| YouTube Channel

सुन्दोपसुन्दपाख्यान (sundopasundapAkhyAna)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Sundopasundapākhyāna(ṃ)]
(“the episode relating to Sunda and Upasunda”). § 246 (Rājyalābhap.). Nārada related: In days of yore the Daitya Nikumbha of the race of Hiraṇyakaśipu had two sons, Sunda and Upasunda, who always shared with each other happiness as well as woe, and never went anywhere unless together. Desirous of subjugating the three worlds, they practised terrible penances on the mountain Vindhya, which, by the power of their austerities at last began to emit vapour. In vain the gods repeatedly tempted them by means of every precious possession and beautiful girls, and by illusion, causing their sisters, mothers, wives, etc., to appear pursued by a rākshasa and imploring their help. When Brahmán granted them a boon, they asked to become immortal, which he refused, granting them instead that they should not need to be afraid of anything except each other, etc. They now desisted from their asceticism and returned to their abode, where they lived happy, causing even the moon to rise over their city every night, even out of season (I, 209). They set out to conquer the three worlds in the night under the constellation of Maghāḥ, with a large Daitya force cased in mail, etc. The gods sought refuge in Brahmaloka, and the Daityas subjugated Indraloka, and vanquished the tribes of the Yakshas and Rakshases, and the Khecaras, and the Nāgas in the earth, and the tribes of the Mlecchas dwelling in the ocean. In order to extinguish the sacrifices that strengthened the gods, they slew those that were performing sacrifices and the assistant brahmans, etc. Then they took up their abode in Kurukshetra (I, 210). The Devarshis and Siddhas and ṛshis were affected with great grief, and went to the abode of Pitāmaha, seated with the gods, the Siddhas, and the Brahmarshis, Mahādeva, Agni, Vāyu, the sun and moon, Śakra, the Pārameshṭhya ṛshis, the Vaikhānasas, the Vālakhilyas, the Vānaprasthas, the Marīcipas, the Ajas, the Avimūḍhas, etc. Brahmán sent Tilottamā (b) to them (I, 211). She came to Sunda and Upasunda as they were sporting in the Vindhya mountains, and from jealousy they struck each other to death with their maces. And Pitāmaha then came there with the gods and the great ṛshis, and granted to Tilottamā that she should roam in the region of the Ādityas. Then, bestowing the three worlds on Indra as before, he returned to his own region.