The Legend of Narakasura of Pragjyotisha

Among the many legends that ripple through the ocean of Indian History, few are as dramatic and layered as the tale of Narakasura, the lord of Pragjyotisha. His story is not confined to a single scripture. It flows across centuries of literature — from the Mahabharata and Ramayana to the Harivamsa, the Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana, and reaches its most elaborate form in the Kalika Purana of Assam. In each telling, Naraka is reborn, reshaped, and reimagined, becoming both a historical memory and a mythological lesson.

A Birth Shrouded in Mystery

The birth of Naraka is veiled in paradox. Some texts refer to him as the son of Bhudevi, the Earth goddess, born of her union with Vishnu’s Varaha incarnation, yet Varaha raised him as an adopted child. Others recall him as a cursed king from a previous life, reborn to play the role of the arrogant asura.

In the Bhagavata Purana, the story extends even further back: once there was a mighty king with sixteen thousand daughters. When Vishnu appeared at his palace disguised as a hermit, the maidens, drawn by his divine radiance, gathered around him. Enraged by their behaviour, the king cursed them all — only to soften his anger with a boon: in their next birth, they would be destined to wed the deity himself. That king, burdened by pride, would be reborn as Narakasura. The sixteen thousand maidens would later return as the women imprisoned in his palace, awaiting Krishna’s deliverance.

Thus, even before Naraka’s birth, destiny had begun to weave its intricate web.

From Virtue to Vice

Raised in Pragjyotisha — a kingdom identified with ancient Assam — Naraka was, in the beginning, a ruler of promise. Pious, dutiful, and beloved, he embodied the blessings of his divine origin. But fate often twists nobility into hubris.

Naraka’s downfall came through his association with Banasura of Śoṇitapura, another formidable asura lord. The company of the wicked warped his heart, and where once stood a noble king, there now grew a tyrant drunk on power. The suffix “asura” became attached to his name, marking the transformation from Naraka the man to Narakasura, the demon.

The Legend of Narakasura of Pragjyotisha

"The Legend of Narakasura of Pragjyotisha" Discover the legend of Narakasura, the demon king of Pragjyotisha, his rise to power, and his epic defeat by Krishna and Satyabhama.

The Conqueror of Worlds

Naraka’s ambition knew no boundary. With a fierce army said to be eleven akshauhinis strong, he subdued kingdom after kingdom until all of earth bent to his will. Still unsated, he turned his gaze upward toward the celestial realms. Even Indra, the king of the gods, fled before Naraka’s advance.

But his arrogance did not stop there. He seized the divine earrings of Aditi, the mother goddess of the heavens, and usurped her territories. Worst of all, he abducted sixteen thousand women and held them captive in his palace, a symbol of his insatiable lust and unchecked ego.

The devas, humiliated and dispossessed, turned once more to Vishnu. The promise was clear: when the time was ripe, Vishnu would descend and end the reign of Narakasura.

The Siege of Pragjyotisha

That time came when Vishnu was born as Krishna. The heavens themselves seemed to tremble with anticipation as Krishna, mounted on his great eagle Garuda, set forth with his consort Satyabhama, regarded as none other than Bhudevi incarnate, Naraka’s symbolic mother.

The fortress of Pragjyotisha was a marvel of asura engineering. Guarded by mountains, girded with moats of fire and smoke, and protected by mystical spells, it seemed impregnable. But no wall could stand against divine destiny.

Krishna’s conch, Panchajanya, thundered through the skies as the assault began. Naraka’s general, the formidable Mura, rushed to meet him with seven sons at his side. Yet, with a sweep of his bow, Krishna cut them down. From that day forward, Krishna earned the name Murāri — the slayer of Mura.

The Death of Naraka

Desperation makes even the mighty reckless. Naraka unleashed weapon after celestial weapon: the Brahmastra, the Agneyastra, the Nagapasha, even the formidable Vaishnavastra. Krishna countered each with ease, dissolving fire with water, snake nooses with the power of Garuda, and divine missiles with his own.

At last, Naraka struck with his trident, and Krishna — bound by fate and the boon that Naraka could die only at the hands of his mother — feigned collapse. Enraged, Satyabhama rose in her divine power and struck Naraka down. Seizing the moment, Krishna hurled the Sudarshana Chakra, splitting the demon king into two.

As Naraka lay dying, he saw Krishna’s proper form and was granted a boon: that his death would not be remembered with mourning, but with celebration. Thus, even in death, he found a strange redemption.

Legacy and Remembrance

After Naraka’s fall, Krishna restored Aditi’s earrings and freed the imprisoned women, who, by the ancient curse, became his consorts. Naraka’s son, Bhagadatta, survived and later fought valiantly alongside the Kauravas in the Mahabharata.

In Assam, where Pragjyotisha is placed, Naraka became both a villain and an ancestor. The Nidhanpur copperplate inscription of the 7th century claims that the Varman dynasty descended from him, lending political legitimacy to rulers by tying their lineage to this mythical figure.

Today, his story is remembered most vividly in the festival of Naraka Chaturdashi, observed on the eve of Diwali. Across India, lamps are lit, symbolising the destruction of Naraka’s darkness and the triumph of light and dharma.

The Eternal Lesson

Narakasura’s tale is more than the fall of a demon king. It is the story of how virtue, when corrupted by arrogance and bad company, can transform into vice. It is the story of how unchecked ambition can enslave not only others but also the self. Above all, it is the story of balance — of how the cosmos, through Krishna and Satyabhama, restores harmony when adharma grows too strong.

Even in his defeat, Naraka leaves us a message: power without humility leads only to ruin, but in surrendering to the divine, even a fallen soul can find release.