Kimpurushas

The kimpurushas (Sanskrit: किंपुरुष, romanized: Kimpuruṣa) are a race of beings featured in Hindu literature. They are described to possess the bodies of human beings and equine heads. They are associated and sometimes regarded to be the same as the kinnaras,[1] though some Puranas offer them a distinction.[2] The kimpurushas are also described to be the attendants of the god of wealth, Kubera.[3]

Literature

Bhagavata Purana

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

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

The poet-saint Appar references the kimpurushas as one among the eighteen classes in his hymns.[8]

See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. Pargiter, F. E. (Frederick Eden) (1904). The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. Cornell University Library. Calcutta : Asiatic Society of Bengal. p. 381.
  3. Joseph O. Gill (2021-05-17). Dictionary Of Mythology, Folklore And Symbols, Vols 1 3 Gertrude Jobes 1962. p. 928.
  4. Purnendu Narayana Sinha (1901). A Study Of The Bhagaata Purana. p. 41.
  5. Ramakrishna Math. Bhagavat Vol. 2 Translated By Swami Tapasyanand Ramakrishna Math. p. 250.
  6. Ramakrishna Math. Bhagavat Vol. 2 Translated By Swami Tapasyanand Ramakrishna Math. p. 377.
  7. Hari Prasad Shastri. The Ramayana of Valmiki, translated by Hari Prasad Shastri - 3 Volumes Combined - 1709 Pages, with complete Outline. p. 604.
  8. T.n.ramachandran (1995). Tirumurai The Sixth St Appars Thaandaka Hymns. p. 507.
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