According to ancient scriptures, the daityas (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

: दैत्य) are a race of

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

s, descending from

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) 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, alo ...

and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

, and required three of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

avataras Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance ...

to be vanquished.

Literature

The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the

devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band) Deva ...

: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana:

List of daityas

Some of the notable daityas mentioned in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and r ...

include: * Hiranyakashipu - First son of

and Diti * Hiraṇyakṣa - Second son of Kashyapa and Diti *

Holika Holika ( sa, होलिका, translit=Hōlikā), also known as Simhika, is an asuri in Hinduism. She is the sister of the asura-kings Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, and the aunt of Prahlada. The legend of '' Holika Dahan'' (Holika's ...

- First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti * Andhakasura - Son of Hiranyaksha (Born from the sweat of Shiva) * Prahlada - Son of Hiranyakashipu * Simhika - Daughter of Hiranyakashipu * Virocana - Son of Prahlada, father of Mahabali * Devamba - Mother of Mahabali * Mahabali - Son of Virochana * Baṇasura - Son of Mahabali * Rahu * Tarakasura * Tripurasura - Son of Tarakasura *Shambasura

References

Notes

External links

* Giants Characters in Hindu mythology {{Hindu-myth-stub

Literature

List of daityas

See also

References

Notes

External links