Sunābha

Sunābha · su-nābha

Sunābha is a prince of the mountains, the only son of Himavān, the king of mountains, and of Menā Devī, and the brother of Devī Pārvatī. The Vāmana Purāṇa tells that he was born with three sisters, Rāgiṇī, Kuṭilā and Kālī, the last of whom is Umā, the bride of Bhagavān Śiva. When the Saptarshis came to Himavān’s city to ask for Umā’s hand, the mountains led by Sunābha honoured them, and at the wedding Sunābha performed the preliminary rites and led his sister to Śaṅkara. He is the father of Mount Krauñca, and so the maternal uncle of Skanda, the son of Kuṭilā. When Skanda’s śakti split Krauñca open to slay the daitya Mahisha hidden in him, Sunābha came running to his son; Śrī Hari held Skanda back, saying that Sunābha was worthy of his worship, and Himavān led Sunābha away.

His birth

Pulastya Maharshi tells Nārada Maharshi that Menā Devī bore three daughters rich in good qualities and one son, famed as Sunābha. The eldest daughter was Rāgiṇī, of red radiance, with red eyes and red garments; the second was Kuṭilā, with eyes like lotus leaves, a white complexion, dark curling hair and white garments; the third was Kālī, of dark radiance, with eyes like dark lotuses and peerless beauty. Six years after their birth the three sisters began to perform tapas.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 25

At the wedding of his sister

When Bhagavān Śiva sent the Saptarshis and Arundhatī to Himavān to ask for Umā, they went to the city of the lord of mountains, which shone with healing herbs and was like the city of Indra. There they accepted the honours offered by the mountain-women, by the mountains led by Sunābha, and by gandharvas, kinnaras and yakshas, and came to Himavān’s palace with its golden ramparts.

On the wedding day, when Tripurahara came with his retinue and the Saptarshis, all present were busy adorning the bride, and the chief mountains served the groom’s party. After the women of the inner apartments had adorned Pārvatī in white garments, her brother Sunābha performed the prescribed preliminary rites (pūrvāṅga-kṛtyas) and brought Kālī to Śaṅkara. Then, by the golden wedding vedi, Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī carried out the wedding rites in due order.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 26–27

The father of Krauñca

In the war of the devas against the daityas, the daitya Mahisha fled from Skanda and hid in a cave of Mount Krauñca. Skanda held back from striking, saying that he could not slay Krauñca, the grandson of his maternal grandfather Himavān, the son of his maternal uncle, his own brother. After the race round the mountain with Indra, Skanda, the son of Kuṭilā, split Krauñca open with his fearsome śakti and slew both Krauñca and Mahisha within him.

Seeing his son Krauñca dead, Sunābha, the son of the king of mountains, came running there. As his maternal uncle came, Kārttikeya took up his śakti against Sunābha too. At once Śrī Hari embraced Kārttikeya and held him back: “Sunābha is worthy of your worship, child.” Himavān too came, took his son Sunābha by the hand and led him to another place, and Śrī Hari, mounted on Garuḍa, took Kārttikeya with his peacock to svarga.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 32

In an earlier age

The Vāmana Purāṇa also tells, in Chapter 46, of an earlier age, the time of Svāyambhuva Manu, in which a Sunābha is the father of Sudevā. Sudevā was the wife of Savana, the son of Priyavrata. When Savana died without a son, Sudevā entered his funeral fire, and the king rose with her into the sky. From the seed that fell from him there, the Maruts of that age were later born. The whole account is told in The Birth of the Maruts.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 46

Sources

• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 25–27, 32, 46