of+evil+spirits

I II

ásura

m. a spirit, good spirit, supreme spirit (said of Varuṇa) RV. VS. ;
the chief of the evil spirits RV. II, 30, 4 and VII, 99, 5 ;
an evil spirit, demon, ghost, opponent of the gods RV. VIII, 96, 9; X AV. etc.. ;
<these Asuras are often regarded as the children of Diti by Kaṡyapa seeﾠ daitya;
as such they are demons of the first order in perpetual hostility with the gods, andﾠ must not be confounded with the Rākshasas orﾠ imps who animate dead bodies andﾠ disturb sacrifices>;
a N. of Rāhu VarBṛS. etc.;
the sun L. ;
a cloud Naigh. (cf. RV. V, 83, 6);
(ās) m. pl. N. of a warrior-tribe, (gaṇa parṡv-ādi, q.v.);
of a Vedic school;
(ā) f. night L. ;
a zodiacal sign L. ;
(ī) f. a female demon, the wife of an Asura, KaushBr. (cf. āsurī andﾠ mahâ̱surī);
the plant Sinapis Ramosa Roxb. L. <In later Sanskṛit sura has been formed from asura, as sita from asita q.v.>
seeﾠ ásu
- असुरकुमार
- असुरक्षयण
- असुरक्षिति
- असुरगुरु
- असुरतमस
- असुरत्व
- असुरद्रुह्
- असुरद्विष्
- असुरब्रह्म
- असुरमाया
- असुरयोनि
- असुररक्षस
- असुरराज्
- असुररिपु
- असुरलोक
- असुरसूदन
- असुरहन्
- असुराचार्य
- असुराधिप
- असुरारि
- असुराह्व
- असुरेज्य
- असुरेन्द्र

káṇva

N. of a renowned Ṛishi (author of several hymns of the Ṛig-veda;
he is called a son of Ghora andﾠ is said to belong to the family of Aṇgiras)
RV. AV. VS. KātyṠr. etc.. ;
(ās) m. pl. the family orﾠ descendants of Kaṇva ib. ;
(besides the celebrated Ṛishi there occur a Káṇva Nārshadá
AV. IV, 19, 2 KáṇvaṠrāyasa TS. V, 4, 7, 5 KaṇvaKāṡyapa MBh. Ṡak. etc.;
the founder of a Vedic school;
several princes andﾠ founders of dynasties;
several authors);
a peculiar class of evil spirits (against whom the hymn AV. II, 25 is used as a charm)
AV. II, 25, 3; 4; 5 ;
(mfn.) deaf KātyṠr. X, 2, 35 ;
praising, a praiser L. ;
one who is to be praised T. ;
(am) n. sin, evil Comm. on Uṇ. ;
- कण्वजम्भन
- कण्वतम
- कण्वबृहत्
- कण्वमत्
- कण्वरथंतर
- कण्ववत्
- कण्ववेद
- कण्वसखि
- कण्वसूत्र
- कण्वहोतृ
- कण्वादि
- कण्वाश्रम
- कण्वोपनिषद्

gandharvá

he is designated as the heavenly Gandharva ( divyág- RV. IX, 86, 36 and X, 139, 5),
andﾠ is alsoﾠ called Viṡvā-vasu ( RV. X, 85, 21 and 22;139, 4 and 5) andﾠ Vāyu-keṡa (in pl. RV. III, 38, 6);
his habitation is the sky, orﾠ the region of the air andﾠ the heavenly waters
( RV. I, 22, 14; VIII, 77, 5; IX, 85, 12; 86, 36; X, 10, 4 AV. II, 2, 3);
his especial duty is to guard the heavenly Soma RV. IX, 83, 4 and 85, 12,
which the gods obtain through his intervention RV. AV. VII, 73, 3 ; cf. RV. I, 22, 14 ;
it is obtained for the human race by Indra, who conquers the Gandharva andﾠ takes it by force ( RV. VIII, 1, 11 and 77, 5);
the heavenly Gandharva is supposed to be a good physician, because the Soma is considered as the best medicine;
possibly, however, the word Soma originally denoted not the beverage so called, but the moon, andﾠ the heavenly Gandharva may have been the genius orﾠ tutelary deity of the moon;
in one passage RV. IX, 86, 36 the heavenly Gandharva andﾠ the Soma are identified;
he is alsoﾠ regarded as one of the genii who regulate the course of the Sun's horses
i, 163, 2; X, 177, 2; cf. 135, 5 ;
he knows andﾠ makes known the secrets of heaven andﾠ divine truths generally
( X, 139, 5 and 6 AV. II, 1, 2; XX, 128, 3 VS. XI, 1; XXXII, 9);
he is the parent of the first pair of human beings, Yama andﾠ Yamī RV. X, 10, 4),
andﾠ has a peculiar mystical power over women andﾠ a right to possess them RV. X, 85, 21 and 22; 40 and 41 ;
for this reason he is invoked in marriage ceremonies AV. XIV, 2, 35 and 36 ;
ecstatic states of mind andﾠ possession by evil spirits are supposed to be derived from the heavenly Gandharva (cf. - gṛihīta, - graha);
the Gandharvas as a class have the same characteristic features as the one Gandharva;
they live in the sky RV. AV. ṠBr. XIV,
guard the Soma RV. IX, 113, 3 ṠBr. III AitBr. I, 27,
are governed by Varuṇa (just as the Apsarasas are governed by Soma) ṠBr. XIII ĀṡvṠr. X, 7, 3,
know the best medicines AV. VIII, 7, 23 VS. XII, 98,
regulate the course of the asterisms ( AV. XIII, 1, 23 BhP. IV, 29, 21 ;
hence twenty-seven are mentioned VS. IX, 7),
follow after women andﾠ are desirous of intercourse with them (AV. ṠBr. III) ;
as soon as a girl becomes marriageable, she belongs to Soma, the Gandharvas, andﾠ Agni Gṛihyās. II, 19 f. Pañcat. Suṡr. ;
the wives of the Gandharvas are the Apsarasas
(cf. gandharvâ̱psarás),
andﾠ like them the Gandharvas are invoked in gambling with dice AV. VII, 109, 5 ;
they are alsoﾠ feared as evil beings together with the Rākshasas, Kimīdins, Piṡācas, etc., amulets being worn as a protection against them ( AV. Suṡr.);
they are said to have revealed the Vedas to Vāc
( ṠBr. III ; cf. PārGṛ. II, 12, 2),
andﾠ are called the preceptors of the Ṛishis ṠBr. XI ;
Purūravas is called among them ( ib.);
in epic poetry the Gandharvas are the celestial musicians orﾠ heavenly singers (cf. RV. X, 177, 2)
who form the orchestra at the banquets of the gods, andﾠ they belong together with the Apsarasas to Indra's heaven, sharing alsoﾠ in his battles;
Yājñ. I, 71 MBh. Hariv. etc..; cf. RTL. p. 238 ;
in the more systematic mythology the Gandharvas constitute one of the classes into which the higher creation is divided
(i.e. gods, manes, Gandharvas AV. XI, 5, 2 ;
orﾠ gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, men TS. VII, 8, 25, 2 ;
cf. ṠBr. X ;
orﾠ gods, men, Gandharvas, Apsarasas, Sarpas, andﾠ manes AitBr. III, 31, 5 ;
for other enumerations cf. Nir. III, 8 Mn. I, 37 RTL. p. 237 ;
III, 196; VII, 23; XII, 47 Nal. etc..);
divine andﾠ human Gandharvas are distinguished
( TUp. II, 8 the divine orﾠ Deva-Gandharvas are enumerated MBh. I, 2550 ff. and 4810 ff.);
another passage names 11 classes of Gandharvas (TĀr. I, 9, 3) ;
the chief orﾠ leader of the Gandharvas is named Citra-ratha Bhag. X, 26 ;
they are called the creatures of Prajāpati Mn. I, 37 ;
orﾠ of Brahmā. Hariv. 11793 orﾠ of Kaṡyapa 11850 ;
orﾠ of the Munis MBh. I, 2550 Hariv. 11553 ;
orﾠ of Prādhā MBh. I, 2556 ;
orﾠ of Arishṭā Hariv. 234 VP. I, 21 orﾠ of Vāc ( PadmaP.);
with Jainas the Gandharvas constitute one of the eight classes of the Vyantaras>;
N. of the attendant of the 17th Arhat of the present Avasarpiṇī L. ;
a singer VarBṛS. LXXXVII, 33 BhP. I, 11, 21 ;
the Koïl orﾠ black cuckoo L. ;
a sage, pious man Mahīdh. on VS. XXXII, 9 ;
a horse MBh. III, 11762 ;
cf. II, 1043 ;
the musk deer (derived fr. gandha) L. ;
the soul after death andﾠ previous to its being born again (corresponding in some respects to the western notion of a ghost) L. ;
N. of the 14th Kalpa orﾠ period of the world VāyuP. I, 21, 30 ;
of the 21st Muhūrta Sūryapr. ;
of a Svara orﾠ tone (for gāndhāra?) Hariv. II, 120, 4 ;
m. pl. the Gandharvas ( seeﾠ above);
N. of a people (named together with the Gāndhāras) R. VII, 100, 10 f. and 101, 2 ff. and 11 VarBṛS. XIV, 31 ;
(ā) f. Durgā Hariv. II, 120, 4 (v.l. gāndharvī);
(ī́) f. Gandharvī (daughter of Surabhi andﾠ mother of the race of horses MBh. I, 2631 f. R. III, 20, 28 f. VāyuP.)
RV. X, 11, 2 R. ;
night BhP. IV, 29, 21 ;
+ cf. Gk. κένταυρος fr. κενθαργγος
- गन्धर्वकन्या
- गन्धर्वखण्ड
- गन्धर्वगृहीत
- गन्धर्वग्रह
- गन्धर्वतैल
- गन्धर्वत्व
- गन्धर्वदत्ता
- गन्धर्वनगर
- गन्धर्वपत्नी
- गन्धर्वपद
- गन्धर्वपुर
- गन्धर्वराज
- गन्धर्वर्तु
- गन्धर्वलोक
- गन्धर्वविद्या
- गन्धर्वविवाह
- गन्धर्ववेद
- गन्धर्वहस्त
- गन्धर्वहस्तक
- गन्धर्वाप्सरस्
- गन्धर्वेष्ठा

vṛitrá

m. N. of the Vedic personification of an imaginary malignant influence orﾠ demon of darkness andﾠ drought (supposed to take possession of the clouds, causing them to obstruct the clearness of the sky andﾠ keep back the waters;
Indra is represented as battling with this evil influence in the pent up clouds poetically pictured as mountains orﾠ castles which are shattered by his thunderbolt andﾠ made to open their receptacles <cf. esp. RV. I, 31 >;
as a Dānava, Vṛitra is a son of Tvashṭṛi, orﾠ of Danu q.v., andﾠ is often identified with Ahi, the serpent of the sky, andﾠ associated with other evil spirits, such as Ṡushṇa, Namuci, Pipru, Ṡambara, Uraṇa, whose malignant influences are generally exercised in producing darkness orﾠ drought) RV. etc. etc.;
a thunder-cloud RV. IV, 10, 5 (cf. Naigh. I, 10);
darkness L. ;
a wheel L. ;
a mountain L. ;
N. of a partic. mountain L. ;
a stone KātyṠr. Sch. ;
N. of Indra(?) L. ;
n. wealth (= dhana) L. (v.l. vitta);
sound, noise (= dhvani) L. ;
- वृत्रखाद
- वृत्रघ्नी
- वृत्रतर
- वृत्रतूर्
- वृत्रतूर्य
- वृत्रत्व
- वृत्रद्रुह्
- वृत्रद्विष्
- वृत्रनाशन
- वृत्रपुत्रा
- वृत्रभोजन
- वृत्ररिपु
- वृत्रवध
- वृत्रविद्विष्
- वृत्रवैरिन्
- वृत्रशङ्कु
- वृत्रशत्रु
- वृत्रह
- वृत्रहत्य
- वृत्रहथ
- वृत्रहन्
- वृत्रहन्तृ
- वृत्रहाय