A rakshasa (Sanskrit: रक्षस, rakṣasa; alternately, raksasa or rakshas) is a demon or evil spirit in Hinduism. A female rakshasa is called a rakshasi, and a female rakshasa in human form is a manusha-rakshasi. The Ramayana describes them as being created from Brahma's foot; elsewhere, they are descended from Pulastya, or from Khasa, or from Nirriti and Nirrita. Many Rakshasa were particularly wicked humans in previous incarnations. Rakshasas are notorious for disturbing sacrifices, desecra ...

Including:

• Rakshasa - In Lord of Light
• Rakshasa - In Dungeons & Dragons
• Rakshasa - In other fiction

Read more here: » Rakshasa: Encyclopedia - Rakshasa

Rakshasas (Rakshas)

Man-eating demons who dwell in forests.

(See also: Rakshasas, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

rakshasa:

rakshasa (raakshasa). Demon, ogre.

(See also: rakshasa, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

There are many ways of looking at the Ramayana. The most instructive approach would be to focus on the epic's basic unifying theme - of loyalty and betrayal. This theme is evident in all the three categories of protagonists - the naras, the vanaras and the rakshasas. Prominent among the nara loyalists are Lakshmana and Bharata.

(See also: Loyalty and betrayal, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The elephant captured in Chhattisgarh was a victim, not just of an over-eager, insensitive agency that was ironically set up for the specific purpose of protecting endangered pachyderms. The poor animal was first forced to leave the forests of neighbouring states frightened by miners and rendered homeless by human-induced forest degradation. And then, when it tried to survive, looking for food, it was chased, caught, and made to die a slow death. Whatever happened to our tradition of respecting all life forms?

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

In Hindi, Raksha means 'protection'. This word is derived from the Sanskrit language. Raksha is the basic spirit with which the festival Rakshabandhan is celebrated in India. In this festival, a sister ties a string, known as Rakhi, around the wrist of her brother, asking him to protect her. The brother reciprocates by gifting his sister a present and renewing his vow to protect her. In Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories Raksha the Demon is the name of the M ...

Read more here: » Raksha: Encyclopedia - Raksha

In Hindu mythology, Maya, or Mayasura was a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya and Rakshasa races upon earth. He was also the chief architect of the peoples of the netherworlds. Mayasura - Tripura. He was the designer and king of the three flying cities, known as the Tripura. They were great cities of prosperity, power and dominance over the world, but due to their impious nature, Maya's cities were torched out of the sky by Lord Shiva. Hindu mytholo ...

Including:

• Mayasura - Tripura
• Mayasura - In the Ramayana
• Mayasura - In the Mahabharata

Read more here: » Mayasura: Encyclopedia - Mayasura

Taraka (sometimes spelled Tataka) is the name of two characters from Hindu mythology. Taraka (1) is a male daitya, whose powers were so great that the gods grew alarmed, and Skanda, the god of war, was born in order to defeat him. Tarakā (2; note the feminine ending) is a female daitya who was punished by the sage Agastya by being turned into a rakshasa, or demon. Although Rama was reluctant to kill a woman, he did slay Taraka in battle. Taraka's son, Maricha, is involved in the later events of the Ramayana.

Read more here: » Taraka: Encyclopedia - Taraka

Kumbhakarna is a demon or evil spirit (Rakshasa) in Hindu mythology. He is the brother of Ravana, and is said to be 420,000 meters tall. This height could have made him almost invincible, but luckily when he asked for a boon from Brahma, his tongue was tied by a goddess, and all he managed to say was that he wanted to sleep. His request was granted, and so Kumbhakarna sleeps for six months at a time and awakes only one day at a time. However, when he wakes, he is a gluttonous beast and eats everything in the vicinity. He was destroyed

Read more here: » Kumbhakarna: Encyclopedia - Kumbhakarna

In Hinduism, Hanuman (Sanskrit: हनुमान, hanumāna) is a vanara who aided Rama (an avatar of Vishnu) in rescuing his wife, Sita, from the Rakshasa king Ravana. He symbolizes the pinnacle of bhakti, and is seen by some to have also been an avatar of Shiva. He is more well-known as the son of Vayu deva, or the wind god. He is believed by some scholars to be a source for the Chinese mythological character Sun Wukong. Hanuman epitomizes virtue, strength, humility, siddhi and courage. While outsiders might find it ...

Including:

• Hanuman - Birth
• Hanuman - Childhood
• Hanuman - Hanuman in the Ramayana War
• Hanuman - After the Ramayana War
• Hanuman - Presence of Hanuman
• Hanuman - Hanumad Ramayana
• Hanuman - Temples for Hanuman
• Hanuman - Flag of Hanuman

Read more here: » Hanuman: Encyclopedia - Hanuman

In Hindu mythology, Ravana (Devanagari: रावण, IAST Rāvaṇa; sometimes transliterated Raavana and as Ravan) is the principal antagonist of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. According to Ramayana, he was a king of Lanka (now Sri Lanka) many thousands of years ago. Ravana is depicted in art with up to ten heads, signifying that he had knowledge spanning all the ten directions. Ravana - Birth and Early Life. Ravana was born Dasagriva (One with Ten Heads) th ...

Including:

• Ravana - Birth and Early Life
• Ravana - Tapasya
• Ravana - Emperor of the World and Evil
• Ravana - Conquest of Lanka
• Ravana - Emperor of the Three Worlds
• Ravana - Violations of Women
• Ravana - Downfall
• Ravana - Assessment
• Ravana - In Scriptures
• Ravana - In Ayya Vazhi
• Ravana - Ravana's family

Read more here: » Ravana: Encyclopedia - Ravana

Yaksha (Sanskrit, also Yaksa; Pāli: Yakkha, Chinese and Japanese: 夜叉, Pin Yin ye4 cha1, J. yasha) originally from Hindu mythology, a class of nature ghosts or demons. Also: demigod attendants of Kuvera Also: twelve heavenly generals who guard the Buddha of Medicine (Sanskrit: Bhaisajya; Tibetan: sangs-rgyas sman-bla; Chinese and Japanese: 藥師如來) The yakshas were originally the tutelary gods of forests and villages. Later, however, they came to be viewed as the steward deities of the earth and the wealth burie ...

Read more here: » Yaksha: Encyclopedia - Yaksha

In Hindu mythology, Vedavati is speculated to have been the spirit of Sita Devi, the wife of Rama in the epic Ramayana. Vedavati - Early Life. Vedavati is the daughter of Brahmarishi Kusadhvaja, who is the son of Brihaspati, Lord-Guru of the Devas, the Gods. Having spent his life chanting and studying the sacred Vedas, he names his daughter Vedavati, or Embodiment of the Vedas, born as the fruit of his bhakti and tapasya. Vedavati - Dedication to Vishnu. ...

Including:

• Vedavati - Early Life
• Vedavati - Dedication to Vishnu
• Vedavati - Violation and death
• Vedavati - Prophesy

Read more here: » Vedavati: Encyclopedia - Vedavati

Chandragupta Maurya (ruled 322–298 BC), also known as Sandrokottos to the Greeks, was the founder of the first imperial power in India, and became the first Emperor of the Mauryan Empire. The Mauryan empire, whose capital was Pataliputra (Modern day Patna)in East India, is acknowledged to be the greatest empire in ancient India, and lasted until 185 BC, fifty years after the death of Chandragupta's famous grandson, Emperor Ashoka. Prior to Chandragupta's consolidation of power, sma ...

Including:

• Chandragupta Maurya - Origins
• Chandragupta Maurya - Chanakya
• Chandragupta Maurya - Expansion
• Chandragupta Maurya - Jainism & death
• Chandragupta Maurya - Family
• Chandragupta Maurya - Trivia
• Chandragupta Maurya - Additional reading
• Chandragupta Maurya - External link

Read more here: » Chandragupta Maurya: Encyclopedia - Chandragupta Maurya

Yakshinis (also called yaksinis or yaksis) are benevolent mythical beings of Hindu mythology. A yakshini is the female counterpart of the male yaksha, and they both attend on Kubera (also called Kuber), the Hindu god of wealth who rules in the mythical Himalayan kingdom of Alaka. They both look after treasure hidden in the earth and resemble that of fairies. Yakshinis are often depicted as beautiful and voluptuous, having large curves and wide hips. In the Uddamareshvara Tantra, thirty-six yakshinis are des ...

Including:

• Yakshini - External links

Read more here: » Yakshini: Encyclopedia - Yakshini

Lakshmana (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण; IAST Lakṣmaṇa) was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero of the epic Ramayana. Many schools in Hinduism considered Lakshmana to be a part of the seventh avatara, in a secondary form to Rama's main. The name may also be written Lakshman or Laxman. Lakshmana - Birth and Family. Lakshmana is the twin brother of Shatrughna, born in Ayodhya to Sumitra, the second wife of Dasaratha, king of Kosala. Rama is the eldest, and Shatrugh ...

Including:

• Lakshmana - Birth and Family
• Lakshmana - With Rama
• Lakshmana - During the Exile
• Lakshmana - The Lakshmana Rekha
• Lakshmana - Prowess in War
• Lakshmana - Sanjivani
• Lakshmana - Legacy

Read more here: » Lakshmana: Encyclopedia - Lakshmana

Asura (アスラ) is a character from SNK's Samurai Shodown series of fighting games. He has only appeared in one game in the series proper, but has garnered a considerable fanbase in spite of that: enough to have earned an appearance in the forthcoming NeoGeo Battle Coliseum on the Atomiswave arcade platform. The name has also been spelled as Asra or Asuras. He is officially described as being 5'9" in height, and weighs roughly 139 pounds. His greatest hatred is anything related to his former master, the D ...

Read more here: » Asura Samurai Shodown: Encyclopedia - Asura Samurai Shodown

Rakshasa: There are two kinds of rakshasas: 1) semidivine, benevolent beings, or 2) cannibal demons or goblins, enemies of the gods. Meat-eating human beings are sometimes classed as rakshasas.

(See also: Rakshasa, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Rakshasas:

Rakshasas: Demons, ogres and the like, (RRV-1), demons and demoniac powers (RRV-6a), Ogres (BV-34), People with demonic tendencies (RRV-6b), an ogre enjoined by Kamsa (BV-39), warrior-demons (RRV2-1)

(See also: Rakshasas, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Rakshasas (Sanskrit). Lit., "raw eaters", and in the popular superstition evil spirits, demons. Esoterically, however, they are the Gibborim (giants) of the Bible, the Fourth Race or the Atlanteans.

(See Secret Doctrine, II., 165.)

(See also: Rakshasas, Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary, )