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Daityas
The daityas () are a race of asuras in Hindu mythology, descended from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the Bhuloka, earth, and required three of Vishnu's Avatar, avataras to be vanquished. Literature The Manusmriti, Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the Deva (Hinduism), devas: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsa, Harivamsha Purana: List of daityas Some of the notable daityas mentioned in Hindu mythology include: *Hiranyaksha – First son of Kashyapa and Diti *Hiranyakashipu – Second son of Kashyapa and Diti *Holika, Holikā – First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti *Andhakasura, Andhakāsura – Son of Hiraṇyākṣa (Born from the sweat of Śiva) *Prahlada, Prahlāda – Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu *Virochana, Virocana – Son of Prahlāda, father of Mahābalī * Devamba – Mother ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diti
Diti () is a daughter of the ''Prajapati'' Daksha in Hinduism. She is a wife of the sage Kashyapa and the mother of the demonic race Daityas and the divine group of Marutas. Legend According to the '' Puranic'' scriptures, Diti is one of the sixty daughters of ''Prajapati'' Daksha and his wife Asikni. She and her twelve sisters, including Aditi, were married to the sage Kashyapa. Diti is described as the mother of two groups of beings—the Daityas and the Maruts. The most prominent of her sons were Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyaksha, Vajranaka, Arunasura, Raktabija and Surapadman. Diti also had a daughter named Simhika (also known as Holika). Birth of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu The Bhagavata Purana describes the circumstances of the birth of the two powerful daityas: Birth of the maruts After the death of her sons in the Samudra Manthana, Diti grew inconsolable. She begged her husband to grant her a child who would be capable of defeating Indra. In due cour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virochana
Virochana () is an asura king in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Hiranyakashipu, the son of Prahlada (according to the Atharvaveda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ... (VIII.10.22), and the father of Mahabali, Bali. Legend Being the son of Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Vishnu, Virochana is raised to be religious, performing rites and rituals with care. He is stated to be kind towards Brahmin, Brahmins. In the Mahabharata, Vidura recounts the tale of Virochana and Sudhanva, the son of Sage Angiras. During the svayamvara of a beautiful princess called Kesini, the asura prince was asked to state if Brahmins were superior to the Daitya, daityas. Being a daitya himself, Virochana replied that the daityas were superior, due to the worlds being under their suzerainty. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andhakasura
In Hindu texts, Hindu literature, Andhaka (Sanskrit: अन्धक, IAST: Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura, whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Pārvatī, Parvati.. His story finds mention in various Hindu texts, including the ''Matsya Purana, Matsya Purāṇa'', the ''Kurma Purana, Kūrma Purāṇa'', the ''Linga Purana, Liṅga Purāṇa'', the ''Padma Purana,'' and the ''Shiva Purana''. He is believed to have one thousand heads, and one thousand arms, and also having two thousand eyes. In another version, he has two thousand arms, and two thousand legs. In some versions of his story, Andhaka is described as a son of Shiva and Parvati. In Puranic Scriptures Shiva Purana In the Shiva Purana, when Shiva was meditating on Mount Mandara, Parvati was in a playful mood and covered Shiva's eyes. This caused the whole universe to become covered in darkness. The sweat that oozed out of Parvati's hands, due to touching Shiva's powerful third eye, fell t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prahlada
Prahlada () is an asura king in Hindu scriptures. He is known for his staunch devotion to the preserver deity, Vishnu. He appears in the narrative of Narasimha, the lion avatara of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by disimboweling and killing his evil father, the asura king Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada is described as a saintly boy, known for his innocence and bhakti towards Vishnu. Despite the abusive nature of his father, Hiranyakashipu, and his uncle and aunt, Hiranyaksha and Holika, he continues to worship Vishnu, and Vishnu as Varaha kills his paternal uncle Hiranyaksha by piercing and crushing him, and Vishnu kills his paternal aunt Holika by burning her to ashes alive, and Vishnu as Narasimha disimbowels and kills his father Hiranyakashipu and saves Prahlada and the universe from destruction and chaos. He is considered a ''mahājana'', or great devotee, by followers of Vaishnava traditions. A treatise is attributed to him in the Bhagavata Purana, in which Prahlada describes t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajranga
Vajranga () is an asura in Hinduism. According to the ''Puranas'', he was born to Diti and was fathered by the sage Kashyapa. Diti, being the mother of the asuras, sought revenge for the deaths of her children by the hands of the devas. Diti is said to have undergone severe austerities for ten thousand years in exchange for a boon which granted her a child who would slay the devas. Kashyapa granted her wish and they birthed Vajranga, whose body was like Indra's weapon, the vajra. Vajranga is the father of the asura Tārakāsura, who continued upon his father's war with the devtas, but was ultimately vanquished by the war god, Kartikeya. Etymology Vajranga is an adjective meaning "studded with diamonds". Vajranga is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vajra, meaning thunderbolt or diamond, and aṅka (अङ्क) meaning adorned. Alternatively, the name Vajranaga, derived from vajra and nāga, means diamond serpent. In Vedic Hinduism, asuras such as Vritra are s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holika
Holika (, ), also known as Simhika, is an asuri in Hinduism. She is the sister of the asura-kings Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, and the paternal aunt of Prahlada. The legend of '' Holika Dahan'' (Holika's burning) signifies the triumph of righteousness over sin. Holika is associated with the annual bonfire on the night before Holi, the festival of colours. Legend According to the Puranas, a king named Hiranyakashipu, like many asuras, wished to be immortal. To fulfill this desire, he performed the required tapas until he was granted a boon by Brahma. Hiranyakashipu was granted five wishes: that he would not die at the hands of any being created by Brahma, that he would not perish inside or outside, by day or night, by any weapon, on the earth or in the sky, by men or beasts, devas or asuras, that he be unequalled, that he possess undiminishing power, and that he be the one ruler of all creation. His wish was granted and Hiranyakashipu conquered the three worlds, assumi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deva (Hinduism)
''Deva'' (, ) means 'shiny', 'exalted', 'heavenly being', 'divine being', 'anything of excellence', and is also one of the Sanskrit terms used to indicate a deity in Hinduism.Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary” Etymologically and Philologically Arranged to cognate Indo-European Languages, Motilal Banarsidass, page 492 ''Deva'' is a masculine term; the feminine equivalent is ''Devi (Hinduism), Devi''. The word is a cognate with Latin ''deus'' ('god') and Greek Zeus. In the earliest Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called ''Devas''George Williams (2008), A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Oxford University Press, , pages 90, 112 and ''Asuras''. The concepts and legends evolved in Indian literature#In archaic Indian languages, ancient Indian literature, and by the late Vedic period, benevolent supernatural beings are referred to as ''Deva-Asuras''. In post-Vedic Hindu texts, such as the Puranas and the Itihasas of Hinduism, the ''Devas'' represent the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabali
Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts such as the '' Shatapatha Brahmana'', ''Ramayana'', ''Mahabharata'', and several ''Puranas''. According to Hindu literature, he was blessed to be one of the Chiranjivi, a group of seven immortals, by the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and reigns in the Sutaloka. It is believed that Mahabali will become the King of Svarga (heaven) in the next '' yuga''. In Kerala, Mahabali is considered to be the noblest and most prosperous ruler, who transformed his kingdom into a heavenly place. His legend is a major part of the annual festival Onam in the state of Kerala, and it is celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh as Balipratipada, Balipādyami, or Bali pādva (the third day of Deepavali and first day of Kartika ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu (, ), also known as Hiranyakashyap, was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas. In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by the Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain a boon of invulnerability by performing tapas to propitiate Brahma. After his subjugation of the three worlds, he was slain by the Narasimha (man-lion) avatar of Vishnu. Etymology Hiranyakashipu literally translates to "person desiring wealth and material comforts" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft bed"), and is often interpreted as depicting one who is fond of wealth and sensual comforts. In the Puranas, however, it is also stated the name was derived from a golden throne called 'Hiranyakashipu' the asura sat in or nearby during the atiratra (soma) sacrifice. Legend Birth According to the Bhagavata Purana, Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha are Vishnu's gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya, born on earth as the result of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiranyaksha
Hiranyaksha (, ), also known as Hiranyanetra () was an asura king as per Hindu mythology. He is described to have submerged the earth and terrorised the three worlds. He was slain by the Varaha (wild boar) avatar of Vishnu, who rescued the earth goddess Bhumi and restored order to the earth. Legend Some of the Puranas present Hiranyaksha as the son of Diti and Kashyapa. Having performed austerities to propitiate Brahma, Hiranyaksha received the boon of invulnerability of meeting his death by neither any god, man, nor beast. Having received this boon, Hiranyaksha assaulted the defenceless Bhumi and pulled her deep beneath the cosmic ocean. The other deities appealed to Vishnu to save the earth goddess and creation. Answering their plea, Vishnu assumed the avatar of a wild boar (Varaha) to rescue the goddess. Hiranyaksha attempted to obstruct him, after which he was slain by Vishnu. Hiranyaksha had an elder brother named Hiranyakashipu, who similarly achieved a boon o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kashyapa
Kashyapa (, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, along with the other Saptarishis, listed in the colophon verse in the ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad''. Kashyapa is an ancient name, referring to many different personalities in the ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts. Name Kashyapa means "turtle" in Sanskrit. According to Michael Witzel, it is related to Avestan ''kasiiapa'', Sogdian ''kyšph'', Kurdish ''kûsî'', New Persian ''kašaf'', ''kaš(a)p'' which mean "tortoise", after which Kashaf Rūd (a river in Turkmenistan and Khorasan) is named. Other relations include to Tokarian B ''kaccāp'' ("brainpan"), Tokarian A ''kāccap'' ("turtle", "tortoise"). Frits Staal agrees that Kaśyapa means 'tortoise', but believes that it is a non-Indo-European word. History Kashyapa is credited with composing a few hymns in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabali Receiving Vamana, Chennakesava Hindu Temple, Somanathapura Karnataka
Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts such as the ''Shatapatha Brahmana'', ''Ramayana'', ''Mahabharata'', and several ''Puranas''. According to Hindu literature, he was blessed to be one of the Chiranjivi, a group of seven immortals, by the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and reigns in the Sutaloka. It is believed that Mahabali will become the King of Svarga (heaven) in the next ''yuga''. In Kerala, Mahabali is considered to be the noblest and most prosperous ruler, who transformed his kingdom into a heavenly place. His legend is a major part of the annual festival Onam in the state of Kerala, and it is celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh as Balipratipada, Balipādyami, or Bali pādva (the third day of Deepavali and first day of Kartika month). H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
