A Balinese Folktale: Smarandhana
The demon-king Nilarudraka, whose citadel was at the foot of Himalayas, had long been waging war with heaven. The gods could not destroy him, for he had received Siwa peomise that he should die neither at the hands of gods nor men nor other demon like himself. Only Siwa himself could devise a remedy; but Siwa was practicing yoga on mount Meru, and none of the gods dared to wake him. They decided at last that Siwa favorite child, Semara, the God of Love, must be persuaded to undertake the dangerous task, and all went together in search of him. When they found him they did obeisance, and sat down each one in his place.
Then Indra said: ‘Brother, we have a prayer to make. Heaven threaten to be destroyed by Rudraka, who was his power from Siwa, and against whom neither men nor gods nor demons can prevail. Our only hope is to bring Siwa out of his meditation, so that he may lie with Parwati and bear a child of such shape that he can kill Rudraka. And now our universal prayer is that you should go, who are Siwa’s favorite child.’ Semara said: ‘It is dreadfully dangerous me to go against my father will. He will kill me in his anger.’ Then Indra said: ‘Siwa’s yoga has lasted long enough. You have no fear, for after all it is our business you are going on, not your own. You had better set off at once, and take the Widyadari (angel) with you.’
So Semara was persuaded, but first, he said, he must go home and put on fine dress for the journey, and take leave of Dewi Ratih, his wife. Semara broke to her that he must go and wake Siwa, in order that he may remember Parwati and bear a child, which some device must be of monstrous shape, neither god nor man nor demon. She warned him of the danger and implored him not to leave her. But he stole away while she was still sleeping after a night of love, and came at last with divine beings who attended him, before Mount meru. But two such terrible giants kept guard over the mountain that Semara’s heavenly companions fled before them, leaving him alone.
He prayed to Siwa to awake. He shot arrow after arrow, but they all turn into garlands of flower when they touch Siwa, and in no way disturbed his meditation. Semara began to make spells, summoning all his thoughts into one spot. And with this clump of thought he shot again, and his spell entered Siwa thought and he awoke. There was great earthquake when Siwa woke, and there were no bounds to his wrath. He was like fire-spitting mountain. In his rage he burned Semara to ashes, but lay on him a curse that he should return as an insect and enter living thing and make them mad.
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