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Rakshasa Physiology

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"Wake up the slumbering Rakshasa of the bloodthirsty blade."
― Tobio Ikuse (Highschool DxD)

The power to use the abilities of the Rakshasa. Variation of Demon Physiology and Hindu Deity Physiology.

Also Called[]

  • Rakshasa Mimicry
  • Rakkhasa
  • राक्षस (Rākṣasa)

Capabilities[]

User with this ability either is or can transform into a Rakshasa, a humanoid being or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religions. They are notorious for disturbing sacrifices, desecrating graves, harassing priests, possessing human beings, and so on. Their fingernails are venomous, and they feed on human flesh and spoiled food. They are shape-changers, illusionists, and magicians.

In Vedic texts they are most often depicted as mean, fierce looking, ugly, large as hills, black as soot, with two fangs protruding down from the top of the mouth, having sharp claw-like fingernails, and growling like beasts. They are also depicted as cannibals with an insatiable hunger, who can smell the scent of animal, men or flesh. Some more ferocious ones are shown with flaming red eyes and flaming hair, drinking blood with their palms or from a human skull. Generally they have the power to fly, can vanish and also increase or decrease their size at will and take the form of any animal, human or other thing at their will.

In the Hindu epics they are a populous race of supernatural humanoids. There were both good and evil rakshasas, and as warriors they fought along side the armies of both good and evil. They are powerful warriors, expert magicians and illusionists. As shape-changers, they can assume various physical forms, and it is not always clear whether they have a true or natural form. As illusionists, they are capable of creating appearances which are real to those who believe in them or who fail to dispel them. Some of the rakshasas are said to be man-eaters, and make their gleeful appearance when the slaughter on the battlefield is at its worst.

Applications[]

Variations[]

Notable Rakshasa[]

Out of the many powerful Rakshasa that existed in Hindu Myth, there were a few cases that demonstrated abilities and power that made them leaders among the other Rakshasa. Some include:

  • Ahiravan - In some versions of the Ramayana such as the Krittivasi Ramayana, Mahiravana, also called Ahiravana, is a rakshasa ruler of Patala.
    • Absolute Illusion and Transcendent Demon (He is variously described as either an ally or a brother of the rakshasa king Ravana. He secretly carried away Rama and his brother Lakshmana to the nether-world, consulted his friends, and decided to sacrifice the life of the two divine brothers at the altar of his chosen deity, goddess Mahamaya. However, Hanuman saved their lives by decapitating Mahiravana, and destroying his army)
  • Akshayakumara - Akṣayakumāra (Sanskrit: अक्षयकुमार), also known as Mahabali Akshya in various languages, was the eldest son of Ravana and the brother of Meghanada.
  • Atikaya - Atikaya (Sanskrit: अतिकाय, romanized: Atikāya) is the son of Ravana and his second wife Dhanyamalini in the Hindu epic Ramayana who was granted the Brahma Kavacha after making penance to Brahma in the Ramayana.
    • Nigh-Absolute Invulnerability (Was virtually invulnerable within his armour Brahma Kavacha; he was only damaged after the wind god Vayu told Lakshmana his secret)
    • Absolute Invincibility (Was also completely invincible with his armour)
    • Immunity to Absolute Destruction (Caught Shiva's trident, the Trishula, a weapon that can destroy anything it touches, in mid air and laughed about it)
    • Absolute Speed Flight (In Valmiki Ramayana: Yuddha Kanda [Sarga] 71: "Brahma, the lord of creation, granted a boon, exempting him from death at the hands of celestials and demons as also this wonderful armour and thechariot shining like the sun.")
      • Infinity Manipulation (Via his armour. "Lakshmana’s arrows was unable to afflict Atikaya due to his inviolable armour. This armour protected Atikaya from Lakshmana’s sharp arrows. Then, the furious Lakshmana showered forth hails of arrows on Atikaya, as a rainy cloud showers hails of down-pour. Reaching Atikaya, those arrows with the points of their shafts shattered on his armour, adorned with diamonds and instantly fell on the earth's surface. Seeing those arrows becoming unsuccessful, the highly famous Lakshmana the annihilator of enemy-warriors, showered forth arrows in thousands. Atikaya, that mighty demon, though deluged with a flood of arrows, was not agitated in battle because of the inviolability of his armour... Split him with a missile of Brahma. He cannot be killed by any other means. The mighty Atikaya, with that armour, cannot be destroyed by other missiles.")
        • Attraction & Repulsion ("Taking trees and mountain peaks, Kumuda, Dvivida, Mainda, Nila and Sharabha marched forwards quickly to attack him at once. Atikaya of great splendour, the foremost among those skilled in weaponry, chopped off their trees and crags with his arrows decked with gold. That strong and skilled Atikaya with a terrific body, struck all those monkeys, facing in front of him in battle with arrows fully made of iron. Those overthrown monkeys, injured with their blown out bodies, by the shower of Atikaya's arrows in that great battle, were unable to retaliate on him. That demon, who was arrogant of his youth, frightened that army of monkey-warriors, as an enraged lion frightens a herd of deers.")
        • Paralysis Inducement and Celestial Combat ("He is Atikaya, who paralyzed the thunderbolt of the intelligent Indra with his arrows. He struck down the noose of Varuna, the seizer of transgressors. This wise Ravana's son, who is strong and the foremost of demons took off the pride of celestials and ogres... He conquered the celestials and the ogres several times, destroyed Yakshas the supernatural beings and defended the demons.")
    • Encyclopedic Knowledge and Enhanced Intelligence (Learned all the secrets of archery after Shiva saw him catching his trident)
    • Raw Power - Was able to bare-handedly catch an attack of one of the Trimurti with no negative effects, and laugh afterwards.
    • Absolute Reincarnation (Atikaya and his uncle Kumbhakarna are believed to be incarnations of the asuras Madhu and Kaitabha)

If Atikaya has the power of both Madhu and Kaitabha:

  • Madhu and Kaitabha - A pair of asura brothers who casually fought Mahavishnu and survived.
    • Primordial Darkness Manipulation (The illustrious Achyuta is without beginning and without end. He looked at those two drops of water. One of these was beautiful and radiant and looked like honey. On Narayana’s instructions, Madhu, based on tamas qualities, was generated from this. The other drop was hard, and Kaitabha, based on rajas qualities, was generated from this. With the qualities of tamas and rajas, these two superior ones advanced While Brahma looked on, they violently seized the Vedas. Having seized the eternal Vedas, the best among the danavas quickly entered the nether regions, inside the waters of the great ocean.)
      • Meta Death-Force Manipulation, Absolute Restoration, Omni-Perception, Omni-Protection and Divine Power Replication (According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Madhu and Kaitabha originated from Vishnu's earwax, and performed a long period of tapas devoted to the goddess Mahadevi, employing the Vāgbīja mantra. The goddess granted them the boon of death befalling them only with their consent, which was granted. The proud asuras then started attacking Brahma, and stole the Vedas, hiding themselves in Patala. Brahma sought Vishnu's help, and eulogised the deity in order to awaken him)
      • Archetype: Omnislayer and Size Manipulation (The two asuras then fought against Vishnu, and were undefeated. Upon advice from Mahadevi, Vishnu employed deceit to destroy the two asuras. Vishnu praised the powers of the two asuras, and said that he would be pleased to grant them boons. Laughing, the boastful asuras, proud of their victories against Vishnu, said that they were willing to grant him boons instead. Vishnu cleverly asked Madhu and Kaitabha for the boon of slaying them. Defeated, the asuras requested Vishnu to be slain at any location except in the water, believing that they would still be invincible upon land. They were subsequently vanquished by Vishnu with his Sudarshana Chakra: Mahāviṣṇu instantly raised his thighs which were enlarged to a great extent over the water as solid earth seeing which the Asuras enlarged their bodies to the extent of a thousand yojanas. But Mahāviṣṇu enlarged his thighs further, caught hold of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, laid them on his thighs and cut off their heads with his discus)
      • Continent Creation (As the Bhagavata Purana has it, the demons Madhu and Kaitabha stole the Vedas from Lord Brahma and deposited them deep inside the waters of the primeval ocean. It was Lord Vishnu, in his manifestation as Hayagriva, killed them, and retrieved the Vedas. The bodies of Madhu and Kaitabha disintegrated into 2 times 6 — which is twelve pieces (two heads, two torsos, four arms, and four legs). These are considered to represent the twelve seismic plates of the Earth)
      • Infinite Energy (Existed before creation and literally fought Vishnu for 5000 years straight)
      • Complete nullification of Autopotence and Absolute Transcendence (Fought and likely killed Vishnu several times over as well as having fought Mahavishnu, the strongest form of Vishnu)
      • Power Level Infinitum (According to another legend, Madhu and Kaitabha were two asuras who had become powerful enough to annihilate Brahma. However, Brahma spotted them, and begged the goddess Mahamaya for help. Vishnu then awoke, and the two conspiring asuras were killed. This led to Vishnu being offered the epithets Madhusudana - the killer of Madhu, and Kaitabhajit - the victor of Kaitabha)
      • Reality Warping, Coincidence Nullification and Logic Manipulation in tandem with Absolute Death Inducement (Giving the ability to harm themselves to others. They could give boons to slay them)
      • Absolute Defense (Vishnu killed them using Vaishnavastra according to Uttarakhanda and also gave Brahma the knowledge of creation. "This arrow is full of energy and you are scared because of that. Earlier, this belonged to the eternal god who is the creator of the worlds. The great-souled one created this great arrow to slay the two daityas, Madhu and Kaitabha. Only Vishnu knows about this arrow, which is filled with energy. Earlier, it was the embodied form of the great-souled Vishnu himself. You said that creation was my task and invested everything in me. O lord of the universe! Having taken up the burden invested on me, I worshipped you.")
  • Bakasura - Bakasura (Sanskrit: बकासुर, IAST: Bakasura), also rendered Baka, is a rakshasa featured in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The rakshasa lives in a forest which nowadays known as "Gangani" located near Garhbeta town of the Indian state of West Bengal.
    • Cannibalism Empowerment and Supernatural Condition (Could casually uproot trees. One day, Kunti heard the lamentations of the members of the family, and sought to identify the source of their distress. She overheard the husband speak of his woe that he would have to sacrifice himself in order to protect his wife and children. His wife, daughter, and son all desired to be the ones to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their family. Curious, Kunti approached them and sought some details regarding their troubles. The Brahmin informed her of the rakshasa named Bakasura, who defended the people from attackers, in exchange for a weekly delivery of a cartload of food. The person who delivered the cartload would also be devoured by the rakshasa. Disturbed, Kunti declared that no Brahmin should have to die for the depredations of the creature, and that her son, Bhima, would go in their stead. She assured the Brahmins that Bhima was of great prowess. Bhima immediately agreed to vanquish the rakshasa in gratitude for his hosts. That night, he was dispatched with the food that was to be delivered to the rakshasa, and carried the cartload to the forest, where Bakasura dwelt. The aroma of the food overpowered the Pandava so much that he started to consume it. When Bakasura saw his provisions being consumed, he was enraged, and rushed to attack Bhima. The two uprooted trees and hurled them at each other, and then proceeded to drag each other against the earth)
  • Daruka - A Rakshasa who was a great devotee of Parvati
    • Reality Warping and Meta Nature Manipulation (The Shiva Purana features the Rakshasi Dārukā and her husband, a rakshasa named Dāruka, who terrorized the forest named after them, called the Darukavana. Dārukā is stated to have acquired a boon from the goddess Parvati, upon which she grew arrogant and reckless. The inhabitants of the forest sought the assistance of the sage Aurva, who declared that any rakshasa who attacked them further upon the earth would perish. The devas, led by Indra, started to wage war on the beings. To save the race from extermination, Dārukā suggested that they move to an island beneath the ocean. The forest would follow with them owing to her boon, and they would not be further attacked. Now safe, the beings started to harass people who travelled upon the boats above and imprisoned them. One of the prisoners was a Shaiva devotee named Supriya. He taught the other prisoners the Panchakshara mantra of Shiva. The rakshasa Dāruka attempted to kill Supriya. Shiva appeared to rescue his devotee, slaying Dāruka with the Pashupatastra. When his wife, Dārukā, prayed to Parvati for mercy, the goddess urged her consort to spare her life. Hearing her plea, Shiva allowed her and the other rakshasas to reside in the forest. Shiva assumed the form of a Jyotirlinga with the name Nageshvara in the site, while the goddess Parvati came to be venerated as Nageshvari)
    • Teleportation, Hell Lordship and Forest Lordship (In another version, in the realm of the netherworlds, there resided a demoness named Daruka who engaged in deep penance to appease the powerful and eternal Goddess Adi Shakti. Reciting the sacred mantra "Om Adi Shakti aye Namo Namah," Daruka's devotion caught the attention of Goddess Adi Shakti, who appeared before her. Impressed by Daruka's penance, the benevolent goddess granted her a boon. Daruka humbly requested the protection of her husband and the demon clan, along with a source of sustenance. In response, Goddess Adi Shakti bestowed her blessings upon Daruka, creating a lush forest where they could find solace and security. She assured Daruka that she, her husband, and their demon clan would be safeguarded. With her divine mission accomplished, Goddess Adi Shakti vanished from sight. However, upon learning of the boon and the protection granted by Goddess Adi Shakti, Daruka's husband, Daruk, harboured malevolent intentions. Envisioning an opportunity to feast upon the beings of Earth, including humans, animals, and plants, he urged Daruka to transport their forest to the mortal realm. Succumbing to his desires, Daruka complied. Yet, their wicked actions did not go unnoticed. A wise sage, observing their malevolence, invoked a curse upon Daruk, Daruka, and the entire demon clan. The curse dictated that any attempt to harm gods or sages would lead to their ultimate demise. Lord Shiva, too, expressed his disapproval and cursed the unrighteous demons, decreeing that they would meet their end if they engaged in wrongful deeds)
  • Hidimba - Hidimba (Sanskrit: हिडिम्ब, Hiḍimba) was a powerful demon king who is mentioned in the epic Mahābhārata.
    • Cannibalism Empowerment and Infinite Supply (The demon Hidimba lived in a forest along with his sister Hidimbi. While travelling, the Pandavas stopped in that forest to rest while Bhima stood on guard. Hidimba ate human flesh and became eager to devour them. He sent Hidimbi to kill the Pandavas and to bring them back to him. Hidimbi went on his instructions, but her mind changed on seeing Bhima. She assumed the form of a beautiful woman and told about her brother to Bhima. She proposed him to become his husband)
    • Olfaction Manipulation (Could smell a trap from several miles away)
  • Hiḍimbaa - Hiḍimbaa (Sanskrit: हिडिम्बा, IAST: Hiḍimbaa), or Hiḍimbi, is the rakshasi wife of the Pandava Bhima and the mother of Ghatotkacha in the Mahābhārata. She meets Bhima in the 9th sub-parva (Hidimva-vadha Parva) of the Adi Parva. She is also referred to as Bhuṭanadevī or Pallavī.
    • Cannibalism Empowerment and Shapeshifting (The story begins in the Lākṣāgṛha of the Mahābhārata after the Pāṇḍavās reached a dense forest. Exhausted from their travels, they all fell asleep at night, except for Bhīma, who kept watch. In the same forest lived Hiḍimbi and her brother Hiḍimbā, a very powerful rakshasa. He smelled the Pāṇḍavās at a distance and as usual asked Hiḍimbi to lure the well-built Bhīma into a trap so he could eat him. Hiḍimbi confronted Bhīma and instead fell in love with him. She assumed the form of a very beautiful lady and approached Bhīma, expressing her desire to marry him by revealing her true identity, as well as her brother's intentions. Bhīma confronted Hiḍimbā, and soon overpowered the rakshasa and slew him. Kuntī and other Pāṇḍavās all watched the duel from a distance)
  • Jarāmaraṇa - Jarāmaraṇa is Sanskrit and Pāli for "old age" (jarā) and "death" (maraṇa). In Buddhism, jaramarana is associated with the inevitable decay and death-related suffering of all beings prior to their rebirth within saṃsāra (cyclic existence).
    • Meta Time Manipulation, Samsara Manipulation, Absolute Death Inducement and Meta Power Negation (The word jarā is related to the older Vedic Sanskrit word jarā, jaras, jarati, gerā, which means "to become brittle, to decay, to be consumed". The Vedic root is related to the Latin granum, Goth. kaurn, Greek geras, geros (later geriatric) all of which in one context mean "hardening, old age". The word maraṇa is based on the Vedic Sanskrit root mṛ, mriyate which means death. The Vedic root is related to later Sanskrit marta, as well as to German mord, Lith. mirti, Latin morior and mors all of which mean "to die, death")
    • Supernatural Disease Manipulation (Within the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, jarā and maraṇa are identified as aspects of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, unsatisfactoriness). For example, The Discourse That Sets Turning the Wheel of Truth states: "Now this, bhikkhus, for the spiritually ennobled ones, is the true reality which is pain: birth is painful, aging is painful, illness is painful, death is painful; sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, unhappiness and distress are painful; union with what is disliked is painful; separation from what is liked is painful; not to get what one wants is painful; in brief, the five bundles of grasping-fuel are painful." – Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya, Translated by Peter Harvey "Elsewhere in the canon the Buddha further elaborates on Jarāmaraṇa (aging and death): "And what is aging? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging. "And what is death? Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up, disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called death.")
    • Complete Immunity to Absolute Restoration and Absolute Change (I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.... I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.... I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.... In the Pali Canon, aging and death affect all beings, including gods, humans, animals and those born in a hell realm. Only beings who achieve enlightenment (bodhi) in this lifetime escape rebirth in this cycle of birth-and-death (saṃsāra). As what the Buddha instructed King Pasenadi of Kosala about aging and death in the Pabbatopama Sutta (SN 3.25): Like massive boulders, mountains pressing against the sky, moving in from all sides, crushing the four directions, so aging and death come rolling over living beings: noble warriors, brahmins, merchants, workers, outcastes, & scavengers. They spare nothing. They trample everything. So a wise person seeing his own good, steadfast, secures confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. One who practices the Dhamma in thought, word, & deed, receives praise here on earth and after death rejoices in heaven)
  • Jarasandha - Jarasandha (Sanskrit: जरासन्ध, romanized: Jarāsandha) is a king featured in Hindu literature. He is the powerful monarch of Magadha, and a minor antagonist in Mahabharata.
    • Birth Manipulation (Jarasandha's father, King Brihadratha, was married to the twin daughters of the king of Kashi. Brihadratha loved both his wives equally but had no sons. The sage Chandakaushika visited his kingdom and gave fruit to the king as a boon. The king divided the fruit equally between both of his wives. Soon, both wives became pregnant and gave birth to two halves of a human body. These two lifeless halves were very horrifying to view, so Brihadratha ordered to be thrown in the forest. An asuri named Jara found the two halves and picked up one with her right hand, one with her left, holding each piece in her palm. When she brought both of her palms together, the two pieces joined, becoming a living child. The child cried loudly, which caused Jara to panic. Not having the heart to eat a living child, Jara took the baby to the king and explained to him all that had happened. The father was overjoyed to see his son, and named the baby "Jarasandha" in honor of Jara the Asuri)
    • Meta Combat (As Jarasandha was a powerful warrior, it was necessary for the Pandavas to eliminate him. Krishna, Bhima, and Arjuna disguised as brahmins traveled to Magadha and met Jarasandha. After a formal meeting, Jarasandha enquired about their intentions. Krishna, Bhima, and Arjuna revealed their actual identities. Krishna then challenged Jarasandha for a duel and gave him the freedom to choose any one belligerent. Jarasandha selected Bhima for a duel. Both Bhima and Jarasandha were accomplished wrestlers. The duel continued for several days and neither of them was willing to give up. After a long battle, Jarasandha grew tired. Krishna then hinted Bhima that when fatigued, a person might die if pressed too hard. Bhima understood Krishna's hint, lifted Jarasandha in the air and pressed his knee against Jarasandha's backbone, killing him instantly)
  • Jatasura - Jatasura (Sanskrit: जटासुर, romanized: Jaṭāsura) is a rakshasa in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He disguises himself as a Brahmin and attempts to abduct three of the Pandava brothers, Yudhishthira, Sahadeva, and Nakula, and their common wife, Draupadi. He is slain by Bhima.
    • Shapeshifting, Size Manipulation and Supernatural Strength (According to the Mahabharata, Jatasura appeared in the guise of a Brahmin to the Pandavas. His goal was to gain their confidence in order to seize their weapons, and ravish their common wife, Draupadi. One day, when Bhima was away, Jatasura assumed a monstrous form. He seized the weapons and also abducted Yudhishthira, Sahadeva, Nakula, and Draupadi. Sahadeva managed to escape from his grasp, and rushed to seek the aid of Bhima. Yudhishthira confused their captor by showering him with moral accusations, observing Jatasura's lack of intelligence. Bhima arrived on the scene and prepared to wrestle the rakshasa on his own, discouraging assistance from Nakula and Sahadeva. The Pandava and the rakshasa fought with gigantic trees, large rocks, along with their arms)
  • Kabandha - A good demon who helped Rama.
    • Absolute Strength (Via his hands. The demon grabbed Rama in his right arm and Lakshmana in his left. Finding themselves helpless in Kabandha's clutches, Lakshmana appeals to Rama to escape and find Sita, leaving him behind as a sacrifice to the demon)
    • Transcendent Physiology (In Hinduism, Kabandha (कबन्ध, Kabandha, lit. "headless torso") is a Rakshasa (demon) who is killed and freed from a curse by the god Rama – an Avatar of Vishnu – and his brother Lakshmana. Kabandha's legend appears in the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as in later Ramayana adaptations)
      • Cosmic Divinity, Absolute Immortality and Meta Music Manipulation (The Ramayana narrates that Kabandha was born as a gandharva (celestial musician) named Vishvavasu. He was the son of the Gandharva Sri Vishvavasu or Sri and was also known as Danu (दनु). Vishvavasu performed penance and got the boon of immortality from the creator-god Brahma. He became arrogant due to his boon and attacked Indra, the god-king of heaven. Indra used his celestial weapon the Vajra (thunderbolt) and drove Vishvavasu's head and thighs into his body. Vishvavasu pleaded that he be given a way to find and eat food. Upon Vishvavasu's beseeching, Indra gave him two long arms and a mouth on his belly. Indra also decreed that Kabandha would regain his original form when Rama severs his arms)
    • Reach Manipulation, permanent Meta Love Inducement and Enchantment (The Adhyatma Ramayana tells that Kabandha (the name Vishvavasu is not used) was a Gandharva chief, who was blessed by Brahma with immortality. He was "drunk with the wine of youth and beauty" and used to roam the universe's enchanting beautiful maidens. Once, he laughed at the sage Ashtavakra ("one who was eight deformities"), who cursed him to become a Rakshasa, though the sage assured him that Rama would free him of the curse. Still arrogant, Kabandha once chased Indra. The rest of the Indra episode mirrors the Ramayana telling. The Mahabharata tells that Kabandha was a Gandharva named Vishvavasu in his previous life and was cursed by Brahma to be born "from a Rakshasa womb". The Mahavira-Charita calls Kabandha's real form Danu, son of Sri. The Bhattikavya does not explicitly name Kabandha. He is introduced as "a dreadful demon that was always hungry and being endowed with long arms". Later, he is identified as Sri's son, who was cursed by an ascetic. The Ramacharitamanas tells that Kabandha was cursed by the sage Durvasa, who is known for his hot temper in Hindu mythology)
    • Lightning Calling, Fire Generation, Cannibalism Empowerment and Meta Life-Force Manipulation (The Mahabharata describes him thus: Kabandha was "as big as a mountain, dark as a black cloud, with pointed hairs all over his body and looked fierce with a voice as loud as thunder. He had an eye on his stomach, round and yellow, emitting a glare like a fire-flame. Looking wicked he thrust his big tongue out of his huge mouth licking the sides." The Ramayana presents a similar description of Kabandha. Kabandha had a broad chest and was without a head or neck. He had only one eye on his chest and a mouth on his belly. He used his long arms to draw his prey closer. Kabandha is often depicted as a tree. Since Vishvavasu now did not have a head, but just two arms and a mouth on his stomach, he came to be known as the Rakshasa (demon) Kabandha, the "headless torso". The word Kabandha is often used to describe a large big-bellied barrel or a headless trunk, shaped like a barrel, which retains its vitality. Adhyatma Ramayana tells us that Kabandha was a fierce cannibal and his arms were eight miles long. His huge face – which had no eyes or ears – was at his chest. He had no head or legs)
    • Meta Luck, Meta Probability Manipulation and Zenith Form (The Ramayana narrates: the brothers burnt Kabandha's corpse on a funeral pyre. As the pyre was lit, Kabandha's demon form melted and from the flames Vishvavasu rose up in the air in his celestial form, dressed in spotless garments and finery as a chariot from heaven appears to get him. Vishvavasu told the brothers that to fight calamity there are six ways, one of which to nurture a friendship with someone, who is in trouble. He advised the brothers to find the monkey (vanara) king Sugriva, who would guide them in the quest for Sita. Vishvavasu informed Rama that Sugriva was driven out of his kingdom by his own brother Vali and that Rama should help Sugriva regain his kingdom. The deposed Sugriva dwelt at Rsyamukha hill. Vishvavasu then described in detail the route to Rsyamukha hill. He advised Rama to travel in the western direction till he reached the Pampa lake in the region called Matangavana where sage Matanga's hermitage once stood. Ram would meet vanaras at this lake and also sage Matanga's aged female disciple Shabari, who is waiting for him and after Rama's visit, would ascend to heaven. To east of Matangavana is the Rsyamukha hill, which has an arduous path up. Kabandha revealed that one who ascends to the top of this hill, his dreams come true. Kabandha also assured Rama that his sorrows would end after reaching this hill, where Sugriva dwelt in a cave on the side on the hill. Kabandha then disappears. The demon urges Rama to believe him as he is telling the truth. At last, the demon transforms into a radiant divine being as he was telling the truth and plunges into the sky and he is also a cursed Gandharva)
  • Kalanemi - Kalanemi (Sanskrit: कालनेमि, romanized: Kālanemī, lit. 'felly of the wheel of time') is an asura in Hindu mythology.
    • Meta Time Manipulation and Omni Identity (Kalanemi is a compound word made up of 'Kala', which means "time", and 'nemi', which means "the felly of a wheel or a portion". It represents the time segment of the wheel of time that denotes "the afternoon leading to sunset". 'Kala' also means "black", perceived to be the asura Kalanemi, who represents the period of darkness that "increases as the day move toward night and as the Dvapara Yuga moves towards the Kali Yuga.")
    • Supernatural Strength (In the Padma Purana, Kalanemi fought on the side of Soma and the rest of the daityas in the Tarakamaya War against the devas. He showered mountains upon the devas, who were terrified by the very sight of him as he had grown to immense proportions)
      • Holy Fire Generation and Transcendent Weaponry (He breathed flames from his mouth, and launched a number of divine missiles on his foes)
      • Earthquake Generation (On a planetary scale. When the asura smashed Garuda's head with his mace, Vishnu retaliated by employing the Sudarshana Chakra to chop all of the former's arms, causing his lifeless form to shake the earth upon its collapse)
      • Omni-Immunity (To all beings but Vishnu - The devas were then advised by Narada to seek the help of Vishnu, as only he could kill Kalanemi, who had immense powers acquired by meditation)
      • Enlightenment and Nigh-Omnipotence Bestowal (On the request made by the devas, Vishnu, riding his mount Garuda, attacked Kalanemi, and rendered him unconscious. Regaining consciousness, Kalanemi realised that he was confronting Vishnu, and accepted his defeat, requesting Vishnu to grant him beatitude as he had been defeated by a divine being)
  • Kalmashapada - Kalmashapada (Sanskrit: कल्माषपाद, Romanized: Kalmāṣapāda), also known as Saudasa (Sanskrit: सौदास, romanized: Saudāsa), Mitrasaha (Sanskrit: मित्रसह, romanized: Mitrasaha), and Amitrasaha (Sanskrit: अमित्रसह, romanized: Amitrasaha) is a king of the Ikshvaku dynasty (the Solar dynasty) In Hindu scriptures, who was cursed to be a rakshasa (demon) by the sage Vashishtha. He is described as an ancestor of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu and the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana.
    • Cannibalism Empowerment (A cannibal)
    • Solar Empowerment (King of the Solar Dynasty)
    • Immunity to Meta Jinx (Some texts state that Kalmashapada's birth name was Mitrasaha, but he was known by his patronymic Saudasa. A commentator on the Vishnu Purana says that Mitra-saha (literally, "one who forbears a friend") is an epithet the king acquires from the curse of the sage Vashishtha. The king restrains (saha) himself from retaliation against his friend (mitra) Vashishtha's curse, though he possesses the power to do so. The Vayu Purana, the Agni Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Harivamsa call him Amitrasaha, "one who forbears (saha) a foe (amitra)"; here, Vashishtha is taken to be an enemy)
    • Nigh-Omniscience (Learns knowledge from the sage Gautama)
  • Kamsa - Kamsa (Sanskrit: कंस, Romanized: Kaṃsa) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, while the Harivamśa describes him as an asura reborn in the body of a man.
  • Kirmira - The younger brother of Bakasura
    • True Illusion, Shapeshifting and Fire Manipulation (One night during their travels, the exiled Pandavas reached the deserted forest where Kirmira lived. The hour had passed midnight, so Kirmira had come out. With his prominent teeth and blazing hair, he took on an appearance akin to thunderclouds. He started "to spread the illusion proper to his species." He obstructed the Pandavas and frightened Draupadi, who was escorted and supported by the five Pandavas. After his illusion was destroyed by the priest Dhaumya, Yudhishthira, as the eldest Pandava, spoke with Kirmira. Thus Kirmira learned that before him stood the Pandavas, including Bhima. Kirmira swore that he would have revenge against Bhima, who had slain his brother Bakasura and friend Hidimba. Arjuna strung his bow, but Yudhishthira told him to desist, allowing Bhima to fight Kirmira in a duel. The mighty-armed Bhima first tore up a tree and brought it down on the head of the cannibal. The Rakshasa was unmoved by the blow and hurled his firebrand at Bhima. But Bhima deflected it back towards the Rakshasa. They continued to battle, breaking innumerable trees over each others' heads. Then the Rakshasa hurled a crag at Bhima, also without result)
  • Kumbhakarna was a brother of Ravana. A fearsome warrior and master of illusion, but despite his monstrous size and great hunger, he was described to be of good character, though he killed and ate many Hindu monks just to show his power.
    • Hibernation and immunity to Meta Death-Force Manipulation (Vibhishana narrated that Kumbhakarna had been born with immense strength, having subdued both Indra and Yama, striking the former in the chest with the broken tusk of Airavata. At the bequest of Indra, Brahma cursed the rakshasa to "sleep like he is dead". On Ravana's request, he commuted the curse to have the rakshasa sleep for six months at a time, and wake up for exactly one day to wreak havoc and devour to his heart's content)
    • Illusion Manipulation and Infinite Supply (When Kumbhakarna asked for his boon, his tongue was tied by the goddess Saraswati, who acted on Indra's request. Instead of asking for Indrāsana (the throne of Indra), he asked for Nidrāsana (a bed for sleeping). It is also said that he intended to ask for Nirdevatvam (annihilation of the devas) and instead asked for Nidravatvam (sleep). His request was instantly granted. However, his brother Ravana requested Brahma to undo this curse as a boon and Brahma reduced it to sleeping for six months, after which he would sleep again as soon as his appetite was satisfied)
    • Matter Ingestion (Kumbhakarna is portrayed as a loyal, powerful, and fearless character who fought to defend his brother and land out of obligation and affection. He had an grand appetite and slept for six months at a time)
    • One-Man Army (In defense of his kingdom, Ravana charged into battle and was humiliated by Rama and his army after underestimating his enemy. He decided he needed the help of his brother Kumbhakarna, who woke up only after 1,000 elephants walked over him)
      • Absolute Strength (In the Mahabharata he beat up Ghatotkacha, the same being who could create countless soldiers)
    • Size Manipulation (Lakshmana and Kumbhakarna dueled for a long period, leaving both of them exhausted. In his battle against Rama, Kumbhakarna had one arm cut off by the Vayuastra and the other mutilated by the Indrastra. Still, he raged towards Rama, opening his mouth to swallow him whole, and was met with a volley of arrows. In the Kamba Ramayanam, Kumbhakarna acknowledges the divinity of Rama, but informs him of his dharma to fight for his brother, and only urges the prince to keep Vibhishana safe from harm. With his desire granted, he charged against Rama with his feet severed by crescent arrows. He was slain only when the Indrastra was deployed by Rama. Kumbakarna's head was decapitated, and is described to have smashed several buildings and fortifications before descending towards the sea. When Ravana heard of his brother's death, he fainted and later proclaimed that he was doomed)
  • Lankini - Her name literally means "The woman of Lanka" as she was the female personification of the city itself and was the guardian to the doors of Lanka.
    • Archetype:Guardian and Urban Intuition as well as Infinite Supply (According to the Ramayana, Lankini was once the guardian of the abode of Brahma. As she guarded the home of the creator, Brahma, she became arrogant and prideful about her position. She treated others in the palace with contempt due to which she was cursed by Brahma to guard the city of demons forever. Lankini realised her mistake and begged for forgiveness. However, it was not possible for Brahma to take back the curse, and instead gave her a boon that she would be freed of the curse only when a vanara defeated her in combat, and thus bring to end the age of the demons)
    • Nigh-Omnipotence (After being relieved of the cursed boon by Hanuman)
  • Malyavan - Malyavan is a character in Hindu mythology, appearing in the epic Ramayana. A rakshasa, he is the son of Sukesha, and the brother of Mālī and Sumālī. He is described to be a major counsellor to the King of Lanka, Ravana, along with also being the latter's maternal grandfather.
    • Justice Manipulation, Balance Embodiment and Meta Jinx (In Yuddha Kanda, Chapter 35 Malyavan is against his grandson's war with Prince Rama, and attempts in vain to convince Ravana to let go to Sita; however, this counsel is rejected by Ravana: "O King, that monarch who is versed in the fourteen sciences, who follows polity, rules an empire over a long period and overcomes his adversaries, who concludes peace or wages war at a fitting time, advances his own party and attains great power. A monarch should ally himself to one stronger than himself or to an equal; he should never underrate a foe and if he is more powerful, should make war on him. On this account I counsel an alliance with Rama and the return of Sita who is the actual cause of the dispute. Devas, Rishis, Gandharvas, all desire him to triumph; do not wage war but resolve to make peace with him!")
      • Curse Inducement, Omnificence, Judgement Inducement and Meta Immunity Bypassing (By his curse. Malyavan is known as Thao Mali Warat (ท้าวมาลีวราช) in Ramakien, the version of the Ramayana in Thailand. He is the older brother of Thao Latsadian, the grandfather of Ravana of Lanka, and is considered to have the reputation of Brahma as a paragon of justice. Ravana invites him to judge the case of his abduction of Sita, hoping that he would rule in his favour, but the counsellor investigates all relevant witnesses with fairness, and draws up an order to return Sita to Rama. Ravana does not agree with this ruling and offends him, and therefore he curses that Ravana would die by the bow and arrow of Rama)
  • Mandodari - The wife of Ravana.
    • Archetype:Wisdom Deity (Despite her husband's faults, Mandodari loves him and advises him to follow the path of righteousness. She repeatedly advises Ravana to return Sita to Rama, but her advice falls on deaf ears. Her love and loyalty to Ravana are praised in the Ramayana. In a version of Ramayana, Hanuman tricks her into disclosing the location of a magical arrow which Rama uses to kill Ravana. Many versions of Ramayana state that after Ravana's death, Vibhishana—Ravana's younger brother who joins forces with Rama, does so on Mandodari's advice)
    • True Name Manipulation and Absolute Immortality (The Odia Dharma Purana narrates that the earth sends her son Maninaga to poison their cow's milk of the sages Mandar and Udar, who had denied her the share of the milk. A female frog jumps in the vessel to save the sages. Cursed by the sages for her supposed gluttony, she turns into a beautiful maiden called Vengavati. She has pre-martial coitus with Vali. Ravana demands her hand in marriage from the sages, who refuse. Ravana assumes Vali's form and kidnaps Vengavati. The real Vali and Ravana pull in opposite directions, thereby tearing her apart. As a consequence, Angada (generally described as Tara's son) is born. The death-god Yama and wind-god Vayu resurrect her and is named as Mandodari, after the two sages. Mahari dance tradition narrates a similar tale where a snake poisoned the milk of a hermit; the female frog jumps in the milk and dies to rescue the sage. She is cursed by the hermit in the misbelief of her greed and turns into the beautiful Mandodari)
      • Meta Love Inducement and complete immunity to Causality Manipulation, Destiny Manipulation, Meta Fate Manipulation and Omni-Precognition (Despite Ravana's faults, Mandodari loves him and is proud of his strength. She is aware of Ravana's weakness towards women. A righteous woman, Mandodari tries to lead Ravana to righteousness, but Ravana always ignores her advice. She advises him to not to subdue the Navagraha, the nine celestial beings that govern one's destiny, and not to seduce Vedavati, who would be reborn as Sita and cause the destruction of Ravana)
        • Energy Generation and Meta Lust Inducement (Mandodari is described as a beautiful woman in Valmiki's Ramayana. When Hanuman, the monkey messenger of Rama, comes to Lanka in search of Sita, he is stupefied by Mandodari's beauty when he enters Ravana's bed chambers and mistakes Mandodari for Sita. When Hanuman finally finds Sita, he finds Ravana threatening to kill Sita unless she marries him. Ravana raises his sword to behead Sita when she refuses. Mandodari saves Sita by holding Ravana's hand. Mandodari says that the murder of a woman is a heinous sin and thus Ravana should not kill Sita. She asks Ravana to entertain himself with his other wives and give up the idea of having Sita as his wife. Ravana spares Sita's life, but does not give up his wish to marry Sita. Though Mandodari considers Sita inferior to her in beauty and ancestry, Mandodari acknowledges Sita's devotion to Rama and compares her to goddesses like Sachi and Rohini)
    • Shapeshifting and Omni-Protection (Via love. When all attempts for a peaceful return of Sita fail, Rama declares war on Ravana's Lanka. Before the final battle against Rama, Mandodari makes a last attempt to dissuade Ravana, but to no avail. Finally, Mandodari stands by her husband in the final battle like an obedient and faithful wife, though she advises her son Meghanada, alias Indrajit ("One who had conquered Indra; the god-king of heaven"), not to fight Rama. Several manuscripts of the Ramayana mention a story in which Angada drags Mandodari by her hair in presence of Ravana as a punishment for Ravana's treatment of Sita. Satyatirtha, a commentator on Ramayana, dismisses this story as spurious. According to this story: When all of Ravana's sons and warriors die, Ravana organizes a yajna ("fire sacrifice") to assure his victory. Rama sends a troop of monkeys headed by Hanuman and the monkey prince Angada to destroy this yajna. The monkeys create havoc in Ravana's palace, but Ravana continues the yajna. Angada drags Mandodari by her hair in front of Ravana. Mandodari pleads to her husband to save her and reminds him what Rama is doing for his wife. The enraged Ravana abandons the yajna and strikes Angada with his sword. With the yajna disturbed, Angada's purpose is served and he leaves Mandodari and escapes. Mandodari again implores Ravana to surrender Sita to Rama, but he refuses. Other Ramayana adaptations present more gruesome descriptions of the incident. The Krittivasi Ramayan narrates that the monkeys dragged Mandodari and tore off her clothes. In Bicitra Ramayana, it is Hanuman who humiliates Mandodari. The Thai adaptation Ramakien narrates that Hanuman sleeps with Mandodari in the form of Ravana and destroys her chastity, which protects Ravana's life)
      • Immunity to Omnipoison (The Adbhuta Ramayana narrates: Ravana used to store the blood of sages he killed in a large pot. The sage Gritsamada was practicing penance to acquire the goddess Lakshmi as his daughter. He stored milk from Darbha grass and purified it with mantras in a pot so that Lakshmi would inhabit it. Ravana poured the milk from this pot into his blood pot. Mandodari is frustrated seeing the evil deeds of Ravana, so she decides to commit suicide by drinking the contents of the blood-pot, which is described to be more poisonous than poison. Instead of dying, Mandodari gets pregnant with the incarnation of Lakshmi due to the power of Gritsamada's milk. Mandodari buries the foetus in Kurukshetra, where it is discovered by Janaka, who named her Sita. The Devi Bhagavata Purana says: When Ravana wants to marry Mandodari, Maya warns him that her horoscope indicated her first-born would destroy her clan and should be killed. Ignoring Maya's advice, Ravana buries his first child by Mandodari in a casket in Janaka’s city, where it is discovered and grew up as Sita. Jain adaptations of the Ramayana like Vasudevahindi, Uttara-purana, and others also state that Sita is the daughter of Ravana and Mandodari, and is abandoned when she is prophesied to be the cause of the end of Ravana and his family)
  • Māra - The ultimate enemy of enlightenment in Buddhism.
    • Reality Warping (In Buddhist cosmology, Mara is associated with death, rebirth and desire. Nyanaponika Thera has described Mara as "the personification of the forces antagonistic to enlightenment.")
    • Fanon:Metapotence, Nigh-Omnipotence, nullification of Enlightenment and Complete Arsenal as well as a dark form of Perfection (The Heavenly Realm of the Deva with power over others Creations. The Devas here do not care about their forms or how they appear, instead, they focus on fulfilling their desires by using Lesser Devas. This Plane is home to the Devaputra, called Māra, who seeks to keep all beings within the Desire Realm, with this being the Highest plane within the Desire Realm. The beings of this world are 4,500 feet (1,400 m) tall and live for 9,216,000,000 years. The Devas of Parinirmita-vasavartin have the ability to control the elements to an absolute and can control the creations of lesser Devas and the creations that reside within the Lower Planes. Instead of troubling themselves to create thing's they have attendants who do that for them. Due to the fact they mess with and torment other beings in the lower Heavens, a lot of Demons end up here. Māra is capable of controlling, warping, and doing whatever they please to the world below him, Infinitely Expanding and the Infinitely Complex creations that are made of matter are nothing but toys to satisfy his desires.)
      • Desire Embodiment and Omnipoison (In traditional Buddhism, four or five metaphorical forms of Māra are given: Kleśa-māra - Māra as the embodiment of all unskillful emotions, such as greed, hate and delusion. Mṛtyu-māra - Māra as death. Skandha-māra - Māra as metaphor for the entirety of conditioned existence. Devaputra-māra - the deva of the sensuous realm, who tried to prevent Gautama Buddha from attaining liberation from the cycle of rebirth on the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment)
  • Maricha - A rakshasa who survived fighting Rama twice.
    • Cannibalism Empowerment, Reality Warping and Logic Manipulation (Tataka and her sons then went to Patala (the underworld) to seek aid from Sumali, the patriarch of the Rakshasas. Sumali took them to his grandson, Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. Ravana helped the trio capture the states of Malada and Karusha, situated on the banks of the river Sarayu near its confluence with the Ganges. The trio destroyed the states and turned them into a dense forest, which became known as the forest of Tataka. They terrorized the people, devouring anyone who dared venture into that forest. The gods, demons and men, as well as even the sun and the clouds did not dare to enter the territory of Tataka and her sons. Maricha and Subahu liked to harass the sages (rishis) in the region and destroy their yajna sacrifices. The brothers threw blood, flesh, and bones on the sacrificial altars and destroyed the sanctity of the sacrifices of the sages)
    • Freedom (Post-demonization. The spared Maricha was transformed into a saintly person. He lived a life of an ascetic. He set up an ashram, grew matted hair and wore tree bark. He gave up his demonic qualities and started to realise his mistakes and became a devotee of Rama by then. At last he will die at the hands of Rama according to Ravana's strategy)
    • Shapeshifting (Ravana informed Maricha of the death of Khara, Dushana and their army as well as of the insult of Surpanakha. He told Maricha to turn into a golden deer with silver spots and graze in the vicinity of Rama's ashram. On seeing the deer, Sita would surely tell Rama and Lakshamana to catch it. When the brothers left Sita alone, Ravana would abduct her. Rama, saddened by the grief of Sita's separation, would be easily killed by Ravana)
    • Supreme Voice and Absolute Illusion (Maricha and Ravana then flew to Panchavati in Ravana's chariot and stopped close to the ashram of Rama. Maricha then assumed the form of a beautiful golden deer, which had silver spots and glowed with many gems like sapphire, moonstone, black jet and amethyst on its body. Maricha began grazing in the vicinity of Rama's ashram so that Sita would catch a glimpse of him. As soon as the animal-eating rakshasa Maricha entered the forest in the form of a deer, the other animals smelt something was wrong and ran away in fear. Maricha found Sita collecting flowers and ran in front of her. The golden lustre of the deer which was gambolling around the hermitage lured Sita, who was awestruck and called Rama and Lakshmana to see the spectacular animal. On seeing the wondrous deer, Lakshmana sensed foul play and suggested that the deer was an illusory form of Maricha, who preyed on kings who came into the forest for hunting. Sita persuaded Rama to get her the deer, dead or alive. If caught, she said it could be bred as a pet and taken back to Ayodhya as remembrance of their 14 years exile. Rama said that this deer would die at his hands that day to comply with Sita's wish, or, if it was a magical rakshasa like Maricha – who killed kings and harmed sages – as Lakshmana had said, then too it was his duty to kill the beast. Rama decided to go after the deer and slay it and asked Lakshmana to take care of Sita in the meantime. Maricha ran, followed by Rama. Maricha led Rama far away from the hermitage, which made Rama very angry. After a long chase, the tired deer stopped in a shady grassland. Rama seized the opportunity and shot it down with his golden arrow. When the dying Maricha was returning to his real form he cried out, "Oh Sita! Oh Lakshmana!", mimicking Rama's voice. Sita fell prey to the ruse and asked Lakshmana to go and search for Rama)
  • Mayasura - Maya (Sanskrit: मय) or Mayāsura (मयासुर) is a figure in Hindu mythology. He is king of the danavas, a demonic race, and famous for his brilliant architecture.
    • Absolute Artisan and Meta Crafting (His most important creations include the Mayasabha (the hall of illusions) for the Pandavas and Tripura (the three cities) for the sons of Tarakasura)
    • Reality Warping (Mayasura built a grand palace named Mayasabha, where the Pandavas would perform the Rajasuya Yagna. Mayasura also offers him gifts like a bow, a sword etc. He gives a mace to Arjuna's brother Bhima named Vrkodara. In some versions of the Mahabharata he also gives Arjuna the Gandiva bow)
  • Narantaka-Devantaka - Unnamed rakshasa.
    • Archetype: Omnislayer (Narantaka (Sanskrit: नरान्तक, IAST: narāntaka, lit. destroyer of men) and Devanataka (Sanskrit: देवान्तक, IAST: devāntaka, lit. destroyer of Gods) are asuras and sons of Ravana who appear[when?] in a number of Hindu legends)
  • Nikumbha - A danava who fought Hanuman.
    • Absolute Strength (Hanuman in retaliation frees himself and throws down Nikumbha on the ground. Hanuman descends on Nikumbha, pounds his chest with his fist, catches his head and tears it off. Thus, Nikumbha dies at the hands of Hanuman)
  • Prahasta - In the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, Prahasta (Sanskrit: प्रहस्त, IAST: prahasta, lit. he who has extended hands) was a powerful rakshasa warrior and the chief commander of Ravana's army of Lanka.
    • Army Manipulation and Super Senses (Prahasta was one of the ten sons of Sumali and Ketumati. He also had four sisters. One of them was Ravana's mother Kaikashi. Prahasta was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Ravana's army. He led Ravana's army in the wars against Yama, Kubera and the Devas, and the Asuras and Daityas, through which Ravana established his sovereignty over the three worlds. He also led the initial Lankan response to the invasion led by Rama, Lakshmana, Sugriva and the Vanara army. Prahasta killed several important warriors of Sugriva's army and was actually proving to be a real threat to Rama's army. As per one version of the Ramayana, Prahasta was killed by Lakshmana. In another version, Nila hurled a rock at Prahasta that broke his neck and killed him. (Valmiki Ramayana, book 6, canto 58, verses 53,54))
  • Pūtanā - In Hinduism, Pūtanā (lit. 'putrefaction') is a rakshasi (demoness), who was killed by the infant-god Krishna. Putana disguises as a young, beautiful woman and tries to kill the god by breast-feeding poisoned milk.
    • Omnipoison, Disease Immunity and Disease Manipulation ( Putana is also considered as a foster-mother of Krishna as she breast-fed him. By offering her milk, Putana had performed "the supreme act of maternal devotion", in the shadow of her evil motives. The legend is told and retold in Hindu scriptures and some Indian books, which portray her variously as an evil hag or a demoness who surrendered herself to Krishna, though she initially came with evil motives. Putana is interpreted as an infantile disease or bird, symbolizing danger to an infant or desire respectively, and even as a symbolic bad mother. She is included in a group of malevolent Hindu mother goddesses called the Matrikas and also in the group of Yoginis and Grahinis (Seizers). Ancient Indian medical texts prescribe her worship to protect children from diseases. A group of multiple Putanas is mentioned in ancient Indian texts)
      • Purification and Omni-Healing (The word "Pūtanā", broken as "Pūt" (virtue) and "nā" (no) means "devoid of virtue". Another explanation derives "Pūtanā" from "Pūta" (purifying), thus meaning "she who purifies". Herbert theorizes "Pūtanā" is derived from "Put", a hell in Hindu mythology, associated with parents and children. Thus, Herbert proposes, on the basis of the etymology and her association with the Matrikas, that Putana is closely linked to motherhood. White translates Putana as "stinky", and relates it to pustulant sores, the eruption of which is a symptom of chicken pox. Putana is also the name of the weapon of or a form of the goddess of small pox, Sitala)
    • Existence Erasure (Over at least 12 miles. Putana, the "killer of infants", was sent by Krishna's evil uncle Kamsa to kill Krishna. Putana assumed the disguise of a young, beautiful woman and came to Gokul (Vraj). Krishna's home-town. Her beauty resulted in her being mistaken by gopas (cowherds) as a manifestation of goddess Lakshmi. Stunned by her beauty, Krishna's foster-mother Yashoda allowed Putana to take the infant Krishna into her lap and breast-feed him. Putana had smeared her breast with a mandana, an intoxicant, to kill Krishna. However, Krishna squeezed her breasts and took her life away (prana), as well as her milk. In pain, Putana screamed, pleading for her release, but in vain. She ran out of the town with Krishna still clinging to her and finally fell dead. She then assumed her real demonic form, turning trees to a distance of three gavyuti (a unit of distance equivalent totally to 12 miles) to dust. The people of Vraj cut Putana's body, burying her bones and feet and burning the flesh and skin. The fragrant smoke rose out of the flames, as Putana was cleansed of all sin by breast-feeding Krishna and she attained the same heaven that Yashoda acquired. Thus, Putana, like Yashoda, is also considered as a foster-mother of Krishna as she breast-fed him)
      • Freedom (Granted by a baby Krishna. Though Putana came with evil intentions, she is portrayed as being happy to see Krishna and her maternal instinct rises, telling her "Take this lovely boy to your breast. You are a wicked and miserable woman. You have never seen joy before, joy which thrills your whole body and mind with mad delight." Overjoyed and forgetful of her poisoned breasts, she took Krishna in her lap and suckled him. In the process, she surrenders to Krishna saying "I give you all, my beloved child... I am yours." Further, Putana is purified and liberated from her mortal body by Krishna. The Garga Samhita (a work on the life of Krishna) and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana further tell of the previous birth of Putana as Ratnamala, the daughter of demon king Bali. When she saw Vamana, the previous avatar of Krishna as a dwarf, she felt a desire to have him as her son and suckle him. She soon changed her mind and decided to kill Vamana, after he overpowered her father and acquired his possessions. Krishna knew her desires and allowed her to fulfil both of them - to suckle him and to attempt to take his life)
    • Soul Destruction and Spiritual Force Manipulation (Putana is defined as a yātudhānī at the beginning and the end of the Bhagavata Purana. Though the word yātudhānī is rarely used, yātudhāna - the masculine form - is frequently used in Hindu scriptures to mean an evil spirit. In the Rigveda, yātudhānas are to be killed, their bodies broken and their flesh eaten, just as Putana was treated. The Bhagavata Purana further tells of a gopi or milkmaid, narrating a hymn for protection from evil spirits including the Matrikas and Putana, even though Putana is dead. In another instance in the Purana, it is said that Putana and "her tribe" still had access to Krishna. Finally, the whole chapter is called "Deliverance of Putana", and not "Killing of Putana". Both incidences enforce the view that though Putana's mortal body is killed by Krishna, she lives on in the world as a spirit)
  • Ravana - Ravana (/ˈrɑːvənə/; Sanskrit: रावण, IAST: Rāvaṇa, pronounced [ˈraːʋɐɳɐ]) is a multi-headed rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana.
    • Absolute Illusion and eternal Adaptation Manipulation, Eternal Evolution and Power Level Infinitum (His Maya(illusion power) should increase 10 times))
      • Absolute Domination and Absolute Command (Ravana then made up his mind to conquer all the kings of the earth. After defeating the likes of Dushyanta, Suratha, Gadhi, Gaya and Pururava, Ravana approached Ayodhya. The city was protected by king Anaranya. There ensued a fight between Ravana and Anaranya and both the warriors fought to their full prowess. Anaranya was unable to defeat Ravana, being severely struck with his arrows. Before dying, Anaranya cursed Ravana that someone later would be born in Ayodhya who would kill him. Having effected the defeat of Anaranya, Ravana subjugated other kings of the earth. Within a short span of time, Ravana brought all the kings of the earth under his control)
    • Absolute Invulnerability (Ravana only died to the Brahmastra in the hands of Rama, who was basically God in the Valmiki Ramayana. "In the course of combats with the gods and demons, the armour gifted to me by Brahma, the lord of creation, which is as brilliant as the sun, could not be mutilated by those who held the thunderbolt in their fists.")
      • Absolute Destruction, immunity to Omni-Precognition and Fear Inducement (Ravana took up the Celestial and dreadful Pashupata-weapon, the increaser of fear in the Three Worlds, obtained from Rudra, by virtue of his rigid penances. “Beholding this, all moveable and immoveable beings were stricken with terror and the Three Worlds, including all that was animate and inanimate, Gods and Serpents, together took refuge in their abodes under the earth)
    • Absolute Strength (He must have the greatest strength)
    • Absolute Restoration and Absolute Regeneration ("Rama chopped off that head too with his arrows looking like thunderbolts. In the same manner, a hundred of Ravana's heads of equal splendour were chopped off by Rama")
    • Divine Weaponry (He must have all weaponry of Lord Shiva)
      • Meta Power Destruction (Via the Chandrahas. "Thereafter, O Rama, he began to range the entire world subduing the foremost of warriors, irresistible in combat and those who were filled with courage and boiling with ardour, who dreamt only of war and who perished with their troops by refusing to submit to him. But those, who knew Ravana to be invincible, showed themselves to be more wary and said to that titan, proud of his strength, ‘We have been vanquished!’)
    • Complete Arsenal (Varies based on interpretation. Seized the power of all the gods and compelled them to accept his sovereignty)
    • Curse Inducement, Meta Jinx and Absolute Death Inducement (Could easily kill Maricha and curse his own subjects as well as other gods)
    • Divine Power Negation, Omnipoison and negation of Trait: Godly Incarnation (Poisoned the ocean, a living concept. Fought and beat Lakshmana, a portion of Vishnu)
    • Infinite Supply (He should have 2 inexhaustible quivers of astras)
    • Infinite Energy (Could fight for one year at the very least)
    • Immunity to Meta Immunity Bypassing and can nullify Absolute Invulnerability (Taking his mace and noose, Yama attacked Ravana. A terrible fight followed where none of them could emerge victorious. Finally, Yama invoked his Kaladanda to bring an end to Ravana. However, Brahma appeared and intervened in the fight between the two. Brahma convinced Yama that the Kaladanda would render futile on Ravana's body)
    • Meta Searching, Meta-Learning and Meta-Teaching (Ravana attacked the city of the Nivatakavachas. They were invincible demons and their fight with Ravana lasted for more than one year. Brahma confronted the Nivatakavachas like he confronted Yama earlier. Making them aware of Ravana's strength, Brahma went back to his abode. The Nivatakavachas made an alliance with Ravana and honoured him. Ravana spent a long time in the company of the Nivatakavachas. He learnt more than one hundred kinds of illusion from the Nivatakavachas which made him more powerful. Ravana then left the city of the Nivatakavachas)
    • Meta Nature Manipulation (He should have complete control over nature)
    • Mountain Adaptation (Kailash. Ravana let out a loud cry which echoed through the three worlds. His cry filled the gods, demons, gandharvas and yakshas with fear. Eventually with Lord Shiva's permission, Ravana left Mount Kailasha with his army. This instance shows Ravana's strength. He was strong enough to lift Lord Shiva's abode with his hands)
    • Omnicounter and Omnicompetence (Using his Maya and abilities)
    • Omni-Immunity, Meta Power Negation and Meta Power Immunity (He should not be defeated by Yakshas, Gods, Wild Beasts , Gandharvas, Devas, Asuras, Nagas, Birds. He left out humans as he thought they are too weak to do anything)
      • Absolute Combat (This is contradicted as he defeated humans who were powerful as Indra and killed Rama's ancestor Anaranya)
    • Omni-Protection (Brahma constantly appearing to defend him as if Yama wasn't stopped, Ravana would die)
    • Science-Magic Mastery (Ravana is also depicted as the author of the Ravana Samhita, a book on Hindu astrology, and the Arka Prakasham, a book on Siddha medicine and treatment. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Siddha and political science)
      • Absolute Immortality (He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his belly thanks to a celestial boon from Brahma)
    • Reality Warping and Astrological Divination as well as Constellation Manipulation (Ravana wanted his son to be the ultimate warrior and extremely knowledgeable. Ravana was a great astrologer. To make his son immortal, he commanded all the planets and constellations in such a position that would allow his son to be born the way he wanted. Because of Ravana's anger and power, all the planets and constellations feared him. All the planets were in the position as desired by Ravana at time of his son Meghanada's birth)
    • Archetype: Ruler (He should rule the 3 worlds)
    • Transcendent Armor ("His body bears hundreds of welts caused when assaulted with Vishnu-disc for hundreds of times in wars with gods, and when assaulted for hundreds of times with the other assaults-missiles in other gruesome wars as well, and Shuurpanakha saw at such a Ravana... Fallen on the unbreakable armour of Ravana, which looked like a large cloud, those arrows could not cause any pain to him at that time.")
    • Archetype: Transcendent Demon Mage (Ravana is a transcendent asura)
  • Sarama (Ramayana) - A rakshasi who was a friend of Sita in later versions of the Ramayana.
    • Good Aura (Like her husband who sides with Rama in the war against Ravana, Sarama is kind to Sita and aids Rama. Sarama and Vibhishana had a daughter called Trijata)
    • Presumed knowledge on Omni-Magic and Absolute Illusion (Sita laments in presence of Ravana seeing the head of her "dead" husband. Soon, Ravana leaves for a meeting with his ministers and the head and the bow disappear after his departure. Sarama comes close to Sita and exposes Ravana's trickery to Sita. She says that she secretly witnessed the trick of Ravana and the head was just a product of magic. She also informs Sita that Rama has arrived in Lanka with his army headed by Sugriva and she has seen Rama with her own eyes. She asks Sita if she can pass on any message to Rama on Sita's behalf. Sita instead requests Sarama to probe the plans Ravana had for her. Sarama finds out and informs Sita that despite the advice of his mother and wise aged ministers, Ravana refused to hand over Sita to Rama. Sarama is described as "lovely companion" and friend of Sita)
    • Possible Lake/River Manipulation (Sarama's identification with Vibhishana's wife is introduced quite early, in the Uttra Kanda, the last Book of the Ramayana itself, which is regarded as a later addition to the original text. It mentions that Ravana obtained Sarama, the daughter of the gandharva Sailusa, to be his brother Vibhishana's wife. Sarama was born on the banks of the Manas Lake. Seeing the waters of the lake rise, the infant started crying. Her mother commanded the lake, Saroma vardhata ("Lake, do not rise"), so the child was named Sarama)
  • [1] Shurpanakha- A demon who attacks Sita as well as being the sister of Ravana.
    • Supernatural Form (According to Valmiki, she met the exiled Prince Rama of Ayodhya, during one such visit to the Forest of Panchavati, and was instantly smitten by his youthful good looks. She adopted a beautiful form to entice him, but Rama meanwhile kindly rejected her advances, telling her that he was faithful to his wife Sita and thus would never take another wife. Rejected, Shurpanakha then approached his younger brother, Lakshmana, who said that he is only second to Ram and therefore not worthy of her. Infuriated by their dismissals, the humiliated and envious Shurpanakha returned to her demonic form and attacked Sita, but was thwarted by Lakshmana, who cut off her nose and ears)
    • Hag Physiology (Shurpanakha's appearance has drastic differences in the different versions of the epic. Most versions including the Valmiki's Ramayana mention her to be an ugly woman. When Shurpanakha first sees Rama in the forest, Valmiki describes her as facially unpleasant, pot-bellied, wry-eyed, coppery-haired, ugly featured, brassy-voiced, deplorably oldish, a crooked talker, ill-mannered, uncouth and abominable. In contrast, the Kamba Ramayanam describes her as a lovelorn and beautiful woman, attributing her behaviour to loneliness and thus humanising her)
    • Water Manipulation (Although Shurpanakha receives no further mention from Valmiki, it has been suggested that she continued to live in Lanka after Vibhishana succeeded Ravana as king. She and her half-sister Kumbini are supposed to have perished at sea a few years later, tragically)
  • Subahu - Subahu (Sanskrit: सुबाहु Subāhu, Tamil: சுபாகு Cupāku, Kannada: ಸುಬಾಹು, Thai: Sawahu) was a rakshasa character in the Ramayana.
    • Blood Manipulation (Subahu was the son of Shambara, a demon slayed by Indra. Subahu, Maricha and Maricha's mother, Tataka, took immense pleasure in harassing the munis of the jungle, especially Vishvamitra, by disrupting their yajnas with rains of flesh and blood)
  • Tāṭakā - Tāṭakā is a minor yakṣī antagonist in the Rāmāyaṇa. Along with her children, Mārīca and Subāhu, Tāṭakā would harass and attack sages performing yajñas in the forest. They were ultimately slain by Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa on behest of their teacher, Viśvāmitra.
    • Super Strength (In the Rāmāyaṇa, Viśvāmitra tells Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa the story of Tāṭakā when they reach a forest inhabited by her. Viśvāmitra states that a yakṣa named Suketu had undertaken austerities to obtain children, and was given a daughter with the strength of a thousand elephants named Tāṭakā, but not a son. When she became of age, she was married to Sunda, and gave birth to a son named Mārīca. After Sunda is killed, Tāṭakā and Mārīca attack the seer Agastya, who curses Mārīca to become a rākṣasa and curses Tāṭakā to become an ugly man-eater. Driven mad by the curse, she roams the region where Agastya used to live)
  • Trijata - Trijata (Sanskrit: त्रिजटा, IAST: Trijaṭā) is a rakshasi (demoness) in the Hindu epic Ramayana who is assigned the duty of guarding maa Sita who was kidnapped by the king of Lanka Ravana. In latter adaptions of Ramayana, Trijata is described as a daughter of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana.
    • Dream Manipulation (In the Ramayana, Trijata appears as a wise old rakshasi, who dreams of Ravana's destruction and the victory of Rama, the husband of Sita who wages war against Ravana to rescue Sita. Trijata accompanies Sita on a survey of the battlefield of the war between Rama and Ravana, and reassures Sita of Rama's well-being when Sita sees her husband unconscious and presumes him dead. In later Ramayana adaptations, Trijata becomes the daughter of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana who sides with Rama. She plays a much greater role in later versions, especially Southeast Asian ones)
    • Archetype: True Friend (Barring a few exceptions where Trijata is cast as Ravana's agent, she is generally portrayed as a friend and loyal companion of Sita in her adversity. On numerous occasions, she offers solace to Sita and brings news from the outside world; she also dissuades Sita from committing suicide. After Rama's victory and Ravana's death, Trijata is richly rewarded by Sita and Rama. While some Ramayana adaptations mention her being a devotee of Rama, Southeast Asian versions often depict her as the wife of Rama's vanara general Hanuman, whom she bears a son. She is worshipped as a local goddess in Varanasi and Ujjain; both in India)
    • Prophecy Manipulation, Omni-Precognition and Oneiricpotence (As a true master of dream manipulation. The aged Trijata intervenes and narrates a prophetic dream that predicts Ravana's doom and Rama's victory)
    • Reality Dreaming (In her dream, Trijata sees Rama and his brother Lakshmana riding the celestial elephant Airavata toward Sita. Rama takes Sita in his lap and rises high in the sky, allowing Sita to touch the Sun and the Moon. Then the trio ride to Lanka and get into the Pushpaka Vimana (aerial chariot of Ravana) to fly towards the north, while Ravana, drenched in oil and with a red complexion, lies on the ground. Ravana then heads south on a donkey and falls in a pit of dung. A black woman in a red saree, drags him to the south. Other members of Ravana's family, like his brother Kumbhakarna and son Indrajit, face similar fates. Ravana's brother Vibishana is seen in regal white garments, riding a four tusked elephant near the Pushpaka Vimana. The city of Lanka drowns in the ocean and a vanara) messenger of Rama burns the city. Trijata advises the rakshasis to take refuge in Sita and apologise to her; in turn, Sita promises that if Trijata's dream materialises, she will protect her rakshasi guards. The second incident is found in the sixth book, Yuddha Kanda. Rama and his brother Lakshmana come with a vanara army to rescue Sita from the clutches of the demon-king. On the first day of war, Ravana's son Indrajit binds the brothers with the weapon Nagapasha (serpent-noose) and the brothers lose consciousness. Ravana sends Sita with Trijata to see the battlefield. Thinking her husband is dead, Sita laments, but is reassured by Trijata that the brothers are still alive. Trijata expresses her love for Sita and tells her that the captive's "moral character and gentle nature" have compelled her to love her)
    • Absolute Command (Over the rakshasas)
    • Ritual Empowerment, Reality Warping, Miracle Performing and Absolute Wish (A temple dedicated to Trijata (called Tirjata in this region) is situated near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the most prominent temple in Varanasi. As per local lore, Trijata wanted to accompany Sita to Ayodhya, but Sita said that she would not be allowed in Ayodhya as she was a demoness. Sita suggested her to visit Varanasi and attain moksha (emancipation) and blessed her to be worshipped as a goddess. Trijata enjoys daily worship as a local goddess. Flowers and green vegetables are offered to appease her. Women - who worship at her shrine for seven consecutive Wednesdays - are believed to be blessed with progeny and with the goddess' protective glaze on their family. Many devotees flock the shrine on Kartik Poornima, the last day of the Hindu month of Kartik and its next day, the first day of Margashirsha month. It is believed that the goddess will fulfil the wishes of all who worship at her shrine, after paying obeisance at Kashi Vishwanath Temple on Kartik Poornima. On the first day of Margashirsha, worshippers who had observed a vrata (fast) in the previous month of Kartik conclude the vrata by bathing in the Ganges at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in the name of Trijata. Local lore holds that Rama granted a boon to Trijata: those who do not bathe in her honour after observing the vrata will lose all merit (punya) – gained from the fast – to her))
  • Trishira - Trishira (Sanskrit: त्रिशिर, romanized: Triśira, lit. 'the three-headed one') is a rakshasa featured in the Ramayana.
    • Multiple Heads and Archery Magic (The Ramayana states that Trishira engaged Rama in a fight and hit him with a number of arrows. At this, Rama told him that his arrows were like flowers being showered on his body. Thereafter, a duel ensued, in which Rama killed Trishira)
  • Vibhishana, Ravana's younger brother, was a rare good-hearted Rakshasa; he was beautiful, pious and assiduous in his religious observances. When Brahma granted him a boon, he asked never to swerve from the path of righteousness and to be illumined by divine knowledge.
    • Absolute Immortality and true nullification of Absolute Illusion (Vibhishana freely divulged many secrets that became key to the success of Rama's attack, including revealing the secret path to the temple of Nikumbala, the family deity of the Pulastya clan. In the climactic battle between Rama and Ravana, when Rama was unable to kill Ravana, he revealed the secret of Ravana's invulnerability to Rama. He told Rama that Ravana has stored the nectar of immortality in his belly and it is necessary to dry it. With this knowledge, Rama was finally able to kill Ravana. When Rama was about to leave Ayodhya at the end of his reign, he assumed his true form of Vishnu, ordering Vibhishana to stay on earth and serve the people and guide them to the path of truth and dharma. Hence, Vibhishana is considered one of the eight immortals, the Chiranjivis. Vishnu also ordered Vibhishana to pray to the family deity of Solar dynasty, Ranganatha.)
    • Enhanced Wisdom (A brahmin)
    • Enlightenment (He is an enlightened demon via his boon)
    • Supernatural Beauty (Said to be very beautiful)
  • Viradha - Virādha (Sanskrit: विराध, Tamil: Viratan, Thai: Phirap, Malay: Purbaita) is minor character from the Aranya Kanda of the Ramayana. He is a rakshasa living in Dandaka forest who briefly kidnaps Sita in an episode that has been described as "strongly [prefiguring Sita's] later abduction by Ravana, the central event of the book and the pivotal event of the epic."
    • Immunity to Transcendent Weaponry (The monster reveals that he has a boon from Brahma which makes him invincible to weapons. So the brothers kill the rakshasa by first breaking his arms, then burying him alive in a grave)
    • Nigh-Omnipotence and Freedom (When the monsters arms are broken, he begins to praise the brothers for liberating him: he had, in a previous life, been a celestial being named Tumburu, and had been cursed by Kubera to live as a fearsome monster until he be killed by Rama. The brothers bury him, and he apparently goes back to his former celestial abode)

Associations[]

Known Users[]

  • Rakshasa (Dungeons & Dragons)
  • Ashoka (Buddhism); via the Asura realm
  • Ahriman (DC Comics)
  • Ravana (Extreme Ghostbusters)
  • Rakshasa (Hindu/Buddhist Mythology)
  • Rakshasa (Megami Tensei)
  • Rakshasa (Supernatural)
  • The Rakshasa (Far Cry 4)
  • Bakasura (SMITE)
  • Kumbhakarna (SMITE)
  • Ravana (SMITE)

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