Rambha (asura)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Hindu mythology, Rambha was an asura, or mythical being. Rambha and Karambha were the Asura brothers, born as the descendants of Danu and Kashyap. When they were young, both decided to perform penance to get special powers to establish the rule of Danavas in the universe.[1]

Penance and boon[]

Rambha started penance standing inside a burning fire to please Agni Deva, while Karambha stood inside water to please Varuna Deva. When Indra came to know about them, he decided to kill both the brothers. Firstly, he changed himself into a crocodile and killed Karambha in the water. However, Agni Deva saved Rambha when Indra tried to kill him. Finally, Rambha got a boon from Agni Deva that he would not be killed by any God, demon or human. Only a dead man could kill him (which was virtually impossible). Rambha became powerful after getting the boon; he began mass killings of human beings and other living beings.[2]

Birth of Mahishasura[]

Afterward, Rambha saw a water buffalo and fell in love with her, so he changed himself into a water buffalo and started living with her. While the buffalo was pregnant, another male water buffalo became attracted to her. Rambha and the stranger water buffalo had a long fight, finally resulting in Rambha's death. Later, the water buffalo was killed by Rambha's soldiers. The female water buffalo gave birth to a demon, Mahishasura. As he was born of the union of a buffalo and asura, he had the ability to change between human and buffalo form at will.[3]

Rebirth[]

According to legends, Rambha was reborn as Raktabīja, the army commander of Shumbha and Nishumbha. When Kaushiki was sent to crush the growing power of these two demon brothers, she had to face the stiffest opposition from Raktabīja. He had the boon that if a single drop of his blood falls on the ground, another new Raktabīja would be created, making him almost invincible. Kaushiki then took the form of Kali, and licked off the blood before they touched the ground. Gradually, Raktabīja was defeated and killed.[4]

Reference[]

  1. ^ Sarraf, Ritesh Raj. "Story Of Navratri". RESEARCHUT. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  2. ^ "Mahishasur the original story | Devon ke Dev Mahadev". India Forums. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  3. ^ "Mahishasura was the son of a demon and buffalo, know the story". News Track. 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  4. ^ Gauree, Lajja (2016-10-20). "