अङ्गारका

यन्त्रोपारोपितकोशांशः

Purana Encyclopedia

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

AṄGĀRAKĀ : (SIṀHIKĀ).

1) Genealogy. Descended in the following order from Viṣṇu. Brahmā-Marīci-Kaśyapa-Aṅgārakā.

2) Birth. In the battle between the Gods and the Asuras, most of the Asuras were killed and one Asura fled from the clutches of death to Pātāla (the nether world). Surasā was the daughter of that Asura. Kaśyapa married Surasā. To them were born the two daughters, Aṅgārakā (Siṁhikā) and Ajāmukhī, and four sons, called Śūrapadma, Siṁhavaktra, Tārakāsura and Gomukha. Thus Siṁhikā is the sister of Tārakāsura. (Skanḍa Purāṇa, Asura Kāṇḍa).

Other details. This giantess Aṅgārakā had a clash once, with Hanūmān. Sugrīva had sent a large number of monkeys under the leadership of Hanumān to search for Sītā. He gave Hanūmān certain instructions regard- ing the route he had to follow. Sugrīva said, “There is a giantess in the middle of that Southern Sea. Her name is Aṅgāra. She pulls the shadow towards her and feeds on the object of the shadow.”

From this it is clear that she was a giantess who lived in the sea between Laṅkā and South India. She knew the art of bringing to her side, anybody who passed over the sea, by pulling at his shadow. When Hanūmān jumped to Laṅkā from the mountain of Mahendra the giantess attacked Hanūmān. It is seen that the name Siṁhikā also is used for Aṅgārakā. Hanūmān who was subjected to the excessive attraction of Siṁhikā, felt a great storm raging round him. Finally he found her out, a monster with such an uncouth face and a mouth as wide as the hole of Pātāla (the nether world). There was a terrible fight between Hanūmān and the monster, in which Siṁhikā, fell on the ground beaten. After the fight Hanūmān resumed his journey. (Vālmīki Rāmā- yaṇa, Sundarakāṇḍa, Sarga 1, Stanzas 178 to 186).


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*4th word in right half of page 39 (+offset) in original book.