Indra did not recognize Shiv, who was sitting on the way disguised as a hermit. Indra inquired as to who he was and where he lived. Shiv sat quietly without saying a word. Indra repeatedly asked the same question, but each time Shiv remained quiet. Indra became furious and tried to attack Shiv with his Vajra. Shiv paralyzed the raised hand of Indra by his divine power. Shiv's eyes got reddened due to anger which made Indra very frightened. Brihaspati was able to recognize the real identity of the hermit as to who he was, so he made salutations to him and requested him to pardon Indra. Shiv became pleased and diverted the power of his radiant eyes to the ocean. This way Indra's life was spared. Shiv then returned to his abode, on Kailaash Mountain. Indra and Brihaspati also returned to their respective abodes after visiting Shiv, but the anger of Shiv, which was thrown by him in the Ocean, resulted into the manifestation of a small child. This incident happened at the place where river Ganges submerges into the ocean.
The child was crying so ferociously that an environment of fear was created everywhere. The deities and the sages went to Brahmaa Jee to satisfy their curiously. Brahmaa assured them to find out the reason. He went to the seashore. The sea put the child in his lap and enquired about the name of that child and also about his future.
Meanwhile the child pressed Brahmaa's neck with such power that tears rolled down from his eyes. For this reason he named the child as Jalandhar. Brahmaa told the sea that the child will become the mighty ruler of the demons. No deity would be able to kill him except Shiv. The sea was very pleased by Brahmaa's predictions. After Brahmaa returned to his abode, the sea brought that child to his home and brought up that child with great love and care. Shukraachaarya, the Guru of the Asur, recognized that Jalandhar was very powerful indeed, so he crowned him the King of the Asur. Brahmaa ordered Shukraachaarya to wed Jalandhar with Tulasee, the daughter of Kaalnemi. Tulasee was a very pious lady and an ideal wife. Because of her purity and chastity, Jalandhar was unconquerable.
As the time passed, the Asur and the Daitya became very strong under the able leadership of Jalandhar. In general, there was an increase of evil among the people. On seeing the headless Raahu, Jalandhar was perplexed and perturbed and asked his Guru Shukraachaarya, the reason for Raahu's condition. Then Shukraachaarya narrated the incident of Saagar Manthan. Raahu had masqueraded as a Devata and partook of the Amrit. But even as the nectar reached his throat, Soorya and Chandramaa told Vishnu about Raahu, and Vishnu beheaded him with His Chakra. Jalandhar concluded that the Devtaa stole away the nectar and jewels which appeared from the Saagar, as the ultimate insult to the Daitya, so he decided to get the jewels back from the Devtaa.
Jalandhar sent his emissary by the name of Ghasmar to Indra. Boldly, rather rudely, the emissary entered Indra's Sabhaa (court). Without showing even common courtesy to the members he announced : the Devtaa should return the precious jewels of Samudra Manthan or else...
Indra was taken aback. Fear and surprise gripped him. How could Saagar, whose loyalty to Devtaa was above board, demand such a thing? After all, the Devtaa had taken only the jewels, although they could have taken away all the evil powers of the Asur and Daitya, but they did not. Indra told the emissary Ghasmar that the claim of the Devtaa over the jewels was rightful and that the jewels will not be returned to Saagar or Jalandhar. Jalandhar filled with rage when the emissary returned with the details of the events at Indra's Sabhaa. Jalandhar gathered all the Asur and the Daitya, appointed Shumbh and Nishumbh as the commanders and declared war with the Devtaa. There was a prolonged battle and both sides incurred heavy casualties.
Seeing this the Asur planned another strategy. The Dronaachal Parvat was famous for the medicinal plants. The Daitya thought that if this mountain could be thrown away then the Devtaa would be cornered. Sure enough, all the Asur got together and flung the Dronaachal into the ocean. All the Devtaa fled and took shelter in the caves and crevices of the Sumeru Parvat. Jalandhar's victory was imminent. Brihaspati, and the Devtaa who were hiding in the mountains then pleaded Vishnu, for their protection from Jalandhar. Vishnu decided to take immediate action, climbed His vehicle, Garud, and set forth to the place of battle. But before leaving, Lakshmee intervened, "Since Jalandhar is born from Samudra, he is my brother. So, please do not kill him."
When Jalandhar saw Vishnu coming to the battleground he entered into a duel with Lord Vishnu. They first fought with arms, and then continued the combat without arms. The duel raged on without any result. Vishnu, too, admitted the prowess of Jalandhar. Then Vishnu told Jalandhar about his relationship with Lakshmee they are both born of Saagar and hence are siblings. Jalandhar, acknowledging the relationship, invited Vishnu and Lakshmee to stay in his palace. Meanwhile, he replaced all Devtaa's appointments with Asur's. He confiscated all the wealth of the Devtaa, Kinnar, Gandharv, Yaksh etc. He was now the supreme ruler of all the Lok.
Jalandhar Fights With Shiv
Naarad looking for Vishnu, visited Jalandhar's city. Jalandhar was extremely
happy to host to Naarad. Naarad told Jalandhar that his kingdom was no less
than that of Kailaash with the sole exception that Paarvatee was with Shiv,
not with him. Jalandhar thought Naarad was right, so he decided to steal
Paarvatee from Shiv. Jalandhar sent Raahu to Kailaash with a message for Shiv
that he, the ash smeared Yogee, with unkempt locks, wearing a garland of skulls,
is not a befitting consort for the beautiful Paarvatee. Therefore, he should send
Paarvatee to Jalandhar who is the king of all the three Lok.
The moment Raahu concluded his speech, a very angry Shiv created a dangerous, horrifying human being from his eyebrows. The fearsome human had a face like a lion's, red eyes, and hair like sharp spikes. This organism decided to eat the headless Raahu. Raahu got scared and pleaded with Shiv to spare him as he was a Braahman and only an emissary of Jalandhar. Shiv caught hold of Raahu and hurled him in the sky and he fell on the earth. When Jalandhar heard of the fate of his emissary he was enraged. He gathered together the huge army of Daitya and led them to battle. There were many bad omens when he left his palace but he was determined to fight Shiv.
Meanwhile, Shiv called for Vishnu and asked him why he had not killed Jalandhar. Further, he admonished Vishnu for residing with Lakshmee in the palace of Jalandhar. Vishnu explained the details of the birth of Jalandhar and that his death was ordained in the hands of Shiv. Both Shiv and Vishnu understood that the pious Tulasee's devotion to her husband was giving Jalandhar unfailing strength. There was a need to do something about it. By this time Jalandhar with his huge army had reached the gates of Kailaash. There was pitched battle among the Devtaa and Daitya. Whenever the Devtaa killed the Daitya, Shukraachaarya would restore them to life.
Then, Shiv produced a fearsome girl from his mouth. She was Taaljanghaa. She took away Shukraachaarya and disappeared. The disappointed Daitya started retreating. Then, Jalandhar played a trick. With his Maayaa he created Gandharv and Apsaraa who started dancing. Shiv quickly forgave him and joined the dancers. This was just what Jalandhar had wanted. While Shiv was dancing, Jalandhar rushed to the side of Paarvatee with the intention of stealing her and making her his own. But Paarvatee, anticipating his evil plan, had turned invisible. Paarvatee called for Vishnu and expressed her anguish over the incident. Vishnu then decided to use the same trick on Jalandhar.
Vishnu and Tulasee
Tulasee was very worried about Jalandhar. She had ominous dreams portending
disaster. While she was searching for Jalandhar in the forests, Vishnu took
the form of Jalandhar, and stayed with Tulasee. She believed him but later
realized that this Jalandhar did not have the evil qualities that were so
conspicuous in her husband. Since she had been deceived, she cursed Vishnu
to become a stone and always stay at her feet. Vishnu accepted the curse but
exhorted Tulasee to see that while her husband was spreading evil, she, in
the capacity of a wife did not stop him. Thus, she became an accomplice. In
sheer guilt, realizing the misdeeds of her husband, Tulasee died and fell at
the feet of Paarvatee in atonement of her husbands sins.
After Tulasee's death Jalandhar's demon army attacked Shiv. Shiv inserted his big toe into the ocean and started to churn the water. From this churning, a terrible weapon known as the Sudarshan Chakra was created. Jalandhar got ready to fight with Chakra, but as soon as he started fighting with it, the weapon sliced off his head. Jalandhar's flesh and blood cluttered up the universe. Shiv all of this sent to Yam Raaj. Yam constructed a Hell (Narak) named Mahaa-Raurav with this flesh and blood.
After his death, Jalandhar's soul united with Shiv. Vishnu was very much saddened by the death of Vrindaa. He took the ashes from the pyre and after applying them on His body started wandering here and there. The deities became very worried to see the condition of Vishnu. They went to Shiv and requested him to eliminate the false attachment with which Vishnu was suffering. Shiv sent Devtaa to Paarvatee, saying that she would certainly help in this regard. The deities went to Paarvatee and prayed to her. She became very pleased and with the assistance of Lakshmee and Saraswatee, gave some seeds to them. Devtaa sprayed those seeds on the pyre of Vrindaa. Three holy plants manifested from that pyre - Aamalaa, Tulasee and Maalatee. Later on Tulasee and Maalatee attained the Vishnu Lok, by the virtue of their respective penance.
They deceived Brinda with the false news that her husband had been killed in the battle. The severed head and body of two monkeys were placed in front of her and she believing it to be her husband's dead body, plunged into grief. Then a Sadhu came along and reunited the head and trunk of the body with his yogic powers and Lord Vishnu looking exactly like Jalandharaa emerged from this reunited body and stood in front of Brinda. Thinking, in her excitement, that it was her resuscitated husband, she embraced him and thus lost her virtue because of which Jalandharaa was subsequently killed in the war.
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