Susna

Susna is a demon described in Hindu sacred texts. Normally associated with drought, Susna is often described as possessing a snake-like form with horns. He is an enemy of the god Indra.

Description

In Hinduism, Susna is a demon or Asura commonly associated with drought, famine, and hoarding.[1] An enemy of Indra, the demon makes multiple appearances across a number of Vedic texts. He is often associated with Vritra, a large dragon which obstructs the rivers of the world.[2]

In an etymological context, Susna means "drought" from the root Sus, which translates to "dry up".[1]

Appearances in Hindu texts

In the Brahmana and Yajurveda texts within the Vedas, Susna is described as being a bitter enemy (Dasa)[3] of the god Indra. Susna, who is described as a horned serpent-demon, aids the Asuras in their war against Indra and his fellow Deva gods. Whenever an Asura is killed in battle, Susna uses his mystical breath (which contains the essence of the amrta, the fluid of immortality) to restore the fallen warrior to life. Indra discovers these resurrections and plots to steal the amrta for himself and his fellow gods. Thus, Indra turns himself into a globule of honey and allows the demon to consume him. Once inside of Susna's stomach, Indra turns into a falcon[4] (or eagle),[5] steals the amrta from the demon's mouth, and escapes to deliver the prize to the other Devas.[4][5][6]

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.[3] 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 lightning bolt, Susna must be destroyed by returning water to the land. To defeat the demon, Indra destroy's Susna's fortress and, at the request of his follower Kutsa, sends rains to end the drought, defeating the demon.[2] One passage from the text notes Indra "made flow the springs restrained by the season through killing Susna, the child of mists."[2]

References
  1. Chakravarty, U. (1994). INDRA'S PROTÉGÉS IN THE ṚGVEDA. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 75(1/4), 51-64. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41694405
  2. Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 1917.
  3. "Demons in Vedic Literature | Mahavidya". www.mahavidya.ca. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  4. Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook. Penguin. 1975. ISBN 9780140443066.
  5. Abel, Ernest L. (2014-12-09). Intoxication in Mythology: A Worldwide Dictionary of Gods, Rites, Intoxicants and Places. McFarland. ISBN 9781476606378.
  6. O'Flaherty, Wendy Doniger (1982-11-15). Women, Androgynes, and Other Mythical Beasts. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226618500.
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