The uniqueness of the Hindu mind, according to the Samba Purana, is as follows. Samba, one of the heroes of the Mahabharata and the son of Krishna by Jambavati, is enjoying life in the heavenly abode of his father. A handsome young man, full of spirit and eager to show it, has become the object of displeasure for the sage Narada, who believes he lacks the respect due to a learned man. Consequently, Narada maligns Samba to Krishna, suggesting that Samba is overly familiar with his stepmothers, the 1,600 wives of the god. Krishna, however, disbelieves this accusation.
Soon after, Narada finds the opportunity for revenge. One fine, warm day, the wives are all bathing naked in a large tub, and, being flushed with wine, they are rather unrestrained in splashing water on each other. The sage lures Samba to the scene and, contriving to have Krishna present, accuses Samba of having too exciting an influence on the wives due to his attractive appearance. Krishna, presented with this spectacle, becomes instantly angry and curses his son with leprosy. Although Samba later proves his complete innocence, the curse cannot be revoked, and the leprosy takes hold.
Krishna then does his best for his unfortunate son by instructing him on how he can be cured. Samba is to go to earth and, by the river that runs through Konarak, he is to lead the life of an ascetic and place himself under the mercy of the one god, Surya, who can effect his cure. For twelve years, Samba dedicates himself to the Sun-god. In a vision, Surya then appears to him in all his glory. Samba has learned the twenty-one laudatory epithets of the ray-garlanded One and repeats them flawlessly. The god answers his prayer and makes him whole.
The next day, Samba, bathing with more than usual joy in the river, finds a marvelous image of the god to whom he is so indebted. Naturally, the origin of the image at the bottom of the river needed explanation. This story dates back to ages before, to the time when Surya was married to Sanjna, the daughter of the metalworker Visvakarma. However, Surya seemed so fierce and rough to her that, in disgust, she would not endure his embraces. Dismayed by this rejection, Surya consulted Brahma, who advised him to approach the girl's father, who clearly knew his daughter's preferences, to be transformed into a form she would appreciate.
Visvakarma placed Surya on his lathe and worked over all of the god except for his feet. He removed a full eighth of the body and then smoothed him down properly, in accordance with family traditions. Unwilling to waste the divine remnants, Visvakarma fashioned from them the discus of Vishnu, the trident of Shiva, the club of Kuvera, and the lance of Kartikeya. With the considerable material still left, he created a likeness of Surya himself. Thus came the image that Samba recovered from the riverbed, and out of gratitude, he built a sanctuary around it. This marked the beginning of the great temple at Konarak.