Bhandasura

Bhandasura was a demon created from the ashes of Kamadeva by Chitrakarma. This character makes his appearance in, and is the main antagonist of the Lalitopakyanam, part of Brahma Purana.

Bhandasura was created from the ashes of Kamadeva and performed severe austerities to please Lord Shiva, for which he was rewarded with the boons that whomsoever dares to fight Bhandasura would forfeit half of his strength and masculinity to him. Bhanda was also given the city of the demons, Shunyaka (in the Mahendra Hills) to live in and was promised emperor hood of the multiverse for sixty-thousand years without any obstructions in his path. For obvious reason, no god, man or demon dared to attack him. He created two brothers, Vishukra and Vishanga from his shoulders. From his heart he created his sister, Dhumini. He also brought to life four wives with whom he had thirty sons in total and a daughter named Rashmi Prabha.

Fearing him and his vicious boons, the gods of the multiverse went into hiding where they worshiped the Goddess Parashakti for the last few thousand years of Bhandasura's uninterrupted rule, while he was immersed in lust and luxury by Lord Vishnu's Maya. When Bhandasura came to know of the gods' conspiracy against him, he attacked them at the spot where they were performing a Yajna to appease the goddess. In fear, the Devas entered the fire pit and immolated themselves. When a relieved Bhandasura had gone, the Goddess Parashakti incarnated on the from of Goddess Tripura Sundari and resurrected all the gods of the multiverse and restored their duties.

She recreated the universe. From her various organs, she created the worlds, Pancha Bhutas etc (for example, Earth from her feet, darkness from her hair etc). Then, she created Bala Tripurasundari from her heart, Gayatri from Kundalini, Varahi from her ego, Matangi from her intellect, Sampatkari from Ankusha, Ashwaroodha from her Pasha & other Devis like Nakuleshwari, Jwalamalini etc.

Goddess Tripura Sundari went to war against Bhandasura, with an army strong enough to destroy him and the inhabitants of Shonitapura. Her army was led by Goddess Sampatkari on an elephant and Goddess Ashwarudha on a horse. She herself went to war on the Sri-Chakra, the Chakraraja-Ratha with every weapon known to god and man alike. Her commander in chief, Goddess Dandini (Varahi) followed on Kiri Chakra and her prime minister Mantrini/Shyamala (Matangi) followed on the Geya Chakra.

The war was in favor of Goddess Lalita (Tripura Sundari). Her daughter Bala successfully killed all thirty of Bhandasura's sons, while Matangi killed his brother Vishanga. His other brother Vishukra was killed by Varahi. Before dying however, Vishukra had placed a jaya-vighna-yantra in the middle of the Goddess's troops. This froze everyone except Lalita, Bala, Kameshwara Shiva, Matangi and Varahi. Devi Lalita then, with her husband in the from of Kameshwara, created Mahaganapati (the highest form of Ganesha), who destroyed Vishukra's yantra, thus reanimating the other goddesses. Goddess also created Maha Subramanya (highest form of Kartikeya)

Bhandasura now recreated the demons killed by Vishnu in each of his seven incarnations. Goddess Lalita Parvati brought forth each of Vishnu's incarnations (Dashavatar) from her fingernails, that put the demons to an end.

The Mother put out every firebrand sent by the demon her way, and destroyed his army with the Maha-Pashupatastra. She finally killed Bhandasura and destroyed Shonitapura with the Kameshwarastra. With Bhandasura incinerated by her arrow, the Goddess recreated Kamadeva from his ashes and restored Rati's marriagehood and peace to the multiverse.

References

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