Kimpurushas
The kimpurushas (Sanskrit: किंपुरुष, romanized: Kimpuruṣa) are a race of beings featured in Hindu literature, described as possessing the bodies of human beings and equine heads. They are associated with, and sometimes considered the same as the kinnaras,[1] though some Puranas distinguish between them.[2] They are attendants of the god of wealth, Kubera.[3]
Literature
[edit]Bhagavata Purana
[edit]Brahma is described to have created the kimpurushas and the kinnaras from his own reflected image.[4]
The kimpurushas, along with a number of other beings, praise the glory of the Narasimha avatar of Vishnu after he slays Hiranyakashipu.[5]
The beings sing the praises of Mahabali for his selfless deed of offering the three worlds to the Vamana avatar of Vishnu.[6]
Ramayana
[edit]Budha transforms a number of women into kimpurushis (female kimpurushas) and instructs them to make a mountain their abode and take kimpurushas for their consorts.[7]
Tirumurai
[edit]The poet-saint Appar references the kimpurushas as one among the eighteen classes in his hymns.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Hudson, D. Dennis (2008-09-25). The Body of God: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press. p. 589. ISBN 978-0-19-970902-1.
- ^ Pargiter, F. E. (Frederick Eden) (1904). The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. Cornell University Library. Calcutta : Asiatic Society of Bengal. p. 381.
- ^ Joseph O. Gill (2021-05-17). Dictionary Of Mythology, Folklore And Symbols, Vols 1 3 Gertrude Jobes 1962. p. 928.
- ^ Purnendu Narayana Sinha (1901). A Study Of The Bhagaata Purana. p. 41.
- ^ Ramakrishna Math. Bhagavat Vol. 2 Translated By Swami Tapasyanand Ramakrishna Math. p. 250.
- ^ Ramakrishna Math. Bhagavat Vol. 2 Translated By Swami Tapasyanand Ramakrishna Math. p. 377.
- ^ Hari Prasad Shastri. The Ramayana of Valmiki, translated by Hari Prasad Shastri - 3 Volumes Combined - 1709 Pages, with complete Outline. p. 604.
- ^ T.n.ramachandran (1995). Tirumurai The Sixth St Appars Thaandaka Hymns. p. 507.
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