Hinduism♥Krishna;3822394 said:
Asura means who are opposite to Sura ( Devas ). The simple defination is, Suras are protectors and followers of Veda while Asuras are destroyers and non-followers of Veda. Generally Asuras can never comprehend Veda ever. Even Sura can't then what to talk about asura? Shukracharya didn't become their guru. Asuras used to think him their Guru. I think there must be something reason. I hope someone mentions the reason.
As Aupmanyav and others have mentioned already, the Asuras are not the equivalent of the Abrahamic Satan/Fallen Angels.
If one were to give historical/mythological examples, The Asuras would be the Titans of the Greek mythology, and the Devas would the ones who rallied behind Zeus. The "new gods" for want of a better term. If I remember correctly, Early Rig Veda mentions many of the later "Devas" as Asuras. Similarly, Zeus and the rest of the "new" Greek gods were once part of the Titans(their progeny).So while the new Greek gods fought and banished the "Titans", they themselves were Titans.
The more I read on our prehistory, the more I realize that modern Hinduism (not all of it...but some of the more "popular" versions)has been heavily influenced by the latter Puranas. In the Puranas we see the glorification of Indra, whereas in the older Vedas Indra is not exactly special..in fact some of the Indras (yes, plural, as there is more than one Indra mentioned, irrc) sound and act like evil beings themselves.
Interestingly enough, in the related Ancient Persian(Avestan) texts the Asuras are considered good (Ahzura) whereas the Devas are considered evil.
Our Saraswati is very much related to their Ardevi-Sura-Ahanita...in fact many historians assume that they are one and the same (Tirivia, the city of "Kandahar" in current Day Afghanistan derives its name from Harauwati>Saraswati ).
This difference takes an even more interesting turn if we were to consider ancient Irish mythology. Their Mother goddess is Danu, the mother of their divine pantheon; the Tuatha De Dannan (Literally people of Danu). The Tuatha De Dannan fight their mortal enemies the Formorians, who are in turn the children of their Mother Goddess. Why do I mention Danu of Ancient Ireland? because we Hindus also have Danu..in fact there is ample reason to believe that they are one and the same. The Goddess Danu of Hinduism is an Asura, and is mentioned in the RigVeda. She is also the mother of the Danavas. Davanas mean "Children/People of Danu". In fact they are one and the same as the Tuatha De Dannan of Ancient Ireland.
My Cousin is named Danu (It literally blew my mind that the Danu from the Irish myths is the same Danu from our Hindu myths btw) ...and is still a somewhat popular girl's name in South Asia. Why would we Hindus have so many Asuras as positive figures in our mythology if they were all evil? The Generic "All Asuras are evil" myth some later puranas (Written thousands of years after the Vedas) spout is imho an attempt to whitewash the Devas and Villify the Asuras en-mass by the winning side. By the "Winning side" I posit that a long time ago there must have been two factions (Which were already heavily interrelated btw..if one were to look at the genealogy of the Asuras and the Devas) , and the winning faction (Devas) tried and partially suceeded in re-writing history.
Dānu, a Hindu primordial goddess, is mentioned in the Rigveda, mother of the Danavas. The word Danu described the primeval waters which this deity perhaps embodied. In the Rigveda (I.32.9), she is identified as the mother of Vrtra, the demonic serpent slain by Indra.[1] In later Hinduism, she becomes the daughter of Daksha and the consort of Kasyapa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danu_(Asura)
However all it takes to see both sides of the story is to read the old Vedas, and to trace back the origins of the many "Devas" of today who were once Asuras.
Apologies for my Rambling reply
