reduced the three cities to ashes. Their residue fell in the holy river Narmada. Then
Baanasur fervently prayed to Lord Shiva to be pleased with him and give him abode
in his own divine Loka known as the ‘Shiva-Loka’, the divine abode of Shiva in the
heaven.
The Sharav Upanishad of Atharva Veda, verse no. 14 describes that Lord Shiva is
also known as the slayer of the demon Tirpurasur. Hence, Shiva or Rudra is also
called Tripurari. The three cities ruled by Tripurasur symbolised the three worlds, viz.
the heaven, the earth and the nether world.
The story of the birth of Tarkaasur in ‘Padma Puran, Sristi Khanda’ is as
follows—By the blessings of sage Kashyap, mother Diti gave birth to a son named
‘Vajraanga’ because his body was as strong as Vajra, the hardest and the strongest
material in existence. [Vajra + Anga (body)]
As soon as he was born he became an expert in the knowledge of all the
scriptures. On the instructions of his mother he went to the heaven and ensnared Indra
(the king of gods) and brought him captive before his mother. At the intervention of
Brahma (the creator) and sage Kashyap (his father), Vajraanga freed Indra. He then
requested Brahma that he may be inspired to do Tapa and succeed in it.
Brahma created a girl named ‘Varaangi’ and gave her to him as his bride. Then,
both the husband and the wife, i.e. Vajraanga and Varaangi, began doing severe Tapa
(penance). Brahma was pleased and blessed Vajrranga that demonic tendencies would
not emerge in his heart.
After successfully completing his Tapa, Vajraanga returned home but did not find
his wife Varaangi there. When he went out to search for her, he saw her crying in the
forest. On enquiry she told him that Indra had not only tormented her and made her
miserable but had even compelled her to leave home. She wished to have retribution,
and therefore asked her husband (Vajraanga) to provide her with a son who would
punish Indra and avenge her insult at his hands.
Vajraanga did Tapa once again, and Brahma blessed him with a son as desired.
This son was “Taarak” as he liberated his mother from her torments by severely
punishing Indra: he captured Indra and put him in shackles. [A similar narration of
doing Tapa and receiving a son as a boon is narrated in ‘Matsya Puran’, Chapter 147,
verse no. 17.]
Varaangi had borne the child in her womb for a thousand years before he was
born. Taarak, her son, was a brave and invincible warrior. To avenge his mother’s
insult at the hands of Indra (king of gods), he went to Mt. Paariyaatra and did so
severe Tapa that the gods and the rest of the world began to get scorched by the heat
generated by it. [Refer: (i) ‘Matsya Puran’, Chapter 148, and (ii) Kalidas’ ‘Kumar
Sambhav”, Sarga 1, verse no. 56.]
According to ‘Matsya Puran’, Chapter 148, verse no. 18 onwards, Taarak prayed
to Brahma as follows—‘Oh Lord! You live in the heart of all living beings, and as
such nothing is hidden from you. Everyone wants to treat others the way the latter
treat him. The gods have an eternal jealousy with us (the Asurs, the non-gods, the
sons of Diti) and do not want us to live peacefully and prosper. I want to liberate the
demon race. Hence, please grant me the boon that no warrior can kill me with any
weapon. This is all I want.’
According to ‘Padma Puran’, Taarak asked Brahma for the grant of a boon that
he is not killed by any living being.
In both the cases Brahma told him that this is impossible because all those who
are born must die, without exception. So it is better if he re-phrases his request and
specifies the person or entity from which he seeks immunity. Taarak then asked that
he may not die at the hands of anyone except an infant of seven days of age or
younger—in the hope that it would be impossible for such a small child, who is not
even eight days old, to kill him, thereby making him invincible and immune to be
killed by anyone who is old enough to confront him.
kiana
(Kiana)
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