Vajranaka

Vajrāṅka, Vajranaka, also referred to as Vajranaga, was a powerful Asura in Hindu mythology. According to the Puranas, he was born from the Earth goddess Diti and was fathered by the sage Kashyapa. Diti, being the mother of the Asuras sought revenge for the deaths of her children by the hands of the Devas. Diti is said to have underwent severe austerities for ten thousand years in exchange for a boon which granted her a child who would slay the Devas. Kashyapa granted her wish and they birthed Vajranaka, whose body was like Indra's weapon the vajra.[1]

Vajranka is the father of the Asura Tārakāsura, who continued upon his father's war with the Devas but was ultimately vanquished by war god Kartikeya.

Etymology

Vajrāṅka is an adjective meaning "studded with diamonds".[2]

Vajrāṅka is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vajra, meaning thunderbolt or diamond, and aṅka (अङ्क) meaning adorned.

Alternatively the name Vajranaga, derived from vajra and Nāga, means diamond serpent. In Vedic Hinduism Asuras such as Vritra are sometimes depicted as serpentine.

References
  1. Kannan, Preetha Rajah (2016-01-19). Shiva in the City of Nectar: Fifty-four divine tales of Shiva in ancient India. Jaico Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8495-787-7.
  2. www.wisdomlib.org (2019-03-21). "Vajranka, Vajra-anka, Vajrāṅka: 1 definition". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
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