PLATE THREE

The demoniac King Hiranyakasipu wanted to be unconquerable and
free from old age and dwindling of the body. He wanted to gain all the
yogic perfections, to be deathless, and to be the only king of the entire
universe, including Brahmaloka. In the valley of Mandara Hill,
Hiranyakasipu began performing his austerities by standing with his toes
on the ground, keeping his arms upward and looking toward the sky.
This position was extremely difficult, but he accepted it as a means to at-
tain perfection. From the hair on Hiranyakasipu’s head there emanated
an effulgent light as brilliant and intolerable as the rays of the sun at the
time of dissolution. Because of Hiranyakasipu’s severe austerities, fire
came from his head, and this fire and its smoke spread throughout the
sky, encompassing the upper and lower planets, which all became ex-
tremely hot. Because of the power of his severe austerities, all the rivers
and oceans were agitated, the surfaces of the globe, with its mountains
and islands, began trembling, and the stars and planets fell. All direc-
tions were ablaze. (pp.130-133)
