Shushna () 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 ...

described in Hindu texts. Normally associated with drought, Shushna is often described as possessing a snake-like form with horns. He is an enemy of the deity Indra.

Etymology

Shushna means "drought" from the root Sus, which translates to "dry up". The similar "sosna" is an old Slavic word for the pine tree.

Literature

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

, Shushna is an asura commonly associated with drought, famine, and hoarding.Chakravarty, U. (1994). INDRA'S PROTÉGÉS IN THE ṚGVEDA. ''Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute,'' ''75''(1/4), 51-64. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41694405 An enemy of Indra, the asura makes multiple appearances across a number of

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

texts. He is often associated with

Vritra Vritra () is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: ', li ...

, another asura which obstructs the rivers of the world. In the

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

and

Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...

texts within the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

, Shushna is described as being a bitter enemy (''