[Advaita-l] Asuras and Dharma

[Dr. Yadu Moharir]

Dear Scholars

I think thinking of "asura" as depected in Amar Chitra katha and Chandamaamaa is not correct.

the term "asura" need to be defined as "asuH ye ramante iti"

One attached to "asuH  (breathing) in essence Living" is asuraH.  (madyapaana)  I believe this is from brahmaNDa puraaNa.

Best Rgds

Dr Yadu
--------------------------------------------
On Sat, 11/21/15, Ravi Chandrasekhara via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Asuras and Dharma
 To: "H S Chandramouli" <hschandramouli at gmail.com>, "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015, 6:54 AM
 
 Pranam,
 
 I too have these similar
 questions. What Shri Chandramouli posted, I think one of the
 Sringeri Acharyas had mentioned.
 
 Ravi Chandrasekhara 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
 > On Nov 21, 2015, at 00:31, H S
 Chandramouli via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 wrote:
 > 
 > Sri Durga
 Ji,
 > 
 > What you have
 said may be applicable to Kaliyuga. The Pauraniks mention
 > that Devas and Asuras lived in entirely
 different Lokas during Kritayuga
 > and
 used to come into conflict now and then with the Asuras
 moving into
 > Devaloka for war. In
 Tretayuga, they lived in the same Loka, but in
 > different regions. In Dwaparayuga, they
 lived in the same family . But in
 >
 Kaliyuga, they live in the same body ( that is , they
 coexist in each
 > individual, in the form
 of natural tendencies ).
 > 
 > With so many Puranas and Itihasas speaking
 of them so exhaustively, it is
 > only to
 be concluded that the Shastras have not presented them
 purely in an
 > allegorical manner, but
 that they all existed in reality , to the same
 > extent as we are all alive today.
 > 
 > Regards
 > 
 > Chandramouli
 > 
 > On Sat, Nov 21, 2015
 at 1:32 AM, Durga Janaswamy via Advaita-l <
 > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 wrote:
 > 
 >> Hari
 Om,
 >> Pranams.
 >> 
 >> One way of
 looking at Asuras is:  Asuras are not a distinct category
 of
 >> persons separate from us. Both
 Deva and Asura are with in an individual
 >> being.
 >> 
 >> Bhagawan Shankaracharya's bhashya
 gives clarity on the topic.
 >> 
 >> Chandogya Upanishad - Chapter 1
 (Udgitha Vidya)
 >> mantra 1.2.1
 देवासुरा ह वै यत्र
 संयेतिरे उभये
 प्राजापत्यास्तद्ध
 देवा
 >>
 उद्गीथमाजह्रुरनेनैनानभिभविष्याम
 इति
 >> 
 >>
 devAsurA ha vai yatra saMyetire ubhaye prAjApatyAstaddha
 devA
 >>
 udgIthamAjahruranenainAnabhibhaviShyAma iti
 >> 
 >> When the
 gods and demons, who were both progeny of Prajapati,
 fought
 >> against each other
 ........................
 >> 
 >> Bhashya:
 >> The
 word deva is derived from the root div in the sense of
 shining. So it
 >> means functions of
 the organs, which are illumined by the scriptures.
 >> 
 >> The asuras
 are verily the normal, unillumined (ignorant) activities of
 the
 >> organs; opposed to them (devas)
 because they remain engrossed in the
 >> enjoyment of their own respective
 lives, i.e. in (their respective) diverse
 >> objects and vital functions.
 >> 
 >> The demons,
 the natural, unillumined functions of the organs, became
 >> engaged in war for undermining those
 functions of the organs which are
 >>
 illumined (regulated) by scriptures.
 >> 
 >> So also the
 gods, who are opposed to them and are possessed of
 >> characteristics of light emerging from
 the understanding of subjects
 >>
 presented by the scriptures, became engaged in defeating the
 demons
 >> possessed of the natural
 characteristics of darkness.
 >> 
 >> Thus the whole idea is this: From time
 immemorial a war, as it were, is
 >>
 continuing in the bodies of all individual beings, between
 the gods and
 >> demons, for the sake
 of defeating or winning over one another.
 >> 
 >> That is
 being related here by the Upanishad in the form of a story,
 by way
 >> of enjoining knowledge of
 the purification of the vital force for
 >> (arousing) discriminative knowledge
 about the rise of virtue and vice.
 >>
 
 >> Thus, ubhaye, both the gods and
 demons; are prajapatyah, progeny of
 >>
 Prajapati, of a person competent for rites and
 meditation.
 >> 
 >> The opposing functions of the organs
 of that very person, those which
 >>
 follow the scriptures and those which follow their natural
 tendencies, are
 >> his progeny as it
 were because they arise from him.
 >>
 
 >> (By Swami Gambhirananda, I did not
 type full, please look into the book for
 >> full details)
 >>
 
 >> Regards
 >>
 
 >> 
 >> On Fri,
 Nov 20, 2015 at 9:09 AM, Santosh Rao via Advaita-l <
 >> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
 wrote:
 >> 
 >>> Namaskara,
 >>> 
 >>> In
 the shastras we read about how some asuras were given
 knowledge by
 >>> certain
 preceptors, for example, shukra is known to have been the
 guru of
 >>> the asuras, while
 brighu was the preceptor of the devas.
 >>> 
 >>> My
 question is, what exactly were these asuras learning? Was it
 the
 >> Vedas,
 >>> or some other type of knowledge?
 If it was the Vedas, doesn't that mean
 >>> there was adhikara for that to
 take place to begin with? How was that
 >>> defined? If there was adhikara,
 then why would the lord have to incarnate
 >>> to mislead them with a false
 doctrine (buddha), instead of correcting
 >> them
 >>> in
 their errors?
 >>> 
 >>> I also read somewhere that the
 carvaka atheistic philosophy has it's
 >>> origins with rishi
 brhispathi....is this true? If so, was it's purpose
 to
 >>> mislead a certain group of
 people similar to what we are taught about
 >>> buddhism? Sorry if this is
 offtopic, I've been curious about it for a
 >>> while.
 >>> 
 >>>
 Thanks,
 >>> 
 >>> Santosh Rao
 >>>
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