Andhaka
Sign in to saveIn Hindu literature, Andhaka (Sanskrit: अन्धक, IAST: Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura, whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Parvati.
Key facts
- Deity.affiliation
- Asura
- Deity.gender
- Male
- Deity.type
- hindu
- Deity.image
- Shiva kills the demon Andhaka.jpg
- Deity.alt
- Andhaka
- Deity.caption
- Shiva slays Andhaka, c. 1590, a translation of Harivamsa commissioned by Akbar
- Deity.parents
- Hiraṇyākṣa (adoptive father in some Puranas) Shiva and Parvati (parents; in some Puranas)
- Deity.children
- Adi
via Wikipedia infobox
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Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- In Puranic Scriptures
- Shiva Purana
- Alternate account
- Vāmana Purāṇa
- Kūrma Purāṇa
- Matsya Purāṇa
- Harivaṃśa Purana
- Liṅga Purāṇa
- Alternate account
- In the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata
- See also
- References
In Hindu literature, Andhaka (Sanskrit: अन्धक, IAST: Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura, whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Parvati.
His story finds mention in various Hindu texts, including the Matsya Purāṇa, the Kūrma Purāṇa, the Liṅga Purāṇa, the Padma Purana, and the Shiva Purana. He is believed to have one thousand heads, and one thousand arms, and also having two thousand eyes. In another version, he has two thousand arms, and two thousand legs. In some versions of his story, Andhaka is described as a son of Shiva and Parvati.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Andhaka” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.