Vanquishing the pride of Andhakasura

(Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 42 to 49)

• Birth of Andhakasura: Once Devi Parvati while sporting with Lord Shiva in the Mandara mountain playfully closed his eyes. The heat of the eyes turned into sweat and flowed out. From that sweat a child was born. He was blind, deformed, black and had an awful face. He was named Andhaka.

• Andhakasura becoming the king: In the meantime demon Hiranyaksha performed severe tapas for getting a son. Lord Shiva appeared before him and gave Andhaka to him as a boon, saying that the child was invincible. When Lord Varaha killed Hiranyaksha, Andhaka became the king.

• Prahlada becoming the king: Hiranyakashapu, the brother of Hiranyaksha took revenge of his brother's killing by performing tapas and thereafter defeating the devas. Later Lord Narasimha killed Hiranyakashapu and made his son Prahlada the king.

• Andhakasura performing tapas and getting boon: The cousin brothers of Andhaka joked with him saying that, "what a blind fellow like him will do with the kingdom". Andhaka was greatly pained. He went inside a forest and performed severe penance for ten thousand years. Lord Brahma appeared before him and gave the boon of great power. He became invincible with restored sight. Due to that boon his cousin brothers like Prahlada became subservient to him.

• Andhakasura conquering the devas: Andhaka conquered the devas, other celestials and humans.

• Lord Shiva vanquishing the pride of Andhakasura: Once Andhaka went to the Mandarachala mountain and heard about the beauty of Devi Parvati. Andhaka commanded Lord Shiva to hand over Devi Parvati to him. When Lord Shiva declined to do so, he waged a terrible battle with Lord Shiva to capture Devi Parvati. A long fight continued and Andhaka displayed great prowess. Finally Lord Shiva defeated him, and with his trident kept his body hanging in the sky. The pride of Andhaka was destroyed.

• Andhakasura becoming the devotee of Lord Shiva: Hanging on the trident Andhaka meditated on the hundred and eight forms of Lord Shiva and became sinless. He became a devotee of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. Lord Shiva then made him the leader of the ganas.

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