The Story of Sunda and Upasunda

Narada narrated the story of two Asuras (demons) by name Sunda and Upasunda. They were born in the family of the demon king Hiranyakasipu who was killed by Vishnu having taken birth as man-lion.

Sunda and Upasunda loved and cared for each other so much that they were always in each other’s company. Together they fought the gods and won great victories. Their ultimate aim was to win over the three worlds. For that they went to the Vindhya mountain and started meditating keenly on Brahma. Their penance was so intense that all the worlds were getting heated up as a result. The gods tried various tricks to tempt them and to divert their minds to worldly pleasures, but, without success.

Finally, Brahma had to appear before them and find out what they wanted as blessing. They asked for nothing short of immortality. With that in their kit they could pursue their aim of winning the entire earth, Patala (the World below) and heaven with none to oppose. Brahma asked them to choose something else because immortality was something he could not afford to offer.

They thought for an instant for an alternative that was almost the same. So they said that the only way any one of them would die must be by the other. Brahma agreed and blessed them accordingly.

With the added confidence from the new boon the pair started turning the three worlds upside down. All the rituals would help their arch enemies, the gods. So, they would obstruct any type of rituals performed on earth or in heaven. The gods were in serious trouble as a result. But, they could do nothing against the two demons.

Finally, Brahma himself thought of a plan. He called Viswakarma, the specialist builder of heaven to create a damsel of such beauty that all beings would vie with each other and fall at her feet. That was how the celestial damsel, Tilottama, came to being. She was immediately given the task of enticing the two demons.

It is said that even Lord Siva, who spent all his time meditating, found her attraction irresistible. He wanted to look at Tilottama in whichever direction she went with the result that he developed three new faces, now one for each of the four directions. Indra was so interested that he developed a thousand eyes !

Tilottama wasted no time and went to meet Sunda and Upasunda. The demons spotted her, scantily dressed and plucking flowers in the most enchanting manner. The two were mesmerized by her so much that they forgot everything else. One immediately grabbed her left hand and the other , her right. She was being pulled in each direction and soon the Asuras started fighting against each other. The fight became so serious that they ended up being killed by one another.

Narada told the story to give the message that one woman in the company of many men could cause great trouble.