Sublimation of the Undefeated Demon-King who ruled

A powerful Stotra written by Adi Shankaracharya about the demon-King Mahishasura and his ultimate defeat in the hands of Goddess Durga.

aigiri nandini nandita medini viśva-vinodini nandanute girivara vindhya-śiroadhi-nivāsini viśhṇu-vilāsini jiśhṇunute | bhagavati he śitikaṇṭha-kuṭumbiṇi bhūrikuṭumbiṇi bhūrikṛte jaya jaya he mahiśhāsura-mardini ramyakapardini śailasute ‖ 1 ‖

The picture of Siva was taken in Mysore by Twesha Khanijow

The article explores the folk stories of the Demon-King Mahishasura and his association with Sita. The character of Sita appears in Ramayana as the devoted wife of Rama. Sita however is also recognised as a powerful Goddess in herself who must have lived during similar timelines as Mahishasura as their paths crossed in the temple of Kamakhya when her mother sent her and during her exile when her husband Rama sent her to reside in the ashram of sage Valmiki. She recognises Mahishasura as a powerful King and later as a King-protector of the natives in the present-day Nepal and West Bengal.

Mahishasura is a half-demon and half-bull in his appearance. He is revered in the present-day regions of Assam, Odisha, and Bhutan for his cosmic mandalas which are impenetrable but almost often sublimated and absorbed into various traditions through metamorphosis and transformation. Mahishasura is also revered in many native traditions as a protector of land and agriculture.

Through the lens of Ramayana -the demon-King is related with Sita through both reverence and devotion whether he is the demon-King who becomes a domineering force for Sita and her connection with the divine mother or the King-protector who appears as a bull for her liberation from the versions of her matrilineal identities tied to the underworld.

The demon-King performs penance and appeases to Lord Brahma. According to the narrative the demon-King Mahishasura becomes a powerful King and remains undefeatable. There is not much speculation on the character of Sita in relation with Mahishasura except both are associated with the nagas as a common denominator. Sita shares matrilineages with the nagas while Mahishasura shares similar desires of power and gain tantra vidyas as them. Sita almost inspires Mahishasura as a blueprint to create cosmic mandalas and gain dominance.

Mahishasura becomes well-versed in the tantra vidyas but has obtained them through primal desires. The nagas in contrast are protectors of cosmic order and obtain the tantra vidyas through deliberate manner while guarding the mysterious nature of the cosmos. Mahishasura earns his title as the demon-King for his excessive pride causing the primordial imbalance in the cosmic order and downfall. Sita is awakened to this and realises her cosmic presence. The naga Vasuki prophesises that Sita would meet the divine mother who would cease the undefeatable Mahishasura and restore the cosmic order.

Later the demon-King Mahishasura appears as a bull when Sita is in exile at the ashram of sage Valmiki and becomes the protector-King of the natives. He is revered among the tribals, natives and Dalit communities as a paternal figure and protector of abundance and fertile land. He traverses towards the underworld but Sita being the daughter of the Earth absorbs his untamed forces and channels them through her devotion towards his own mandalas. He is absorbed in the Sakta tradition as she then evokes the divine mother.

According to the Sakta tradition the demon-King was seen as a protector-King that arises as raw and untamed force of nature and eventually ceases with feminine intuition. Mahishasura rarely lives in the Ramayana tradition as Sita redirects him among various other interbeings such as yaksas, nagas and dakinis and within the mandalas through her devotion and divine intuition. It is a possible that the demon-King or protector-King has lived during the Islamic invasions and British invasion but there are no speculations unless Sita and her matrilineal identities are further uncovered through archeological studies or investigation into then trade routes of silk in the region of Gandhara and present-day China.