The Thousand-Armed King

The sages told the Pandavas of Banasura, the thousand-armed demon-king whose pride was humbled by Krishna, and of the love of his daughter Usha for Krishna's own grandson - a tale of pride brought low, of love that crossed the lines of enmity, and of the deep unity of the great gods even when they seem to war.

Banasura was a mighty asura king, the eldest son of the generous demon-king Bali, and he had a thousand arms. He was a great devotee of Shiva, and by his devotion he had won the god's favor and protection, so that Shiva himself guarded his city. Banasura was so strong, with his thousand arms, and so proud of his strength, that he longed for a war worthy of him, an enemy who could give him a real fight - for none had ever stood against him, and his thousand arms itched for a worthy foe. In his arrogance he even went to Shiva and begged him for such a battle. And Shiva, who saw the pride in him, gave him a warning: that the foe he longed for would indeed come, and that his pride would be humbled - and that the sign of his downfall would be the falling of his great peacock-banner, the flag of his city. When that banner fell, Shiva told him, his hour of humbling had come.