// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Kimpurusha say? "I'm purr-fectly mythical.
The kimpurushas (Sanskrit: किंपुरुष, romanized: Kimpuruṣa) are a race of beings featured in Hindu literature, described as possessing the bodies of human beings and lion 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]
Kalidasa, the poet, describes Kimpurusha women as having "bright lips and whitened faces" with leaf patterns drawn on their skin (p. 105).[9]
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.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ↑ 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.
- ↑ Kālidāsa; Smith, David James (2005). The Birth of Kumāra. Clay sanskrit library. New York: New York university press. ISBN 978-0-8147-4008-8.
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