Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.3277

c9.3277

There is a story to substantiate this belief. Once there arose a quarrel between Vāsuki and Vāyubhagavān and they decided to find out who between the two was more powerful. Vāsuki went and lay wound round Mahāmeru so tightly that even Vāyu (air) could not enter it. Vāyu got enraged and broke into a cyclone shaking the whole world. Even Mahāmeru began to shake but Vāsuki lay unaffected. The Cyclone began to increase in vigour and the devas were frightened and they went to Mahāviṣṇu accompanied by Śiva and Brahmā. After hearing their story Viṣṇu called Vāsuki and Vāyu to his side and commanded them to stop the quarrel. Vāsuki then unwound a part of his winding and that was from Trikūṭa. At once Vāyu entered there and separating Trikūṭa from other parts carried it away and dropped it in the southern sea. It fell to the south of the southern end of Bhārata. Laṅkā is the city built on it by the celebrated architect, Viśvakarman.