| Banasura | |
|---|---|
 Banasura begs mercy from Krishna | |
| Affiliation | Asura,Shaivism |
| Texts | Bhagavata Purana |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Ambavati also known as Vrinda |
| Children | Usha |
Bana, also referred to asBanasura (Sanskrit:बाणासुर,romanized: Bāṇāsura), is anasura king inHindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son ofMahabali.[1][2] His tale of battling Krishna is described in theBhagavata Purana.
A mightyasura, Bana once ruled over a large kingdom,Śoṇitapura. His influence was so strong and fierce that all the kings – and even some of thedevas – shuddered in front of him. Banasura used to worship arasalingam given to him byVishvakarman, on instruction fromVishnu. As an ardent devotee ofShiva, he used his thousand arms to play themridangam when Shiva was performing thetandavam dance. When Shiva offered Banasura a boon, the latter requested Shiva to be his city's guardian: therefore, Banasura became invincible. As time passed, he became even more cruel and arrogant. One day, Banasura's daughter, Usha, saw a young man in her dream, made love to him, and fell in love with him.[3]Chitralekha, a friend of Usha and a talented artist, helped Usha to identify the young man seen in her dream by sketching various portraits of theVrishnis. Usha realised that she had dreamt ofAniruddha, the grandson ofKrishna. Chitralekha, through her yogic powers, abducted Aniruddha from the palace of Krishna and brought him to Śoṇitapura.[4][5][6][7][8]
Usha worshipped her lover and furnished him with priceless garments, garlands, fragrances, lamps, and with beverages, dishes, and words. Breaking her vow of chastity with him, she kept him hidden in her maiden quarters, and the lovers lost track of the days. Catching wind of his daughter's activities, Banasura rushed to her chambers to find her playing dice with Aniruddha. Even as the prince fended off the guards, Banasura subdued him with the mystical ropes ofVaruna. Usha was overwhelmed with sorrow due to this incident. Aniruddha was held captive by Banasura for a month, untilNarada informed theYadus inDvaraka, who were searching for Aniruddha.[9]
The Yadus' army attacked Banasura in a great battle. The Yadu princes and their army besieged his kingdom with 12akshauhinis, surrounding it completely. Banasura staged a fierce counterattack. During the war,Shiva appeared on the battlefield, riding onNandi, to protect his devotee, Banasura. Balarama fought against Banasura's commander, whileSamba fought against Banasura's son. To bear witness, the leaders of the godly souls headed by Brahma came in their celestial vehicles, as also did the sages, the perfected souls, and the venerable personalities, the singers andapsaras of heaven, and theyakshinis. Krishna and Shiva faced each other. Krishna used abrahmastra against Shiva'sbrahmastra, a mountain weapon against a wind weapon, a rain weapon against a fire weapon, and hisnarayanastra against Shiva'spashupatastra.Kartikeya, assaulted byPradyumna's arrows, fled the battlefield on his peacock. After duelling withSatyaki, Bana took up arms againstKrishna. However, Krishna blew his conch and instantly, Banasura's charioteer was killed and his chariot broken and shattered.When Shiva's forces had been defeated,Jvara, the embodiment of Shiva's fever, bearing three heads and three feet, attacked Krishna with scorching heat. Krishna produced his own Jvara of frigid coldness, and the two fought each other. Overwhelmed by Vishnu's fever, Shiva's Jvara offered its surrender and obeisance to Krishna and departed. Krishna then put Shiva to sleep using 'Jrmbhunastra'.
Meanwhile,Balarama defeated Banasura's commander. Bana rode forth upon his chariot to fight with Krishna, and the latter fought back with hisSudarshana Chakra. When Krishna started chopping Banasura's arms,Shiva returned to his senses and extolled the glories ofKrishna, requested him not to kill Banasura, whom he had bestowed with fearlessness. Obliging, Krishna replied that he had never intended to kill Banasura, since he was the son of Bali and the great-grandson of the devoutPrahlada. Vishnu had promised Bali not to kill any member of his family, and therefore would not slay him. However, Krishna severed Banasura's extra arms to destroy the latter's pride, leaving Banasura with only four arms.
Banasura realised his mistake and bowed his head before Krishna, arranging for a chariot to seat Aniruddha and Usha for their wedding in Dvaraka.[10]
Naraka, also known asNarakāsura, andBhaumāsura was anasura king, the legendary progenitor of all three dynasties ofPragjyotisha-Kamarupa, and the founding ruler of the legendaryBhauma dynasty ofPragjyotisha.[11][12][13] He is claimed as one who establishedPragjyotisha. The pious Naraka became evil due to his association with anasura named Banasura, and hence the suffix 'asura' (demon) was added to his name.[14] He was slain byKrishna andSatyabhama, who was the incarnate of Bhudevi.
The genealogy of Banasura is as follows:[15]
Banasura's story has been narrated in Indian epicMahabharata andBhagavata Purana.
Banasura' story as the rejected suitor for goddessShakti is present inTamil Sangamliterary worksManimekalai andPuranaanooru; Bhattavataar'sBanasura Katha.[16]
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