Mahishasura
Mahishasura | |
---|---|
Mysuru | |
Affiliation | Asura |
Texts | Puranas |
Personal information | |
Parents |
|
Children | Gajasura |
Mahishasura (
The
The Mahishasura Mardini Stotra by Adi Shankara was written to commemorate her legend.[7]
Legend
Mahishasura is a Sanskrit word composed of Mahisha meaning "buffalo" and asura meaning "demon", translating to "buffalo demon". As an asura, Mahishasura waged war against the devas, as the devas and asuras were perpetually in conflict. Mahishasura had gained the boon that no man could kill him. In the battles between the devas and the demons (asuras), the devas, led by Indra, were defeated by Mahishasura. Subjected to defeat, the devas assembled in the mountains where their combined divine energies coalesced into the goddess Durga. The newborn Durga led a battle against Mahishasura, riding a lion, and killed him. Thereafter, she was named Mahishasuramardini, meaning The Killer of Mahishasura.[3][8] According to the Lakshmi Tantra, it is the goddess Lakshmi who slays Mahishasura instantaneously, and extolling her feat is described to offer everlasting supremacy.[9]
Mahishasura's legend is told in the major texts of the Shaktism traditions known as the Devi Mahatmya, which is part of Markandeya Purana. The story of Mahishasura is told in the chapter where Markandeya is narrating the story of the birth of Savarnika Manu. Per the Markandeya Purana, the story of Mahishasura was narrated in the second Manvantara (approximately 1.3 billion years ago, as per the Vishnu Purana) by Maharishi Medha to a king named Suratha.[10] Mahishasura is described as an evil being who can change his outer form, but never his demonic goals.[8] According to Christopher Fuller, Mahishasura represents the forces of ignorance and chaos hidden by outer appearances.[11][2] The symbolism is carried in Hindu art found in South Asia and South-East Asia (e.g., Javanese art), where Durga is shown as a serene, calm, collected and graceful symbol of good as she pierces the heart and kills the scared, overwhelmed and outwitted Mahishasura.[12][2]
Art
Durga slaying Mahishasura is a prominent theme which was sculpted in various caves and temples across India. Some of the prominent representations are seen at the Mahishasuramardini caves in
Etymology of Mysore
The popular legend is that
The temple of the city's guardian deity,
Gallery
-
Durga killing Mahishasura, 9th century Sirpur temple, Chhattisgarh.
-
Durga is depicted in the Hindu pantheon as a Goddess riding a lion and with many arms, each carrying a weapon to defeat Mahishasura or the buffalo demon
-
Buffalo-headed Mahishasura in Cave Temple, Mahabalipuram
-
Mahishasura at Durga's foot in the Aihole Temple
-
Durga is worshiped in herMahishasuramardini form, during Durga Puja. Lakshmi and Ganesha flank the left while Saraswati and Kartikeyaflank the right.
See also
- Raktabīja
- Sumbha and Nisumbha
- Rambha (asura)
- Chanda and Munda
References
- ISBN 978-0-7864-8894-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7618-5314-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
- ISBN 978-0816054589.
- ^ Rocher 1986, pp. 191–192.
- ^ McDaniel 2004, pp. 215–216, 219–220.
- ISBN 978-0-244-22986-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
- ^ Lakshmi Tantra A Pancharatra Text Sanjukta Gupta. p. 50.
- ISBN 978-93-5305-671-1.
- ISBN 0-691-12048-X.
- ISBN 978-81-208-0751-8.
- ^ mahishasuramardini. "Rani ki vav". Frontline. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ Durga Puja, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ^ Ahalya, Performing Arts. "Mahishasura Mardhanam - Dance drama". Ahalya Performing Arts. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ "Mysuru name". mysore.org.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ISSN 2454-2644.
- ISBN 978-81-7835-018-9.
- ^ "DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK MYSORE" (PDF). Census of India 2011 KARNATAKA. SERIES-30 PART XII-B: 8. 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
Further reading
- Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions, David Kinsley (ISBN 81-208-0379-5).
- Mahishasura Mardini Stotram (Prayer to the Goddess who killed Mahishasura), Sri Sri Sri Shankara Bhagavatpadacharya.
- McDaniel, June (2004). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-534713-5.
- Pintchman, Tracy (2014). Seeking Mahadevi: Constructing the Identities of the Hindu Great Goddess. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-9049-5.
- Pintchman, Tracy (2015). The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-1-4384-1618-2.
- ISBN 978-3447025225.
External links
- Devī Māhātmya by Swami Sivananda at Divine Life Society