Sindhu’s Rise

Sindhu is an asura born from the ocean in the Tretā yuga. This episode of the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa opens the story of Gaṇeśa’s Tretā-yuga avatāra as Mayūreśvara. The ṛshi Śaunaka teaches King Cakrapāṇi of Gaṇḍakī-nagara the Sauravrata. By the grace of Sūrya, won through this vrata, Queen Ugrā conceives. The heat of the child is more than she can bear, and she drops the embryo into the ocean. The child, Sindhu, is born from the sea and does tapas to Sūrya. He wins a vara (boon) that makes him almost impossible to kill and goes out to conquer the world. He defeats Indra and takes his throne, and all the devas run to Bhagavān Vishṇu. Part 1 of the Krīḍā Khaṇḍa ends here, and the war of the Tretā yuga goes on in Part 2.

The frame: from the Kṛta yuga to the Tretā yuga

When the Kṛta-yuga account of Mahōtkaṭa is complete, Brahmā, who is telling the Purāṇa to Vyāsa, turns to the story of the Tretā yuga. The ṛshi Śaunaka travels to Gaṇḍakī-nagara, the city of the Gaṇḍakī river, in Maithila deśa, the land of Mithilā, to visit King Cakrapāṇi. Śaunaka is welcomed with great honour. The king’s ministers are Sāmba and Subodha, and his queen is Ugrā. The king is sad because he and Ugrā have no son. This is told in Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 73.

The Sauravrata

Śaunaka teaches King Cakrapāṇi the Sauravrata. It is a vrata to Sūrya that lasts a month and centres on Sūryasaptamī, the seventh day of the bright half of the month, which is sacred to the sun. The vrata means worshipping Sūrya in order through a whole month, with set rules of fasting, pūjā and purity. The Sauravrata is held to work especially well for those who want children. By this vow the grace of Sūrya can give a son even where nature has not given one. This is told in Chapter 73.

Cakrapāṇi and Ugrā kept the Sauravrata with full śraddhā (faith) and devotion.

Queen Ugrā and the birth from the ocean

The Sauravrata gathered great solar heat. The very power of Sūrya was drawn to the queen and gathered around her through the strength of the vrata. Ugrā conceived by the grace of Sūrya. But the solar power in the embryo was so fierce, so burning with the tejas (radiance) of Sūrya, that Ugrā could not bear the heat any longer. She could not hold the fire in her womb, and she dropped the garbha (embryo) into the ocean. This is told in Chapter 74.

The ocean took the embryo. The child grew in the waters of the sea, fed by its vast body. When the time came, the child was born from the ocean. He was born with:

• A deep red colour (raktāṅga), the fiery sun-colour he took in while he grew.
• Fearsome eyes (ugrekshaṇa), like burning coals.
• A natural respect for brāhmaṇas (vipraprasādana).

Tapas to Sūrya and the vara

Sindhu grew to a huge size and strength, far greater than any man. But he was not satisfied with what he was born with. He went into the forest and did 2,000 years of tapas to Sūrya, the divine parent whose heat had made him. This is told in Chapter 74.

Sūrya appeared, pleased by the great tapas. He gave Sindhu a vara that made him almost impossible to kill, and it was very exact. An amṛta-vessel (amṛtapātra) was placed inside Sindhu’s body, in his navel (nābhi) or in his throat (kaṇṭha). As long as this vessel stayed inside him, he could not be killed by any means. Only a being who could take the amṛta-vessel out of his body could bring about his death. Also, no deva-yoni (being of divine birth), no human, no animal and no nāga could kill him. He would not die by day, by night, at dawn or at dusk.

Sūrya added: “Only a being whose toenail holds koṭi-koṭi (crores upon crores of) universes, a divine avatāra who can shake svarga with his hair, can kill you. All others are like grass before you. I have given you rule over all three worlds.” This is told in Chapter 74.

The digvijaya: conquest of all kings

Sindhu went home and took the kingdom from Cakrapāṇi, who then went into the forest to do tapas. Sindhu at once gathered his resources. He honoured his officers, made his rule known by proclamation, and set out on his digvijaya, the conquest of all the directions. This is told in Chapter 75.

His army was huge: elephants, horsemen, chariots and foot soldiers in great numbers. Sindhu himself rode in the middle, his red form blazing with the power of the sun. The dust of his army hid the sun. He conquered one kingdom after another, set his own men over them as governors, and made kings pay him tribute.

Many great asuras joined his banner when they heard of his victories. Among them were Śumbha, Niśumbha, Vṛtra, Pracaṇḍa, Kāla, Kadambāsura, Śambara, Kamalāsura and Kolāsura. Kolāsura spoke to him: “Just as the asura Tripurāsura once conquered all three worlds and gave us power, you are greater even than Tripurāsura. Yama himself is nothing before your might. We want to serve you. Conquer all three worlds for us!” This is told in Chapter 75.

Sindhu accepted their loyalty and said that he meant to conquer Amarāvatī (the city of Indra), Kailāsa (the realm of Bhagavān Śiva), Vaikuṇṭha (the home of Bhagavān Vishṇu), Satyaloka (the realm of Brahmā) and all seven Pātālas.

The battle with Indra: Amarāvatī falls

Sindhu and his army of allied asuras attacked Amarāvatī, the city of Indra. They surrounded it. Some asuras went in and began to plunder its treasures. Indra heard the news in his assembly hall. He mounted Airāvata, his divine elephant, took his vajra in hand and went out to meet them. This is told in Chapter 75.

The devas warned him: “O Indra, we cannot fight this asura. Only Bhagavān Vishṇu could match him in battle.” But Indra charged ahead. He struck Sindhu with the vajra, and the blow stunned Sindhu for a moment. But Sindhu recovered within a single muhūrta (a short span of time), stood up, mocked Indra, and struck back with his bare fists.

Sindhu hit Airāvata on the forehead so that blood poured out. Then he seized all four of Airāvata’s tusks and threw the great divine elephant to the ground. Next he seized Indra himself. Indra could not resist. He made his body very fine (took a sūkshma rūpa), slipped out of Sindhu’s grip and fled to a far place. He left Airāvata behind.

When Indra fled, all the other devas fled too. Sindhu sat down on Indra’s throne and shared out all the divine posts among his asura allies. Śumbha and the others took the places of the various devas. The realm of the devas rang with the asuras’ celebration. This is told in Chapter 75.

Indra gave up his kingdom and went with all the devas to take refuge with Bhagavān Vishṇu. This is where the crisis of the Tretā yuga stood: all three worlds were under asura rule and all the devas had been driven out. Gaṇeśa’s avatāra of the Tretā yuga, Mayūreśvara, was now to come. (The account continues in the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Part 2.)

Sources

• Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Part 1, Chapter 73 (the frame, Śaunaka and Cakrapāṇi, the Sauravrata)
• Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Part 1, Chapter 74 (Ugrā and the ocean birth, the tapas to Sūrya, the vara)
• Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Part 1, Chapter 75 (the digvijaya, the battle with Indra, the flight of the devas)