Raktavija
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Raktavīja was an asura (loosely translated as demon) who fought together with Shumbha and Nishumbha against Durga and Kali or Chamunda. Raktavija had a boon that whenever a drop of his blood fell on the ground, a duplicate raktavija would be born at that spot (rakta=blood, vīja=seed; this is a bahuvrihi or exocentric compound, "he for whom each drop of blood is a seed"). In South Indian texts, the name is sometimes written raktabhija, and in the East, it is sometimes written raktabIj.
The eighth chapter of the Devi Mahatmya, raktavIja-vadh, focuses on Durgas battle with Raktavīja as part of her battle against the asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha, who had disenfranchised the gods from heaven. Raktavīja was wounded, but drops of blood falling on the ground created innumerable other Raktavījas, and Durga was in difficulty. At this point, the goddess created Kali, who made her tongue onto the earth, and sucked off the blood pouring from the body of Raktavīja, and devoured his duplicates with her gaping mouth. (see this 1780 painting of Kali drinking the blood of Raktabija ). Ultimately, Raktavīja was annihilated.
[edit] References
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
- Devi Mahatmya, Chapter Eight.
[edit] External link
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