Battle Between Good and Bad

The sun had risen, and was now spreading its initial faint beams around the battlefield. In no time flat, the somber battleground would be fostered with the rich red blood of both the Devas and Asuras, from the fight to emerge. Vultures drifted over the sky, sitting tight for their upcoming devour on the cadavers to emerge from the brutal war. A tense air haunted the gods, for their essential enemies were Shumbh and his simpleton brother Nishumbh, the amazing tarnished lords of the evil presences.

The minute had at last come. The sound of the war-conch went out, demonstrating the beginning of a dev-asura fight, a fight between the divine beings and evil spirits.

"ASSAULT!!"

"GIVE THEM NO MERCY!"

The individual calls to war of the Demons and Gods rent the air. Both the forces drew their weapons out and took up war developments, all the while falling upon each other like a pack of hungry wolves. The clinking of weapons was the main sound heard. Both the sides were battling boldly. Yet today, the battling style of the devas was surprising. Their appearances indicated looks of pomposity, and the reason for this impudence was number. Indeed, the Devas outnumbered the Asuras by eight akshauhinis.

Seated upon Airavata, the divine elephant, Devraj Indra guided the elephant gradually however relentlessly into the war zone, pounding incalculable demons into anguishing death under the elephant's overwhelming feet, and destroying the rest with his solitary and most intense weapon, the Vajra.

Things turned ugly for the Asuras. Four akshauhinis were executed by the Devas, abandoning them with just two akshauhinis. Heavily outnumbered, the Asuras had long but surrendered.

However, fate took an ugly turn for the gods.

Noticing the grave misfortunes on the Asuras' end, Shumbh, mounted on his horse, with his brilliant armor gleaming splendidly under the sunlight, hustled towards the triumphing Devraj, butchering everything and everybody who went ahead his way with his sword. His brother, Nishumbh, continued a similar assault from the opposite side, thus sandwiching the Devas between two merciless assassins. One by one the Devas fell, and steadily the Asuras began overwhelming the war.

Indra showered dangerous electrical discharges, sufficiently lethal to execute two forceful akshauhinis on Shumbh. But the bolts were a mere ambush against him. With one clean swipe of his sword, Shumbh butchered off a brilliant tusk of Airavata. The relentless creature was set into a frenzy, and in the condition of fear dashed upon the Devas, causing utter obliteration and perplexity among the divine beings.

Agni, Vayu and Varun tried to put an end to the assault of Nishumbh while their king was busy tackling Shumbh. Like his sibling, Nishumbh also stayed immune to the combined divine weapons of the three gods. Quicker than a bolt of lightning, Nishumbh attacked the three gods fiercely and brought them down to their heels.

A scene of total devastation was left at the end of the battle. The divine beings had no other choice but to retreat.

"Get lost, you weaklings! Turning your backs against your enemies?! Disgrace to you!" Shumbh-Nishumbh screamed at the withdrawing divine beings, who hung their heads due to embarrassment.

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"This is the first time the devas have confronted defeat at the hands of the asuras. But, how was it possible? My deadly thunderbolts couldn't simply figure out how to incur a scratch on the ugly devils!", cried Indra, confused about how Shumbh-Nishumbh could remain unharmed even when assaulted many times with Indra's Vajra, Agni’s Agniaastra, Vayu’s Vaayuaastra and Varun’s Varunaastra.

It had been two days since their Shumbh and Nishumbh had dispossessed the gods, stripped them of their powers and appropriated their wealth and privilege. Indra's sovereignty over the three worlds and his portions of the sacrifices are taken away by them, by force of their pride and strength.

The divine beings chose to withdraw to Mount Kailash, the adobe of Lord Shiva, where they would be likely secured from the threatening danger posed by the brother duo of Shumbh-Nishumbh.

To be continued....