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One day it so happened that Paarvatee Jee, in a playful mood, covered Shiv Jee's three eyes with her hands from behind. The entire universe plunged into total darkness. Paarvatee started sweating. As the sweat drops fell down from her forehead, they turned in to a frightful demon. This demon was black in complexion, hairy and blind. He was known as Andhakaasur, because Shiv Jee's eyes were covered that the demon who was born from the sweat, was also blind.

In those times Hiranyaaksh and Hiranyakashyap Daitya were tormenting the world. Hiranykashyap who was younger, had got the son, but Hiranyaaksh had no child yet, so his wife was pestering him. Unable to bear the pressure, he started doing Tap for Shiv. Shiv, was very pleased with his Tap, so he appeared before him and asked him to ask for a boon. Hiranyaaksh said - "O Lord, my younger brother has children, but I have none yet. Please bless me with a son who will not only take care of our kingdom, but will also extend it."

Shiv said - "You do not have the progeny in your Destiny, therefore, I give you my son Andhakaasur. Though he is blind by birth, but he possesses enormous strength. Take him with you." Hiranyaaksh brought Andhakaasur home and gave him to his wife. Initially his wife did not show any love for the boy. However, in due course of time, on account of Shiv's Maayaa, she developed love for him and started looking after him well.

After some time, Hiranyaaksh was killed by Vishnu, who took the Varaah Avataar (incarnation) to bring Prithvi from the bottom of the sea. Andhak and his mother took refuge in Hiranyakashyap's house. In due course of time, he was also killed by Lord Vishnu by His Narasinh Avataar. Hiranyakashap had died even before he had nominated his successor. Narasinh Bhagavaan appointed Prahlaad as the King and went back to Vaikunth. Now all his cousins started teasing him for his blindness rather giving him his due share.

He got so frustrated that he started doing a Hom (Yagya) in which he started offering the Aahuti of his own flesh. When he was about to finish his own flesh, and still got no boon, he offered himself in that sacrificial fire. As he was about to do that, Devtaa prayed Brahmaa Jee to grant him the boon he wanted. So Brahmaa Jee appeared before him and granted him several boons - he gave him sight, he gave him victory over even Indra, but in the last he wanted immortality. At this Brahmaa Jee said - "I can't give you immortality as nobody is immortal, but you have to decide when you want to die." Andhak said - "Whenever I aspire for such a woman who has never been aspired for, I should die." Brahmaa Jee granted him this boon and went away.

Now Andhak had no problems, he was doing whatever he wanted to do. He came back to his kingdom and found his cousin brothers friendly with him. With their cooperation he won the Swarg Lok also.

Shiv and Andhak

One day Andhak went to Mandar Mountain where Shiv was living in those days. Once his Generals, Duryodhan, Vighas and Hastee, saw Shiv and Paarvatee in a cave. They felt that Paarvatee was very beautiful and should be their master's wife. So they went to Andhakaasur and told everything to him. He asked his servants to go there and bring the woman to him. Shiv immediately remembered the boon of Brahmaa to Andhakaasur. He understood that Andhakaasur's death was nearing. Andhakaasur had never seen his parents and therefore he did not know what they looked like. Shiv tried to make the messenger to understand and sent the messenger back to Andhakaasur, saying that the woman Andhakaasur was aspiring for was his mother.

However, his servants misconstrued it and told Andhakaasur that the sage was refusing to part with his wife and was in fact inviting him for a fight. Andhakaasur accepted the challenge. At that time Shiv was in the middle of an austerity called Paashupat Vrat (which takes 1000 years to complete), so he did not wish to be disturbed by anybody. He therefore asked his guard Veerak, the guard at the door, to handle the situation. Veerak, fought bravely with Andhak. Later Brahmaa, Vishnu, Indra and other gods also assumed feminine form and jumped into the battlefield. Seeing this, Paarvatee also got ready to join them. The battle between Andhak and Veerak continued on for 500 years.

After 1,000 years, Andhak opened his mouth widely and tried to swallow everyone that Shiv appeared on the scene. He sent some back, he himself took Paarvatee Jee in a cave and asked Veerak to guard it. He asked others to fight with Andhak. As Andhakasur saw Shiv and Paarvatee going into the cave, he thought that they were running away from the battlefield. He asked one of his aides, Vighnaash, to see what were they doing in the cave. Vighnaash saw them happily talking to each other. He said to Shiv - "If you are a sage, go and do Tap, if you want to fight come and join us." So Shiv Jee came out of the cave and started fighting with them.

Seeing this Daitya asked Shukraachaarya to help them - to use his Sanjeevanee Vidyaa to revive them. Now Shukraachaarya Jee was in a flux, as he got this Vidyaa from Shiv only. How could he use it against Shiv? He could not send back the demons also, so he started saving the Daitya. Thus the war seemed to be never ending. Andhak then summoned Gilaa, the swallower and asked him to swallow the Sun, the Moon and Indra. He also asked him to swallow Veerak also who was like a thorn in their way. Gilaa swallowed everyone except Veerak.

Since Gilaa had swallowed the Sun and the Moon there was darkness everywhere. Veerak sang the praise of Shiv. He wondered as how Gilaa could swallow Vishnu also. Shiv said - "During the Narasinh Avataar, when Narasinh could not control his anger even after he had killed Hiranyakashyap, he set out to swallow the world. The Seven great sages then cursed that he would fall in to the mouth of a demon. Lord Vishnu, out of compassion for the sages had now willfully acceded to their curse. Otherwise, there is no way anyone can swallow Vishnu".

The then Nandeeshwar informed Shiv that all their efforts were being nullified by Bhaargavaachaarya as he was bringing dead demons to life. Shiv told Nandee to somehow abduct and bring him from the battlefield. Nandee abducted Bhaargavacharya and brought him before Shiv. Shiv immediately swallowed him. Bhaargavachaarya tried all of his tricks to come out of Shiv's body, but failed. So he started praising Shiv. Shiv, out of compassion, expelled him out of his body through his genital organ. Because of this, Bhaargavaachaarya came to be known as as Shukraachaarya (Shukra in Sanskrit means semen).

5,000 years passed. A power came out of Shiv's ear and destroyed everyone, even Shukraachaarya could not stop it. Shiv asked Vishnu to stay away and encountered Andhak alone. He stabbed Andhak with his trident and held his body high in the sky. Andhak expanded his body, still Shiv held him in that posture for a 1,000 years. Only after this, Andhak could comprehend about his birth. Andhak was surprised that Shiv did not punish him although he had aspired for his own mother. Even while hanging on the trident, he praised the 108 forms of Shiv for a 1,000 years. All his sins were washed off.

Shiv brought him down, and for the first time, touched him. Immediately he became bright and luminous. He fell at his parents' feet and asked for their forgiveness. Shiv and Paarvatee preached Andhakaasur. Later he was made in charge of one of the Gan - Bhringee. Even now he is engaged in the service of his parents.
(From Shiv Puraan)

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