| Temples & Legends Of
Maharastra |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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TULJAPUR - BHAVANI |
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| One day while
Anubhuti was sitting before her ashram, engrossed in yogic concen- tration, there arrived
one King Kukoor. This Kukoor was a powerful ruler of thedanavas and had encamped
near the Meru moun- tains while on one of his hunting expedi- tions. In the morning he got
on his charger and soon sighted a deer, gave chase and while running after it his eves
fell on the lady. Rather curious to find a lady sitting all alone in thick of the forests
he approa- ched her to enquire.But as he came nearer his intention changed. This Anubhuti
was an extremely fair looking woman and her charmsattracted the demon Kukoor went to her
and addressed her. He wanted to know who she was and what businesssuch a beautiful lady
had to isolate herself from the world? He assured her that whatever be the object of tier
tapa, it could be realised through a path much easier than the one she was following. She
should marry him and that would solve all her problems ! But his pleadings fell on deaf
ears-the lady bad transcended herself above the sensations of the external organs and was
trying to concentrate on a yogic samadhi. So she never knew what was happening around her.
Her silence provoked the king into shouting at her. The woman showed some faint response
to this but increased her concentration and the daitya's efforts were of no avail. His
patience was then exhausted and he tried to embrace her and to lift her with the intention
ofabducting her by force. Now of course her samadhi was disrupted and she came to her
senses.She wasinfuriated and asked the king as to who he was and what he meant by
touching her ? He repeated his earlier offer and promised to make her his 'patta-rani',
the chief queen ,insupersession of the thousand and odd he already had ! This provoked a
tirade of harsh denuncia- tions from the sanyasini. But she under- stood well that she was
precariously near a grave danger.Anubhuti, in this moment of distress, prayed the goddess
to come to her rescue. The devi-Tvarita-appeared before her within no time and enquired of
the cause of Anubhuti's worry. She told the devi of the king's evil intentions and
requested her to punish the daitya and relieve her of her worries. The devi accepted the
task most willingly and immediately called out her force led by the Yoginis, Chamunda,
Ganas,Kanka-Bhairav, Kshetrapalas and so on. Kukoor was at first taken aback by the turn
of events. He never expected that by touching a helpless woman he would kindle a fire that
would ultimately consume him. But now it was there He had done something the consequences
of which he could not escape. Secondly he was not at all averse to fighting and bloodshed.
He was a skillful fighter, his army was well- seasoned and was always victorious. He had
full confidence in his ability. And as events proved this confidence was not quite ill
placed. The devi started the struggle with a shower of arrows on the king. But the King
instead of attacking the devi first, turned his attention to her army. Several yoginis and
ganas were hurt and laid unconscious on the battle field as a result of the handi work of
the king. Then he marched forth to meet the goddess. She sent forth five sharp arrows to
greet him. The danava then decided to use his supernatural powers, the maya; and he
assumed the form of a horse and started trampling under his hoofs the ganas of the
goddess, Then he charged into the army in the form of a be-buffalow, soonchanged himself
into a lion, then again into a human being. The goddess tolerated thisnuisance for some
time but when the king hit her with a shakti her patience came to an
end. She caught hold of his hair and beheaded him with her sword. Yet another headarose
from the body, the devi cut that off again and then ultimately the giant fell dead on the
ground. The ganas and pishachchas celebrated the triumph by feasting on the dead army of
the king. |
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