Mahishasura

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The statue of Mahishasura on Chamundi Hills, Mysore

Mahishasura (महिषासुर) is a bovine asura in Hinduism. Mahishasura was the son of the asura Rambha and a she-buffalo named Mahisi. Mahishasura had a son named Gajasura.

Variants

Killed by the goddess Durga

He was ultimately killed by the goddess Durga with her trishula (trident) after which she gained the epithet Mahishasuramardini ("Slayer of Mahishasura").

The Navaratri ("Nine Nights") festival eulogises this battle between Mahishasura and Durga, culminating in Vijayadashami, a celebration of his ultimate defeat. This story of the "triumph of good over evil" carries profound symbolism in Hinduism, particularly Shaktism, and is both narrated as well as reenacted from the Devi Mahatmya at many South and Southeast Asian Hindu temples. [1]

The Mahishasura Mardini Stotra by Adi Shankara was written to commemorate her legend. [2]

Legend

Mahishasura is a Sanskrit word composed of Mahisha meaning "buffalo" and asura meaning "demon", translating to "buffalo demon". As an asura, Mahishasura waged war against the devas, as the devas and asuras were perpetually in conflict. Mahishasura had gained the boon that no man could kill him. In the battles between the devas and the demons (asuras), the devas, led by Indra, were defeated by Mahishasura. Subjected to defeat, the devas assembled in the mountains where their combined divine energies coalesced into the goddess Durga. The newborn Durga led a battle against Mahishasura, riding a lion, and killed him. Thereafter, she was named Mahishasuramardini, meaning The Killer of Mahishasura.[3]

According to the Lakshmi Tantra, it is the goddess Lakshmi who slays Mahishasura instantaneously, and extolling her feat is described to offer everlasting supremacy.[4]


Mahishasura's legend is told in the major texts of the Shaktism traditions known as the Devi Mahatmya, which is part of Markandeya Purana. The story of Mahishasura is told in the chapter where Markandeya is narrating the story of the birth of Savarnika Manu. Per the Markandeya Purana, the story of Mahishasura was narrated in the second Manvantara (approximately 1.3 billion years ago, as per the Vishnu Purana) by Maharishi Medha to a king named Suratha.[5]] According to Christopher Fuller, Mahishasura represents the forces of ignorance and chaos hidden by outer appearances.[6] The symbolism is carried in Hindu art found in South Asia and South-East Asia (e.g., Javanese art), where Durga is shown as a serene, calm, collected and graceful symbol of good as she pierces the heart and kills the scared, overwhelmed and outwitted Mahishasura.[7]

Etymology of Mysore

The popular legend is that Mysore (Mahishooru) gets its name from Mahishasuramardini, a manifestation of goddess Durga. The buffalo demon Mahishasura, states the regional tradition, had terrified the local population. It is believed that goddess Durga (Chamundeshwari) killed Mahishasura on top of the Chamundi Hills. The spot was constructed as the Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysuru, an event that is annually celebrated at Navaratri and Mysuru Dasara. The British Era in India saw the name of "Mahishooru" change to "Mysore" and later Kannadized into "Mysuru".[8]

The temple of the city's guardian deity, Chamundeshvari, has a giant statue of Mahishasura on the hill facing the city.[9]

The earliest mention of Mysore in recorded history may be traced to 245 B.C., i.e., to the period of Ashoka when on the conclusion of the third Buddhist convocation, a team was dispatched to Mahesha Mandala.[10]

In Mahabharata

Mahisha (महिष) in Mahabharata (IX.44.77),

Mahishaka (माहिषक) in Mahabharata (VI.10.45), (VI.10.57),(VIII.30.45),

मैसूर

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[11] ने लेख किया है ... मैसूर (AS, p.762) का नाम महिषासुर दैत्य के नाम पर प्रसिद्ध है. किवदंती है कि देवी चंडी ने महिषासुर का वध इसी स्थान पर किया था. मैसूर के प्रांत का महत्व अति प्राचीन काल से चला आ रहा है क्योंकि मौर्य सम्राट अशोक (तीसरी सदीई.पू.) के दो शिलालेख मैसूर राज्य में प्राप्त हुए हैं (देखें ब्रह्मगिरि, मासकी). मैसूर नगर इस प्रांत की पुरानी राजधानी है. नगर के पास चामुंडी की पहाड़ी पर चामुंडेश्वरी देवी का मंदिर उसी स्थान पर है जहां देवी ने महिषासुर का वध किया था. 12 वीं सदी में होयसल नरेश के समय मैसूर राज्य में वास्तुकला उन्नति के शिखर पर पहुंच गई थी जिसका उदाहरण बेलूर का प्रसिद्ध मंदिर है. मैसूर का प्राचीन नाम महीशूर भी कहा जाता है. महाभारत में संभवत मैसूर के जनपद का नाम माहिष या माहिषक है (देखें माहिष).

महिष पर्वत

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[12] ने लेख किया है ...महिष पर्वत (AS, p.726) विष्णु पुराण 2,4,26-27 में उल्लिखित शाल्मल द्वीप का एक पर्वत '‘कुमुदश्चोन्नतश्चैव तृतीयश्च बलाहक:, द्रोणो यत्र महौषध्य: स चतुर्थो महीधर:। कंकस्तू पंचम: षष्ठो महिष: सप्तमस्तथा, कुकुदमान् पर्वतवर: सरिन्नामानि मे श्रुणु'। शाल्मल द्वीप के सात पर्वत हैं - कुमुद, उन्नत, बलाहक, द्रोणाचल, कंक, महिष, कुकुद्मान।

माहिष = माहिषक

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[13] ने लेख किया है ...माहिषक (AS, p.742) मैसूर का प्राचीन नाम. 'कारस्करान् महिष्कान कुरंडान् केरलांस्तथा, कर्कॊटकान् वीरकांश च दुर्धर्मांश च विवर्जयेत' महा. कर्ण.44,33. माहिषक देश को महाभारत काल में विवर्जनीय समझा जाता था. विष्णु पुराण 4,24,65 में माहिष देश का उल्लेख है--'कलिंगमाहिषमहेंद्रभौमान गुहा भोक्ष्यन्ति'. यह देश माहिष्मती भी हो सकता है. (दे. मैसूर)

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Constance; Ryan, James (2014). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 399. ISBN 978-0816054589. Rocher 1986, pp. 191–192.
  2. ↑ Marlow, Chris (29 October 2019). Navaratri: Prayers, Praises and Hymns. Lulu.com. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-244-22986-3.
  3. ↑ Kinsley, David (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press. pp. 96–103. ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
  4. ↑ Lakshmi Tantra A Pancharatra Text Sanjukta Gupta. p. 50.
  5. ↑ The Markandeya Purana. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. 24 October 2019. p. 421. ISBN 978-93-5305-671-1.
  6. ↑ Fuller, Christopher John (2004). The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton University Press. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-691-12048-X.
  7. ↑ Zimmer, Heinrich (1990). Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 195–198. ISBN 978-81-208-0751-8.
  8. ↑ "Mysuru name". mysore.org.uk.
  9. ↑ Sajnani, Manohar (2001). Encyclopaedia of Tourism Resources in India. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7835-018-9.
  10. ↑ "DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK MYSORE" (PDF). Census of India 2011 KARNATAKA. SERIES-30 PART XII-B: 8. 2011.
  11. ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.762
  12. ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.726-727)
  13. ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.742
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