Virochana () 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 ...

king in

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 ...

. He is the grandson of

Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (; also known as Hiranyakashyap) was an Asura king of the ''daityas'' from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. His name literally translates to "clothed in gold" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft cushion"), and is often inte ...

, the son of Prahlada (according to the Atharvaveda (VIII.10.22), and the father of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

Legend

Being the son of Prahlada, a staunch devotee of

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 ...

, Virochana is raised to be religious, performing rites and rituals with care. He is stated to be kind towards

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru o ...

. In the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

Vidura Vidura (Sanskrit: विदुर, lit. ''skilled'', ''intelligent'' or ''wise''), also known as Kshatri, plays a key role in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle o ...

recounts the tale of Virochana and Sudhanva, the son of Sage

Angiras Angiras or Angira ( Sanskrit: / ', pronounced ) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the '' Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in other hymns to be the first ...

. During the svayamvara of a beautiful princess called Kesini, the asura prince was asked to state if Brahmins were superior to 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 ...

. Being a daitya himself, Virochana replied that the daityas were superior, due to the worlds being under their suzerainty. Kesini invites Sudhanva to join them the following morning, washing his feet according to custom. Virochana offered to share his own golden seat with the Brahmin, but the latter turned down this offer, stating that Prahlada always chose to seat himself beneath him. The daitya and the Brahmin staked their lives on their answers to Kesini's question, and went to Prahlada for arbitration. Prahlada stated that as Angiras was superior to him, Sudhanva was superior to Virochana. Moved by the fact that the asura monarch had not been dishonest, even for the sake of protecting his son, Sudhanva does not claim Virochana's life, merely having him wash his feet in the presence of the princess. In the

Shatapatha Brahmana The Shatapatha Brahmana ( sa, शतपथब्राह्मणम् , Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam, meaning 'Brāhmaṇa of one hundred paths', abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Śukla (white) Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic ...

, Indra lost his regal aura to Virochana, and had to flee

Amaravati Amaravati () is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at a ceremonial event in Uddandara ...

. Seeking to obtain his aura once more, he assumed the form of a poor priest and joined the service of the asura king. He learnt that Virochana had earned the favour of

Shri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javane ...

due to his virtue. Pleased with Indra's service, Virochana offered his servant a boon of his choice, and the latter asked for Virochana's virtue. Without guile, Virochana granted him what he asked, and hence lost the favour of the goddess, whereas Indra was able to once again assume his throne. According to an

Upapurana The Upapuranas (Sanskrit: ') are a genre of Hindu religious texts consisting of many compilations differentiated from the Mahapuranas by styling them as secondary Puranas using the prefix ''Upa'' (secondary). Though only a few of these compilati ...

called the

Ganesha Purana The Ganesha Purana (Sanskrit:; ) is a Sanskrit text that deals with the Hindu deity Ganesha (). It is an (minor Purana) that includes mythology, cosmogony, genealogy, metaphors, yoga, theology and philosophy relating to Ganesha. The text is o ...

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 ...

was once pleased with Virochana, granting him a crown. The sun god told Virochana that he would only die if the crown was removed from his head. As a result, the asura king grew arrogant. To punish him, Vishnu assumed the form of a beautiful damsel and enticed him into giving away the crown, after which the asura was slain. According to the Chandogya Upanishad (VIII.7.2-8.5), Indra and he went to Prajapati to learn about the

Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Film * ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto * ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo People * Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...

(Self) and lived there, practising a

brahmacharya ''Brahmacharya'' (; sa, ब्रह्मचर्य ) is a concept within Indian religions that literally means to stay in conduct within one's own Self. In Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism it generally refers to a lifestyle charac ...

lifestyle for thirty-two years. The two form different interpretations of the philosophy they had learnt, and hence spread these variations among their races. Virochana is stated to later be killed by Indra during the

Tarakamaya War The Tarakamaya War () is described to be an ancient conflict in Hindu mythology, instigated by the elopement of Tara, the consort of Brihaspati, by Soma, the god of the moon. It is mentioned in the Padma Purana, and described to be the fifth war ...

between 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 the asuras.

References

{{HinduMythology Daityas Characters_in_the_Bhagavata_Purana Asura