Gods and Rishis Appeal to Brahma to Stop Sunda and Upasunda
The asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda have plunged the three worlds into terror with their unchecked power. The great rishis and siddhas, moved by compassion, journey to Brahma's assembly to lay out the entire case and demand action.
The destruction was total. Wherever the asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda went, they left a wasteland. Their power, granted by a boon that made them invulnerable to all but each other, had become a plague upon the three worlds. They drove gods from heaven, rishis from their hermitages, and kings from their thrones. The universe was in distress.
Witnessing this, the great seers — the devarshis, the siddhas (perfected beings), and the supreme rishis — were stirred. These were men who had conquered anger and mastered their senses, but compassion for all creation moved them to act. They traveled together to the abode of Brahma, the grandfather of the worlds.
They found the assembly already in session. Brahma was seated, surrounded by gods. Mahadeva (Shiva) was there, along with Agni (fire), Vayu (wind), the moon, the sun, Dharma, Parameshthi, and Budha. The hall was filled with every kind of ascetic: the vaikhanasas, the valakhilyas (thumb-sized sages), the marichipas, the unborn ones, and others born from pure energy. All were paying homage to the creator.
The arriving maharshis did not wait. They stepped forward and recounted the deeds of Sunda and Upasunda — what they had done, how they had done it, and in what order. They laid out the full case, detail by terrible detail. Having presented everything, the entire assembly — the masses of gods and the supreme rishis together — pressed Brahma to intervene.