Tārakāsura

2021-08-08T06:52:46Z

2409:4072:191:F7B2:FC3E:1FE6:D953:A4D5:

'''Tārakāsura''' ({{lang-sa|तारकासुर:}}) or '''Tāraka''' ({{lang-sa|तारक}}) '''Tharakasuran''' ([[Tamil language|Tamil]]: தாரக்காசுறன்) '''Tarakasura''' ({{lang-te|తారకసుర}}) was a powerful ''[[asura]]'' in [[Hindu mythology]]. He was son of a powerful Asura [[Vajranaka]] and his wife Vajrangini.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sivkishen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kmVZBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&dq=tarakasura+son#q=Vajrangani|title=Kingdom of Shiva|date=2015-01-23|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-81-288-3028-0|language=en}}</ref> Taraka had three sons Tarakaksha, Vidyunmāli and Kamalaksha, who were known as [[Tripurasura]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gokhale|first=Namita|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1y8nAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT42&dq=Tarakaksha,+Vidyunmali+Kamalaksha#q=Tarakaksha,%20Vidyunmali%20Kamalaksha|title=Book of Shiva|date=2012-10-23|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-81-8475-863-4|language=en}}</ref>
{{Infobox mythological character
| series =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| family = [[Vajranaka]] (father)<br>
Vajrangani (mother)
| children = [[Tripurasura|Tarakaksha, Vidyunmāli, Kamalaksha]]
| name = Tarakasura
| species = [[Asura]]
}}

== Legend ==
Tarakasura repeatedly defeated the gods until heaven was on the verge of collapse. Yet he had a clever boon that he could be defeated only by the son of [[Shiva]], who was a complete [[yogi]], given to severe austerities, far from any thoughts of marriage. However, [[Parvati]] who was re-incarnation of [[Sati (goddess)|Sati]], Shiva's wife and also incarnation of [[Aadi Shakti]] who was once a part of Shiva, in their [[Ardhanarishvara]] form. Eventually their son [[Kartikeya]] was born. Kartikeya killed Tarakasura and his brothers Simhamukhan and [[Surapadman]] who eventually became the mounts of [[Parvati]] and Kartikeya.

==Literary references==
This story is the basis for the epic [[Kumarasambhava]] (lit., birth of Kartikeya) by [[Kalidasa]]<ref>http://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/~amit/books/kalidasa-1929-kalidaser-granthabali-v2-v2.html</ref> (c. 4th century CE). The theme of the vaporised love spirit roaming free in the universe was adopted by the [[Vaishnava]]s (c. 16th century) who believe it was reincarnated in [[Vasudeva]].<ref>{{cite book
| author = [[Prabhupada]], A.C.B.S.
| year = 1972
| title = [[Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead]]
}}</ref> This is also the theme of the poem ''madanbhasmer par'' (মদনভস্মের পর) by [[Rabindranath Tagore]].

==See also==
*[[Lord of Light]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Daityas]]

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Tārakāsura