InHinduism,Jaya andVijaya are the twodvarapalakas (gatekeepers) ofVaikuntha, the abode of the godVishnu.[1][2] Due to a curse by thefour Kumaras, they were forced to undergo multiple births as mortals who would be subsequently killed by various avatars of Vishnu. They were incarnated asHiranyakashipu andHiranyaksha in theSatya Yuga,Ravana andKumbhakarna in theTreta Yuga, and finallyShishupala andDantavakra in theDvapara Yuga.[3]
According to theBrahmanda Purana, Jaya and Vijaya were the sons of Kali (not to be confused with theasura) and Kali, in turn, was one of the sons ofVaruna and his wife, Stuta (Sanskrit स्तुत, meaning 'praise'). The brother of Kali (and uncle of Jaya and Vijaya) was Vaidya.[4][5]
While, the Padma Purana says that Jaya and Vijaya are the sons of Kardama and Devahuti. Due to their devotion towards lord Vishnu, they later became the doorkeepers of Vaikuntha.[6]
Jaya is depicted as a four-armed god with the chakra in his upper left hand, ashankha in his upper right hand, amace in his lower left hand, and asword in his lower right hand. Vijaya is depicted in the same manner except that he holds a chakra in his upper right hand, a shankha in his upper left hand, a gada in his lower right hand, and a sword in his lower left hand. They hold three weapons that Vishnu holds: the chakra, the shankha, and the mace, but have a sword in their fourth hands, whereas Vishnu holds a lotus.
According to a story fromBhagavata Purana, theFour Kumaras, Sanaka, Sanandana,Sanatana, and Sanatkumara, who are themanasaputras (mind-born children) ofBrahma, visitVaikuntha, the abode ofVishnu, to see him.[7]
Due to the strength of theirtapas, the four Kumaras appear to be mere children, though they are of advanced age. Jaya and Vijaya interrupt the Kumaras at the gate, thinking them to be children. They also tell the Kumaras that Vishnu is resting and that they cannot see him now. The Kumaras deduce that these beings must possess some kind of fault and sentence them to be born on earth, where they would have to overcome the flaws of lust, anger, and greed, and then be purified. When Vishnu appears before them, and the gatekeepers request Vishnu to lift the curse of the Kumaras, Vishnu says that the curse of the Kumaras cannot be reversed. Instead, he gives Jaya and Vijaya two options. The first option is to take seven births on earth as devotees of Vishnu, while the second is to take three births as his staunch enemies. After serving either of these sentences, they can reattain their stature at Vaikuntha and be with him permanently. Jaya and Vijaya cannot bear the thought of staying away from Vishnu for seven lives. As his enemies, the deity would have to incarnate on earth 3 times to vanquish them. Thus, they would meet him in each of their births. As a result, they choose to be born three times on earth, even though it would have to be as enemies ofVishnu.[8]
In their first life duringSatya Yuga, they were born asHiranyakashipu (Jaya) andHiranyaksha (Vijaya) toDiti (daughter of Daksha Prajapati) and sageKashyapa. Hiranyaksha was killed byVaraha (boaravatar) and Hiranyakashipu was killed byNarasimha (man-lion avatar). In their second life during theTreta Yuga, they were born asRavana (Jaya) andKumbhakarna (Vijaya), and both were killed byRama. In their third life duringDvapara Yuga, they were born asShishupala (Jaya) andDantavakra (Vijaya) and both were killed byKrishna. In their first two births, they were brothers, and in their final birth, they were cousins.[9]
It has been noted by many that the strengths of Jaya and Vijaya gradually declined with each subsequent birth due to the yuga effect. In their first birth, they are born asasuras who captured and ruled the earth individually. In their second birth, they are born asrakshasas ruling merely a region on earth. In the third birth, they are born as humans inKrishna's extended family itself. Moreover, Vishnu incarnated as two avatars to kill Hiranyaksha (Varaha) and Hiranyakashipu (Narasimha) in the Satya Yuga. Born as Rama in the Treta Yuga, he was able to vanquish bothRavana andKumbhakarna. In the Krishna avatar during the Dvapara Yuga, the killing ofDantavakra andShishupala are not even the purpose of the avatar, but rather they are slain to reduce the "bhubhara" (the burden onBhumi due to too many sinners and non-truthful people).
In the modern era, known inSanskrit and held in Hindu tradition as theKali Yuga, Jaya and Vijaya are free from their curse, and they can be seen as gatekeepers in Vishnu temples affiliated withVaishnavism. Statues of Jaya-Vijaya stand prominently in the temple ofVenkateshvara inTirumala, the temple ofJagannath inPuri, and the temple ofRanganatha inSrirangam.