Astronomy:List of Asuras

Short description: List of a class of beings in Hinduism

The asuras fight the goddess Kali

Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings or power-seeking clans, related to the more benevolent devas (also known as suras) in Hinduism.

Clans

The two major clans of the asuras are the daityas and the danavas.

• Daitya - a clan of asuras
• Dānava - a clan of asuras (Known as Dānaveghasā in Buddhism)
• Rakshasa - a class of beings sometimes categorised as synonymous with asuras

Legend

• ॐ - mentioned in Hindu scriptures
• ☸ - mentioned in Buddhist scriptures

A

• Adi ॐ
• Aghāsura ॐ
• Andhaka ॐ
• Anuhlāda - Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu
• Apasmāra ॐ☸
• Aśva - Son of Diti ॐ
• Āyu - Son of Hiranyakaśipu (Harivaṃśa) ॐ
• Alāmbāsa - A powerful asura in the Hindu epic Mahabharata ॐ
• Alāmvūshā - A powerful asura from the Mahabharata ॐ
• Alāyūdhā - A powerful asura from the epic Mahabharata ॐ

B

• Bhandāsura - asura slain by Tripura Sundari
• Bāṇāsura - warred against Krishna ॐ
• Bhasmāsura ॐ
• Bakāsura - slain by Bhima ॐ
• Bakasura - slain by Krishna

C

• Chanda ॐ
• Candravarma ॐ

D

• Danu - Mother of the dānavas ॐ☸
• Darika ॐ
• Dhenuka ॐ
• Dūṣaṇa ॐ
• Dhumralochana ॐ
• Dhantasura - Son of Gajasura and grand-son of Mahishasura

G

• Gajāsura - The name of several asuras who take the form of an elephant ॐ
• Gayāsura ॐ

H

• Hiraṇyakaśipu ॐ
• Hiraṇyākṣa ॐ
• Hlāda - Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu ॐ
• Holikā ॐ

I

• Ilvala - Also referred to as Atapi ॐ
• Indrajit (rakshasa) ॐ

J

• Jālāndhāra ॐ
• Jvārāsura ॐ☸
• Jātāsuraॐ

K

• Kamsa - A powerful king killed by Krishna, referred to as an asura in the Padma Purana ॐ
• Kaiṭabha ॐ
• Kakasura ॐ
• Kāla - Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu (Harivaṃśa) ॐ
• Kali - Ruler of the Kali Yuga ॐ

• Kālanemi ॐ
• Kālayāvana ॐ
• Karambha ॐ
• Karindrāsura ॐ
• Keśī - An asura horse slain by Krishna ॐ
• Ketu - Personification of the descending lunar node ॐ☸卐
• Kābāndhā - A powerful rakshasa from the Ramayana ॐ
• Khara ॐ
• Kamlasura - Slain by Ganesha

M

• Mada ॐ
• Madhu ॐ
• Mahābali- An asura king exiled to the underworld by Vamana (avatar of Vishnu) ॐ☸卐
• Mahiṣāsura ॐ
• Mallanāga ॐ
• Mandodarī ॐ
• Mayāsura - An asura king ॐ
• Meghanāda - Another name of Indrajit ॐ
• Maricha
• Mitra - A former asura also classed among the Devas ॐ
• Mukāsura ॐ
• Munda ॐ
• Murāsura ॐ

N

• Namuci - In Buddhism, an epithet of Māra ॐ☸卐
• Narakāsura ॐ
• Niśumbha ॐ

P

• Pahārāda - An asura king ☸
• Praheti ॐ
• Prahlada - Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu ॐ
• Pralamba ॐ
• Pūtanā ॐ

R

• Rāhu - Personification of the eclipse and an asura king ॐ☸卐
• Raktabīja ॐ
• Rambha ॐ
• Ravana (rakshasa)

S

• Saṁbara ॐ
• Saṁhlāda - Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu ॐ
• Śibi - Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu (Harivaṃśa) ॐ
• Śukra - The 'guru' of the asuras and personification of the planet Venus ॐ
• Somaprabhā - Daughter of Mayāsura ॐ
• Sucitti (Pali) - Present at the teaching of the Mahāsamaya Sutta ☸
• Sugriva (asura) ॐ
• Sujā - Daughter of the asura king Vemacitrin ☸
• Śumbha ॐ
• Sunda ॐ
• Śūrapadmā ॐ
• Svarbhānu ॐ
• Sumālī - Rāvaṇa's grandfather and also a rākṣasa ॐ

T

• Tārakāsura ॐ
• Trinavarta ॐ
• Tripurāsura ॐ
• Triśiras ॐ

U

• Upasunda ॐ
• Ūṣā ॐ

V

• Vātāpi ॐ
• Vemacitrin - An asura king ॐ☸
• Vipracitti - A dānava king ॐ
• Virocana ॐ
• Virūpākṣa ॐ
• Viśvarūpa - Another name for Triśiras ॐ
• Vṛkāsura ॐ
• Vṛṣaparva ॐ
• Vṛṣaśipta ॐ
• Vṛtra - A draconic asura slain by Indra ॐ☸
• Vyomāsura ॐ

List of asuras slain by Krishna

In the Puranas and other texts of Hindu literature, the deity Krishna is attacked by a number of asuras and rakshasas sent by his uncle Kamsa, as well as others he encounters and slays in his legends.

• Putana - A rakshasi who was sent by Kamsa to appear in the form of a beautiful woman to kill baby Krishna by breastfeeding him poison, but who was killed by the deity when he sucked her life-force out, and was granted liberation.
• Sakaṭāsura - A cart-demon sent by Kamsa to crush a three-month old Krishna, but was reduced to pieces by the infant with a single kick.
• Trinavarta - a whirl-wind demon who abducted the child Krishna and carried him to the sky, but was choked by the deity and crushed to death against a rock upon his descent.
• Vatsasura - A calf-demon who attacked a cattle-herding Krishna in Vrindavana, whose legs were whirled about and hurled to death under a kapittha tree.
• Bakasura - A crane-demon who attempted to swallow Krishna in Gokulam, but was forced to throw up, upon which Krishna snapped his beak and slew him.
• Aghasura - A snake-demon who lured Krishna's cowherd friends into his mouth, but was slain when Krishna expanded in size inside him and burst out his form.
• Arishtasura - A bull-demon who charged against Krishna, and met his end when the deity seized his horns and kicked him with his foot.
• Keshi - A horse-demon who dueled against Krishna and attacked him with his hooves, and perished when the deity thrusted his left arm into Keshi's mouth.
• Vyomasura - A sky-demon who abducted Krishna's friends inside caves, and was slain when Krishna hurled him against the earth and suffocated him.
• Śaṅkhacūḍa - A jealous asura who abducted a number of gopis at Vrindavana, slain by Krishna in a fight.
• Cāṇūra - a pugilist asura who served Kamsa, slain by Krishna in a wrestling match.
• Kamsa - The tyrannical ruler of Mathura and uncle of Krishna who was slain to fulfil a prophecy, regarded as an asura by the Padma Purana.
• Pañcajana - A conch-shaped asura who slew Krishna's preceptor's son, destroyed by Krishna under the sea.
• Shishupala - the cousin of Krishna, the incarnation of Jaya, previously betrothed to the deity's chief consort Rukmini, beheaded after he insulted Krishna 101 times.
• Dantavakrta - the incarnation of Vijaya slain by Krishna.
• Kalayavana - An asura king who was killed by Krishna by tricking him into waking Muchukunda.
• Narakasura - A powerful asura ruler slain by Krishna, and his wife Satyabhama, with the Sudarshana Chakra.

See also

• Rakshasa
• Daityas
• Danavas
• Rigvedic deities