The kalakeyas ( sa, कालकेय, translit=Kālakeya) or kalakhanjas ( sa, कालखञ्ज;

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

: kālakañjā) are a sect of

danavas In Hindu mythology, the danavas are a race descending from Kashyapa and his wife Danu, a daughter of the progenitor god, Daksha. It is mentioned that there are one hundred danavas. Origin The danavas are a mythological race of demigods, t ...

in Hindu mythology, referring to the children of

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, ...

and Kala. Sixty-thousand kalakeyas are said to exist, and they are described to fight under the asura banner, under

Vritra Vritra () is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: ', lit ...

, as well as other rulers.

Hinduism

Mahabharata

In the Tirtha-yatra Parva of the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...

, 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), ...

requested Sage Agastya to drink the ocean where the kalakeyas resided, so that they may be defeated in battle. After the sage had completed this extraordinary feat, the devas assailed their foes, and were able to vanquish them in battle. The survivors of the sect sought refuge in

Patala In Indian religions, Patala (Sanskrit: पाताल, IAST: pātāla, lit. ''that which is below the feet''), denotes the subterranean realms of the universe – which are located under the earthly dimension. Patala is often translated as un ...

, the netherworld. In the

Vana Parva The Vana Parva, also known as the "Book of the Forest", is the third of eighteen parvas in the Indian epic Mahabharata.van Buitenen, J.A.B. (1975) ''The Mahabharata: Book 2: The Book of the Assembly Hall; Book 3: The Book of the Forest''. Chicago, ...

, the kalakeyas, allied with the

nivatakavachas The nivatakavachas ( sa, निवातकवच, lit=the impenetrable armoured ones, translit=Nivātakavaca) are a sect of daityas, the children of Kashyapa and Diti, classified under the race of asuras in Hindu mythology. They are best know ...

, waged war on the

, attacking Devaloka. They were able to inflict a defeat on their enemies. In retaliation, Indra tasked his son, Arjuna, with the mission of destroying the nivatakavachas, accompanied by his own charioteer, Matali. After fulfiling this task, while returning to Devaloka, Arjuna came across a splendid city. Matali told him that the city was called Hiranyapura, the golden city, and had been created by Brahma as a result of a boon. The boon had been sought by two asura women named Puloma and Kala, who wished that their sons, the paulomas and the kalakeyas, would be invincible against the devas, the nagas, and the rakshasas. However, they had sought no protection against the human beings. Matali urged Arjuna to destroy them, as they were the enemies of Indra as well. Arjuna attacked Hiranyapura, and the danavas within mounted a powerful defence, boasting skilled warriors and numerous chariots that manouvered artfully against him. Arjuna employed the astra 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 ...

against them, which gave rise to various monstrous, multiple-headed beasts that finally devoured the male inhabitants of the city, and the survivors were slain by the prince's barrage of arrows.

Buddhism

In Buddhism they are called the Kālakañjakas. Referred to as "terrible-faced," these beings are considered to be a class of Asuras. They were present at the preaching of the Mahāsamaya Sutta and are spoken of as being of a fearsome shape (D.ii.259; also DA.iii.789.820). They are the very lowest of those beings in the Asura realm.

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

s are never born among the Kālakañjakas (J.i.44; BuA.224). Sometimes (E.g., J.v.187; PvA.272), when Asuras are mentioned, the Commentaries explain the word as referring to the Kālakañjakas. Beings born into this state suffer from excessive thirst, which they are unable to quench even by immersing themselves in the Ganges. (For a story of one of them see VibhA.5). The Kājakañjakas resemble the

pretas Preta ( sa, प्रेत, bo, ཡི་དྭགས་ ''yi dags''), also known as hungry ghost, is the Sanskrit name for a type of supernatural being described in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion as undergoing suffer ...

in shape, sex-life, diet and length of life, and they intermarry with them (Kvu.360).

References

{{HinduMythology Danavas Hindu mythology Asura

Hinduism

Mahabharata

Buddhism

See also

References