“Who are you?” asked Ashokasundari.

“I am an unhappy widow. My husband has been killed by the evil demon Hunda,” replied Hunda. “I am now performing tapasya so that Hunda may be killed. Why don’t you come and join me in my hermitage on the baks of the Ganga?”

Ashokasundari accompanied the woman to her so-called hermitage. But as soon as they were there, Hunda adopted his own form and tried to abduct Ashokasundari.

Ashokasundari repulsed this attempt. “Evil demon,” she said, “how dare you try to abduct me? I will perform tapasya so that my husband Nahusha may kill you.”

While all this was going on, Nahusha had not yet been born. He was destined to be born as the son of King Ayu and Queen Indumati. But at the time when Hunda was trying to abduct Ashokasundari, Ayu was still without a son. To obtain a son, the king prayed to the sage Dattatreya for a hundred years. He obtained the boon that he would have a powerful and righteous son.

Hunda had not forgotten that Ayu’s son would kill hum. So, as soon as the baby was born, the demon kidnapped the boy and brought him home. He gave the baby to this cook, with the instruction that the baby was to be killed and served up to Hunda for dinner. However, the cook was a good Hunda for dinner. However, the cook was a good sort who took pity on the baby. He killed a deer and served it to Hunda, pretending that it was the prince who had been killed and cooked. What was to be done with the baby? The cook went and left him in the Vashishtha’s hermitage.

Vashishtha discovered the boy and began to bring him up. The word husha means fright. Since the boy would never be frightened, Vashishtha named him Nahusha or ‘fearless’. The sage taught nahusha all that there was to be learnt, including the usage of weapons. When nahusha grew up, Vashishtha told him about his antecedents. He also told nahusha about Hunda and Ashokasundari and the fact that he was destined to kill Hunda and marry Ashokasundari.

Nahusha set out to battle with Hunda. So delighted were the gods that the evil demon was going to be killed, that they offered Nahusha all their weapons. Indra lent him his chariot to ride in.

Hunda’s capital was in nandanakanana. Nahusha went there and killed the demon after a fierce battle. He met Ashokasundari and married her. He was also reunited with his parents. In due course, Nahusha and Ashokasundari had a son named Yayati.

“But you have still not told me the identity of the beautiful woman who was crying,” said Kapinjala. “Nor have you told me who the sage who worshipped Shiva was.”

“I was coming to that,” replied Kunjala.

Vihunda

The demon Hunda had a son named Vihunda. When Hunda died, Vihunda was despondent. He realised that Nahusha had killed his father with the connivance of the gods, and decided that he would perform tapasya so as to destroy them. So terrible was this tapasya that the gods got sacred and field to Vishnu.

“Please save us from the demon,” said the gods.

“Don’t worry,” replied Vihunda. “I will bring about Vihunda’s downfall.”