A Rakshasa (female Rakshasi) in Hindu mythology is a bloodthirsty demon, banished from the realm of the gods and forced to live on earth, preying on humanity. While most of these beasts are as evil as evil can be, some of them have formed alliances with noble armies and performed heroic deeds in battle.
Physical Description
The appearance of a Rakshasa is as hideous as its flesh-eating habits. Its form is basically human, but they are tall, towering over ordinary men and women, and their limbs are twice as thick as those of a man.
A set of curved fangs curl from the corners of their lips; evil claws sprout from their fingers and toes, and two bull-like horns grow from their heads.
Common Rakshasas have mottled skin, dark hair, and pig-like eyes, but the more powerful beasts have glowing eyes and fiery manes. The strongest warlords may have additional heads and arms.
Special Abilities
The Rakshasas’ brute strength and passion for carnage alone could make any of them a terrifying enemy. Yet they possess a weapon even more powerful than fangs, horns, or claws. They are master wizards.
Demons can fly, breathe fire, and possess dead corpses, using them to attack their enemies, but their favorite branch of magic is illusion. They are incredible shape-shifters, capable of taking any form they please, and are famous for dreaming up nearly impossible riddles that confuse and trap their victims.
Weaknesses
Due to their physical strength and their status as demigods, rakshasas are extremely difficult to kill. Most warriors need magical weapons, given by the gods, to bring down one of these monsters. However, some of the greatest heroes in Hindu tradition have been able to kill a Rakshasa with their bare hands. Although these demons can be active during the day, they are undoubtedly stronger at night. They have more energy, and their magic is more powerful after sunset.
Famous myths
The most popular explanation for the existence of the horrible Rakshasas is that the race was created accidentally. When Brahma, a Hindu creator god, fell asleep at the end of the Satya Yuga, the golden age of humanity, a race of demons was born from his heavy breath. Immediately, the creatures turned against their creator and began to devour Brahma.
When he awoke to see them biting and scratching, Brahma cried out, “Rakshama!” (“Help me!”). His cry was answered by another god, Vishnu, who saved Brahma by banishing the terrible new race of demons to the earth, where they were named after Brahma’s cry for help.
Battle of Lanka
According to Ramayana, an ancient Hindu text, an entire kingdom of Rakshasas once existed on a fortress island called Lanka. The demons were able to coexist because they were ruled by a king who was literally ten times more ferocious than the rest of them: King Ravana, a ten-headed super monster.
Eventually, the darkness and terror beginning to emanate from Lanka attracted the attention of Rama, a heroic warrior who led an army of monkeys. Rama approached King Ravana’s brother, a surprisingly noble creature named Vibhishana, and with his help was able to storm the evil fortress.
A terrible battle raged in the fortress, with Rama’s monkeys fighting desperately against the giant demons, even demons riding elephants! The tide of battle finally turned in favor of the monkeys when Rama used a magical weapon, given to him by Brahma, to kill the greatest of the Raksasha warriors. Soon, King Ravana was also killed, and Lanka surrendered to Rama.
The Hero Bhima
The ancient Mahabharata recounts the travels of Bhima, a Pandava hero who became a prolific killer of Rakshasas. Amazingly, Bhima needed neither an army nor even a special weapon to defeat the giant monsters; he could fight them and kill them with his bare hands.
Bhima’s career began when he and his friends traveled to a dark forest overrun by man-eating demons. The party left peacefully during the day, but when they lay down to sleep under the forest canopy at night, they were immediately attacked by an evil Rakshasa named Hidimba.
Hidimba was determined to eat all the men, so he sent his sister, Hidimbi, to gather more information about their weapons and sleeping arrangements. Hidimbi sneaked into the Pandava camp, excited about the feast that lay ahead, but when she saw the hero Bhima, her heart melted. She fell instantly in love with him and warned him about her brother’s plan. When Hidimba attacked, Bhima was ready for him, and the monster was killed in short order.
After his victory over Hidimba, Bhima was no longer afraid of the Rakshasas. He continued traveling through Pandava, and whenever he found a village that feared an evil demon, he amazed the villagers by voluntarily going to fight the demon. In this way, he killed some of the most ferocious monsters of his time: Bakasura, Kirmira, and Jatasur.
Even so, Bhima had not completely hardened his heart against the Rakshasa race. He loved Hidimbi, the Rakshasi who had awakened him in a dark forest to warn him that his brother was about to attack. Together, they had a Rakshasa son named Ghatotkacha. Bhima and Ghatotkacha were very loyal to each other and often fought side by side in battle.
Buddhist Adaptation
As Buddhism gained popularity, it absorbed many characters from Hindu mythology. Buddhists associated Rakshasas with Mara, a kind of deity who represented all the vices that could attack a follower of Buddha on the path to enlightenment.
In one story, the Buddha himself encountered a hostile Rakshasa, who threatened to devour him if he was unable to answer his riddles. Fortunately, the omniscient Buddha answered the questions with ease, and the demon was so impressed that he became a follower of Buddhism. Later, the Buddha gathered more followers in a group of Rakshasa sisters, who vowed to defend and protect the Lotus Sutra.
