There was a powerful asurā named Tārakā who repeatedly defeated the Devas in heaven. He had cleverly obtained a boon that only the son of Lord Paramaṣivā could defeat him. This occurred after Dhakṣa’s Yaga. Lord Paramaṣivā and his wife, ṣatidevi, the daughter of King Dhakṣa, were not invited to the Yajṉa organized by Dhakṣa. ṣatidevi attended the Yajṉa alone, but unable to endure the humiliating insults Dhakṣa directed at Lord Shiva, she decided to renounce her physical body. She detached her brahmasvarūpa (divine consciousness) and immolated herself in the fire. In deep grief, Lord Shiva carried Sati’s burnt body and wandered across the universe. Lord Vishnu, using his sudarṣaṉa cakrā, cut the body into fifty-one pieces, which fell at various places, later known as shaktipītās.
This is where the story begins. Lord Shiva’s anger subsided, and he retreated to the Himalayas, assuming the form of Dhakṣiṇāmūrthi, the embodiment of Supreme Consciousness. He engaged in intense penance, detached from all thoughts and emotions, absorbed in solitary meditation for years.
The Devas were desperate for the birth of a son to Shiva, as only he could defeat the demon Tārakāsurā. At this time, Sati Devi had reincarnated as Pārvati Devī, living in the Himalayas, devotedly caring for Lord Shiva, who remained in deep meditation. The Lalithopākhyāṉam begins here. The Devas thought, “If Pārvati and Paramesvarā were to marry, Siva Kumārā would be born. He would defeat Tārakāsurā and free us from our fearful and humiliating existence.”
In his arrogance, Maṉmatā, the God of love, thought, “Let my arrows of love and desire awaken Lord Shiva’s affection for Pārvati and lead to the birth of Siva Kumārā.” However, when he approached Lord Shiva, the Lord opened his third eye and burned Kāmadevā to ashes. Thus, Kāmadevā ceased to exist. The Lalithopākhyāṉam begins at this point, where Kāmadevā, who had tried to assist the Devas, was reduced to ashes by the fire from Shiva’s third eye. The Devas were distressed, as Kāmadevā’s intentions had been sincere in helping them. Chitraseṉa, an army chief, collected Kāmadevā’s ashes and drew a form from them. There are two interpretations of the form created by Chitraseṉa.
Some say that the form Chitraseṉa created from Kāmadevā’s ashes was an incomparably beautiful version of Maṉmatā. However, when Brahmā saw this figure, he burst into laughter. Since he was not its creator, Brahmā sarcastically exclaimed, “Bhandā, Bhandā” a Sanskrit term used to mock. Brahmā found the figure amusing and thought, “What a strange form Chitraseṉa has made.” Despite this, the Devas still carried the form and placed it before Paramesvarā.
It is said that when Lord Shiva glanced briefly at the form, it came to life. Out of sympathy for Maṉmatā, the Devas bestowed various boons upon this newly created being. They offered ceremonial umbrellas and fans, while Sūryā (the Sun God) and the nine planets presented him with various gifts. Indra gifted him an elephant comparable to Airāvatā. A sage then initiated this being, named Bhandā, into the Rudramantra.
Bhandā was instructed to chant the Rudramantra daily for his prosperity and growth. He was granted a boon to live in great prosperity for sixty thousand years. However, betraying the trust of the Devas, Bhandā became an evil and formidable asura. With the destruction of love and desire embodied by Kāmadevā, a being fueled by terrible anger was born—Bhandāsurā. In their fear of Bhandāsurā, the Devas even forgot the torment they had been enduring under Tārakāsurā.
One of the Devas had granted Bhandā a boon: “You will gain half the strength of every foe you fight.” This is part of the history of Bhandāsurā’s destruction, as detailed in the Lalitha Sahasranama. We will learn more in the upcoming episodes.
To be continued….
#Lalita #LalithaSahasranamam
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