Shiva's epithet as the dweller of Tripura or Three-Cities.
Three demons are disheartened by their recurrent losses at
the hands of the gods, according to the legendary charter, and they decide to
practice extreme asceticism (tapas) in order to discover a way to counteract
this.
Finally, the deity Brahma appears, eager to bestow boons on
them.
When the demons realize that absolute invulnerability is
impossible, they impose the requirement that each of them construct a city that
can move across the earth, that these cities will only come together once in a
long time, and that these cities can only be destroyed by a single arrow that
pierces through all of them at the same time.
The demons are rendered almost invulnerable as a result of
this gift, and they proceed to construct three splendid cities—one of iron, one
of silver, and one of gold.
They become wealthy and prosperous, but power corrupts them
over time, and they begin to oppress the earth.
Finally, the gods petition Brahma for assistance, and Brahma
informs them that only the god Shiva has the strength to fulfill this
condition.
The gods construct a bow and arrow for him, and when the
three cities come together, Shiva fires a single arrow through all three,
igniting a fire that consumes the cities and their inhabitants.
This narrative exemplifies one crucial aspect of Shiva's
personality: unlike the deity Vishnu, who often manages to deceive people he
subdues, Shiva is much less sophisticated and achieves his goal by wielding
might that no one can resist.
One of the three demons is a devotee (bhakta) of Shiva in
some of the legends, and when the arrow is released and hurtles toward the
Triple City, Shiva himself saves his devotee and his family.
This is in character, since Shiva is depicted as being
generous to his worshippers and willing to go to great lengths for them.
It also demonstrates that demons are viewed as a different
race of beings with different powers and capacities, as well as having the same
potential as deities and humans.
