The story of Sunda and
Upasunda
In olden days, a
mighty Daitya named Nikumbha, endued with great energy and strength was born in
the race of the great Asura, Hiranyakasipu. Unto this Nikumbha, were born two
sons called Sunda and Upasunda. Both of them were mighty Asuras endued with
great energy and terrible prowess. The brothers were both fierce and possessed
of wicked hearts. Those Daityas were both of the same resolution, and ever
engaged in achieving the same tasks and ends. They were ever sharers with each
other in happiness as well as in woe. Each speaking and doing what was
agreeable to the other, the brothers never were unless they were together, and
never went anywhere unless together. Of exactly the same disposition and
habits, they seemed to be one individual divided into two parts. Endued with
great energy and ever of the same resolution in everything they undertook, the
brothers gradually grew up. Always entertaining the same purpose, desirous of
subjugating the three worlds, the brothers, after due initiation, went to the
mountains of Vindhya. Severe were the ascetic penances they performed there.
Exhausted with hunger and thirst, with matted locks on their heads and attired
in barks of trees, they acquired sufficient ascetic merit at length. Besmearing
themselves with dirt from head to foot, living upon air alone, standing on
their toes, they threw pieces of the flesh of their bodies into the fire. Their
arms upraised, and eye fixed, long was the period for which they observed their
vows. During the course of their ascetic penances, a wonderful incident
occurred there. For the mountains of Vindhya, heated for a long course of years
by the power of their ascetic austerities, began to emit vapour from every part
of their bodies. Beholding the severity of their austerities, the celestials
became alarmed. The gods began to cause numerous obstructions to impede the
progress of their asceticism. The celestials repeatedly tempted the brothers by
means of every precious possession and the most beautiful girls. The brothers
broke not their vows. Then the celestials once more manifested, before the
illustrious brothers, their powers of illusion. For it seemed their sisters,
mothers, wives, and other relatives, with disordered hair and ornaments and
robes, were running towards them in terror, pursued and struck by a Rakshasa
with a lance in hand. It seemed that the women implored the help of the
brothers crying, “O save us!” But all this went for nothing, for firmly wedded
thereto, the brothers did not still break their vows. When it was found that
all this produced not the slightest impression on any of the two, both the
women and the Rakshasa vanished from sight. At last the Grandsire himself, the
Supreme Lord ever seeking the welfare of all, came unto those great Asuras and
asked them to solicit the boon they desired. Then the brothers Sunda and
Upasunda, both of great prowess, beholding the Grandsire, rose from their seats
and waited with joined palms. The brothers both said unto the God, “O
Grandsire, if you have been pleased with these our ascetic austerities, and
are, O lord, propitious unto us, then let us have knowledge of all weapons and
of all powers of illusion. Let us be endued with great strength, and let us be
able to assume any form at will. Last of all, let us also be immortal.” Hearing
these words of theirs, Brahman said, “Except the immortality you ask for, you
shall be given all that you desire. Solicit you some form of death by which you
may still be equal unto the immortals. Since you have undergone these severe
ascetic austerities from desire of sovereignty alone I cannot confer on you the
boon of immortality. You have performed your ascetic penances even for the
subjugation of the three worlds. It is for this, O mighty Daityas, that I
cannot grant you what you desire.”
Hearing these words of
Brahman, Sunda and Upasunda said, “O Grandsire, let us have no fear then from
any created thing, mobile or immobile, in the three worlds, except only from
each other!” The Grandsire then said, “I grant you what you have asked for,
even this your desire”. Granting them this boon, the Grandsire made them desist
from their asceticism, and returned to his own region. Then the brothers, those
mighty Daityas, having received those several boons became incapable of being
slain by anybody in the universe. They then returned to their own abode. All
their friends and relatives, beholding those Daityas of great intelligence,
crowned with success in the matter of the boons they had obtained, became
exceedingly glad. Sunda and Upasunda then cut off their matted locks and wore
coronets on their heads. Attired in costly robes and ornaments, they looked
exceedingly handsome. They caused the moon to rise over their city every night
even out of his season. Friends and relatives gave themselves up to joy and
merriment with happy hearts. Eat, feed, give, make merry, sing, drink--these
were the sounds heard everyday in every house. Here and there arose loud
uproars of hilarity mixed with clappings of hands which filled the whole city
of the Daityas, who being capable of assuming any form at will, were engaged in
every kind of amusement and sport and scarcely noticed the flight of time, even
regarding a whole year as a single day.
As soon as those
festivities came to an end, the brothers Sunda and Upasunda, desirous of the
Sovereignty of the three worlds, took counsel and commanded their forces to be
arranged. Obtaining the assent of their friends and relatives, of the elders of
the Daitya race and of their ministers of state, and performing the preliminary
rites of departure, they set out in the night when the constellation Magha was
in the ascendant. The brothers set out with a large Daitya force clad in mail
and armed with maces and axes and lances and clubs. The Daitya heroes set out
on their expedition with joyous hearts, the charanas chanting auspicious
panegyrics indicative of their future triumphs. Furious in war, the Daitya
brothers, capable of going everywhere at will, ascended the skies and went to
the region of the celestials. The celestials knowing they were coming and
acquainted also with the boons granted unto them by the Supreme Deity left
heaven and sought refuge in the region of Brahman. Endued with fierce prowess,
the Daitya heroes soon subjugated the region of Indra, and vanquishing the
diverse tribes of Yakshas and Rakshasas and every creature ranging the skies,
came away. Those mighty car-warriors next subjugated the Nagas of the nether
region, and then the inmates of the ocean and then all the tribes of the Mlechchhas.
Desirous next of subjugating the whole earth, those heroes of irresistible
sway, summoning their soldiers, issued these cruel commands, “Brahmanas and
royal sages with their libations and other food offered at grand sacrifices,
increase the energy and strength of the gods, as also their prosperity. Engaged
in such acts, they are the enemies of the Asuras. All of us, therefore,
mustering together should completely slaughter them off the face of the earth!”
Ordering their soldiers thus on the eastern shore of the great ocean, and
entertaining such a cruel resolution, the Asura brothers set out in all
directions. Those that were performing sacrifices and the Brahmanas that were
assisting at those sacrifices, the mighty brothers instantly slew. Slaughtering
them with violence they departed for some other place. While their soldiers
threw into the water the sacrificial fires that were in the Ashrams of Munis
with souls under complete control, the curses uttered by the illustrious Rishis
in wrath, rendered abortive by the boons granted, affected not the Asura
brothers. When the Brahmanas saw that their curses produced not the slightest
effect like shafts shot at stones they fled in all directions, forsaking their
rites and vows. Even those Rishis on earth that were crowned with ascetic
success, and had their passions under complete control and were wholly
engrossed in meditation of the Deity, from fear of the Asura brothers, fled
like snakes at the approach of Vinata's son Garuda. The sacred Ashrams were all
trodden down and broken. The sacrificial jars and vessels being broken, their
contents were scattered over the ground. The whole universe became empty, as if
its creatures had all been stricken down during the season of general
dissolution. After the Rishis had all disappeared and made themselves invisible
both the great Asuras, resolved upon their destruction, began to assume various
forms. Assuming the forms of maddened elephants with temples rent from excess
of juice, the Asura pair, searching out the Rishis who had sheltered themselves
in caves, sent them to the region of Yama. Sometimes becoming as lions and
again as tigers and disappearing the next moment, by these and other methods
the cruel couple, seeing the Rishis, slew them instantly. Sacrifice and study
ceased, and kings and Brahmanas were exterminated. The earth became utterly
destitute of sacrifices and festivals. And the terrified people uttered cries
of Oh and Alas and all buying and selling were stopped. All religious rites
ceased, and the earth became destitute of sacred ceremonies and marriages.
Agriculture was neglected and cattle were no longer tended. Towns and asylums
became desolate. Scattered over with bones and skeletons, the earth assumed a
frightful aspect. All ceremonies in honour of the Pitris were suspended, and
the sacred sound of Vashat and the whole circle of auspicious rites ceased. The
earth became frightful to behold. The Sun and the Moon, the Planets and Stars,
and Constellations, and the other dwellers in the firmament, witnessing these
acts of Sunda and Upasunda, grieved deeply. Subjugating all the points of
heaven by means of such cruel acts, the Asura brothers took up their abode in
Kurukshetra, without a single rival.
Then the celestial
Rishis, the Siddhas, and the high-souled Rishis possessing the attributes of
tranquility and self-restraint, beholding that act of universal slaughter, were
afflicted with great grief. With passions and senses and souls under complete
control, they then went to the abode of the Grandsire, moved by compassion for
the universe. Arrived there, they beheld the Grandsire seated with gods,
Siddhas, and Brahmarshis around him. There were present that God of gods,
Mahadeva, and Agni, accompanied by Vayu, and Soma and Surya and Indra, and
Rishis devoted to the contemplation of Brahma, and the Vaikhanasas, the
Valakhilyas, the Vanaprasthas, the Marichipas, the Ajas, the Avimudas, and
other ascetics of great energy. All those Rishis were sitting with the
Grandsire, when the celestial and other Rishis, approaching Brahman with
sorrowful hearts, represented unto him all the acts of Sunda and Upasunda. And
they told the Grandsire in detail everything that the Asura brothers had done,
and how they had done it, and in what order. Then all the celestials and the
great Rishis pressed the matter before the Grandsire. The Grandsire, hearing
everything they said, reflected for a moment and settled in his mind what he
should do. Resolving to compass the destruction of the Asura brothers, he
summoned Viswakarman, the celestial architect. Seeing Viswakarman before him,
the Grandsire possessed of supreme ascetic merit commanded him, saying, “Create
you a damsel capable of captivating all hearts.” Bowing down unto the Grandsire
and receiving his command with reverence, the great artificer of the universe
created a celestial maiden with careful attention. Viswakrit first collected
all handsome features upon the body of the damsel he created. Indeed, the
celestial maiden that he created was almost a mass of gems. And created with
great care by Viswakarman, the damsel, in beauty, became unrivalled among the
women of the three worlds. There was not even a minute part of her body which
by its wealth of beauty could not attract the gaze of beholders. Like unto the
embodied Sri herself, that damsel of extraordinary beauty captivated the eyes
and hearts of every creature. Because she had been created with portions of
every gem taken in minute measures, the Grandsire bestowed upon her the name of
Tilottama. As soon as he started it into life, the damsel bowed to Brahman and
with joined palms said, “Lord of every created thing, what task am I to
accomplish and what have I been created for?” The Grandsire answered, “Go, O
Tilottama, unto the Asuras, Sunda and Upasunda. Tempt them with your
captivating beauty. And conduct yourself there in such a way that the Asura
brothers may, in consequence of the wealth of your beauty, quarrel with each
other as soon as they cast their eyes upon you.”
Bowing unto the
Grandsire and saying, “So be it,” the damsel walked round the celestial
conclave. The illustrious Brahman was then sitting with face turned eastwards,
and Mahadeva with face also towards the east, and all the celestials with faces
northwards, and the Rishis with faces towards all directions. While Tilottama
walked round the conclave of the celestials, Indra and the illustrious Sthanu
Mahadeva were the only ones that succeeded in preserving their tranquility of
mind. But exceedingly desirous as Mahadeva was when the damsel was at his side,
another face like a full-blown lotus appeared on the southern side of his body.
When she was behind him, another face appeared on the west. And when the damsel
was on the northern side of the great god, a fourth face appeared on the
northern side of his body. Mahadeva came also to have a thousand eyes, each
large and slightly reddish, before, behind and on his flanks. It was thus that
Sthanu the great god came to have four faces, and the slayer of Bala, a
thousand eyes. As regards the mass of the celestials and the Rishis, they
turned their faces towards all directions as Tilottama walked round them.
Except the divine Grandsire himself, the glances of those illustrious
personages, even of all of them fell upon Tilottama's body. When Tilottama set
out with the wealth of her beauty, all regarded the task as already
accomplished. After Tilottama had gone away, the great god who was the First
Cause of the Universe, dismissed all the celestials and the Rishis.
Meanwhile the Asura
brothers having subjugated the earth were without a rival. The fatigue of
exertion gone, they, having brought the three worlds under equal sway, regarded
themselves as persons that had nothing more to do. Having brought all the
treasures of the gods, the Gandharvas, the Yakshas, the Nagas, the Rakshasas,
and the kings of the earth, the brothers began to pass their days in great
happiness. When they saw they had no rivals (in the three worlds), they gave up
all exertion and devoted their time to pleasure and merriment, like the
celestials. They experienced great happiness by giving themselves up to every
kind of enjoyment, such as women, and perfumes and floral wreaths and viands,
and drinks and many other agreeable objects all in profusion. In houses and
woods and gardens, on hills and in forests, wherever they liked they passed
their time in pleasure and amusement, like the immortals. It so happened that
one day they went for purposes of pleasure to a tableland of the Vindhya range,
perfectly level and stony, and overgrown with blossoming trees. After every
object of desire, all of the most agreeable kind, had been brought, the
brothers sat on an excellent seat, with happy hearts and accompanied by
handsome women. Those damsels, desirous of pleasing the brothers, commenced a
dance in accompaniment to music, and sweetly chanted many a song in praise of
the mighty pair.
Meanwhile Tilottama
attired in a single piece of red silk that exposed all her charms, came along,
plucking wild flowers on her way. She advanced slowly to where those mighty
Asuras were. The Asura brothers, intoxicated with the large portions they had
imbibed, were smitten upon beholding that maiden of transcendent beauty.
Leaving their seats they went quickly to where the damsel was. Both of them
being under the influence of lust, each sought the maiden for himself. Sunda
seized that maid of fair brows by her right hand. Intoxicated with the boons
they had obtained, with physical might, with the wealth and gems they had
gathered from every quarry, and with the wine they had drunk, maddened with all
these, and influenced by wishful desire, they addressed each other, each
contracting his bow in anger, “She is my wife, and therefore your superior,”
said Sunda. “She is my wife, and therefore your sister-in-law”, replied
Upasunda. And they said unto each other, “She is mine not yours.” Soon they
were under the influence of rage. Maddened by the beauty of the damsel, they
soon forgot their love and affection for each other. Both of them, deprived of
reason by passion, then took up their fierce maces. Each repeating, “I was the
first, I was the first,” struck the other. The fierce Asuras, struck by each
other with the mace, fell down upon the ground, their bodies bathed in blood,
like two suns dislodged from the firmament. Beholding this, the women that had
come there, and the other Asuras there present, all fled away trembling in
grief and fear, and took refuge in the nether regions. The Grandsire himself of
pure soul, then came there, accompanied by the celestials, and the great Rishis.
And the illustrious Grandsire applauded Tilottama and expressed his wish of
granting her a boon. The Supreme Deity, before Tilottama spoke, desirous of
granting her a boon, cheerfully said, “O beautiful damsel, you shall roam in
the region of the Adityas. Your splendour shall be so great that nobody will
ever be able to look at you for any length of time!” The Grandsire of all
creatures, granting this boon unto her, establishing the three worlds in Indra
as before, returned to his own region.
It was thus that
Asuras, ever united and inspired by the same purpose slew each other in wrath
for the sake of Tilottama.
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