Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

dasyu

 - 2 dictionary results

Das⋅yu

[duhs-yoo]
–noun Hinduism.
a member of the Asuras, survivors of the ancient culture of Harappa: defeated by Indra.

Origin:
< Skt dasyu
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dasyu
Encyclopedia

dasyu

member of an aboriginal people in India encountered and embattled by the invading Aryans (c. 1500 BC). They were described by the Aryans as a dark-skinned, harsh-spoken people who worshiped the phallus. This allusion has persuaded many scholars that worship of the linga, the Hindu religious symbol, originated with them; it may, however, have referred to their sexual practices. They lived in fortified places from which they sent out armies. They may be considered the original Sudras, or labourers, who served the three higher classes of Brahman, Kshatriya (warrior), and Vaishya (mercantile), from whose ritual communion they were excluded

Learn more about dasyu with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see dasyu on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: