Rambha 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 ...

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 ...

. Rambha and Karambha are asura brothers, born as the descendants of Danu and

Kashyapa Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedas, Vedic Sage (philosophy), 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 ancien ...

. When they were young, both decided to perform penance to get special powers to establish the rule 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 the universe.

Penance and boon

Rambha started penance standing inside a burning fire to please

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 ...

Deva, while Karambha stood inside water to please

Varuna Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...

Deva. When

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 ...

became aware, he decided to kill both brothers. Firstly,

assumed the form of a

makara ''Makara'' ( sa, मकर, translit=Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, a ...

and dragged Karambha into the depths, drowning him. However, Agni Deva saved Rambha when Indra tried to kill him. Finally, Rambha got a boon from Agni Deva that he would not be killed by any

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

(Deva), Demon ( Danava) or human. Only a dead man could kill him (which was virtually impossible). Rambha became powerful after getting the boon; he began mass killings of human beings and other living beings.

Birth of Mahishasura

Afterward, Rambha saw a water buffalo and fell in love with her, so he changed himself into a water buffalo and started living with her. While the buffalo was pregnant, another male water buffalo became attracted to her. Rambha and the stranger water buffalo had a long fight, finally resulting in Rambha's death. Later, the water buffalo was killed by Rambha's soldiers. The female water buffalo gave birth to a demon,

Mahishasura Mahishasura is a bovine asura in Hinduism. He is depicted in literature to be a deceitful demon who pursued his evil ways by shape-shifting. Mahishasura was the son of Mahisi (Buffalo) and the great-grandson of Brahmarshi Kashyapa. He was ultim ...

. As he was born of the union of a buffalo and asura, he had the ability to change between human and buffalo form at will. In another version, Rambha was killed in a battle by Indra, who hurled his ''

vajra The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shape ...

'' (club) at him. As the ''vajra'' was made out of the bones of the dead

rishi ''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...

Dadhichi Dadhichi (), also rendered Dadhyanga and Dadhyancha, is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for his sacrifice in the Puranas, where he gives up his life so that his bones could be used to manufacture the Vajra, the diamond-like celestial thun ...

, it killed Rambha.

Rebirth

According to legends, Rambha was reborn as

Raktabīja Raktabija () is an asura in Hinduism. According to the Puranas, he fought with Sumbha and Nisumbha against the goddesses Kali and Chandi, both forms of Durga. Raktabija had acquired a boon from Shiva that whenever a drop of his blood fell on t ...

, the army commander of

Sumbha and Nisumbha In the Devi Mahatmya, Sumbha (शुम्भ) and Nisumbha (निशुम्भ), were two ''asuras'' that confronted, and were ultimately slain by Kaushiki; an avatar of Devi Chandi. In the Devi Mahatmyam The story of Sumbha and Nisumbha be ...

. When

Kaushiki Kaushiki ( sa, कौशिकी, lit=woman of the cell, translit=Kauśikī,) is a Hindu goddess, a deity who emerged from the sheath of Parvati. She was created before Parvati's conflict with the asura brothers Sumbha and Nisumbha, and was also ...

was sent to crush the growing power of these two demon brothers, she had to face the stiffest opposition from Raktabīja. He had the boon that if a single drop of his blood falls on the ground, another new Raktabīja would be created, making him almost invincible. Kaushiki then took the form of Kali, and licked off the blood before they touched the ground. Gradually, Raktabīja was defeated and killed.

Reference

External links

Devī Māhātmya
by Swami Sivananda at

Divine Life Society The Divine Life Society (DLS) is a Hindu spiritual organisation and an ashram, founded by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936, at Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh, India. Today it has branches around the world, the headquarters being situated in Rishikes ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rambha Danavas Rigvedic deities

Penance and boon

Birth of Mahishasura

Rebirth

See also

Reference

External links