As I Know: The Lord of the Mountains – Shiv Purana: 59

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Mighty king of daityas Tarakasura creates troubles for the gods of heavens …and therefore, the gods want Rudra and Kali – to unite and so seek help of Kamadeva...Taraka the wise asura speaks of truth but then, follows the path as the Supreme lord defines

In the meantime, lord of gods Indra and gods of heavens experienced sufferings and agonies because of mighty Tarakasura, the king of daityas. They wanted to get rid of him and therefore, wanted Rudra (Shiva) and Parvati (Kali) to unite in marriage. To attain the sanctified purpose, they sent lord of Love – Kamadeva to help them. When Kamadeva tried to upset lord in meditation, he failed but repeated efforts proved lethal and it incurred the displeasure and anger of Shiva, who reduced him to ashes. Afterward, Sati – Parvati began to undergo rigorous tapa to attain the objective and this delighted the gods of heavens, who waited for the auspicious moment.

To live in an age of contradictions appears mysterious and ridiculous as well. Dishonesty, indulgence and deceit govern. Crisis and sufferings determine depth of human bonds and such times scrutinise qualities of modesty but truth holds the ground. Even gods suffer during difficult times. Everyone must adhere to discipline and the law of dharma – truth and righteousness. Self-discipline, a kind of penance teaches truth and protects man from embarrassment. The quality inspires man to find answers to the existence of an invisible power that instructs and guides.

Questions of source of air, water, earth, fire and sky often puzzle a scientist and therefore, a continuous inquiry is alive. In the world, a man must discharge social and moral obligations to make life purposeful despite the onslaught of love, passion and greed. Only exercise of self-discipline can put restraint on wayward feelings and passions and that make life meaningful and evocative. A hidden force unknown it is but it guides and inspires man to do karma.

An eternal truth it is and is germane to contemporary life. Feelings and thoughts of love, passion, greed and aggrandizement without discipline and devotion vanquish human beings, distort value system, and consequently drive to sorrow, disquiet and fabrication.

Love and passion, power, pelf and women cause sufferings to people indulging in material joy and pleasure. The path of paramartha in such situations appears delusory. Passions and bondages are hindrances and therefore, salvation (moksa) is impossible rather difficult in a dream even. Obsessions with passions and pleasures of the world dwarf growth a man should understand. Caste, colour, faith, country and religion carry no meaning but disfigure what is good in man and hurt the principles of universality.

Truth and righteousness are the cardinal principles of Dharma. Man creates Dharma on earth for various parmarathic (acts of wellbeing and happiness) karmas. This is what the great lord the lord of humanity speaks to man frequently and if a man follows the dharma of truth, honesty, piety, integrity, nonviolence and rightness, peace and harmony prevail. It is the essence of man’s (Hinduism) consciousness and oneness.

The Vedas and scriptures ask man to cautiously pursue the path of universality, secular outlook and love for humanity and then he will make life purposeful. If a few scholars hold different thoughts, it astonishes. To live under the influence of love, devotion and intense bhakti is the essence of a good life. A man ought to understand that delusion and illusion govern the perception of the world and it is a hard truth. Nothing is real. Even then, virtues and sins survive in every age of man and god and if sins thrive, these make life miserable. Even gods face the dilemma of sins and wickedness and so some sovereign power must take birth and subdue forces of evil. When one learns about the sufferings of created beings and gods of heavens, the mighty daitya Taraka perpetrated, then, the gods of heavens and others, exercised pressure on the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer. It compelled the Supreme lord to think of the possible solution.

The legendary tale of Daitya Taraka from birth to death answers many questions and tells the celestial and the created beings of the life of dharma and righteousness. A life of faith, devotion and bhakti – tapa and japa is the path to possible salvation. Even the celestial beings have to pursue this path to have access to the lord, the god, who lives in everybody.

Tarakasura a great daitya, wielded unchallenged sovereignty over the three worlds and no one could subdue him. After sometime, he became Indra and no other ruler in the world was equal to him. After asserting control over the three worlds, the great daitya Taraka governed the vast empire and astonishingly displayed remarkable competence and skill not known earlier even to the gods. He drove away the gods from heavens, put daityas on seats of authority, and asked Vidyadharas, the semi-celestial beings to work hard and fulfill wishes he had cherished for a long time.

Indra and gods were disturbed, disillusioned, and felt humiliated. They were unable to fight against the mighty warrior Taraka. Later on, they sought shelter at the feet of Supreme Brahma as if orphans. Intensity of terror and power of Taraka was incredible and the gods of heavens lost the determination to dislodge him from heavens where daitya Taraka had put his men on guard. All the gods and lord Indra appeared before Brahma and saluted, and thereafter, bowed heads. They praised the supreme god for long and then, narrated sufferings, pains and anguish.

The gods of heavens through the lord of gods Indra pleaded before Brahma in poignant words, “O Supreme Lord, only you can guard gods from the present miseries. At your feet is our salvation. Only you can advise and guide the created beings regarding duties and obligations. You are the origin of creation and the deliverer of blessings. All the gods suffer immensely because of the atrocities of Taraka. Like fire, he burns all. Now, it is difficult to bear sufferings. Gods feel disturbed and distressed. When a calamitous disease attacks a body, at times, even herbs and medicine equal to nectar, fail to cure. Similarly, whatever mighty efforts the gods made to get rid of the terrific evil force, proved futile as if reduced to naught. He is powerful and dreadful, and we are weak and helpless.”

After a pause, Indra said, “O lord, gods of heavens depended upon the divine Sudarshan Chakra (the divine weapon of Vishnu). On the great disc, lay hopes of gods and goddesses because the divine disc hid gods’ victory. However, when the divine disc reached the throat of Taraka it appeared blunted. Surprisingly, as it hit the throat of the asura it seemed as if the divine disc had garlanded the mighty.

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