. Single-handed the Lord fought the asuras with one bow. The fight did not end though it continued for thousands of years. Viṣṇu felt tired and decided to rest awhile. He planted one end of the untied bow on the ground, rested his chin on the other and sat in Padmāsana. Being very tired the Lord remained asleep for a long time in this posture.

About this time the devas made preparations to perform a yajña. All the devas except Mahāviṣṇu attended that yajña. Since he was the master of yajñas performed for purposes of the devas they could not begin it in his absence. So, Brahmā and others went in search of Viṣṇu to Vaikuṇṭha. But he was not to be found there. Then Brahmā and others found out with their eyes of knowledge where Viṣṇu was and they went to the place where he was sleeping. They waited there for a long time, yet Viṣṇu did not awake from sleep. Then Brahmā hit at a plan to awaken Viṣṇu. It was to create citals (termites) to eat the end of the bow. When they had eaten away the end of the bow planted on the ground the cord binding the two ends of it would break, the bow would straighten up and the speedy movement of it would awaken Viṣṇu.

According to this plan Brahmā created citals, but his other plans were not acceptable to the citals. They argued that the advantage of awakening the Lord from sleep would go only to the devas, while its sin would fall upon them.

They argued,

"nidrābhaṅgaḥ kathāchedo dampatyoḥ prītibhedanam / śiśumātṛvibhedaśca brahmahatyāsamaṃ smṛtam //"* Brahmā conceded the justness of this argument and agreed that, in future, a part of the result of yajñas shall go to citals. It was after this that havis (sa crificial offering) which, in the course of being submitted to the fire falls on the sides of the pit of fire became the share of citals (termites). This promise of Brahmā pleased the the citals, and they did as was bidden by Brahmā and the bow of Viṣṇu straightened up with a terrific sound. The devas were terror-stricken, the whole universe shook, the earth experienced a convulsion and the oceans too were shaken. Moreover, the head of Viṣṇu was severed from the body, rose high up in the sky and fell into the sea. Brahmā, Śiva and others opened their eyes only to find the body of Viṣṇu lying thus without the head.

This loss of Viṣṇu’s head proved to be useful in another way. Now, Hayagrīva, after securing the boon from Brahmā that he would be killed only by one with horse’s head, was running rough-shod over the whole earth. The devas cut off the head of a horse and attached it to the trunk of Viṣṇu. Thus Viṣṇu came to life again, and according to his orders the citals gnawed away the cord of Hayagrīva’s bow as a result of which he was killed. (Devīmāhātmya, Prathma Skandha).

*) To disturb one in sleep, to interrupt a story, to separate husband and wife as also mother and child from each other—these things are tantamount to Brahmahatyā (killing of the brahmin).