bANAsura

God is for all, because there is only one God. That God is worshipped by the divines and so do the daemons and so are the seers and great devotees. An asura who excelled in devotion of Lord shiva is the bANAsura.

In the asura lineage was the king bANa born. His wife was supradikai. The daemon king bANa was very much devoted to the worship of Lord shiva. He used to worship the shiva linga regularly with care and devotion. God, Who is beyond any barriers, rewarded the virtue of the asura by which he worships and blessed him with wealth, power and reign. The asura king ruled the kingdom continuing his heartfelt worship of Lord shiva.

One day he went to the abode of the Lord, Mount kailAsha, to have darshan of the God. The daemon did not care for the properness to seek the entry at that great abode, but tried to just walk in ignoring all due permission-seeking. The gaNas who were guarding the abode, looking at the inappropriate behavior of the daemon at the abode of God, took him like an insect and threw him off. He fell off the chakravALa giri. Later he got back to his conscience and returned home.

As a daemon he felt humiliated. As a devotee he wanted to worship kailAshapati well. This ego-full devotee worshipped Lord shiva vigorously and ardently. Pleased, Lord shiva asked him what boon he wanted. bANa pleaded to Lord, that He stays along with His family at the entrance of bANa's palace ! bANa said by this way he can worship the God without any regulations. Lord shiva - the Immeasurable Almighty but Who is very simple and loving to those who worship with sincere devotion - gave the boon to be the guard at his palace entrance !!

In the abode he built for the God at the entrance of the palace, bANAsura worshipped the Lord shiva, shakti, vignesha and skandha with love and dedication very much. Due to the ardent worship he practiced, he won over the worlds and was just glorious in all the directions.

As the days passed by, he once again got the desire to fight with a powerful person. Now he hardly had any to fight with who could quench his thirst of valor. What did he do now ? Went to the God Himself saluted and asked, "Oh God, I do not find anybody else who can valorously fight with me. Why don't You come for a fight with me ?" What a character is he !!

God told him that there is no need for that as there would be fight with kR^iShNa very soon. The ego-ful bANa grinned saying he won over yadu vIra kR^iShNa eighteen times earlier and he is no match for him. God told him that kR^iShNa had taken up shivadIksha from upamanyu mahaR^iShi and with the practice he is glorious and formidable to fight with.

The daughter of bANAsura called uShai was in love with the grandson of kR^iShNa called anirudda. By her magical powers she abducted anirudda into her palace. kRiShNa found out that it was the daughter of bANa who abducted his grandson. He besieged the palace of bANa. He saw the abode of Lord shiva at the entrance of the palace and hence he worshipped the Lord there. Lord shiva blessed him but told him that He was guarding the palace of bANa and if kRiShNa wanted to win over the palace he has to fight with the Lord.

kRiShNa was taken aback. But God encouraged him to fight. Now kRiShNa fired very many arrows from his bow sArnga. They did not hurt the Lord but fell as offering to God. The Lord enjoyed the fight. Meanwhile bANAsura was out in destroying the army of kRishNa. So kRiShNa moved towards him and fought with him. Now bANa saw a formidable opponent who can put off bANas thirst for fight ! In a fierce battle with his chakrAyudha kRiShNa started chopping off all the thousand hands of bANAsura. All bANa needed was the lesson to rectify his ego and he had got it by then. Now the Lord asked kRiShNa to spare bANa with four hands and so did kRiShNa.

Now kRiShNa and bANa became friendly towards each other (afterall they both are the ardent devotees of Lord shiva). bANa married his daughter to the grandson of kRiShNa - anirudda, in a grand manner. Afterwards bANAsura went to the banks of river narmadha and worshipped God there very ardently. When the Lord appeared, he asked the boon of being one of Lord's gaNa and wanted to be the exclusive player of drum when the Lord dances. He also asked the boon that the shivalingas worshipped by him in the banks of river narmada be called bANalingam and the world worship them with great reverence. God gave him both the boons and took him one in His gaNas. The devotion that bANa had for Lord shiva brought him to the great level in spite of his ego !