“Indra has asked me to live on Mount Mandara, “replied Shiva. “I cannot go away without his permission. As for Parvati, why don’t you go and ask her what she wants? She is free to do as she chooses.”

Shambara then went to find out what Parvati’s opinion was. Parvati suggested that Andhaka and Shiva should fight a duel over her. She would marry the winner, whoever that might happen to be.

Shambaa reported these conversations to Andhara and the demon-king got an army ready, An asura named Duryodhana was made the general of the army. These were many elephants, horses and chariots in the army and demon stalwarts marched with diverse weapons.

In preparation for war, Shiva asked Nandi to get ready. Shiva’s companions, the ganas, were armed. There were eleven crores of them and some of them were named the rudras. Vishnu’s companions also came to fight on Shiva’s side.

Andhaka’s army arrived at Mount Mandara and the two armies clashed with a thunderous roar. Shiva rode into battle on his bull. The ganas started to kill the demons and all the gods assembled to witness this wonderous fight. The demon Danda fought a prolonged diel with Ganesha. Other demons fought individual duels with the leaders of the ganas. Nandi killed Duryaodhana, the general of the demons. Kartikeya despatched a demon named Hasti with his spear.

Andhaka despaired to see so many of his soldier being killed. He bagged his guru Shukracharya to find a solution. Shukracharya knew the art of sanjwani, the technique of bringing dead people back to live. He used this knowledge to revive all the demons who were being killed by Shiva’s army.

Nandi told Shiva, “We must do something about Shukracharya. Otherwise, there is no chance of winning the battle.”

“Bring Shukracharya to me,” replied Shiva.

Nandi fought his way through the asura army and managed to capture Shukracharya. Shukracharya was brought to Shiva and shiva promptly swallowed him up. With Shukracharya out of the way, the gods began to triumph. But the war went on for two thousand and eight hundred years.

The climax of the war came when Andhaka and Shiva came face to face. Andhaka charged at Shiva with a club. But Shiva picked up a trident and pierced Andhaka’s heart with it. Andhaka also struck Shiva with a club, although the club did Shiva no harm. The blow merely angered Shiva and he drove a trident through Andhaka’s body. He then raised the trident up into the sky, Abdhaka’s body stuck to one end of the trident. The fire that blazed from Shiva’s eyes dried up Andhaka’s blood. Thus the asura was held aloft for a thousand years, until only his skin and bones were left. Because Andhaka was killed by Shiva, all his sins were forgiven. And as he lay there dying, poised on the point of the trident, the evil left him.

He started to pray to Shiva. He bagged for the boon that he might become devoted to Shiva and Parvati. This boon Shiva granted. He removed Andhaka from the point of the trident and cleaned his wounds. Andhaka no longer remained an asura, he was named Bhringi and became one of Shiva’s constant companions. Because he also the became one of the leaders of the ganas, he too was referred to as Ganapati.

Indra and the Maruts

There was a region of the world named Malayachala. It was a lovely place, full of sandalwood trees and fragrant flowers. The asuras began to live there and became very prosperous. But since the demons were evil, the practice of religion disappeared from Malayachala.

Shiva then sent Indra to that land, with an instruction to do something about the demons and killed many of them. For example, he killed an asura named Paka and acquired the name of Pakashasana. He killed another asura named Pura and acquired the name of Purandara. Defeated by Indra, the demons fled to the underworld.

Diti was the mother of all the demos. That is the reason why demons are known as daityas. Diti was married to the sage kashyapa and was desolate at the treatment that Indra was meting out to her children, She thirsted for revenge.