Atikaya
Encyclopedia
Atikaya was the son of Ravana
and his second wife Dhanyamalini in the Ramayana
epic. Atikaya was the younger brother of Indrajit
and was extremely powerful. Once upon a time when he infuriated Lord Shiva
atop Mount Kailasha, the deity hurled his Trishula
(divine trident) at Atikaya, but Atikaya caught the Trishula
in mid air and folded his hands before the lord in a humble manner. Lord Shiva was pleased at seeing this, and benevolently blessed Atikaya with the secrets of archery and divine weapons.
Due to his extraordinary skills and superiority, he had to be slain by Lakshmana
by using a Brahmastra
, the supremely powerful arrow obtained by the blessings of Lord Brahma
. The secret was revealed to Lakshmana by the elemental God of Wind, Vayu
at the behest of Lord Indra
, that an otherwise invincible armour of Lord Brahma
was granted to Atikaya, that could only be pierced by a Brahmastra.
Atikaya and his brother Trishira
, are believed to be incarnations of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, who were killed by Vishnu
at the creation of the world.
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
and his second wife Dhanyamalini in the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
epic. Atikaya was the younger brother of Indrajit
Indrajit
Indrajit or Meghanatha , a warrior mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana, was the son of the Lankan king Ravana. The word 'Indrajit' literally means the 'conqueror of Indra '....
and was extremely powerful. Once upon a time when he infuriated Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
atop Mount Kailasha, the deity hurled his Trishula
Trishula
A trishula is a type of Indian trident but also found in Southeast Asia. It is commonly used as a Hindu-Buddhist religious symbol. The word means "three spear" in Sanskrit and Pali....
(divine trident) at Atikaya, but Atikaya caught the Trishula
Trishula
A trishula is a type of Indian trident but also found in Southeast Asia. It is commonly used as a Hindu-Buddhist religious symbol. The word means "three spear" in Sanskrit and Pali....
in mid air and folded his hands before the lord in a humble manner. Lord Shiva was pleased at seeing this, and benevolently blessed Atikaya with the secrets of archery and divine weapons.
Due to his extraordinary skills and superiority, he had to be slain by Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
by using a Brahmastra
Brahmastra
In ancient Sanskrit writings, the Brahmastra was a weapon created by Brahma.-Features:It is sometimes known as the Brahma Astra . As described in a number of the Puranas, it was considered the deadliest weapon...
, the supremely powerful arrow obtained by the blessings of Lord Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
. The secret was revealed to Lakshmana by the elemental God of Wind, Vayu
Vayu
Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...
at the behest of Lord 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...
, that an otherwise invincible armour of Lord Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
was granted to Atikaya, that could only be pierced by a Brahmastra.
Atikaya and his brother Trishira
Trishira
Trishira or Trisiras ไทย : ตรีเศียร, that is, one having three heads, was an asura , and reference to him is found in the Ramayana. He was one of the seven sons of Ravana, and his other brothers were Indrajit, Prahasta, Atikaya, Akshayakumara, Devantaka and Narantaka.He engaged Rama in a fight and...
, are believed to be incarnations of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, who were killed by Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
at the creation of the world.