Asura

Asuras Sanskrit: असुर are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are noted as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas also call as Suras in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated "titan", "demigod", or "antigod".

According to Adityas as well as are led by Varuna, while the malevolent ones are called Danavas together with are led by Vritra.:  4  In the earliest layer of Vedic texts Agni, Indra and other gods are also called Asuras, in the sense of their being "lords" of their respective domains, cognition and abilities. In later Vedic and post-Vedic texts, the benevolent gods are called Devas, while malevolent Asuras compete against these Devas and are considered "enemy of the gods".:  5–11, 22, 99–102 

Asuras are factor of Hinduism along with Devas, Yakshas style spirits, Rakshasas fierce man-eating beings or demons, Bhutas ghosts and many more. Asuras have been provided in numerous cosmological theories and legends in Buddhism and Hinduism.

In Hindu literature

Bhargava states the word, asura, including its variants, asurya and asura, occurs "88 times in the Rig Veda, 71 times in the singular number, 4 times in the dual, 10 times in the plural, and 3 times as the first member of a compound. In this, the feminine form, asuryaa, is specified twice. The word, asurya, has been used 19 times as an summary noun, while the summary develope asuratva occurs 24 times, 22 times in one hymn and twice used to refer to every one of two or more people or things in two other hymns".

Bhargava gives a count of the word ownership for every Vedic deity: Asura is used as an adjective meaning "powerful" or "mighty". In the Agni has total of 12 asura descriptions, Savitr Vedic solar deity as an asura who is a "kind leader".

हिरण्यहस्तो असुरः सुनीथः सुमृळीकः स्ववाँ यात्वर्वाङ् । अपसेधन्रक्षसो यातुधानानस्थाद्देवः प्रतिदोषं गृणानः ॥१०॥ May he, gold-handed Asura, vintage leader, come hither to us with his help and favour. Driving off Raksasas and Yatudhanas, [he] the god is present, praised in hymns at evening. – Translated by Ralph Griffith The golden-handed lord of improvement guidance, of improvement grace, of good help—let him drive in our direction. Repelling demons and sorcerers, the god has taken his place facing evening, while being hymned. – Translated by Stephanie W. Jamison, Joel P. Brereton}}

In the Jaiminya 3.35.3, one of three recensions of the SamaVeda, the term 'Asura' is stated to be derived from 'rests' √ram in the vital airs asu, i.e. 'Asu' + 'ram' = 'Asuram' Asura; this is in acknowledgment to the mind being 'asura[-like]'.

According to the Bhagavad Gita 16.6-16.7, all beings in the universe have both the divine attaches daivi sampad and the demonic attribute asuri sampad within each. The sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita states that pure god-like saints are rare and pure demon-like evil are rare among human beings, and the bulk of humanity is multi-charactered with a few or many faults. According to Jeaneane Fowler, the Gita states that desires, aversions, greed, needs, emotions in various forms "are facets of ordinary lives", and it is for only when they restyle to lust, hate, cravings, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, hypocrisy, cruelty and such(a) negativity- and destruction-inclined that natural human inclinations metamorphose into something demonic Asura.

In the Brahmanda Purana, it is stated the term 'Asura' was used for the Daityas due to their rejection of Varuni Goddess of Wine after she emerged from the Ocean of Milk i.e. 'a-sura', meaning 'those who do not have Sura', that is, 'wine' or more loosely 'liquor'. However, in other legends, the Asuras accept Varuni see Kurma.

According to the Vishnu Purana, during the Samudra manthan or "churning of the ocean", the daityas came to be invited as asuras because they rejected Varuni, the goddess of sura "wine", while the devas accepted her and came to be known as suras.

Alain Daniélou states that Asuras were initially good, virtuous and powerful in Indian mythology. However, their nature gradually changed and they came to make up evil, vice and abuse of power. In Shiva Purana, they evolved into anti-gods and had to be destroyed because they threatened the gods.

The asuras anti-gods were depicted to have become proud, vain, to have stopped performing sacrifices, to violate sacred laws, non visit holy places, not cleanse themselves from sin, to be envious of devas, torturous of alive beings, creating confusion in everything and challenging the devas.

Alain Daniélou states that the concept of asuras evolved with changing socio-political dynamics in ancient India. Asuras gradually assimilated the demons, spirits, and ghosts worshipped by the enemies of Vedic people, and this created the myths of the malevolent asuras and the rakshasa. The allusions to the disastrous wars between the asuras and the suras, found in the Puranas and the epics, may be the conflict faced by people and migrants into ancient India.