Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.782

c8.782

Cold with fear the queen stood up from the chariot and keeping her hands on the pearl necklace on her breast jumped out of the chariot. Then a very fierce demon came towards them. He was yellow in colour with three legs, five hands, seven eyes and ears like a tiger's and the shoulders and chin like those of a lion. It was a horrible sight and Vṛndā hid her eyes with her hands and trembled like a plantain leaf. The maid jumping out of the chariot cried aloud "Oh, my queen, help me. This demon is going to eat me." The demon approaching them took the chariot with the horses and whirled it round in the air. Both the queen and the maid fainted at this exhibition of strength. The demon ate all the horses and then catching hold of the hands of the queen he roared, "If you want your life make me your husband. Your husband has been killed by Śiva in the battle. If you join me you can live for years together without fear. Come on, drink this sweet liquor with flesh". At that time Mahāviṣṇu in the guise of an ascetic wearing barks of trees and matted hair appeared before them. An angered look form Viṣṇu sent the demon away from the place. Vṛndā took refuge in the ascetic and the false ascetic said, "I am Devaśarmā, son of Bharadvāja. Renouncing all worldly pleasures I have come here to do penance and if it pleases you, you can come and stay in my āśrama and do penance. We can go to another forest far away from here." As soon as they reached the āśrama Mahāviṣṇu appeared before her in the figure of Jalandhara. They embraced each other and lived there joyfully for many days. One day at the end of a sexual act Vṛndā saw instead of Jalandhara the ascetic in embrace with her. She was shocked and stood up separated from him. Then Mahāviṣṇu said "Vṛndā, I am Viṣṇu husband of Lakṣmī. Your husband has gone to conquer Śiva and get Parvatī for himself. I am Śiva also. We appear separate. Your husband Jalandhara has been killed in the battle. Join with me." Vṛndā got angry. She cursed Viṣṇu; she said, "You cheated me by pretending to be an ascetic. Let your wife also be once cheated by a false ascetic." The cursed Viṣṇu disappeared and Vṛndā started penance. Many Gandharva ladies came with temptations to dissuade Vṛndā from continuing the penance. But all such attempts failed and Vṛndā ended her life doing penance. The nymphs showered flowers on her from above and the dead body of Vṛndā was cremated by Smaradūtī and Smaradūtī jumped into the funeral pyre of Vṛndā and gave away her life. The nymphs made an image of her with the ashes from the funeral pyre and floated it on the river Gaṅgā. Pārvatī did not consent to having any sexual enjoyment with Māyāśiva and she escaped from the place and went to Ākāśagaṅgā and started doing penance there. One day Pārvatī called her maid Jayā to her side and said "Jayā you go in my dress to Śiva and find out whether he is really Śiva or not. If he kisses you and embraces you he will surely be a dānava come in disguise by his Māyā. But if he asks you about my welfare he will be real Śiva. Go and tell me what happens." Jayā went to Māyāśiva. Jalandhara when he saw her mistook her for Pārvatī and caught hold of her and immediately semen flowed out from him. Jayā returned and told Pārvatī that it was Jalandhara and not Śiva. Pārvatī afraid of Jalandhara hid in a lotus and her companions became beetles sitting on the lotus. In the meantime the guards of the palace finding the queen absent from the palace reported the matter to Śumbha fighting against Śiva. He sent Caṇḍamuṇḍas to Jalandhara to inform him of the situation. Jalandhara came back to the battle-field running and took up the fight against Śiva again.