Thread by @I_am_the_Story

⭐️Who was the forefather of Asura's in Hindu Vedic literature
#thread
#Sanatan #Ved #Ramayan #Mahabharat #Puran #Hindu

1. Asuras are a class of beings fathered by Kashyapa Rishi and mothered by Diti and Danu. Asuras born of Diti are called Daitya (meaning sons of Diti) and those born of Danu are called Danava (meaning sons of Danu).

2. Asuras are the opposite of Suras. Asura means those without light, those without spiritual knowledge or spiritual inclination. The devanagari letter अ (A) in (A)sura means ‘without’.

3. In Hindu mythology, the forefather of Rakshasas is said to be Kashyapa. Kashyapa is one of the ancient sages or rishis and is considered to be the father of many beings, including Devas, Asuras, Nagas, and Rakshasas.

4. He had many wives, including Aditi, Diti, and Kadru, among others, who gave birth to various divine and demonic creatures.

5. Sura are also known as the Devas. Deva is derived from the word Divya which means ‘light’. Sura means those who are effulgent with the knowledge of the spirit and God. It also means those who are pure and sattvic (good).

6. Suras, or the Devas, are also fathered by Kashyapa Rishi but mothered by the virtuous Aditi. Suras (Devas) are also called Adityas which means sons of Aditi. Diti, Aditi and Danu are daughters of Daksha the Prajapati.

7. Diti gave birth to the Rakshasas, while Aditi gave birth to the Devas. Diti was jealous of Aditi's sons and wanted to have powerful sons of her own. She performed a rigorous penance to please Lord Brahma and asked for a son who could defeat Indra, the king of Devas.

8. Lord Brahma granted her wish, and she gave birth to the Rakshasas. Therefore, Diti is considered the mother of the Danavas, while Kashyapa is their forefather.

9. In Hindu Vedic literature, Rakshasas are depicted as malevolent beings who can take on various forms, such as humans, animals, and demons. They are often portrayed as evil spirits that cause harm and destruction to humans and other creatures.

10. The Rakshasas are said to have been created by Brahma, the creator of the universe, and are described as being powerful, cunning, and fearsome. They are often associated with darkness and the night and are believed to have the ability to shape-shift and become invisible.

11. While Deva were created by Lord Vishnu by blessing the wife of Rishi Kashyapa, Aditi.

12. Maya Danava, the chief architect and engineer of the Asuras is described to surpass Vishwakarma, the chief architect and the engineer of the devas, in both skills and in knowledge. Asuras dwell in Bila Svarga which means subterannean heavens below Bhumandala (Earth).

13. They are called “heavens” because these realms are filled with abundance of material luxuries of unimaginable magnitude. The material opulence in Bila Svarga surpasses that of Svarga (heavens, abode of the devas).

14. Bila Svargas are divided into seven different parts namely Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala and Patala. Sub classes of Asuras live in each region according to their inclination and desire.

15. Bila Svargas are not hell but regions devoid of the knowledge of God where Asuras dwell. Beneath Patala lies Naraka which is the hell proper.

16.Shukracharya is considered as the guru, disciplinarian and guide of demons or asuras. Among demons shukracharya was one of the most clever and the wisest person, who were already blinded of envy from devatas.

17. The most powerful rakshasa in history(wrongly considered as Hindu mythology) is Hiranyaksha who fought with Varaha ( 3rd Incarnation of vishnu) for 1000 years straight. Among all the other avatars of vishnu, Varaha is considered to be the most strongest next to kalki.

18. Other powerful asuras were clearly Madhu and Kaitabha. Vishnu Himself fought them for centuries but did not defeat them until He finally resorted to trickery.

19. To this day Vishnu is still often called by the name Madhusudana (“Madhu’s killer”) to honor him for this hard-won victory (the corresponding name, Kaitabhajit, has become more obscure; it just doesn’t have the same ring to it).

20. Daityas: Sons of Diti were called Daityas. Daityas are a race of demons living in Sutala Loka. Lord Vamana had transferred Bali to Sutala where he lives as the king of all Daityas.

21. Asuras: Asuras are Daityas itself. According to Vishnu Purana, during the churning of the ocean, the daityas came to be known as Asuras because they rejected Varuni, the goddess of wine, while the devas accepted her and came to be known as Suras.

22. Danavas: Danavas were a race descending from sage Kashyapa and Danu. Asuras and Danavas were half brothers of Devtas. Greek mythology also has a similar story where the demonic brothers of gods were called as Titans.

23. Rakshasas: According to Uttara Kanda of Valmiki Ramayan, Rakshasas originated from Lord Brahma. Later they grew in large number as the sons of Pulastya (Grandfather of Ravana).

24. Map of different Loka's as per Vedic epic literature.
Earth falls into Bhu Loka.

25. Location of the earth as per Vedic epic literature.

26. Vedic epic literature representation of cosmos