Long, long ago, there lived a demon called Durasad. He ruled over a country called Mukund. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. To attain immortality, he prayed devotedly to Shiva. Shiva was appeased and granted him a boon. He told Durasad, “I am indeed impressed by your worship and dedication. May you have supreme powers! May you rule over the entire universe and never be killed by anyone except my son, Ganesha!” On gaining these extraordinary powers, Durasad became haughty. He began to misuse his powers. He started ruining and destroying heaven and earth. He killed innumerable innocent people. He destroyed several pious and religious places. The gods, too, looked on helplessly. The entire world trembled with fear. Everybody besought Brahma, who told them that Durasad had become so powerful because of Shiva’s boon. Ganesha was the only one who could save them from Durasad’s wrath.
Demon Durasad
