Dhenuka
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In
Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...
, Dhenuka, also known as Dhenukasura, is an
asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...
(demon) killed by
Balarama Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. The fir ...
, the elder brother of
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
. The '' Harivamsa'' states that Dhenuka, with his host of attendant demons, all in the form of donkeys, as ruled over a forest of ''tala'' or palms trees, situated on the banks of the
Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...
River, north of mount Govardhana. Once, Balarama, Krishna and cowherds wandered into this forest, captivated by the fragrance of the fruits of the palm trees. When Krishna commented on the possible sweet taste of the fruit, Balarama shook the trees and the fruits fell on the ground. A jealous Dhenuka charged at Balarama, bit him and kicked with his hind legs. Balarama caught hold of Dhenuka's legs and whirled him towards a tree, shattering his chest, neck and waist as the tree fell with the demon. Balarama killed Dhenuka's demon attendants and set the forest open for the cowherds.


In Literature

The
Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...
also describes his legend:


See also

*
List of Asuras Asuras () are a class of beings or power-seeking clans, related to the more benevolent devas (also known as ''suras'') in Hinduism. Clans The two major clans of the Asuras are the Daityas and the Danavas. * Daitya - a clan of asuras born from ...
*
Kaliya Kaliya ( IAST: Kāliya, Devanagari: कालिय), in Hindu traditions, was a venomous Nāga living in the Yamunā river, in Vṛndāvana. The water of the Yamunā for four leagues all around him boiled and bubbled with poison. No bir ...
* Bakasura


Notes


References

* {{cite book, author=Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya, title=Krishna-cult in Indian Art, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyyNIL7Ug2kC&pg=PA32, date=1 January 1996, publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., isbn=978-81-7533-001-6
The Concise Srimad Bhagavatam

Brahmapurāṇa

The Purana Index
Danavas People related to Krishna