Demons in Hindu folklore and mythology.

The Asuras The Hindu Daemons are called Asuras and include several groups of creatures. Some are elemental spirits, some fallen Gods, and some malevolent entities. The name Asuras can be put towards the original fallen Gods who in the years before the Vedic period held the places of higher status before being demoted or falling from grace. The Vritri, the Rakashas, Pisacas, Danavas, and the Daityas are the several types. Rakshashas One of the main groups of Daemons in India and are always shown as the adversaries of the Gods, especially the Devas. They came in many forms, from human to animal and varying degrees between the two. When in the form of humanoids, they are hideously deformed with huge sometimes multiple eyes, large arms, multiple heads, red heair and beards, and enormous bloated bellies. They have large fangs and talons in their palms that they use to tear at any human victim and then devour them. The females are known as Rakshasi, and unlike the males are more benevolent towards humans, often intermarrying where they are transformed into beautiful damsels. They are very strong and their power only increases with the fall of night. During the hours of darkness they delight in defiling humans and their food, causing sickness and death. They would slay enfants and drink blood. The Rakshasas display ever form of vice that is diplored including greed, lechery, and violence towards humans and the Gods. Towards each other however they are loyal, even loving.

Since the Rakshasah were not respocible for their malevolent role in the universe that they were obliged to perform, the Gods allowed them to live in a jewelled palace as their abode. They dwell in the palacecity of Lanka, which was later destroyed by the fire of Shiva. It is said that when Brahma had created the universe, the Rakshasas began to devour his body. Agni, dispeller of darkness, was the Rakshasas natural enemy. Kali, the ferocious blood thirsty form of Parvati, is another enemy. Hanuman was said to have seen every form of Rakshasas possible when he entered the city of Lanka. The Rakshasas were ruled by the Daemon king, Ravana who is described as a monstrous creature with 10 heads and 20 arms, each wielding a weapon. Each time a head or an arm is cut off it will reappear soon after. His story forms part of the epic Ramayana. He wears magnificent robes, but is hideous from the scars of battle. These conflicts take place as a result of his efforts to remove the hill of heaven to Lanka and abduct Sita, the wife of Rama. He goes through two incarnations as Hiranyakasipu and Sisupala before being defeated by Krishna. (Rose, spirits 274) A brother of Ravana named Kumbhkarna was said to be eternally hungry from the moment of birth. He could consume many herds of buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep, and humans in one sitting and would wash the lot down with many galons of wine. But, he was also very devout and after making sacrifices to the Gods, he was entitled to one wish. Brahma however was able to trick him into wishing for eternal sleep rather than immortality. So, Kumbhkarna would hibernate most of the year, and then consume vast amounts of fod the few days he was awake. When Ravana was under attack from Rama and his armies, he sent word for Kumbhkarna to fight. But, they needed to

awaken him and tempt him with a large feast. When atlast he joined the battle, Rama's army sliced through the sluggish sleeper until it was normal size and then cut his head off. A grandson of Hiranyakasipu named Bali, who was already a powerful leader of the Danavas, superseded Ravana as lord of the Rakshasas after his defeat. One story tells of how the Gods had lost their domain to Bali, who became lord of the Earth and Heavens, and Vishnu was asked to take on another incarnation, as a dwarf brahmin, to overthrow him. Vishnu paid a visit to Bali as a guest and was granted his right of a guest's desire, in this case the territory he could cover in three paces. Vishnu immediatly took on his own form and took two steps which covered the entire universe. Bali acknowledged the defeat and with the third pace banished Bali to reign in the underworld. In another version Bali was forced to live in the form of an ass in a mud hut. Another version of Bali's defeat is accomplished by Indra in a battle with Jalandhara and his demons. When Bali fell in battle, instead of blood issuing from the body, jewels poured from his mouth. Out of curiosity, Indra cut up Bali's corpse and sure enough the rest of the body became jewels. Pearls came from the teeth, rubies from his blood, sapphires from his eyes, crystals from his flesh, diamonds from his bones, and emeralds from his marrow. A Daemon by the name of Kabanda (meaning 'barrel') also appears in the Ramayana. He was described as an ugly, hairy giant who had no head. His eyes and mouth, that was lined with jagged teeth, were in his abdomen. He has no legs, instead using his eight vast arms to support himself and walk. It is said that he was originally a Gandharva, but after qaurreling with Indra, he was dealt such a blow that his legs and head were swallowed up into his body. In his new form he was regarded as a Rakshaka and he bloated like a barrel, where his huge eyes and mouth emerged through his giant, hairy body. It was in this state that he qaurelled with Rama, who destroyed him with vajra (lightning fire), from which he reemerged as a Gandharva. In gratitude, the Gandharva helped in Rama's war against Ravana and the other Asuras. Another Ghandarva turned into a demon was named Viradha. He was described as being a vast humanoid whose garments were tiger skins. His face was eaually grotesque, he had enormous yellow eyes and a huge mouth with fangs that dripped blood always from the many humans he devoured. One day three gods met Viradha in the forest and after atacking was defeated by them. They smashed his frame to the ground and though he would not die they were detirmined to control him and so threw him into a pit and covered him. To their surprise, a Gandharva emerged from the earth and thanked them for breaking the curse that had been placed on him by Kubera. A famous tale in the larger tale of the Goddess Kali, is how one day the Gods were at a standstill in fighting the ferocious Raktajiba. For every drop of blood shed from the asura created a new fully grown Raktajiba clone. After their efforts, the battlefield was littered with millions of Raktajiba clones. In desperation they went to Shiva, who was locked in deep meditation. They then turned to his consort Parvati and asked her to help. She manifested as Kali, the dark Goddess, and rode into battle upon a lion. Raktajiba felt fear for the first time as the ferocious almost demonic like Kali ordered the other Gods to attack the clones. She extended her large tongue to encompass the battlefield and drank every drop of the Daemon's blood. After that, she went on a drunkan rampage, slaying anything that got in her way. Shiva, to passify her finally threw himself under her as she danced. It is ironic that Kali had Asura followers called Dakini. A Vaishnava tale of Kali and Asuras relates to the tale of Baby Krishna. The Demon Kamsa was an evil uncle of Krishna, and was such a devil incarnate. It is siad that he sought to kill Krishna, seeing the baby for what he was. It was here that he abducted the baby daughter of Yasoda, who Krishna had been switched with, and tried to kill her. It was here that she slipped from his hands to become

Mahakali, this is why some Vaishnava temples have kali presented next to Krishna and Balaram as their sister. In the legend of Karttikeya, the son of Shiva and Parvati, the Rakshaka Taraka threatened the world. Shiva was implored to create a son who could fight Taraka and lead the divine armies to victory. Taraka was able to become so powerful through his austerities that he threatened the world. So, Shiva bore a son and sent him away to be nursed, where he was raised by nymphs who called him Karttikeya. On the 5th day of his life, Karttikeya rode out to battle and defeated Taraka. Another Rakshaka named Taraka appeared in a tale of Rama in the epic Ramayana. The story goes that the female Taraka confronted Rama one day, at first he is reluctant to slay a woman, and just shoots off her arms. She does not withdraw and instead she became invisible. Using her magic, she hurled rocks and boulders at Rama and his companions, and they were hard-pressed to ward off her attack. Finally Rama closed his eyes and aimed by sound only. He let his arrow fly, and pierced Taraka through the heart. The buffalo Demon Mahisha, who was ultimatly defeated by the Goddess Durga, was a powerful leader within the Asuras. He united the different sects inorder to bring chaos and destruction to the world until that is Durga, who is in some legends the combined Shaktis of the Gods, or a form of Parvati, defeated Mahisha and his asura followers. Kali was also said to have accompanied Durga in her battle. The Pisacas The Pisacas are the most malignant and dangerous of all the types of Asuras. Lower than Rakshakas, they were considered more disgusting. Variants on the name can be Picacas, Pisakas, Pishachas, or Pishashas and the females known as Pisachi. In the vedic myths they were said to be the most vilest of all the Daemons. They prey on both the living and the dead, frequently devouring the flesh. Like the ghouls they inhabit the charnel houses, graveyards, or deserted places as they chatter in their fiendish manner as they seek Humans to destroy through disease or madness. In southern India, these fiends are also thought to lurk in the deep forest between villages, and pregnant women are considered particularly vulnerable to their malice. When making a journey, a piece of iron or leaves of the neem tree are carried as a charm against attacks. The forest and Mountain Demons, the Bhuts and the Chutas are members of the Pisacas, as is the Tamil Daemoness Picacu. A demon by the name of Hidimba was probably a Pisaca. Hidimba, would use his beautiful sister Hidimbaa to lure unsuspecting travelor to their meals, little knowing that they would become the meal. He and Hidimbaa lived in a cave in the forest, strewn with the bones of his victims, a sure sign that he was of Pisaca blood. The story goes that the giant hero Bhima was lured to the cave by Hidimbaa, who was so attracted to him that she warned him of the danger and offered to help him escape. Bravely, Bhima fought with Hidimba in a ferocious battle to the death and finally succeeded in killing him. When the terrified Hidimbaa returned, was was to become his wife. Out of the union, a son named Chatotkacha, who would undoubtedly have possesed some demonic abilities. The Daityas The Daityas are the progeny of the Goddess Diti and her consort, Asyapa/Kasyapa. Like the Danavas, the Daityas are incredibly strong and took part in the churning of the oceans at creation. They are at odds with the gods and specifically try to interfere and prevent the proper sacrements and sacrifices from taking place. Becasue of this they are said the majority of them to be either destroyed or banished to the underworld where they are chained and guarded by Varuna. Their many writhings

are said to cause earthqaukes. A story of a Daitya named Hayagriva tells of how he stole the sacred scriptures but was ultimatly defeated by Vishnu in the avatar of a fish. His name means 'Horses neck' and he is described as a little potbellied Human's torso with a horse's head. Rahu was a Daitya, and is described as having a Dragon's head and a long tail. It is said that he took part in the churning of the ocean, and when the rest of the Asuras were defeated stole the sacred Vedas. Vishnu took on an incarnation to retrieve th vedas and Rahu's head was cut off. he then became an astral God as a rogue planet. The Yakshakas The Yakshakas, who are also called by the names Yakkhas, Yakshas, Yakhsi, and Yakhshini, are shapeshifting Asuras. They are sometimes benign and sometimes melevolent towards humans. The Yakshas are the males and may manifest as handsome youths, or ugly, potbellied dwarves. The Yakshini are the females and may appear as voluptuous females, sometimes with horses heads. They are ruled by Kubera a half brother of the Rakshakas king Ravana. Kubera was born to a Sudra family as a dwarf, when he was older he lived on the island of Lanka with a few followers. He is desribed as a sqaut, deformed dwarf, with three legs and eight teeth. In his dwarf form he is the guardian of treasures and metals in his underworld. He is the king of the Yakshas who inhabited Sri Lanka, and when Ravana came to conquer the island, Kubera and his followers were driven out. The Yakshas, the Gandharvas, the Kimprushas, and the Rakshasas followed Kubera to the Himalayas where they formed a new kingdom. He was later elevated to the status of a deity after honoring Shiva and undergoing an austere transformation. Kimprushas A group of Asuras who are the direct attendants and followers of Kubera. They are described as having horses bodies, and human heads. Similar in appearance to Gandharvas. Vritra This is the name of a demon in the Hindu mythology of India. He is the demon of drought and is one of the Asuras. The name Vritra means the Encloser. He is visualized variously as a cloud, a spider, or a snake and is often identified with Ahi. As the destructive element of nature, Vritra was the enemy of Indra who finally slew the demon and released the cloud-cattle (rains) that had been held captive in the mountains. Other Asuras Although many Asuras were evil and malicious, there were also many benevolent ones. A perticularly devout Asura named Gaya was said to have accumulated so much purity in his worship of Vishnu that all he touched became purified and went to Brahma's heaven, until the entire universe was devoid of sinners. Since the gods were no longer recieving devotion from sinners, they made a pact with Gaya that only one region would be reserved for pilgrims who journeyed there for his blessing of purity. This is how, according to legend, the place called Gaya in Bihar province came to be. In the legends of Nepal and northern India, a perticularly malicious asura named Holika was said to be a devourer of children. His downfall is part of the Hindu festival of Holi, that takes place in the preceding days after the full moon in March. In some legends, Holika was a female, and was

originally immune to fire. In one legend, she is given the baby Krishna by his evil uncle Daksha, and ordered to sit on a pyre. Daksha thought that, because Holika was immune to fire, she would survive while Krishna burned to death. When the fire subsided in the morning, Holika was long dead and turned to dust, but the baby Krishna remained unharmed, and slept in a blanket of Holika's charred bones. Sources: Rose, Carol. Giants, Mosters, & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth. W. W. Norton & Company: New York. 2001 Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia. W. W. Norton & Company: New York. 1996 "Taraka." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2004. Encyclopedia Mythica Online. 07 Jul. 2004 <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/taraka.html> Nath Banerjea, Jitendra. 'The Hindu Concept of God.' The Religion of the Hindus. The Ronald Press Company: New York. 1953