|
Page24
Mani and Malla lost no time in putting into action their words. They gathered around them a huge army consisting of brave and ferocious demons who wielded various weapons and were extremely blood-thirsty. They despised everything and feared nothing. To begin with, the ashrams of rishis and tapasvins were laid waste. Cows were slaughtered. Fire and rapine became the order of the day. The bewildered population knew not to whom to turn for rescue and relief. At this juncture Narada appeared on the scene and advised them to seek refuge on the Dhavalagiri near the present Jejuri hills. They immediately proceeded to that spot and found refuge for their families. Then a delegation went to the Lord of the Heavens-Indra.
Indra saw these people approaching and hastened to welcome and honour them. But when he learnt of the purpose of their visit he excused himself and advised them to proceed to vaikuntha and requestVishnu to come to their aid. He himself was absolutely powerless against the pair. Shiva’s blessings were a veritable curse upon the gods and if at all anything could be done, it was through Vishnu. So the sages should approach Vishnu himself. They trekked the long path to Vishnu Loka. There again their reception by Vishnu was so warm and friendly that they began to feel reassured. Vishnu asked them to air their grievance and promised immediate relief. So the atrocities committed by Mani and Malla were narrated to him. Vishnu had, of course, heard of it long before but he had also heard something more, he knew about the boon given by Shiva to the daityas and there fore asked the delegates to go and meet Shiva in the matter. Once again they were on the road, this time to see Shiva. The glamour of Shiva’s abode far surpassed that of either of Indra Loka or that of Vaikuntha. Here also their welcome was equally warm. Shiva heard their com plaint and decided that the time had come for putting an end to the rapacious careers of the two demons. He immediately assumed the Raudra or fierce form and ordered his armies out. The Raudra form was known as Martand Bhairav and the incident occurred on the full moon day of the month of Chaitra.
|
