Jalandhara- Hindu DemonDemon"Lord of the Waters"

Birth from Shiva's Wrath

During a confrontation between Shiva and Indra, Shiva's third eye blazed with such fire that the energy plunged into the ocean. The sea could not contain it and gave birth to a colossal child. The infant's cry shook the three worlds. Brahma named him Jalandhara, "born from water." The ocean raised the boy, and he grew into a warrior who inherited the ferocity of Shiva's anger and the depth of the sea.

The Shield of Chastity

Jalandhara assembled an army of asuras, defeated Indra, and expelled the gods from heaven. He brought all three worlds under his dominion. The gods could not kill him. His invincibility lay not in his own power but in the absolute chastity of his wife Vrinda, whose fidelity generated a protective force no weapon could penetrate.

Emboldened, Jalandhara sent a messenger to Shiva demanding he surrender Parvati. Shiva fought Jalandhara directly. The battles were devastating but inconclusive; each time Shiva struck a killing blow, Vrinda's power healed the wounds.

Vrinda

The gods devised a stratagem. Vishnu assumed Jalandhara's exact form and appeared before Vrinda while the real Jalandhara was at war. Believing her husband had returned, Vrinda received the disguised god. Her chastity was broken through deception. On the battlefield, Shiva sensed the shield dissolve. He created a chakra from his toe and severed Jalandhara's head.

When Vrinda discovered what had been done, she cursed Vishnu to become a black stone and to suffer the abduction of his own wife in a future life. Then she immolated herself. From her ashes grew the Tulsi plant, holy basil, which became sacred to Vishnu forever.