ASURA

ASURA. — In the most ancient religious texts of India, the word A., which corresponds to the Iranian *Ahuva*, means spirit, god (from *asu*, vital spirit?). It is an epithet of Varuna, the all-seeing god of the starry sky, the highest mythological figure of the *Rgveda* (v. RGVEDA). However, in later texts of the same *Rgveda* and in subsequent literature, A. comes to mean demon, and the reason for this change is not clear. According to Oldenberg, the epithet A., "spirit," was predominantly given to gods endowed with dark magical powers, common also to demons; the meaning of "evil spirit" prevailed, and A. became synonymous with demon. From A., erroneously understood as *a* (privative) + *sura*, the neologism *sura*, god, was then derived. The Aryans, invaders of India, called A. the subjugated aborigines with dark skin, who did not pay homage to the gods. It is uncertain whether the present-day A., a non-Aryan tribe of Chota Nagpur (Bengal), numbering 4,894 members, are descendants of the A. subdued by the Aryans. They are not farmers but miners like their ancestors, and work in iron mines.