Demons in the Hindu religion

The demons that confront man
The devil is a popular word and there is no man or woman who has not heard of it. In Hinduism also demons are part of the religion. The concept of demons in Hinduism is not like in the Christian religion. In Christianity, the concept of Demon is associated with Satan. In Hinduism, the concept of Demon is the antithesis of God. There is no presiding deity like Lucifer or Satan and most demons are a leaderless group.

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

Some of the Hindu demons are discussed below.

Virabhadra

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

Andhaka

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

Kali

Kali is a goddess but she also represents the dark nature of life. She is actually a form of the goddess Shakti (who was Shiva’s consort). She is an angry god form, but many do not recognize her as a demon.

Kali is a homonym (Kali: Goddess; Kali: an actual demon), therefore “Kali” represents the Kali Yuga, the evil age now dawning on the world, in that sense, she is a Demon.

Koka and Vikoka

Goddess Kali had twin sons named Koka and Vikola. These twins are considered demons as they represent wars and battles. They are present every time a war is waged and they also instigate war and misery.

Vinayaka

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

veto it

This type of demon resides in corpses. He is indestructible and often takes on 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.

Buta

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

conclusion

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

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