In
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...
, Aruna, also called Arunasura, is a malevolent
daitya
According to ancient scriptures, the daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the ...
appearing in
Shakti
In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...
tradition. After receiving a boon from
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
, he invades
Devaloka
In Indian religions, a devaloka or deva loka is a plane of existence where gods and devas exist. The deva lokas are usually described as places of eternal light and goodness, similar to the concept of Heaven. Teachers of different Hindu deno ...
, and captures a number of deities. He is slain by the goddess
Bhramari Bhramari () is the Hindu goddess of bees. She is an incarnation of the goddess Adi Shakti in Shaktism, and is primarily regarded to be a form of Lakshmi in the Pancharatra texts, but is also regarded to be a form of Parvati in Shaivism.
Etymolog ...
.
Legend
In the city of the
daityas
According to ancient scriptures, the daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the ...
, there lived a powerful
asura
Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indian religions, Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, Buddhi ...
named Aruna. He despised the
devas
Devas may refer to:
* Devas Club, a club in south London
* Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter
* Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist
* Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club
* Devas (band), ...
, and sought above all else to conquer these deities. He went to the banks of the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
in the Himalayas, and practiced a very strict penance to
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
, believing him to be the protector of the daityas.
Observing his penance and resolve, Brahma descended to meet the daitya. Though refusing to grant him immortality, he saw fit to bless Arunasura with the boon of not meeting his end at any war, nor by any arms or weapons, nor by any man or any woman, by any biped or quadruped creature, or any combination of the two. This blessing gave Arunasura the confidence to call on all the other daityas living in the nether regions, and fight a final battle with the deities above. The daityas saluted him as their king. By his command, they sent messengers to
Devaloka
In Indian religions, a devaloka or deva loka is a plane of existence where gods and devas exist. The deva lokas are usually described as places of eternal light and goodness, similar to the concept of Heaven. Teachers of different Hindu deno ...
to signal their intent. Upon hearing the news,
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
trembled with fear, and went instantly with the deities to the abode of Brahma. After discussing the situation with Brahma, they went to the
Vaikuntha
Vaikuntha ( sa, वैकुण्ठ, lit=without anxiety, translit=Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, An ...
to recruit Vishnu. There, they all held a conference on how to kill the daitya who sought to overthrow them.
While the deities conferred, Arunasura and his army invaded Devaloka. The daitya used the power of his penances to assume various forms and seized possession of the
Chandra
Chandra ( sa, चन्द्र, Candra, shining' or 'moon), also known as Soma ( sa, सोम), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and ...
,
Surya
Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...
,
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...
,
Agni
Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
, and all the elemental deities. All these deities, dislodged from their stations, visited
Kailasha
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of ...
, and presented to
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
the dire nature of their situation. After conferring with Shiva, they turned to
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
, in her form of
Adi Parashakti
Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifesta ...
. The goddess was aware of Aruna's blessing, and devised a plan to kill the daitya with the help of six-legged creatures.
After taking control of all the celestial regions, Aruna's next intention was to attack
Kailasha
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of ...
directly. Shiva and his sons confronted him at the foot of the mountain. They tried to defeat him, but were unsuccessful. Even Shiva was unable to defeat him. Adi Shakti then appeared behind Shiva, and grew to a massive size, emanating bees from her four hands. Her three eyes shone like the sun, the moon, and the eternal fire
Agni
Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
. She closed her eyes in concentration, summoning forth countless bees, hornets, wasps, flies, termites, mosquitos and spiders from the skies. They crawled onto her body and clung onto her, merging with her to create the divine form of Bhramari.
In the battle that ensued, the daityas' swords were blocked by Bhramari's massive size, while her other arms inflicted damage on the massive army. The bees, hornets, wasps, flies, termites, mosquitos, and spiders, which clung to her emanated forth in a wave over the ranks. When Arunasura was the last daitya remaining on battlefield, she retreated and sent out all of the insects to attack him. They crawled all over him and ripped open each part of his body: his chests, back and belly, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes were all torn apart. Soon after seeing Arunasura's great fall, the insects returned to Bhramari and clung on her again. The deities, who were in awe of this new form, gave her great praise. On the successful decimation of the daitya forces, all of the devas were able to return to their celestial abodes.
References
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Demons in Hinduism