English
The Slaying of Tripurasura: Shiva as Tripurari
Source: Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita (Yuddha Khanda)
When Tarakasura was slain by Kartikeya, his three sons, Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali and Kamalaksha, burned for revenge. All three performed harsh austerities for thousands of years.
Pleased, Brahma appeared before them. The three asked for immortality, but Brahma said, “Whatever is born must end. Ask for something else.”
Then the three cleverly asked: “Let three cities be made for us that keep moving through the sky. Only once in a thousand years let them come into a single line. Only if someone pierces all three with a single arrow in that moment may we be destroyed.”
Brahma said, “So be it.” Maya, the architect of the asuras, built three cities: one of gold in heaven, one of silver in the sky, and one of iron on earth. They were called Tripura, and the three brothers Tripurasura.
At first the three brothers were devotees of Shiva and lived by dharma. But according to the Shiva Purana, through the maya of Lord Vishnu they gradually strayed from the path of dharma. Their pride grew, and they began to torment gods and sages.
The distressed gods took refuge in Lord Shiva. Shiva said, “To end them I need a divine chariot.” Then a chariot was made such as had never been made: the earth became the chariot, the sun and moon its wheels, Brahma himself the charioteer, Mount Meru the bow, Vasuki the bowstring, and Lord Vishnu himself became the arrow.
The thousand-year wait came to an end. Wheeling through the sky, the three cities slowly began to come into line. Lord Shiva raised the Meru bow and drew the string to his ear…
But before the arrow flew, something happened. The Shiva Purana says that at the start of this great task Lord Shiva had not first worshipped Ganesha, and so an obstacle arose; the arrow could not be loosed. Then Shiva remembered and worshipped his own son Ganesha, and the obstacle was removed.
So Lord Shiva showed that Ganapati must be remembered at the start of every auspicious work, even by Mahadeva himself.
Then the auspicious moment came. The three cities stood exactly in line. Lord Shiva released the arrow that was Vishnu, with Agni, the fire god, seated at its tip.
A tremendous blaze rose up. In the blink of an eye the three cities of gold, silver and iron were burned to ashes, and the three asuras met their end.
The Shiva Purana tells that Maya, who had remained a devotee of Shiva, was spared by the Lord's grace. Shiva granted him protection. The very craftsman who had built Tripura received the Lord's compassion because of his devotion.
The gods showered flowers from the sky and hailed Lord Shiva. From that day he was called Tripurari: the foe of Tripura.
Tradition says this victory took place on Kartik Purnima. So the day is also called Tripuri Purnima. The gods lit lamps in joy at the victory, and in that same spirit Dev Deepawali is celebrated today in Kashi, with lakhs of lamps lit on the ghats of the Ganga.
When rows of lamps shimmer on the Ganga from the ghats, it seems as if the gods themselves have come down to celebrate the victory of Shiva, the destroyer of Tripura.
What this story teaches
Even if pride builds fortresses in three worlds, a single arrow of dharma is enough for it. And before even the greatest task, remember Ganapati with humility.
On Kartik Purnima people bathe in holy rivers, give charity and offer lamps; that evening Dev Deepawali is celebrated on the ghats of the Ganga in Kashi. The burning of Tripura is described in the Shiva Purana, and the story also appears in the Mahabharata (Karna Parva), where the chariot and arrow are described somewhat differently. Its link to the date of Kartik Purnima, and the gods lighting lamps, come from tradition.
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