Another Facet of Hinduism : Demons * 69

Introducing the ‘Demons’ in Hinduism

The demon is a popular word and there is not a man or woman who would have heard about it. In Hinduism also demons are part of the religion. Concept of Demons in Hinduism is not as in the Christain religion. In Christianity the concept of the Demon is associated with Satan. In Hinduism the concept of Demon is antithesis of God. There is no presiding deity like Lucifer or Satan and mostly the demons are a leaderless lot.

Islam also has its fair share of demons that are known as ‘Jinn’s’. These are supernatural beings with evil powers. In Islam the leader of the “jinn’s” is Iblis or Satan.Some of the Hindu demons are discussed below.

Virabhadra

Many classify this deity as a god as well, because he has temples dedicated to him. However he is a Demon as he was created by Shiva the foremost Hindu deity to fight against Daksha. Virabhadra is a patron of occult practices and weird beliefs are associated with his name.

Andhaka

Andhaka was the third son of Shiva. Legend relates that Andhaka was created from a tear of the lord Shiva, but he angered the god as he lusted for Shiva’s consort Parvati. Shiva thus killed him

Kali

Kali is a goddess but she also represents the dark nature of life. She is in reality a form of the goddess Shakti (who was Shiva’s consort). She is an angry form of god but many do not recognize her as a demon.
Kali is a homonym (Kali: Goddess; Kali: a real demon), thus”Kali” represents the Kali Yuga the evil age that is now dawned on the world in that respect she is a Demon.

Koka and Vikoka

The Goddess Kali had twin sons named Koka and Vikola. These twins are considered demons as they represent wars and battles. They are present whenever war is fought and also instigate war and misery.

Vinayakas

Vinayakas are a group of four troublesome demons who create obstacles. The group of four Vinayakas was merged into one deity named Vinayaka whom Rudra appointed as the “Leader of the Ganas”. Ancient Puranik literature refers to these demons.

Vetala

This kind of demon resides in dead bodies. It is indestructible and he often confronts the living man

Pishacha

These Demons eat raw meats and Pishacha is a carnivorous demon. But the origin of this demon is shrouded in mystery and not much is known about it.

Bhuta

Bhuta is a kind of bad soul of a human being who dies by suicide or by execution. It is a demon who takes form after an unnatural death.

Conclusion

In the Hindu mythology, there are many demons. Again sometimes the dividing line between demon and god in Hinduism is very thin like the goddess kali. In addition Hinduism also mentions rakshasas and asuras who are also demons.