Characters in Hindu mythology

The pitris (, ) are the spirits of departed ancestors in Hinduism. Following an individual's death, the performance of the antyesti (funeral rites) is regarded to allow the deceased to enter Pitrloka, the abode of one's ancestors. The non-performance of these rituals is believed to result in the fate of wandering the earth as a restless preta.

thumb|Apasmara, clutching a cobra and trampled beneath the foot of Nataraja (Shiva as lord of dance).Apasmara (, ) is a diminutive man who represents spiritual ignorance and ahamkara in Hindu mythology. He is also known as Muyalaka or Muyalakan.

The Vishakanya ( ) were young women reportedly used as assassins, often against powerful enemies, in Ancient India. Their blood and bodily fluids were purportedly poisonous to other humans, as was mentioned in the ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, Arthashastra, written by Chanakya, an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta (c. 340–293 BC).