What's the difference between Asura, Daitya, Rakshasa and Pishach according to Hindu mythology?

Question

They all seem so similar.

Answer 1

Asura & Daitya were different races of humans.- often confused as being the same.

Raakkshasa- unruly, very healthy, tall and bulky humans/demi-humans with hedonistic tendancies- mostly residing in jungles- often having congenital deformations or quaint features. Physically quite strong and often with some extra natural power. Any person with this type of personality and tendancies was termed a Raakhshas.

Pishaach- a type of after death life- often confused with 'bhoot'- usually not as active as a bhoot and have a certain fixed life span.- usually unsatiated souls of dead persons.

Daitya- as someone above has pointed out, were children of Diti & Kashyap- their peak was when King BAALI who conquered all 3 lokas, but gave it all in donation to a child brahmin ( Vishnu himself) - they were basically rulers of Paataall lok- apparently the Southern Hemisphere.

Asuras- also children of sage Kashyap- was a distinct race of humans. very different from Daityas- Raavan was an Asur, not daitya. similarly Baali the king of daityas was not an Asur.

Apparently the Daityas and the Asurs did not co-exist or at least were not in power at the same time. Asurs came AFTER the daityas. There is no distinct reord of when the daityas perished/ dis-appeared.

I do not re-call any instance from the ancient texts where Asurs as mentioned as Daityas or vice-versa.

Answer 2

A very good question !!

All the four Asura, Daitya, Rakshasa and Pisach are basically bad elements with some difference. The definitions for these as per Wikipedia is given below.

In Hindu mythology, the Asura (Sanskrit: असुर) are a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes referred to as demons. They were opposed to the devas. Both groups are children of Kashyapa. The name is cognate to Ahura – indeed, the Oxford English Dictionary recognises the use of the term in reference to Zoroastrianism, where "Ahura" would perhaps be more appropriate.

In Hinduism, the Daityas were the children of Diti and the sage Kashyapa. They were a race of giants who fought against the gods because they were jealous of their Deva half-brothers. Some known Daityas include Bali, Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. They are also called Asuras, but that name is also used for the Danavas.

A rakshasa is a demon or unrighteous spirit in Hinduism. They were man-eaters or cannibals. The Aryans were always at war with the Rakshasas. However even Rakshasas such as Ravan described himself as a minister of the Aryans.

The Pisach or soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self-aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. In these traditions the soul is thought to incorporate the inner essence of each living being, and to be the true basis for sentience. In distinction to spirit which may or may not be eternal, souls are usually considered to be immortal and to pre-exist their incarnation in flesh.
The concept of the soul has strong links with notions of an afterlife, but opinions may vary wildly, even within a given religion, as to what may happen to the soul after the death of the body. Many within these religions and philosophies see the soul as immaterial, while others consider it to possibly have a material component, and some have even tried to establish the mass (weight) of the soul.

Answer 3

Greetings.
I'm no expert. I have been reading the Vedic classics for about 30 years now. Here's what I've learned:

1. Asura is any entity who rebels against authority, no birth in specific family.

2. Daitya is similar, but specificaly born of the demigoddess "Diti". Her sister "Aditi" bears the opposite of Asuras, namely the demigods, who are religious.

3. Rakshasha is a man-eater, cannibal

4.Pishacha is a mean ghost. There are ghosts, some are particularly vengeful and mean.

I hope this helps, and possibly I can be put to some use in the future with similar questions....

Best,

Doug Greenberg

Answer 4

There are three kinds of anthropomorphic beings, the devas (demigods), the manushyas (human beings) and the asuras (demons). The asuras live in Patala above Naraka (Hell), one of the three Lokas (worlds, dimensions of existence). The Patala loka exists below Bhu(r)loka (which includes Earth where humans live). The asuras are often ugly creatures. Puranas describe many cosmic battles between asuras and devas for supremacy.


The vetala, like the bat, is associated with hanging upside down on trees found in cremation grounds and cemeteriesOriginally, the word Asura in the earliest hymns of the Rig Veda (the holy book of the Indo-Aryans) meant any supernatural spirit—good or bad. Hence even some of the devas (demigods), especially Varuna, have the epithet of Asura. In fact, since the /s/ of the Indic linguistic branch is cognate with the /h/ of the Early Iranian languages, the word Asura, representing a category of celestial beings, became the word Ahura (Mazda), the Supreme God of the monotheistic Zoroastrians. But very soon, among the Indo-Aryans, Asura came to exclusively mean any of a race of anthropomorphic but hideous demons. All words such as Asura, Daitya (lit., sons of the demon-mother "Diti"), Rakshasa (lit. from "harm to be guarded against") are translated into English as demon. These demons are inherently evil are in a constant battle against the demigods. Hence in Hindu iconography, the gods / demigods are shown to carry weapons to kill the asuras. However, unlike Christianity, the demons are not the cause of the evil and unhappiness in present mankind (which occurs on the account of ignorance from recognizing one's true self). In later Puranic mythology, exceptions do occur in the demonic race to produce god-fearing Asuras like Prahalada. Also, many Asuras are said to have been granted boons from one of the members of the Hindu trinity, viz., Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva when the latter had been appeased from penances. All Asuras, unlike the devas, are said to be mortals (though they vehemently wish to become immortal). Many people metaphorically interpret these demons as manifestations of the ignoble passions in human mind.

On the account of the Hindu theory of reincarnation and transmigration of souls according to one's Karma, other kinds of demons can also be enlisted. If a human does extremely horrible and sinful karmas in his life, his soul (Atman) will, upon his death, directly turn into an evil ghostly spirit, many kinds of which are recognized in the later Hindu texts. These demons could be Vetalas, Pishachas, Bhūtas etc

Answer 5

Sura means Deva or one with good qualities Asura means one who is the opposite of sura.
Asuras were given birth by diti hence they are known as daityas or sons of Diti
Rakshasas ar also asuras who are most cruel.
Paishacha or pishach as it is known is the wandering soul of the dead for whom no death rites have been done. They are always on the look out for a person with a weak will in whose body they can enter and live.

Answer 6

Complex topic to discuss or explain, lemme try though. Mythologically there are different approaches to it as discussed by Copy&paste. Historically the people who ruled the majority of India after the vedic culture was established were called the Aryas. amongst these those who were very powerful and had major influence were treated as Suras. Suras is also refered to teh conglomerate of teh Gods in Hindu panthenon. People who were outcasted by the Aryas and those from the panthenon who were not suited to the benefit of the larger masses were called Anaryas and Asuras respectively. Geographically these anaryas and asuras settled south of the vindhyachal ranges in central India. RAKSHASas came into existance at the time of Ravana who wanted to amalgamate the entire aryavart under one name and principles of living and called it the "Raksha Sanskruti" with the slogan "Vayam Rakshamaha" meaning "we protect". His Idea was to bring together the Aryas and the exiled Anaryas under one roof and blend them all into a single community. Now is the twist. Due to his predominant Tamasi pravrutti he used force in making people join his Raksha Sanskruti thereby the term Rakshas gained a negative connotation. Pishachas Danavas and Daityas were different categories among the Asuras and Rakshasas depending upon their habits and territory and their modes of operations. pishachas generally lived on trees and haunted the crematoriums and looted and hurt lonely travellers and people who ventured out into their territory without purpose. Danavas commanded the wilderness as in tough forests, uninhabited islands, and unapproachable areas and hunted down people who ventured out there. Daityas were more likely to be found nearer to habitations and were feared because of their abnormal size and powers. they commanded eh intermediate areas between the cities n towns and the deep forests. In mythologies we can see multiple characters even amongst the Asuras and the Rakshasas and they depending on their good will and conscience have been seen to be helpful in many a causes to Gods and Aryas. hope it helps thanks recommended book to have more insight into this is "Vayam Rakshamaha" by Acharya Chatursen in Hindi.

Answer 7

asura-eg-mahishasura
rakshsa-eg-ravan
daitya and Pishach are the same as rakshsa
as in the hindu mytholgy

Answer 8

Rakshasa Meaning In English

Answer 9

the karm of a being lead to the categories

Answer 10

ya, even i thought they were similar.....thanks for asking the question.....got to know a lot from the above answerers!!!!!