“Vaishampaayana said, ‘Hearing these words of Yudhishthira, Narada
replied, ‘O son of Pritha (son of Kunti), O Yudhishthira, listen with your brothers to me as I recite this old
story, exactly as everything happened. In olden days, a mighty Daitya (Daitya
are a clan of Asuras) named Nikumbha, filled
with great energy and strength was born in the race of the great Asura,
Hiranyakashipu. To this Nikumbha, were born two sons called Sunda and Upasunda.
Both of them were mighty Asuras filled with great energy and terrible prowess.
The brothers were both fierce and possessed of wicked hearts.
“Those Daityas (Sunda and Upasunda) were both of the same resolution, and ever engaged in achieving the
same tasks and ends. They were always sharing with each other in happiness as
well as in sadness. Each speaking and doing what was agreeable to the other,
the brothers never were unless they were together, and never went anywhere
unless together. Of exactly the same character and habits, they seemed to be
one individual divided into two parts. Filled with great energy and ever of the
same resolution in everything they undertook, the brothers gradually grew up.
“Always entertaining the same purpose, desirous of subjugating the
three worlds, the brothers, after due initiation, went to the mountains of
Vindhya. There they performed severe Tapas. Exhausted with hunger and thirst,
with matted (hair) locks on their
heads and attired in barks of trees, they acquired sufficient merit of Tapas at
length. Covering themselves with dirt from head to foot, living upon air alone,
standing on their toes, they threw pieces of the flesh of their bodies into the
fire. Their arms upraised, and eye fixed, long was the period for which they
observed their vows (Vrata in Sanskrit).
“During the course of their Tapas, a wonderful incident occurred there.
For the mountains of Vindhya, heated for a long course of years by the power of
their severe Tapas, began to emit vapour from every part of their bodies. Seeing
the severity of their Tapas, the Devas became alarmed. Devas began to cause
numerous obstructions to stop the progress of their Tapas. Devas repeatedly
tempted the brothers (Sunda and Upasunda) by means of every precious possession and the most beautiful girls.
The brothers did not broke their vows (Vrata in Sanskrit).
“Then the Devas once more displayed, before the illustrious brothers,
their powers of illusion (Maayaa in Sanskrit). For it seemed their sisters, mothers, wives, and other relatives,
with disordered hair, ornaments and dresses, were running towards them in
terror, pursued and struck by a Raakshasa with a spear (Shoola in Sanskrit) in hand. It seemed that the women begged
the help of the brothers crying, ‘O save us!’ But all this went for nothing,
for firmly wedded to that (Tapas),
the brothers (Sunda and Upasunda)
did not still break their vows (Vrata in Sanskrit). When it was found that all this produced not the slightest impression
on any of the two, both the women and the Raakshasa vanished from (eye) sight.
“At last the Pitaamaha (Lord Brahma) Himself, the Supreme Lord (Lord Brahma) ever seeking the welfare of all, came to those great Asuras (Sunda
and Upasunda) and asked them to solicit
the boon they desired. Then the brothers Sunda and Upasunda, both of great
prowess, seeing the Pitamaha (Lord Brahma), rose from their seats and waited with joined palms. The brothers both
said to the God (Lord Brahma), ‘O Pitamaha,
if you have been pleased with these our Tapas, and O lord (Deva in
Sanskrit), are favourable to us, then
let us have knowledge of all weapons and of all powers of illusion (Maayaa
in Sanskrit). Let us be filled with
great strength, and let us be able to assume any form at will. Last of all, let
us also be immortal.’
“Hearing these words of theirs, (Lord) Brahma said, ‘Except the immortality you ask for, you shall be given
all that you desire. You ask some form of death by which you may still be equal
to the immortals. Since you have undergone these severe Tapas from desire of
sovereignty alone I cannot confer on you the boon of immortality (Amara in
Sanskrit). You have performed your Tapas
for the control of the three worlds. It is for this, O mighty Daityas (Sunda
and Upasunda), that I cannot grant you
what you desire.’
“(Devarishi) Narada continued,
‘Hearing these words of (Lord) Brahma,
Sunda and Upasunda said, ‘O Pitaamaha, let us have no fear then from any
created thing, mobile or immobile, in the three worlds, except only from each
other!’
“The Pitaamaha then said, ‘I grant you what you have asked for, this
your desire.’
“Granting them this boon, the Pitaamaha made them stop from their Tapas,
and returned to his own region. Then the brothers, those mighty Daityas (Sunda
and Upasunda), having received those
several boons became incapable of being slain by anybody in the universe. They
then returned to their own abode. All their friends and relatives, seeing those
Daityas (Sunda and Upasunda) of
great intelligence, crowned with success in the matter of the boons they had
obtained, became exceedingly glad. Sunda and Upasunda then cut off their matted
locks and wore crown on their heads. Dressed in costly garments and ornaments,
they looked exceedingly handsome. They caused the moon to rise over their city
every night even out of his season (i.e. they made the moon to rise even
during the period of new moon). Friends
and relatives gave themselves up to joy and merriment with happy hearts. ‘Eat,
feed, give, make joy, sing, drink’--these were the sounds heard everyday in
every house. Here and there arose loud uproars of laughter, mixed with
clappings of hands which filled the whole city of the Daityas, who being
capable of assuming any form at will, were engaged in every kind of amusement
and sport and scarcely noticed the flight of time, regarding a whole year as a
single day.’”
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