पद्म पुराण gives a story of how once an asura named जलन्धर approached पार्वती as शिव to induce her to surrender to his desires. This शिव was called मायाशिव .

A great battle between the देवस् and असुरस् was going on. The असुरस् were winning and the देवस् got frightened at the strength of the असुरस् and so शिव himself entered the battlefield. जलन्धर who led the army of the असुरस् found the fight against शिव very tough and smelt defeat. He decided to cheat पार्वती , the consort of शिव , to compensate for his defeat in the battle-field and so making an असुर named शुम्भ as the chief, he left for कैलास . शुम्भ became a माया जलन्धर and continued the fight.

Taking another asura named दुर्वारण , जलन्धर went to a cave in कैलास and there changed himself into an exact replica of शिव . He made दुर्वारण look like नन्दिकेश .

Then they went to the top of the mountain where पार्वती and her companions were staying. शिव approached पार्वती on the shoulders of नन्दिकेश with wounds all over his body and blood oozing from them. पार्वती seeing शिव thus, with tears rolling down her cheeks asked him, "Oh, Lord of the gods what happened to your lordship? Who defeated you in the battle? Why do you weep like a low-bred man?" मायाशिव took from his body all his ornaments like वासुकि and gave them to the companions of पार्वती . When पार्वती saw the heads of गणपति and सुब्रह्मण्य in the hands of her husband she cried in bitterness. शिव told her that all his पार्षदस् like मणिभद्र, वीरभद्र, पुष्पदन्त, दमन, धूमताम्र and कूष्माण्ड were killed in the battle. चण्डी, भृङ्गी, किरीटी, महाकाल, शृङ्खली, चण्डीश and गुप्तनेत्र were all killed. मायाशिव told her that he had picked up the heads of गणपति and सुब्रह्मण्य found lying in the battlefield. He requested पार्वती to console him by embracing him. पार्वती resented the request. She said, "What you say is unfit for the situation. Sexual enjoyment is forbidden in times of misery, fear, meditation, vomiting fever, performing offering to the manes, journey, royal visits, marriage festivities and in the presence of elders and teachers. Why do you make this request to me when I am mourning the death of my sons?

Pretending to be grief-stricken मायाशिव said "She who does not give sexual pleasure to a man in distress would go to hell. I have no पार्षदस् now. I have lost my sons also. I lost my house. Now you also hate me. I am going to my cave. Let me end my life there. Come on, नन्दिकेश , वज्र , we will go. Hearing this पार्वती went near him.

At this time there happened a few bad omens in the ocean of milk where विष्णु was residing, and calling गरुड to his side विष्णु asked him to go and enquire about the battle that was going on between the देवस् and असुरस् . To prevent him from being deceived by the magic of the असुरस् विष्णु dropped into the mouth of गरुड a pill of great potency. गरुड reached the battlefield very soon but could not find anything out of the way and so flew to कैलास . He did not see पार्वती first but hearing a noise from somewhere else peeped in and saw मायाशिव . गरुड could understand him because of the power of the pill and so flew swiftly back to महाविष्णु and told him what he saw.

महाविष्णु knew that पार्वती had been deceived by जलन्धर . So he decided to cheat वृन्दा , wife of जलन्धर . महाविष्णु filled with amorous desires, avoiding महालक्ष्मी , covering his head with a yellow scarf and taking the figure of another person by his yogic powers stepped out of his abode taking अनन्त for his company. He went to दुर्गाकानन the abode of वृन्दा . They constructed an आश्रम there and the wild animals like the lion, tiger, boar, bear and monkey became their disciples taking human form. Then विष्णु created mental agony in वृन्दा to attract her to his आश्रम . वृन्दा started getting hot and her maids fanned her continuously and anointed her with sandalwood paste. She thought of her husband in the battlefield and often fainted. She had a very bad dream. She saw her husband जलन्धर lying wounded on his head, ears and nose, with his body smeared with ashes and his eyes pecked by vultures. She saw काली , with her hair lying lose, her face reddened with blood, with a skull in her hand dancing before the body of her husband before starting to eat it. At this moment she was awakened by the music of the मागधस् and loud chanting of family praises by किम्पुरुषस् . She at once stopped the music and prayers and paid them off. Then she sent word for pandits to explain the dream she saw. The Pandits said "Devī, this appears to be a dream giving unimaginable fear. To calm the fear give as gifts to brahmins, diamonds, garments, cows and elephants." Then the brahmin pandits sprinkled on her, water made potent by mantras. There was no waning of the fever. Dismissing the pandits, queen वृन्दा went and sat alone upstairs. She felt the whole palace burning and by the craft employed by विष्णु she found living inside the palace unbearable.

She got out of the palace and boarding a chariot drawn by mares she went to her play-garden. The sight of the garden filled with beautiful flowers and celestial maidens where no one else but pleasing breeze could enter made her remember her husband. She then brooded on how to find out जलन्धर , and there also she did not get peace of mind. So she accompanied by her maids started for another garden. That garden gave a ghastly sight with huge trees standing crowded interspersed with black rocks and the place resounding with the roars of lions and tigers. वृन्दा got frightened and she hastened to say "Smaradūtī, I feel frightened. Please drive back the chariot home."

Hearing this स्मरदूती said, "Oh, देवी , I do not know the place. I do not understand the directions also. To which direction am I to drive? The horses look tired. There is no way here. Anyhow let it go as directed by God. If we stay here we will be eaten by man-eaters." So saying the maid drove the chariot and soon they reached a forest more grisly than the former. It was a forest where great योगिन्स् lived. There was no light there neither water nor wind. No sound came. Even the sounds of the bells on the horses and the chariot stopped. वृन्दा moaned, "Where are we to go now, maid! There is no peace of mind for me anywhere in this world."

Smaradūtī looking ahead cried, "Look देवी , there is a great black mountain in front of us. The horses refuse to move, for they are afraid of it."

Cold with fear the queen stood up from the chariot and keeping her hands on the pearl necklace on her breast jumped out of the chariot. Then a very fierce demon came towards them. He was yellow in colour with three legs, five hands, seven eyes and ears like a tiger's and the shoulders and chin like those of a lion. It was a horrible sight and वृन्दा hid her eyes with her hands and trembled like a plantain leaf. The maid jumping out of the chariot cried aloud "Oh, my queen, help me. This demon is going to eat me." The demon approaching them took the chariot with the horses and whirled it round in the air. Both the queen and the maid fainted at this exhibition of strength. The demon ate all the horses and then catching hold of the hands of the queen he roared, "If you want your life make me your husband. Your husband has been killed by शिव in the battle. If you join me you can live for years together without fear. Come on, drink this sweet liquor with flesh". वृन्दा became half dead when she heard that.

At that time महाविष्णु in the guise of an ascetic wearing barks of trees and matted hair appeared before them. An angered look form विष्णु sent the demon away from the place. वृन्दा took refuge in the ascetic and the false ascetic said, " इ am देवशर्मा , son of भरद्वाज . Renouncing all worldly pleasures इ have come here to do penance and if it pleases you, you can come and stay in my आश्रम and do penance. We can go to another forest far away from here." As soon as they reached the आश्रम महाविष्णु appeared before her in the figure of जलन्धर . They embraced each other and lived there joyfully for many days. One day at the end of a sexual act वृन्दा saw instead of जलन्धर the ascetic in embrace with her. She was shocked and stood up separated from him. Then महाविष्णु said " वृन्दा , इ am विष्णु husband of लक्ष्मी . Your husband has gone to conquer शिव and get पर्वती for himself. इ am शिव also. We appear separate. Your husband जलन्धर has been killed in the battle. Join with me."

वृन्दा got angry. She cursed विष्णु ; she said, "You cheated me by pretendiug to be an ascetic. Let your wife also be once cheated by a false ascetic." The cursed विष्णु disappeared and वृन्दा started penance. Many गन्धर्व ladies came with temptations to dissuade वृन्दा from continuing the penance. But all such attempts failed and वृन्दा ended her life doing penance.

The nymphs showered flowers on her from above and the dead body of वृन्दा was cremated by स्मरदूती and स्मरदूती jumped into the funeral pyre of वृन्दा and gave away her life. The nymphs made an image of her with the ashes from the funeral pyre and floated it on the river गङ्गा .

पार्वती did not consent to having any sexual enjoyment with मायाशिव and she escaped from the place and went to आकाशगङ्गा and started doing penance there. One day पार्वती called her maid जया to her side and said "Jayā you go in my dress to शिव and find out whether he is really शिव or not. If he kisses you and embraces you he will surely be a दानव come in disguise by his माया . But if he asks you about my welfare he will be real शिव . Go and tell me what happens."

जया went to मायाशिव . जलन्धर when he saw her mistook her for पार्वती and caught hold of her and immediately semen flowed out from him. जया returned and told पार्वती that it was जलन्धर and not शिव . पार्वती afraid of जलन्धर hid in a lotus and her companions became beetles sitting on the lotus. In the meantime the guards of the palace finding the queen absent from the palace reported the matter to शुम्भ fighting against शिव . He sent चण्डमुण्डस् to जलन्धर to inform him of the situation. जलन्धर -came back to the battle-field running and took up the fight against शिव again.