| Daitya | |
|---|---|
 Sculpture of the daitya king Hiranyakashipu | |
| Affiliation | Asuras |
| Texts | Puranas |
| Parents | Kashyapa andDiti |
Thedaityas (Sanskrit:दैत्य) are a race ofasuras inHindu mythology, descended fromKashyapa and his wife,Diti.[1] Prominent members of this race includeHiranyaksha,Hiranyakashipu, andMahabali, all of whom overran theearth, and required three ofVishnu'savataras to be vanquished.[2]
TheManusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than thedevas:
Tāpasā yatayo viprā ye ca vaimānikā gaṇāḥ
Nakṣatrāṇi ca daityāśca prathamā sāttvikī gatiḥAscetics and hermits, Brāhmaṇas,celestial beings,[note 1]lunar asterisms, and Daityas represent the first state partaking of 'Sattva.'
— Manusmṛti 12.48[3]
The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in theHarivamsha Purana:[4]
Kashyapa, the well-dressed son of Marichi, espoused two sisters of Prajapati, Diti and Aditi. The great Kashyapa begat on Aditi the twelve classes of the celestials, Dhata, Aryama, Mitra, Varuna, Amsha, Bhaga, Indra, Vivashvan, Pusha, Parjanya, Twastha and Vishnu. He began on Diti the powerful Hiranyakashipu. The Daitya-chief Hiranyaksha was his younger brother. Hiranyakashipu had five highly powerful sons, namely Pralhada, Hlada, Sangrada, Jambha and Anuhrada. Pralhada's son was Virocana whose son was Bali. Their sons and grand-sons were all very powerful. Thousands of the descendants of these highly powerful daityas are seen all over the land. Having seen Hiranyakashipu slain by the Man-lion the Daityas made Bali their chief for the destruction of the gods. He was heroic, powerful, pious and self-controlled like Hiranyakashipu and therefore was installed as their king by the Daityas.
— Harivamsha, Chapter 40
Some of the notable daityas mentioned inHindu mythology include:
In the sci-fi franchiseInfinity Horizon, the Daitya are colossal beings from the low-gravity planet Laksha, communicating via advanced olfactory signals and attended by Davana tribes they control through pheromones.[5]
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