Kujambha
Kujambha · ku-jambha
Kujambha was a mighty daitya, the brother of Jambha. The Vāmana Purāṇa names him among the great daityas who fought in the wars of Andhaka, first against Indra and the devas near Meru and then against Bhagavān Śiva at Mandara, and Andhaka himself calls Kujambha his brother. In the war near Meru, Varuṇa struck him down with a kick. At Mandara he was slain by the pramathas, rose again through the Sañjīvanī vidyā (the knowledge that restores life) of Śukrācārya, and at last, rushing at Indra with his brother Jambha, fell in the flames of the Sudarśana cakra released by Śrī Hari. The daityas later recalled his death to Bali, and Prahlāda saw him, with the whole universe, within the infant Vāmana.
In Andhaka’s war against the devas
Andhaka, son of Hiraṇyāksha, won from Bhagavān Śiva the varas of being unconquerable and unslayable, conquered the earth and came near the peak of Meru. Indra went out against him on Airāvata, with the dikpālas and all the deva hosts. Among the daityas who came to that battle, Kujambha rode a horse.
Varuṇa, on his śiśumāra, bound Virocana with his pāśas (nooses) and began to crush him with his gadā (mace). The daitya soldiers cried out: “Alas! Virocana is being killed at Varuṇa’s hands! O Prahlāda! O Jambha and Kujambha! Someone stop him!” The rākshasa leaders headed by Jambha leapt upon the lord of the waters like moths leaping into flames. Varuṇa let Virocana go and fell upon them: he slew Jambha with his pāśa, broke Tāra’s head with the palm of his hand, kicked Vṛtra and Kujambha, and sent Bala to the city of Yama with a blow of his fist. The rest threw down their weapons and fled.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 9–10
Before the war at Mandara
When Skanda’s gaṇas came down to earth and roared, the sound, like the roar of pralaya (the dissolution of the worlds), reached Pātāla. Mahisha, Tāraka, Virocana, Jambha and Kujambha were startled; they all went together to Andhaka and, troubled, began to consider it.
When Andhaka beat the war-drum and set out to fight Bhagavān Śiva at Mandara, Kujambha went with him, named second after Jambha among the great daityas who went to the battlefield bearing many kinds of weapons.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 32, 40
His death at Mandara
The pramathas, the gaṇas of Bhagavān Śiva, slew the daitya army. Andhaka went to Śukrācārya and said: “My brothers, Kujambha and the others, are dead. The pramathas are inexhaustible, like the fruit of Kurukshetra.” Śukra made himself pure and applied the Sañjīvanī vidyā, and all the daityas who had died rose up. Nandī saw Kujambha and the other daityas come back to life and return to battle, and told Bhagavān Śiva of the wonder. Bhagavān Śiva sent Nandī to bring Śukra to him.
As Nandī went through the daitya host, five tigers among the daityas surrounded him: Kujambha, Jambha, Bali, Vṛtra and Ayaḥśiras. Brahmā sent Indra and the devas down from the sky to help Bhagavān Śiva’s army, and Indra’s streams of arrows, marked with the names of Brahmā, Vishṇu and Śiva, burned through the daitya host.
Seeing their army burning in the fire of Indra’s arrows, Kujambha and Jambha, whirling terrible maces and staves, rushed at the leader of the devas. Seeing them come at Indra, Śrī Hari swiftly whirled the Sudarśana cakra, destroyer of enemies, and released it at Kujambha. In its flames of fire Kujambha lost his life and fell from his chariot. Jambha, seeing his brother slain by Mādhava, then fell upon Indra and was slain by Indra’s śakti (spear).
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 43
Recalled before Bali
When Bali was crowned king of the daityas, the daityas recounted to him how their line had been destroyed: “Your paternal uncle Jambha was killed by Indra, and Kujambha by Vishṇu, like cattle.” Hearing this, Bali rose up with all the rākshasas to make war on the devas.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 47
Seen within Bhagavān Vāmana
When the daityas were losing their tejas (radiance), Prahlāda sat in dhyāna (meditation) and saw the child Vāmana in Aditi‘s womb. Within that small infant he saw the whole universe: the Vasus, Rudras, Aśvins, Maruts, Sādhyas, Viśvedevas and Ādityas, the gandharvas, serpents and rākshasas, Virocana and Bali, Jambha, Kujambha, Naraka, Bāṇa and the other rākshasas, himself, the five elements, the earth with its oceans and dvīpas, Brahmā and Bhava, the grahas and nakshatras, and the prajāpatis beginning with Daksha.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 8
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 9–10, 32, 40, 43, 47
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 8