ANDHAKA
INTRODUCTION
Andhaka also called as Andhakasura was a powerful demon, who had once taken the extreme step to make Ma Parvati as his consort. Andhaka was the son of Hiranyaksha, and he was the cousin of Bhakta Prahalada. The details about Andhaka were mentioned in various Puranas. After the death of his father Hiranyaksha, he has become very angry with Lord Vishnu and other Devas, and hence he performed severe penance on Lord Brahma. After several years of rigorous penance, Lord Brahma appeared before him, and as per the wish of Andhaka, he was granted the boon by Lord Brahma, that he would be destroyed only in the hands of Lord Shiva, and no one can defeat him.
After getting the boon, Andhaka had become very powerful and he conquered the Indra Loka, and made Lord Indra and other Devas as prisoners under his custody. He also fought with his cousin Prahalada, and drove him out from his palace.
Prahalada went to the forest, and began to perform penance on Lord Narasimha. On hearing about all these matters from Rishi Narada, Lord Shiva was very angry with Andhaka and he waited for his turn to punish him.
Once Narada went to the palace of Andhaka and explained about the beauty of Ma Parvati to him. Instead of considering Ma Parvati, as his worshipful mother, the evil minded Andhaka, decorated with golden ornaments, applied various perfumes on his body, wore costly clothes, and immediately went to Kailash. Though he was stopped by Lord Nandi Deva, due to his powers, he defeated Nandi Deva, and went straight to the place where Lord Shiva and Ma Parvati dwell.
When Lord Shiva had asked about the purpose of his visit, he asked Lord Shiva to leave from Kailasa and to handover Ma Parvati to him, in order to make the divine mother as his consort. Lord Shiva with a smiling face, threw his trident on
the body of Andhaka, and due to that, blood began to ooze from his body. With severe wounds on his body, Lord Andhaka had realized the significance of Lord Shiva and about the worshipful mother Parvati, and he immediately praised them by chanting their various names. Lord Shiva was very much pleased with his bhakti, had approached him, and rubbed his body with his holy hands, and made him as pure and pious, and also granted him the position of becoming one of his divine attendants in the Kailash.
After Andhaka had become a Shiva Gana, all the Devas have regained their wealth and position and they began to peacefully live in the Indra Loka. The great Bhakta Prahalada also restored his kingdom in the earth, and with the blessings of Lord Narasimha, he began to rule down his kingdom peacefully and prosperously for a long period.
“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR