असुर

See also: असर

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit असुर (asura).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ə.sʊɾ/, [ɐ.sʊɾ]

Noun

असुर • (asur) m

1. (Hinduism) a demon, an asura

Declension

Declension of असुर (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	असुर asur	असुर asur
oblique	असुर asur	असुरों asurõ
vocative	असुर asur	असुरो asuro

Descendants

• → English: asur

See also

• राक्षस (rākṣas)

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Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• asura (Latin script)
• 𑀅𑀲𑀼𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• অসুর (Bengali script)
• අසුර (Sinhalese script)
• အသုရ or ဢသုရ (Burmese script)
• อสุร or อะสุระ (Thai script)
• ᩋᩈᩩᩁ (Tai Tham script)
• ອສຸຣ or ອະສຸຣະ (Lao script)
• អសុរ (Khmer script)
• 𑄃𑄥𑄪𑄢 (Chakma script)

Noun

असुर m

1. Devanagari script form of asura

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Sanskrit

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *Hásuras, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hásuras, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ń̥suros.

Related to असु (asu-), with several possible etymologies and meanings. In the context of asura conventionally associated with asu- in the sense of "master of the house". This meaning is not further narrowed by its etymology: cf. Avestan 𐬀𐬵𐬎 (ahu, “lord; life, existence”) and 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬀 (ahura, “lord”), Hittite 𒈗 (ḥaššū, “king”), Old Norse æsir (“gods”) and Old English ōs (“god”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ens- (“to engender, beget”).

The Brahmanas and the Puranas derive asura from another asu-, "breath", a cognate of which is found in Av. ahu-, "life, existence". In yet other post-Vedic Sanskrit literature, asura was back-formed as a-sura, "non-sura", with sura then associated with a group of gods who inhabit Indra's domain.

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• অসুৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬅᬲᬸᬭ (Balinese script)
• অসুর (Bengali script)
• 𑰀𑰭𑰲𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀅𑀲𑀼𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• အသုရ (Burmese script)
• અસુર (Gujarati script)
• ਅਸੁਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌅𑌸𑍁𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦄꦱꦸꦫ (Javanese script)
• 𑂃𑂮𑂳𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ಅಸುರ (Kannada script)
• អសុរ (Khmer script)
• ອສຸຣ (Lao script)
• അസുര (Malayalam script)
• ᠠᠰ᠌ᡠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘀𑘭𑘳𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᠠᠰᠤᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦠𑧍𑧔𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐀𑐳𑐸𑐬 (Newa script)
• ଅସୁର (Odia script)
• ꢂꢱꢸꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆃𑆱𑆶𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖀𑖭𑖲𑖨 (Siddham script)
• අසුර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑪁𑩒𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚀𑚨𑚰𑚤 (Takri script)
• அஸுர (Tamil script)
• అసుర (Telugu script)
• อสุร (Thai script)
• ཨ་སུ་ར (Tibetan script)
• 𑒁𑒮𑒳𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨀𑨰𑨃𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɐ́.su.ɾɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɐ.s̪u.ɾɐ/

Noun

असुर • (ásura) stem, m

1. spirit, good spirit, supreme spirit (said of Varuna)
2. the chief of the evil spirits
3. an evil spirit, demon, ghost, opponent of the gods
4. name of Rāhu
5. the sun
6. cloud
7. (in the plural) name of a warrior-tribe
8. name of a Vedic school
9. zodiacal sign
10. Sinapis ramosa (in later Sanskrit सुर (sura) has been formed from असुर (asura), as सित (sita), from असित (asita))

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of असुर (ásura)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	असुरः ásuraḥ	असुरौ / असुरा¹ ásurau / ásurā¹	असुराः / असुरासः¹ ásurāḥ / ásurāsaḥ¹
Vocative	असुर ásura	असुरौ / असुरा¹ ásurau / ásurā¹	असुराः / असुरासः¹ ásurāḥ / ásurāsaḥ¹
Accusative	असुरम् ásuram	असुरौ / असुरा¹ ásurau / ásurā¹	असुरान् ásurān
Instrumental	असुरेण ásureṇa	असुराभ्याम् ásurābhyām	असुरैः / असुरेभिः¹ ásuraiḥ / ásurebhiḥ¹
Dative	असुराय ásurāya	असुराभ्याम् ásurābhyām	असुरेभ्यः ásurebhyaḥ
Ablative	असुरात् ásurāt	असुराभ्याम् ásurābhyām	असुरेभ्यः ásurebhyaḥ
Genitive	असुरस्य ásurasya	असुरयोः ásurayoḥ	असुराणाम् ásurāṇām
Locative	असुरे ásure	असुरयोः ásurayoḥ	असुरेषु ásureṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• → Burmese: သုရာ (su.ra)
• → Chinese: 阿修羅／阿修罗 (āxiūluó)
  • → Japanese: 阿修羅 (ashura)
• → Gujarati: અસુર (asur)
• → Hindi: असुर (asur)
  • → English: asur
• → Khmer: អសុរ (ʼaʼsol)
• → Marathi: असुर (asur)
• → Tamil: அசுரன் (acuraṉ)
• → Telugu: అసురుడు (asuruḍu)
• → Thai: อสูร (à-sǔun)
• → Tocharian B: asūre

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “असुर”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0121.