Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.272

c7.272

2) Birth. There is a reference in Dārukavadha (killing of Dārukāsura) about the birth of Ghaṇṭākarṇa. Dāruka, after having secured a boon from Brahmā, used to harass the world too much and when his depredation became unbearable Śiva created Bhadrakālī from his third eye and she killed the asura. Mandodarī wife of Dāruka and daughter of Maya was sunk in grief at the death of her husband. She began to do tapas. Śiva appeared and gave her a few drops of sweat from his body saying that the person on whom she sprinkled the sweat drops would suffer from small-pox and that such patients would worship her (Mandodarī) and supply her necessary food. From that day onwards Mandodarī became the presiding deity over small-pox. On her way back to the earth with the sweat-drops Mandodarī met Bhadrakālī at whom she threw the sweat-drops to take revenge for her husband's death. Immediately Bhadrakālī fell down with an attack of small-pox. Hearing about the mishap Śiva created a terrible Rākṣasa called Ghaṇṭākarṇa. According to Śiva's directions Ghaṇṭākarṇa licked off the small-pox from her face she prevented him saying that she and Ghaṇṭākarṇa were sister and brother and that it was improper for the brother to lick the face of the sister. And, even to this day the small-pox on Bhadrakālī's face remains as an ornament to her.