Shaṭpura Vadha
The Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, tells how six lakh asuras who survived the war of the Tripurāsuras made six underground cities called Shaṭpura. Their leader Nikuṃbha broke up the Aśvamedha yajña of the brāhmaṇa Brahmadhatta and turned many kings against the Yādavas. Pradyumna went first and trapped the kings by his māyā. Then Bhagavān Kṛshṇa came, took the blessing of Bhagavān Śiva at Bilvodeakeśvara, and slew Nikuṃbha with the Sudarśana Cakra. Brahmadhatta was given Shaṭpura as his kingdom.
The survivors of the Tripurāsura war
When Bhagavān Rudra destroyed the Tripurāsuras, he burned only Tripurāsura himself with his great arrow. The six lakh asuras who had gathered at that battle as his kinsmen and allies were left alive.
They were full of grief for Tripurāsura. They faced the sun, lived on air alone, and did fierce tapas for a thousand years, chanting Vedic mantras and offering ārādhanā to Brahmā. Brahmā appeared and offered them a vara (a boon). (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 84)
The asuras asked for two things: revenge on Rudra, who had harmed them, and freedom from death at the hands of the devas. Brahmā told them that Śiva is the maker and destroyer of the universe, and that it was useless to stand against him. He turned them toward asking for freedom from death by the devas together with good conduct.
The vara he gave was this. If they walked the path of righteousness, honoured brāhmaṇas and did not harm good people, neither Mahādeva nor the other devas could slay them. But if they turned against brāhmaṇas, death at the hands of Vishṇu would be certain. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 84)
Śiva’s blessing for the faithful
Some of the six lakh asuras were truly devoted to Śiva. Śiva himself came to them, riding his white bull. He told them that if they took refuge in him and gave up pride and hatred, they would reach Rudra-loka.
He taught them the pūjā of the bilva tree and told them how powerful that place was. Three nights of his pūjā under the bilva at this spot, or the repeating of his name Śvetavāhana, would take away all fear and in the end lead to Śivaloka. After this teaching he left for Jambumārga. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 84)
The six underground cities
The other asuras, who had not accepted the counsel of Brahmā and Śiva, made their home underground in six fortified cities. Together these are called Shaṭpura. They lay beneath the earth along the Āvarta river, strong places that could not be taken. The asuras lived there in power, sure of their vara. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 85)
Brahmadhatta’s Aśvamedha is disturbed
A learned brāhmaṇa named Brahmadhatta was a disciple of Yājñavalkya. He knew all four Vedas and the six Vedāṅgas. He was performing an Aśvamedha yajña on the bank of the Āvarta river, near Shaṭpura. Vasudeva and Devakī themselves came to attend the yajña. The great ṛshis Vyāsa, Yājñavalkya, Sumantu, Jaimini, Chāgali, Devala and Vaiśampāyana were all there. The yajña went on with rich annadāna (gifts of food) and dakshiṇā (gifts to the priests). (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 85)
Then Nikuṃbha and the asuras of Shaṭpura came to the yajña and made two demands. First, a share of the soma and the offerings of the yajña. Second, the daughters of Brahmadhatta in marriage.
Brahmadhatta refused. He said that the Vedas do not give yajña shares to asuras. He also said that his daughters were already promised to worthy men at Antarvedī. The asuras broke up the yajña and carried off some of the daughters. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 85)
Brahmadhatta’s daughters
Brahmadhatta’s daughters were remarkable. They were five hundred women who had served the ṛshi Durvāsa and had received from him a vara. Each would have one son and one daughter. Each daughter would carry the fragrance of all flowers, stay young forever, be a devoted wife (pativratā), and be skilled in dance and music. Each son would be handsome and learned in the śāstras.
Nārada later told Nikuṃbha that these daughters had in the end been given to the Yādavas. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapters 84–85)
Nārada stirs up the allied kings
Nārada went to Nikuṃbha and urged him to act. He pointed out that Brahmadhatta and Kṛshṇa were close allies and that their lives were as one. He said Nikuṃbha should fight the Yādavas to win the remaining daughters.
He advised Nikuṃbha to seek the help of the kings who had gathered near Shaṭpura: Jarāsaṃdha, Dantavaktra, Śiśupāla, the Kauravas, the rulers of Mālava, Rukmī, Āhvṛti, Nīla, Dharmu, Vinda and Anuvinda, Śalya, Śakuni, and many other kings. All of them took gifts from Nikuṃbha and promised their support. Only the Pāṇḍavas did not, for Nārada himself warned them away. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 85)
Pradyumna’s campaign of māyā
Kṛshṇa learned of all this through Vasudeva’s prayer. He sent Pradyumna first, with the Yādava army, and told him to use his power of māyā (illusion). Pradyumna went at once. By his māyā he made a magic cave and drew the allied kings into it. So he took them without a direct battle. Brahmadhatta’s yajña was finished safely under Pradyumna’s protection. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapters 85–86)
Nikuṃbha’s vara
Nikuṃbha himself had a special vara. He had done tapas for a hundred lakh years at Uttara Kuru. From Śiva he had won invincibility against ordinary means. So ordinary weapons and armies had no power over him. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 86)
Kṛshṇa at Bilvodeakeśvara
Kṛshṇa saw that Nikuṃbha’s death needed divine approval beyond ordinary weapons. He went to the Bilvodeakeśvara Śiva temple, the Śiva liṅga set up in the Pāriyātra region, and prayed to Bhagavān Śiva Rudra. Śiva appeared and told Kṛshṇa: “Use your Sudarśana Cakra. Nothing else will work against Nikuṃbha, who carries my vara.” (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 87)
The slaying of Nikuṃbha
In the battle at Shaṭpura, Nikuṃbha came out of his underground fortress with the full army of asuras. Kṛshṇa let go the Sudarśana Cakra at Nikuṃbha, as Śiva himself had told him. The Cakra slew Nikuṃbha. The cities of Shaṭpura were destroyed. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 87)
After the battle
Brahmadhatta was given Shaṭpura and its land as his own kingdom. The victory was celebrated with great festivity. Kṛshṇa, the Yādavas and the assembled ṛshis celebrated the return of order. Then they went back to Dvārakā. (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 87)
Sources
- Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 84 (the survivors, Brahmā’s vara, Śiva’s blessing)
- Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 85 (Shaṭpura, Brahmadhatta’s Aśvamedha, Nārada and the kings)
- Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapters 85–86 (Pradyumna’s campaign)
- Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 86 (Nikuṃbha’s vara)
- Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa, Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 87 (Bilvodeakeśvara, the slaying of Nikuṃbha, the aftermath)