Śārdūla (Dānava)
Śārdūla · śārdūla, “the tiger”
Śārdūla has other meanings too: see all meanings of Śārdūla.
Śārdūla was a lord of the dānavas who defeated Dharma and by deceit carried off Suvarṇā, the daughter of Agni and wife of Dharma, to pātāla (the netherworlds). Bhagavān Vishṇu cut off his head with his divine cakra and brought Suvarṇā back. He is not the tiger, ruler of the wild beasts. Brahmā tells this to Nārada in the Gautamī Māhātmya of the Brahma Purāṇa.
Suvarṇā carried off
Suvarṇā was born to Agni and Svāhā from the tejas of Bhagavān Śiva, and Śiva had blessed her, naming her Kamalā. After the vara she lived joyfully with her husband Dharma. Then Śārdūla, lord of the dānavas, attacked and defeated Dharma, and by deceit carried off Suvarṇā, the abode of fortune, saubhāgya (conjugal happiness) and grace, and took her to pātāla.
Slain by Bhagavān Vishṇu
Agni and Dharma praised Bhagavān Vishṇu, ruler of the worlds, again and again and told him what had happened. Bhagavān Vishṇu cut off Śārdūla’s head with his divine cakra and brought back the divine Suvarṇā, and he showed her to Maheśvara, who was pleased and embraced her again and again.
The place where the shining cakra that cut off Śārdūla’s head was washed is well known as Śaṅkara-tīrtha, and also as Vaishṇava-tīrtha and Siddha-tīrtha. Bathing there and giving dāna are auspicious and give every desire.
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 58