Vīrabhadra’s Heroic Deeds

The Pātāla Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells of several deeds of Vīrabhadra, besides his well-known part in ending Daksha’s yajña. He ends a flame that burned the devas, tears open a serpent that swallowed them, kills the asura Pañcamedhra, and kills another asura who thought himself safe because of a vara (boon) from Śiva. Each time, sacred ash (bhasma) is both his protection and the means by which he brings the harmed back to life.

The flame on Śokara

On the mountain Śokara a flame appeared that could not be put out. It burned so fiercely that no deva could stand against it. The great devas, including Kaśyapa and others, came together to face it. The flame burned them all to ash. No living being was left among the devas on the mountain.

Vīrabhadra went forward with his body smeared with bhasma. The bhasma on his body was both his protection and his weapon. By the power stored in the sacred ash he consumed the whole flame. Then he used the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra together with bhasma and brought each of the dead devas back to life. The whole assembly rose from ash into their living, divine forms.

The great serpent

After the devas were restored, a great serpent appeared on the mountain. It swallowed the whole assembly at once. The devas, who had just been raised from ash, were now inside the body of the serpent. Vīrabhadra tore the serpent apart with his power and freed everyone held inside it.

Pañcamedhra, the ten-armed asura

The most fearsome enemy in this series was the asura Pañcamedhra. He had a terrible form, with ten arms, five feet and eight heads. The devas had been saved twice already, once from the flame and once from the serpent. Then Pañcamedhra came and swallowed the whole assembly of devas into his huge body. Valin and Sugrīva were among those he swallowed, together with all the devas.

Vīrabhadra fought Pañcamedhra and killed him. He then freed everyone from the asura’s belly. This was the third time the assembly was restored.

The asura with the unbreakable vara

A fourth enemy was an asura who had received a vara from Śiva. By it, he could be killed only by someone who pulled Śiva’s jaṭā (matted hair). The jaṭā of Śiva is holy and must not be touched. So the asura thought he could never die, since no one would dare pull Śiva’s locks. Hiding behind this vara, he brought ruin on the three worlds.

Bharatī (Sarasvatī) came and told Vīrabhadra how the asura could be killed. Vīrabhadra then pulled Śiva’s jaṭā. This is the same jaṭā from which Vīrabhadra himself had been born at the time of Daksha’s yajña. By this act he met the condition of the vara, and the asura was killed. Sacred ash was then applied, and everyone the asura had harmed came back to life.

The dhyāna form of Vīrabhadra

The Pātāla Khaṇḍa gives the form of Vīrabhadra on which a devotee should meditate (dhyāna):

• Dark body
• Tawny (reddish-brown) lips
• Fangs like the crescent of a young moon
• Three horizontal lines of sacred ash on the forehead (tripuṇḍra of bhasma)
• A crown made of a garland of matted hair

He stands armed, fierce and shining, a protector of the three worlds.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 107