Danu (Asura)
Encyclopedia
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
. In later Hinduism, she becomes the daughter of Daksha
and the consort of Kasyapa.
As a word for "rain" or "liquid", dānu is compared to Avestan dānu "river", and further to river names like Don
, Danube
, Dneiper, Dniestr, etc. There is also a Danu river in Nepal. The "liquid" word is mostly neuter, but appears as feminine in RV 1.54.
As a Hindu goddess, Dānu has 2 temples in Bali
, Indonesia
: Pura Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Bratan, Bali and Ulun Danu Batur, near Penelokan.
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, mother of the Danavas
Danava (Hinduism)
In Vedic mythology the Danavas were a race of the Asuras.The Danavas were the sons of Danu, who in turn was a daughter of Daksha. Danu is connected with the waters of heavens and she is probably associated with the formless, primordial waters that existed prior to the creation. The name is...
. The word Danu described the primeval waters which this deity perhaps embodied. In the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
(I.32.9), she is identified as the mother of Vrtra, the demonic serpent slain by Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
. In later Hinduism, she becomes the daughter of Daksha
Daksha
In Hinduism, Daksha, "the skilled one", is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis, the Rishis and the Adityas. Daksha is said to be the son of Aditi and Brahma...
and the consort of Kasyapa.
As a word for "rain" or "liquid", dānu is compared to Avestan dānu "river", and further to river names like Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
, Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, Dneiper, Dniestr, etc. There is also a Danu river in Nepal. The "liquid" word is mostly neuter, but appears as feminine in RV 1.54.
As a Hindu goddess, Dānu has 2 temples in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
: Pura Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Bratan, Bali and Ulun Danu Batur, near Penelokan.