The Book of Demons: Including a Dictionary of Demons in Sanskrit Literature

by Nanditha Krishna

From The Rig Veda To Myriads Of Folk Narratives, The Belief In Demons Prevails All Over India, Vividly Illustrating That A Demon Is Something People Fear Because It Is Beyond Their Comprehension And Control. Time And Again, The Menacing And Uncontrollable Forces Of Night, Darkness And Death, Along With Powerful Defeated Enemies And Incomprehensible Natural Phenomena, Are Demonized.
The Book Of Demons Presents A Perceptive Overview Of The Various Types Of Demonic Beings And Concepts That Exist In Hindu Literature, Supplemented With A Dictionary Of Individual Demons For Ready Reference. Besides The Well-Known Rakshasas And Asuras, The Author Also Reveals A Densely Populated World Of Lesser-Known, But Equally Fascinating, Demonic Creatures. Andhaka (Blind Darkness), Conceived When Parvati Playfully Covered Shiva S Eyes And The World Was Plunged Into Darkness; Gajamukha, The Elephant-Faced Demon Who Was Transformed Into A Mouse By Ganesha And Then Converted Into His Vehicle; Jambha, The Demon-Leader Who Snatched The Pot Of Immortal Nectar From The Ocean During The Great Churning; Maya, The Demonic Equivalent Of Vishvakarma, Architect Of The Gods, Who Built The Three Cities Of Tripura; And Putana, The Demon Who Tried To Kill Krishna By Suckling Him With Poisoned Breasts.
Male Or Female, Human, Animal, Plant, Or Simply A Concept Demons Play A Pivotal Role In Our Mythical Traditions. Blending Insightful Erudition And Lively Description, Nanditha Krishna Brings To Life The Traits And Actions Of A Host Of Complex, Colourful, Monstrous And Intriguing Demons That Inhabit Indian Religion And Mythology.

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 16, 2007

Reviews

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, light read on Indian demons - both the mythical ones as well as your local boogeyman. The first part details the evolution, types and significance of demons, and the second part provides a sort of field guide.

[Arun Divakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The myths,legends and fables that are prevalent in India are as diverse,colorful and outright insane as they come. The two principal epics of India namely the Ramayana & the Mahabharatha support a variety of characters ranging from righteous, just hero-gods and primate armies to political power plays, sword and sorcery fantasy et al. There are heroes galore in these myths and the fact being that some of them are incarnations of deities mean that the opposing figures should be awe inspiring as well. This is the premise of this book, a look at the demonology that underlies the epics and sanskrit literature of India.

The book makes a detailed look into the epcis, the vedas and the local folklore of the nation to find out what brought about the concept of a demon into the Indian culture. Of particularly fascinating food for thought was the fact that there was a parallel to Christian belief here too in the sense that the demons as thought of in the vedic era were none but fallen gods. The book then goes on to trace the history of how India offered ideas to and took ideas from world culture to build up a form and give flesh and blood to the concept of the demon. In a time when civilization was lying down to pant from the exertion of running a nomadic life, every other tribe and deity the settlers conquered became a demon. These went on to become legend,fable and then epic. Nanditha Krishna gives parallels,theories and assumptions that sometime sound ridiculous but still fun to read. There is no glorifying of the gods and neither is there a bashing of the "evil" (very subjective word!!!) demon.

The most interesting part to me from the book was a dictionary of demons from Sanskrit Literature that cover many an important demon from India...Recommended to those who need a quick shot of what demons make up India's folklore.