Power and territory (realm) of the demons (Asuras) against the gods (daevas) in the religious and mythological beliefs of the ancient Iranians and Hindus

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Document Type : Research Paper

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1 Faculty of Humanities, Department of Iranology, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2 Faculty of literature and Humanities Department of History Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Afzalipour Campus Kerman, Iran.

Abstract

one of the basic issues in the Hindu and ancient Iranian religions is that what are territory, power and function of evil forces with prominent names such as demons and Asuras depicted in Iran and India against the divine forces (gods) and their followers? Also, what are the differences and similarities in terms of the power, territory and function of the Indian Asuras and the Iranian demons against forces of daevas and Ahura? Based on these questions, by analyzing important Indian and Iranian and valid references, the results indicate that evil forces in Iran always appear destructive and are in conflict with the function and interest of the Ahura forces. So, finally due to the superiority of gods' nature over the demonic forces, success will be with the good (Ahura) forces. But in India, with all the evils of the Indian Asuras, which in some cases make them resemble the Iranian demons, sometimes the Indian Asuras are consistent with the forces of good, and in many cases Asuras have some privileges and features similar to the Gods. Thus, in Indian mythology; we are witnessing the relative equality of the power of the gods and demons.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 May 2024

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