Ever since God created the universe, there are two types of forces working behind the entire universe, positive and negative, positive power is from God and negative is of the devil, i.e. Satan. Actually, Satan is a fallen angel who rebelled against God and was expelled from Heaven and sent to Earth. In Christianity, the devil is often identified as the serpent in the Garden of Eden (also known as Paradise). In every religion, the devil is known by different forms and different names. In the Jewish religion, they are seen as agents of God. In Islam, there are many creatures such as jinn, shaytan, afarit, and ruh which are supernatural creatures equally comparable to demons or devils, and Iblis is the leader of evil spirits who is responsible for tempting humans into sin by following their lower desires. Lower desires do not allow the individual to aim for higher desires. Higher desires help to know the purpose of this life and keep the ego aside to seek the universal truth. Actually. it is an attitude of giving not wanting. In Christianity, another popular name for the devil is "Lucifer". The Lucifer was interpreted as a reference to the moment when Satan was thrown from Heaven and was actually the name of Satan before the fall.
Who was Mara?
In Buddhist cosmology, a demon also has a different name, identity, and explanation. According to Buddhism, a demon can either suffer in the realm of hell or it can be an illusion. The Buddhist devil carries the name Mara, a name that literally signifies “death”. The identity of demon Mara is associated with death, rebirth, and desire and also described as the embodiment of the forces antagonistic to enlightenment. He is believed to be the king of the heaven of sensual delight and reigns in the highest domain of the pleasure heaven, surrounded by musicians and dancing girls. Once, Siddhartha was challenged by Mara before becoming Gautama Buddha but he defeated him very easily. Mara tried to prevent Prince Siddhartha from attaining liberation from the cycle of rebirth by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women. But in various legends, these beautiful women are often said to be Mara's daughters. Mara's three daughters are identified as Arati (Aversion, Discontentment), Raga (Attachment, Desire, Greed, Passion) and Tanha (Thirst). According to a Buddhist scripture Samyutta Nikaya, those three daughters were stripping in front of Buddha but completely failed to tempt the Buddha.
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There are four metaphorical forms of Mara in traditional Buddhism:-
There are four metaphorical forms of Mara in traditional Buddhism:-
- Mrtyu-mara:- The Mara that is the lord of death
- Klesa-mara:- The Mara that is in the form of greed, hate, and delusion
- Devaputra-mara:- The Mara that is the child of the gods, the deva of the sensuous realm
- Skandha-mara:- The Mara of the aggregates, the entirety of conditioned existence (forms, thoughts, sensations, consciousness, and perceptions)
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