SIVA RAHASYA 8

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Om Namah Sivay

 

The Down-fall of Surapadma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now left alone, deprived of the support of his brothers and many of his followers and enraged at the overwhelming and increasing strength of the Devas, Surapadma arrived at the battle front with the reserve forces of his army from the other worlds. Lord Shanmukha prevented further reinforcements from reaching Surapadma’s camp and sought him out. The culminating point of the long standing rivalry had been reached. The final scene began. Surapadma fought with many of the Devas and Bhutaganas including Veerabahu Devar and inflicted on them severe injuries and utter defeat. At last the general of the Asuras found himself face to face with the general of the Devas. The fight that ensued was one of the most memorable in the annals of the universe. Finding the defeat was inevitable and imminent in a straightforward fight, Surapadma employed all the special and unholy tricks learned from his mother Maya. He brought back to life by a Mantra all the dead

Asura warriors and also obtained a chariot with magic powers. By another Mantra given to him by Sukracharya, he took successively the form of a number of animals and birds and fought with Shanmukha. But all in vain! Shanmukha, the Lord, Himself was beyond all delusion; even Maya herself would have been powerless against Him, much more so her son. With a twang of his bow and the release of Pasupatastra from it, he swept back into eternity all the revived Asuras. Another Astra of the Lord brought the magic chariot to His side for His own use! Thus Surapadma was deprived of his Maya-chariot and had the mortification of seeing it used by the enemy! His Vahana also was killed by another Astra of the Lord. Upon this, Surapadma took the shape of a huge bird Chaksavaham. But the Lord, using Devendra in the shape of a peacock as his own Vahana, fought with the huge bird and cut it into two pieces. Surapadma, however, quitted the body of the bird in time

and saved himself for a while.

 

At this hour of wounded pride and utter loneliness for Surapadma, the Lord felt in His heart some compassion for the mighty demon now laid low, both on account of the good which Surapadma had done in his previous births and of his heroic stand against Him, and revealed Himself in all His Divine glory before Sura. At the sight of His Divine Vishvarupa, the Mayaic delusion of the Asura rolled away, and with the Divyachakshu (divine eye) granted to him by the Lord of His own grace, Surapadma saw before him the Lord in the Virat Svarupa and bowed down before Him, craving mercy at His hands for all the evils that he had worked.

 

 

 

 

The Lord assumed his original form as Subrahmanya. On this, overpowered again by delusion, Surapadma resumed the fight! He took the shape of a huge tree.

 

 

 

 

By His Vel the Lord cleft the tree into two vertical pieces. Unable to escape his doom, Surapadma took his natural form and rushed in great rage towards the Lord, with the desperate idea of bearing Him down to the ground by sheer physical weight and crushing Him! Tired of His strenuous labours and anxious to end the miseries of the Asura, the Lord with one throw of His Vel cut him in two.

 

 

 

In commemoration of the great fight, the Lord ordained that the peacock and the cock, whose forms Surapadma had assumed for a while, should become, respectively, His Vahana (vehicle) and the emblem on his standard.

 

Thus ended the life of the mighty Surapadma and with him the troubles of the Devas for ever; and this happened on the Shashthi day of the bright fortnight in October-November, the sixth day after Dipavali.

 

 

----Sri Swami Sivananda

 

 

 

 

Sivaya Namah