Nekilortashush: further fix layout per standard format and added references

2025-05-02T18:00:30Z

further fix layout per standard format and added references

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:30, 2 May 2025
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	\| texts = [[Vedas]]		\| texts = [[Vedas]]
	}}{{short description\|Serpentine Hindu demon of drought}}		}}{{short description\|Serpentine Hindu demon of drought}}
	'''Susna''' ({{~~Lang-~~sa\|शुष्ण\|translit=Śuṣṇa}}) is an [[asura]] described in [[Hindu]] texts. Normally associated with drought, Susna is often described as possessing a snake-like form with horns. He is an enemy of the deity [[Indra]].<ref>{{Cite book \|last1=Vinogradov \|first1=A. G. \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jbr8DwAAQBAJ&dq=shushna+vritra&pg=PA66 \|title=The mysteries of Aryan civilization \|last2=Zharnikova \|first2=S. V. \|publisher=WP IPGEB \|pages=66 \|language=en}}</ref>		'''Susna''' ({{Langx\|sa\|शुष्ण\|translit=Śuṣṇa}}) is an [[asura]] described in [[Hindu]] texts. Normally associated with drought, Susna is often described as possessing a snake-like form with horns. He is an enemy of the deity [[Indra]].<ref>{{Cite book \|last1=Vinogradov \|first1=A. G. \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jbr8DwAAQBAJ&dq=shushna+vritra&pg=PA66 \|title=The mysteries of Aryan civilization \|last2=Zharnikova \|first2=S. V. \|publisher=WP IPGEB \|pages=66 \|language=en}}</ref>

	== Etymology ==		== Etymology ==
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	[[Category:Legendary serpents]]		[[Category:Legendary serpents]]
	~~[[Category:Characters in Hindu mythology]]~~
	[[Category:Asura]]		[[Category:Asura]]
			[[Category:Indian dragons]]
	{{DEFAULTSORT:Shushna}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Shushna}}

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-09-18T17:56:38Z

Created a new article

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{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| name = Susna
| affiliation = [[Asura]]
| texts = [[Vedas]]
}}{{short description|Serpentine Hindu demon of drought}}
'''Susna''' ({{Lang-sa|शुष्ण|translit=Śuṣṇa}}) is an [[asura]] described in [[Hindu]] texts. Normally associated with drought, Susna is often described as possessing a snake-like form with horns. He is an enemy of the deity [[Indra]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Vinogradov |first1=A. G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jbr8DwAAQBAJ&dq=shushna+vritra&pg=PA66 |title=The mysteries of Aryan civilization |last2=Zharnikova |first2=S. V. |publisher=WP IPGEB |pages=66 |language=en}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
Susna means "drought" from the root Sus, which translates to "dry up".<ref name=":3" /> The similar "sosna" is an old Slavic word for the pine tree.

== Literature ==
In [[Hinduism]], Susna is an asura commonly associated with drought, famine, and hoarding.<ref name=":3">Chakravarty, U. (1994). INDRA'S PROTÉGÉS IN THE ṚGVEDA. ''Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute,'' ''75''(1/4), 51-64. Retrieved from {{JSTOR|41694405}}</ref> An enemy of Indra, the asura makes multiple appearances across a number of [[Vedas|Vedic]] texts. He is often associated with [[Vritra]], another asura which obstructs the rivers of the world.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QRpLAQAAMAAJ&q=Susna+demon&pg=PA254|title=Journal of the American Oriental Society|date=1917|publisher=American Oriental Society.|language=en}}</ref>

In the [[Rigveda]], Susna is described as being a "child of mists" similar to Vritra, a massive dragon who blocks the rivers of the world.<ref name="mahavidya.ca" /> Like Vritra, Susna is seen as a causer of drought and as a foe of Indra. However, while Indra is able to kill Vritra with a [[thunderbolt]], Susna must be destroyed by returning water to the land. To defeat the asura, Indra destroys Susna's fortress, and, at the request of his follower [[Kutsa]], sends rains to end the drought, defeating the asura.<ref name=":2" /> One passage from the text notes Indra "made flow the springs restrained by the season through killing Susna, the child of mists."<ref name=":2" />

In the [[Brahmana]] and [[Yajurveda]] texts within the [[Vedas]], Susna is described as being a bitter enemy (''[[dasa]]'')<ref name="mahavidya.ca">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mahavidya.ca/2008/04/14/demons-in-vedic-literature/|title=Demons in Vedic Literature {{!}} Mahavidya|website=www.mahavidya.ca|language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-09}}</ref> of the god [[Indra]]. Susna, who is described as a horned serpent-asura, aids the [[Asura]]s in their war against Indra and his fellow [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]]. Whenever an asura is killed in battle, Susna uses his mystical breath (which contains the essence of the [[Amrita|amrta]], the elixir of immortality) to restore the fallen warrior to life. Indra discovers these resurrections and plots to steal the amrta for himself and his fellow devas. Thus, Indra turns himself into a globule of honey and allows the asura to consume him. Once inside of Susna's stomach, Indra turns into a falcon<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Af7TFlN5hmsC&q=Susna+demon&pg=PA281|title=Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook|date=1975|publisher=Penguin|isbn=9780140443066|language=en}}</ref> (or eagle),<ref name=":1" /> snatches the amrta from the asura's mouth, and escapes to deliver the prize to the other devas.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PZe2BQAAQBAJ&q=Susna+demon&pg=PA18|title=Intoxication in Mythology: A Worldwide Dictionary of Gods, Rites, Intoxicants and Places|last=Abel|first=Ernest L.|date=2014-12-09|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476606378|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EBvHzornoMwC&q=Susna+demon&pg=PA266|title=Women, Androgynes, and Other Mythical Beasts|last=O'Flaherty|first=Wendy Doniger|date=1982-11-15|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226618500|language=en}}</ref>{{Portal|Hinduism}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Rigveda}}

[[Category:Legendary serpents]]
[[Category:Characters in Hindu mythology]]
[[Category:Asura]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shushna}}

Susna - Revision history

Nekilortashush: further fix layout per standard format and added references

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article