Sage Kashyapa was the son of Marichi and grandson of Lord Brahma. He married thirteen daughters of the Daksha. One of them was Danu. She had many powerful sons and one of them was Viprachitta. He had a virtuous son Dambha who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Dambha had no son and upon the advice of Shukracharya, he performed a great penance in the holy place of Pushkara for a hundred thousand years. While Dambha was performing penance, a great light sprang up blazing from his head and spread everywhere. The worried gods accompanied by Lord Brahma approached Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu said to them that Dambha is his devotee, performing a severe penance seeking for a son and he will bestow him a boon.
Lord Vishnu went to Pushkara to grant the boon to Dambha who demanded an invincible son who would conquer the three worlds. After sometime Damba’s wife became pregnant and they had a son named Shankhachuda. In his previous birth Shankhachuda was Sudama, the friend of Lord Krishna who had been cursed by Radha. Shankhachuda performed a great penance for a long time at Pushkara in order to appease Brahma who granted him the boon of being invincible to the gods. He also gave him the divine amulet of Krishna that yielded victory everywhere.
Brahma told Shankhachuda that he was destined to marry Tulsi who was a chaste lady and asked him to go to Badrikasharama and marry her. Shankhachuda married Tulsi and after sometime Shukracharya crowned him the king of the demons. Shankhachuda fought against Indra along with his huge army and gods fled the battlefield.
Shankhachuda occupied the throne of Indra and became the ruler of the world. Gods went to Lord Brahma for help and upon the advice of Brahma gods went to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu said to gods that he knows everything about Shankhachuda and that they should seek the help of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu along with all the gods went to the abode of Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva said to the gods that he would kill Shankhachuda. Lord Shiva sent the Lord of Gandharvas named Puspadanta as his messenger to Shankhachuda to make peace with the gods, but Shankhachuda said that he would wage a war against Lord Shiva.
On hearing Shankhachuda’s reply Lord Shiva became very infuriated. He ordered Veerabhadra, Mahankali, Ganesha, Kartikeya and others to march against the Shankhchuda. He himself set out with Indra and other gods. The eight Bhairavas, the eleven Rudras, the eight Vasus, the twelve Aadityas, Surya, Soma, Kubera, Yama, and the other planets also went with Lord Shiva.
A great battle was fought between the demons and the gods. Cutting off the heads of the demons, Mahakali drank off the blood and devoured the flesh rapidly. The terrified demons ran off the battlefield. When Shankhachuda could not be killed by any device, Lord Shiva himself came forward to fight with him. They fought terribly for hundreds of years.
As Lord Shiva seized his trident in order to slay Shankhachuda, a celestial voice was heard, “O Lord, the limit imposed by the Vedas should not be disregarded by you. As long as Shankhachuda wears the armour of Krishna and as long as his wife maintains her chastity, he cannot be killed.” On hearing this, Lord Shiva said, “So be it.” Thereafter at the request of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu disguised as a brahmin demanded Shankhachuda armour by way of alms. He then put on that armour and disguised himself as Shankhachuda, Lord Vishnu outraged the modesty of Tulsi.
As soon as Tulsi’s chastity was violated, Lord Shiva here on the battlefield chopped off the head of Sankhachuda. Infuriated by the violation of her chastity, Tulsi cursed Lord Vishnu to become rock. Lord Shiva reached there. He enlightened the lamenting Tulsi by telling her that she had performed severe penance in her previous birth to beget Lord Vishnu as her husband. After casting off her body, she would become the sacred river Gandaki and then, the Tulsi plant. Lord Shiva said, “As a result of your curse, Vishnu shall assume the form of a rock on the banks of river Gandaki and shall be worshipped as Shalagrama. The conch shells in the oceans shall be made from the bones of your husband Shankhachuda. He who worships the Tulsi plant, the conch shell and the Shalagrama together shall be an enlightened devotee of the Lord.” On hearing these words of Lord Shiva, Tulsi cast off her body and assumed a divine form.
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