Shambara is an

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 ...

featured in

Hindu history The history of Hinduism covers a wide variety of related religious traditions native to the Indian subcontinent. It overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in the Indian subcontinent since the Iron Age, with some of its tradit ...

. He abducted the infant

Pradyumna Pradyumna ( sa, प्रद्युम्न) is the eldest son of the Hindu deities Krishna and his chief consort, Rukmini. He is considered to be one of the four vyuha avatars of Vishnu. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Pradyumna was ...

, the son of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

and

Rukmini Rukmini ( sa, रुक्मिणी, , ) is a Hindu goddess and the first queen and chief wife of Krishna. In Vaishnava tradition, she is described as Krishna's principal queen in Dvaraka, as well as the chief of his wives. She is an in ...

, in an attempt to kill him. Pradyumna was raised by Bhanamati, who was Shambara's cook, and the consort of his deific form as

Kamadeva Kama ( sa, काम, ), also known as Kamadeva and Manmatha, is the Hindu god of love and desire, often portrayed alongside his consort, Rati. The Atharva Veda regards Kamadeva as the wielder of the creative power of the universe, also descri ...

. After eventually growing up, Pradyumna killed Shambara and returned to his family in Dvaraka, along with his wife

Rati Rati ( sa, रति, ) is the Hindu goddess of love, carnal desire, lust, passion, and sexual pleasure. Usually described as the daughter of ''Prajapati'' Daksha, Rati is the female counterpart, the chief consort and the assistant of Kama (Kam ...

Legend

was burnt to ashes formerly by

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

's anger. According to the 55th Chapter of the 10th Canto of the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

, Kamadeva was born as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini. The demon Shambara learned of the prophecy that Pradyumna was born to kill him. Shambara came to the palace of Dvaraka in the disguise of a woman, took away Pradyumna, who was hardly ten days old at that time, and threw him into the ocean. Pradyumna was swallowed by a large fish. Shambara later bought the same fish from a fisherman. Bhanamati, the incarnation of Rati, who worked in Shambara's kitchen, found Pradyumna inside the fish. Recognising him as the reincarnation of her consort Kamadeva, she raised him until he was an adolescent.

Battle

After Pradyumna grew up, Bhanamati revealed to him his true identity as well as her own, as well as his purpose on earth, which was to slay Shambara. Pradyumna fought with Shambara, who employed the magic of the asuras. Rati also knew

daitya According to ancient scriptures, the daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran t ...

magic, and taught Pradyumna how to neutralise the asura's magic with her knowledge of ''mahāmāyā vidyā''. Pradyumna severed Shambara's head with one blow of his sword. Pradyumna then went to Dvaraka, and was reunited with his family.

References

External links

Indra and Shambara (English)
{{HinduMythology Daityas