Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, Bhasmasura ( sa, भस्मासुर, ) is an

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 ...

or demon, who was granted the power to burn up and immediately turn into ashes (''

bhasma Bhasma may refer to: *Vibhuti, sacred ash made of dried wood used in Hindu, Vedic and Āgamic rituals * Bhasma, a more general term for any ash product in Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the India ...

'') anyone whose head he touched with his hand. The asura was tricked by the

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

's female

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

, the enchantress

Mohini Mohini (Sanskrit: मोहिनी, ') is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a '' femme fatale'', an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them ...

, to turn himself into ashes.

Legend

While Bhasmasura is a character who does not appear in the Puranas, his story is mentioned in regional literature. The asura is stated to have been born of the ''bhasma'' dust (ashes) on the body of

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 ...

. Pleased at the great devotion of the demon towards him, Shiva agreed to grant a boon of his choice. Bhasmasura sought the power to burn to ashes anybody on whose head he placed his hand. Shiva granted this to him. Bhasmasura became arrogant with the boon, and is stated to have become a nightmare to the whole world. Vishnu assumed the form of the ravishing Mohini, an attractive dancer, who allured him with her charm, and initiated a dance called the ''Muktanṛtya''. During the course of this dance, Bhasmasura was forced to place his hand on his own head. The moment his hand touched his head, he was burnt to ashes.

Dance

Based on the popular story, the dancers take different postures leading to them ultimately revolving both their hands on their heads. The dancer enacting Bhasmasura is placed at the end of row and he is the last dancer to revolve his hands over his head. The Bhasmasura-type pose--with one hand atop the head and the other behind the back--is also common in women's dancing in the Bhojpuri region and, by extension, in Indo-Caribbean society, where it is a typical feature of chutney dancing. A few Indo-Caribbeans claim that this pose relates to the Bhasmasura myth.

Other Versions

Ramakien The ( th, รามเกียรติ์, , ; ; sometimes also spelled ) is one of Thailand's national epics, derived from the Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka. Fundamentally, it is a Thai version of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Ramakien is an importan ...

, The Thai version of the Ramayana, Bhasmasura is combined with Ravana (Thotsakan in Ramakien).

In Popular Culture

* The 1966 Kannada movie ''

Mohini Bhasmasura ''Mohini Bhasmasura'' is a 1966 Kannada language Indian Hindu mythological film directed by S. S. Verma and produced by T. Madaar and V.M.Kuppayya Chettiyar. The film stars Rajkumar, Leelavathi, Udaykumar and TN Balakrishna in the lead roles. ...

'' was based on this legend.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Tale of Chaortan, Crutath and Brartvor
Asura