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| Grouping | Demigod |
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| Similar entities | Asura |
| Folklore | |
| Other name(s) |
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| Country | India,Nepal,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Thailand,Laos,Cambodia,Indonesia |
Rākshasa (Sanskrit:राक्षस,IAST:rākṣasa,pronounced[raːkʂəsᵊ];Pali:rakkhasa;lit. "preservers")[1] are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured inHinduism,Buddhism,Jainism andFolk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as disruptingVedic sacrifices or eating humans.[2][3]
The term is also used to describeasuras, a class of power-seeking beings that oppose the benevolentdevas. They are often depicted as antagonists inHindu scriptures, as well as inBuddhism andJainism. The female form of rakshasa israkshasi (rākṣasī).[4]
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Brahmā, in a form composed of the quality of foulness, produced hunger, of whom anger was born: and the god put forth in darkness beings emaciate with hunger, of hideous aspects, and with long beards. Those beings hastened to the deity. Such of them as exclaimed, “Oh preserve us!” were thence called Rākṣasas.[5] Those created beings, overwhelmed by hunger, attempted to seize the waters. Those among them who said—“we shall protect these waters”, are remembered as Rākṣasas.[6]
Rakshasas were most often depicted as shape-shifting, fierce-looking, enormous monstrous-looking creatures, with twofangs protruding from the top of the mouth and having sharp, claw-like fingernails. They were shown as being mean, growling beasts, and as insatiableman-eaters that could smell the scent of human flesh. Some of the more ferocious ones were shown with flaming red eyes and hair, drinkingblood with their cupped hands or from human skulls (similar to representations ofvampires in later Western mythology). Generally they could fly, vanish, and hadmaya (magical powers of illusion), which enabled them to change size at will and assume the form of any creature.[7][additional citation(s) needed]
In the world of theRamayana andMahabharata, Rakshasas were a populous race. There were both good and evil rakshasas, and as warriors they fought alongside the armies of both good and evil. They were powerful warriors, expert magicians and illusionists. As shape-changers, they could assume different physical forms. As illusionists, they were capable of creating appearances which were real to those who believed in them or who failed to dispel them. Some of the rakshasas were said to be man-eaters, and made their gleeful appearance when the slaughter on a battlefield was at its worst. Occasionally they served as rank-and-file soldiers in the service of one or another warlord.
Aside from their treatment of unnamed rank-and-file Rakshasas, the epics tell the stories of certain members of these beings who rose to prominence, sometimes as heroes but more often as villains.
Thapar suggests that the Rakshasas could represent exaggerated, supernatural depictions of demonized forest-dwellers who were outside the caste society.[8]
In books 3-6 of theRāmāyaṇa, the rākṣasas are the main antagonists of the narrative. The protagonist Rāma slays many rākṣasas throughout the epic, includingTāṭakā,Mārīca, andRāvaṇa.[3] In the epic, the rākṣasas are portrayed as mainly demonic beings who are aggressive and sexual. They can assume any form they wish, which Rāvaṇa uses to good effect to trick and kidnap Sītā, Rāma's wife, which drives the rest of the narrative. The rākṣasas reside in the forests south of the Gangetic plain and in the island fortress ofLaṅkā, both far away from the lands ofKosala and the home of Rāma. In Laṅkā, the capital of Rāvaṇa, the rākṣasas live in a complex society comparable to the humans ofAyodhyā, where some rākṣasas such asVibhīṣaṇa are moral beings.[9]
ThePandava heroBhima was the nemesis of forest-dwelling Rakshasas who dined on human travellers and terrorized human settlements.
In theMahabharata, Ghatotkacha was summoned by Bhima to fight on the Pandava side in theKurukshetra War. Invoking his magical powers, he wrought great havoc in the Kaurava army. In particular, after the death ofJayadratha, when the battle continued on past sunset, his powers were at their most effective (at night). After performing many heroic deeds on the battlefield and fighting numerous duels with other great warriors (including the Rakshasa Alamvusha, the elephant-riding KingBhagadatta, andAswatthaman, the son ofDrona), Ghatotkacha encountered the human heroKarna. At this point in the battle, the Kaurava leaderDuryodhana had appealed to his best fighter,Karna, to kill Ghatotkacha, as the entire Kaurava army was near annihilation due to his ceaseless strikes from the air. Karna possessed a divine weapon,Shakti, granted by the god Indra. It could be used only once and Karna had been saving it to use on his arch-enemyArjuna, the best Pandava fighter. Unable to refuse Duryodhana, Karna used the Shakti against Ghatotkacha, killing him. This is considered to be the turning point of the war. After his death, the Pandava counselorKrishna smiled, as he considered the Pandava prince Arjuna to be saved from certain death, as Karna had used theShakta divine weapon. A temple inManali,Himachal Pradesh, honors Ghatotkacha; it is located near theHidimba Devi Temple.
Rakshasa heroes fought on both sides in the Kurukshetra war.
Many Rakshasas appear in various Buddhist Scriptures. In Chinese tradition rakshasa are known asluosha (羅刹/罗刹).[19] In Japan, they are known asrasetsu (羅刹).
Chapter 26 of theLotus Sutra includes a dialogue between the Buddha and a group of rakshasa daughters, who swear to uphold and protect theLotus Sutra. They also teach magicaldhāraṇīs to protect followers who also uphold the sutra.[20]
Five rakshasha are part ofMahakala's retinue. They are Kala and Kali, husband and wife, and their offspring Putra, Bhatri and Bharya.[21]
The Lankavatara Sutra mentions the island ofSri Lanka as land of Rakshasas. Their king is the Rakshasa called Ravana, who invitesBuddha to Sri Lanka for delivering the sermon in the land. There are other Rakhasas from the land, such as Wibisana, who is believed to be the brother of Ravana inSri Lankan Buddhist mythology.[22]
InThe Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava, recorded byYeshe Tsogyal,Padmasambhava receives thenickname of "Rakshasa" during one of his wrathful conquests to subdue Buddhistheretics.
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Jain accounts vary from theHindu accounts of Rakshasa. According toJain literature, Rakshasa was a kingdom of civilized and vegetarian people belonging to the race ofVidyadhara, who were devotees ofTirthankara.[23]
Kejawèn-influencedIndonesianMuslims view the Rakshasas as the result of people whose soul is replaced by the spirit of a devil (shayāṭīn). The devils are envious of humans and thus attempt to possess their body and minds. If they succeed, the human adapts to the new soul and gains their qualities, turning the person into a Rakshasa.[24]
The artists ofAngkor inCambodia frequently depictedRavana in stone sculpture andbas-relief. The "Nāga bridge" at the entrance to the 12th-century city ofAngkor Thom is lined with large stone statues ofDevas and Asuras engaged in churning theOcean of Milk. The ten-headedRavana is shown anchoring the line of Asuras.[25]
A bas-relief at the 12th-century temple ofAngkor Wat depicts the figures churning the ocean. It includesRavana anchoring the line of Asuras that are pulling on the serpent's head. Scholars have speculated that one of the figures in the line ofDevas is Ravana's brotherVibhishana. They pull on a serpent's tail to churn the Ocean of Milk.[26] Another bas-relief at Angkor Wat shows a 20-armed Ravana shakingMount Kailasa.[27]
The artists of Angkor also depicted the Battle of Lanka between the Rakshasas under the command ofRavana and the Vanaras or monkeys under the command ofRama andSugriva. The 12th-century Angkor Wat contains a dramatic bas-relief of the Battle of Lanka between Ravana's Rakshasas andRama's monkeys. Ravana is depicted with ten heads and twenty arms, mounted on a chariot drawn by creatures that appear to be a mixture of horse, lion, and bird. Vibhishana is shown standing behind and aligned with Rama and his brotherLakshmana.Kumbhakarna, mounted on a similar chariot, is shown fightingSugriva.[28]
This battle is also depicted in a less refined bas-relief at the 12th-century temple ofPreah Khan.
Rakshasa have long been a race of villains in theDungeons & Dragons role-playing game. They appear as animal-headed humanoids (generally with tiger or monkey heads) with their hands inverted (palms of its hands are where the backs of the hands would be on a human). They are masters of necromancy, enchantment and illusion (which they mostly use to disguise themselves) and are very hard to kill, especially due to their partial immunity to magical effects. They ravenously prey upon humans as food and dress themselves in fine clothing.[29] This version of the rakshasa was heavily inspired by an episode ofKolchak: The Night Stalker[30] entitled "Horror in the Heights," which aired on December 20, 1974.[citation needed]
Rakshasa appears in theUnicorn: Warriors Eternal episode "Darkness Before Dawn". He is a humanoid tiger similar to theD&D depiction. This version is a fierce but benevolent guardian of the jungle who allies withMerlin against the Evil.[31]
In the filmWorld War Z, Rakshasa were mentioned in reference to the zombies in India.[32]
InIndonesian andMalaysian variants ofMalay which have significantSanskrit influence,raksasa now means "giant", "gigantic", "huge and strong";[33] the Malaysian variant recognises the word as an outright official equivalent to "monster"[34] whereas the Indonesian variant uses it more in colloquial usage.[33]
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