Asuras and Rakshasas

[Radhakrishna Warrier]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16G5Uetoc0mTCV9MJlGCcxOBrI78uoyro/view?usp=drive_link

Thanks and regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

[K S Kannan]

Here's something complementary.

The Amarakośa is generally perceived as a lexicon of synonyms,

but it also has a detailed section on homonyms.

But even more than that, it provides here and there, certain Lists.

For example, even in the opening svarga-varga chapter,

it lists Gaṇa-devatā-s, and Deva-yoni-s. 

and it is in the latter that we have all these "demi-gods," 

ten in number, clubbed together:

विद्याधरोऽप्सरो-यक्ष-रक्षो-गन्धर्व-किंनराः ।
पिशाचो गुह्यकः सिद्धो भूतोऽमी देवयोनयः||

Asura-s are taken up next.

The Buddha has been taken up immediately next,

and this has given rise to suspecting the intention of Amarasiṁha 

in placing the Buddha proximate to the Asura-s(!),

which may not be more than a mischievous interpretation.

But we cannot be sure; even Brahmā figures next only to the Buddha.

For some, he was a Buddhist, and hence the primacy to the Buddha.

But a total absence of even the prominent terminology peculiar to Buddhism,

and the abundance of even the minute details in the Brahmavarga

seem to point in a different direction.

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Dr. K.S.Kannan  D.Litt.

Hon. Prof., Chanakya University, Bangalore.,

Emeritus Prof. and Director, Vishnugupta VishwaVidyapeetham, Gokarna.,

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Chair Professor (Retd.), IIT-Madras.

Member, Expert Committee for Review of Criticism of Indian Knowledge Traditions, Central Sanskrit University (under MoE, GoI), Ganganath Jha Campus, Prayagraj.
Fmr. Adjunct Faculty, Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT Hyderabad.

Fmr. Nominated Member, IIAS, Shimla.

Former Professor, CAHC, Jain University, Bangalore.

Former Director, Karnataka Samskrit University, Bangalore.

Former Head, Dept. of Sanskrit, The National Colleges, Bangalore.

https://sites.google.com/view/kskannan

[Radhakrishna Warrier]

Thank you!  This is interesting.

Best regards,

Radhakrishna Warrier

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From: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of K S Kannan <ks.kann...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 8, 2026 6:01 PM
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Asuras and Rakshasas

 

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[Venkata Subramanian]

I remember to have read that - " असुराः पूर्व देवाः" . Probably misguided "देवाः" is my view.

N S VENKATA SUBRAMANIAN Hyderabad 

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[Radhakrishna Warrier]

Thank you Shri Venkata Subramanian!

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From: bvpar...@googlegroups.com <bvpar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Venkata Subramanian <venka...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, November 9, 2026 5:12 AM

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[Venkata Subramanian]

Probably " पूर्व देवाः " means Jaya and Vijaya who were cursed by SanatKumara 4 in Vaikunta. Please see verse 34 in chapter 15 of Skandha 3 of Srimad Bhaghavatam as-"पापीयस्त्रय इमे रिपवस्तस्य यत्र" .Vamshidhara quotes Goswami as-"इमेस्मान्निर्दिष्टा लोका दैत्यराक्षसाः अस्य भगवतो अपि रिपवो भविष्यंन्तीत्याहुः"Please note " दैत्यराक्षसाः" means पूर्व देवाः only.

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[V Subrahmanian]

There is a distinction made between 'asura' and rākṣasa' :  असुषु रमन्ते इति असुराः (Those who revel in sense enjoyments are asura-s) and परहिंसाप्रधाना राक्षसाः (Those who are mainly causing pain to others).   

शास्त्रयुक्त्यपरिकल्पितमतयस्तामसवृत्तिप्रधाना असुरा असुभिः प्राणैरिन्द्रियैरनिगृहीतैस्तेषु तेषु विषयेषु रमन्त इत्यसुरा अत एव ते ज्यायांसः । यतोऽमी तत्त्वज्ञानवन्तः कानीयसास्तु देवाः ।  Bhāmatī.

There is a story in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad where Devas, Asuras and Manushyas - all three the sons of Prajapati - seek upadesha from him.  He gave the teaching 'Da' to all of them, but the meaning differed for each: दाम्यत = restraint of the senses for the Devas (they have bhoga in svarga). For the asuras it is  दयध्वम् = compassion. And for humans it is  दत्त = giving away by way of charity.  It addresses the remedy for each group's specific defect.  Here it should be noted that all the three are children of the same father.  Here the hint is that all three defects exist in humans and they have to make the correction. 

Also to be noted is that Daityas and Devas are children of Diti and Aditi, wives of the same Prajapati Kashyapa. That way the two categories share the same father. 

Warm regards

subrahmanian.v

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[R. N. iyengar]

For information long back in 2010 there was a discussion on the meaning of the word "Asura."

This may be relevant in the present thread.

https://groups.google.com/g/bvparishat/c/1upJUorV_j8/m/q8M_ELZlyzsJ

Meanings of large number of Sanskrit words have acquired different meanings variably over millennia.
IMHO for understanding and presenting the natural science content in Sanskrit texts for scholarly audience, 

contextual cum chronological markers for ' ancient Vedic words & meanings' are important. 

RNI

[Venkata Subramanian]

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ३ अध्याये ३७ श्लोके

श्रीभगवानुवाच 

काम  एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भव: ।

महाशनो महापाप्मा विध्द्येनमिह वैरिणम् ॥ 

९ अध्याये १२ श्लोके

मोघाशा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतस: ।

राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव  प्रकृतिं मोहिनीं श्रिता: ॥

Anandagiri in his tika mentions :" छिन्धि भिन्धि पिब खाद" इति प्राणिहिंसारूप रक्षसां स्वभाव: । असुराणांम् स्वभावस्तु

" न देहि न जुहुधि परस्वमपहर" इत्यादि रूप: । मोहो मिथ्याज्ञानं।

Thus both Asura and Rakshasa are capable of "क्रूरकर्माण:"- their actions are violent only

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