Sindhu
Sindhu is the great daitya, the main foe of Māyūreśvara, who is Gaṇeśa’s avatāra in the Tretā-yuga. He is called Daityarāja, king of the daityas. His story is in the Krīḍā Khaṇḍa of the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa.
He was born in the ocean. His mother Ugrā could not bear the heat of the sun’s fire in the child she carried, and she dropped the unborn child into the sea. This happened because of the Sauravrata, a vow to Sūrya. Sindhu grew up very strong. He did tapas (austerity) to Sūrya for 2,000 years and received a vara (boon). A vessel of amṛta (the nectar of immortality) was placed in his body, so that nothing ordinary could kill him.
He then marched to conquer the world and took Indra’s city Amarāvatī, driving out all the devas. Chapters 74–75 of the Krīḍā Khaṇḍa end with Sindhu on Indra’s throne. The long war that follows is told in Chapters 76–124. In the end Māyūreśvara pierces Sindhu’s navel with his paraśu (battle-axe), takes out the vessel of amṛta and ends Sindhu’s invincibility. Because the Parabrahman himself slew him, Sindhu reaches mokṣa. His wife performs satī, and the devas who were in prison are freed.
Birth from the ocean
Sindhu’s parents were Cakrapāṇi, the human king of Gandakī-nagara, and his queen Ugrā. Under the guidance of Śaunaka, they had kept the Sauravrata to win a son. Sūrya gave his grace, and Ugrā conceived. But the sun’s tejas (fire) in the child was so strong that Ugrā could not bear the heat. She dropped the child into the ocean. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 74)
The child grew up in the ocean, fed by the sea’s great body. The sea’s coolness softened his solar fire but did not put it out. His name Sindhu means “ocean”, “river” or “the Indus”, and it points to his birth in the ocean.
He came out with three marks:
- Raktāṅga: very red in colour, from the solar fire in his blood
- Ugrekṣaṇa: with fearsome, burning eyes
- Vipraprasādana: naturally respectful to brāhmaṇas
Tapas to Sūrya and the vara of the amṛta vessel
Sindhu went back to Cakrapāṇi and Ugrā, who welcomed him with joy. After this meeting, Sindhu went into the forest and did tapas to Sūrya, his divine father, for 2,000 years. Sūrya appeared and gave him a vara. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 74)
The vara had two parts.
- The amṛta vessel. An amṛtapātra (a vessel of nectar and immortality) was placed inside Sindhu’s body, in his nābhi (navel) or his kaṇṭha (throat). As long as the vessel stayed in him, he could not die. Only a being who could take the vessel out of his body could cause his death.
- The protective conditions. No divine being (deva-yoni), human, animal or nāga could kill him. He could not die by day, by night, at dawn or at dusk. Only a being whose toenail holds koṭi-koṭi universes, a divine avatāra who can shake svarga (heaven) with his hair, could kill him.
Sūrya added: “I have given you rule over all three worlds. All other beings are like grass before you.” (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 74)
The one who is to kill Sindhu is Gaṇeśa’s Tretā-yuga avatāra, Māyūreśvara.
Ruling the kingdom
Cakrapāṇi made Sindhu king and went to live in the forest. Sindhu ran the kingdom well. He kept all the officials in their posts and announced his rule. Then he at once set out on his digvijaya (conquest of the world). (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 75)
The digvijaya
Sindhu’s army was huge, with great numbers of elephants, horsemen and foot soldiers. His red body shone like a second sun as he rode in the middle of the army. He took one kingdom after another, set his own deputies over them and made kings pay him tribute. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 75)
Many great asuras joined him: Śumbha, Niśumbha, Vṛtra, Pracaṇḍa, Kāla, Kadambāsura, Śambara, Kamalāsura, Kolāsura and others. Kolāsura said Sindhu was greater than the ancient Tripurāsura. Sindhu accepted their service. He declared that he meant to conquer Amarāvatī, Kailāsa, Vaikuṇṭha, Satyaloka and all seven Pātālas.
The defeat of Indra and the taking of Amarāvatī
Sindhu attacked Amarāvatī. The devas warned Indra that this asura was stronger than anyone. Indra charged anyway, with his vajra and Airāvata. The vajra struck Sindhu and stunned him for a short time. He recovered within one muhūrta, mocked Indra and hit back. He struck Airāvata’s forehead until blood flowed. He seized all four of Airāvata’s tusks and threw the divine elephant to the ground. Then he seized Indra himself. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 75)
Indra made his body subtle and escaped. He left Airāvata behind and went with all the devas to take shelter with Bhagavān Viṣṇu. Sindhu took his seat on Indra’s throne and gave out all the divine posts to his asura allies. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 75)
The long war (Chapters 76–114)
The war between Māyūreśvara’s divine host and Sindhu’s forces was long and hard fought. It runs over thirty-eight chapters. Sindhu’s generals Gandāsura, Sena, Krodhana and Śataghna led wave after wave against the divine army. Fallen warriors on both sides were brought back to life many times. The fighting rose and fell in many stages, each fiercer than the one before. Throughout, Māyūreśvara revived fallen divine warriors with his divine breath. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 76–114)
The viśvarūpa and the turn of the war (Chapters 115–122)
In Chapter 115, Māyūreśvara showed his first viśvarūpa (cosmic form) in the middle of the battle. It was a direct showing that he is Parabrahman. He cut Sindhu’s ears with his śūla (spear), the first serious wound. Sindhu drew back for a while. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 115)
Pārvatī watched from above and wept to see her son in such a long fight. Śiva comforted her. He explained that Māyūreśvara was not a weak child but Parabrahman himself, playing this part on purpose to set the worlds right. Māyūreśvara then brought all the fallen divine warriors back to life with his breath. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 116)
Sindhu’s wife Durgā, who is a different being from the devī Durgā, came to her husband. She begged him to free the imprisoned devas and make peace with Māyūreśvara. Sindhu refused. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 117)
In the fighting that followed, Sindhu’s brothers-in-law Kala and Vikala entered the battle. Kārttikeya killed Kala and Vīrabhadra killed Vikala. Then Sindhu’s sons Dharma and Adharma entered the battle. Kārttikeya seized them by their śikhās (the sacred tufts of hair on the crown of the head) and killed them. Both reached mokṣa through the grace of being killed in Māyūreśvara’s presence. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 118–119)
Sindhu’s father Cakrapāṇi himself came to the battlefield and advised Sindhu to free the devas, to know that this avatāra is divine, and to take refuge in him. Sindhu answered with disrespect and went back to the battle, turning away from his own father’s wisdom. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 120)
Nandī, Bhṛṅgī, Vīrabhadra and Bhūtarāja then entered Sindhu’s capital and fought inside the city walls. Sindhu came back from outside to face this attack directly. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 121–122)
The final battle and Sindhu’s mokṣa (Chapter 123)
In the last battle, Sindhu let loose his agni-astra (fire weapon). Māyūreśvara’s paraśu (battle-axe) swallowed the agni-astra completely, the divine weapon consuming the fire. Māyūreśvara then showed his full sāhasraśirā viśvarūpa, the cosmic form with a thousand heads. It overwhelmed everyone who saw it.
With this cosmic form fully shown, Māyūreśvara pierced Sindhu’s nābhi (navel) with his paraśu. The amṛta that Sūrya had placed in Sindhu’s body as part of his vara escaped from the pierced vessel. With the amṛta gone, Sindhu’s invincibility ended at once. He fell and died.
Because Parabrahman himself slew him, Sindhu reached mokṣa, release from the cycle of birth and death. The asura who had terrified all three worlds was changed by this meeting into a liberated being. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 123)
The aftermath (Chapter 124)
Sindhu’s wife Durgā had urged peace and had warned her husband of his fate. She was overcome with grief at his death. She performed satī, giving up her life on her husband’s funeral pyre, and left the world with him.
Sindhu’s father Cakrapāṇi was now freed from the pain of watching his son’s destruction. He received the darśana of Māyūreśvara directly. The devas who had been held in prison in Sindhu’s capital for the whole length of his reign were freed. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 124)
The later events, the svayaṃvara of Siddhi and Buddhi, the pañcāyatana viśvarūpa and Māyūreśvara’s departure, belong to the account of Māyūreśvara’s marriage and departure.
Sources
- Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 74–75
- Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 76–124