The sun-god, Surya, was extremely unhappy as his glory was diminished. He therefore gazed at the city of the rakshasas in rage. So fierce was his gaze that the city fell down from the sky. (You will recall that Shiva granted Sukeshi a fortified city fell, the demons wailed and Sukeshi prayed to Shiva.

Shiva wished to help his devotees and realised that it was Surya who was responsible for the mischief. He gazed at the sun in anger and the sun started to fall from the sky.

Surya asked the sages, ”what am I going to do? I am falling down from the sky.”

“If you want your own good, fall on the holy city of Varanasi,” replied the sages.

The sun accordingly fell on Varanasi and bathed in the rivers Varana and Asi. But how could the earth and its inhabitants function without a sun? they all went to Brahma in search of a solution. Brahma and the other gods went to Mount Mandara to pacify Shiva. Shiva’s anger was cooled and he re-established the sun in the sky. As for Sukeshi’s city, that too was re-established in the sky by Brahma.

Mahishasura

Many years ago, there were two powerful asuras named Rabha and Karambha. They were so evil that the entire universe suffered from their oppression. These two asura brothers had no son and they decided to pray so that they might have sons. Karambha planed to perform tapasya under the water. While he was doing this, he was killed by Indra.

(The Devi Bhagavata states that Rambha and Karambha were the sons of Danu. The sons of Danu were called danavas (demons). Indra adopted the form of a crocodile and swallowed Karambha. The Kalika Purana states that Rambha was born three times and each of these births, he prayed to Shiva. He then obtained a son as the result of a boon received from Shiva).

When the news of his brother’s death reached Rambha, he was greatly angered. He began to perform very difficult tapasya so that he might have his revenge. When nothing happened as a result of all this meditation. Rambha resolved slice off his head with a sword and offer it to the fire-god, Agni.

As he was about to do that, Agni appeared and said. ”Don’t commit suicide. It is a sin to kill others, but it is a grater sin to kill oneself. Tel me what you want and I will grant you the desired boon.”

“Please let me have a son who will conquer the three worlds, “ replied Rambha. “ Let him be very strong so that even the gods will find him invincible. Let him also be well-versed in the use of all sorts of weapons and as the wind.”

Agni granted Rambha the boon.

The yakshas were demi-gods who were companions of Kubera, the god of wealth. Rambha went on a trip to the land of the yakshas and fell in love with a she-buffalo whom he met there. He married her and brought her home. But his danava friends shunned him because he had returned to the land of the yakshas. There the she-buffalo gave birth to a handsome boy who was named Mahishasura as his mother was a she-buffalo (mahishi).

Mahishasura’s mother was once attacked by another buffalo. While trying to protect his wife, Rambha met his death at the hands of the buffalo. The yakshas pursued the buffalo and killed it. The she-buffalo immolated herself on her husband Rambh’s funeral pyre. Out of the flames of funeral pyre there emerged a terrible demon named Raktavija. He killed everyone who was present, with the solitary exception of Mahishaura, whom he accepted as lord and master.

(The account in the Devi Bhagavata differs. There, Mahashasura was not born prior to Rambha’s death. When Rambha’s wife immolated herself. Mahishasura emerged from the side of her body. On seeing that his son had been thus born. Rambha recreated himself in the form of Raktavija.)

Mahishasura became a fierce warrior. He defeated all the other demons and became their king. He also defeated the gods and drove them out of heaven. The crestfallen gods went and complained to Brahma about Mahishasura. Brahma said that he would not be able to do anything about the demon himself, but he would take the gods to Vishnu and plead to Vishnu on their behalf, when brahma and the other gods went to visit Vishnu, they found Shiva there as well.

“Please save us from the depredations of Mahishasura, ”the gods told Shiva and Vishnu.” He has thrown us out of heaven and if you do not find a solution we will be forced to go and live in the underworld.”