| |
| | Mara, Papiyan and Varsavarti - Demons, Demonology, and Evil of the Eastern and Asian Cultures |
 | | Mara ("death" or "thirst"), also called Papiyan ("more wicked") and Varsavarti ("he who fills desires"), is the evil spirit (or sometimes as simply the personification of evil) in Buddhism who tempted Siddharta during the time he searched for the way, and as he sat beneath the Bo Tree and meditated. |
 | | During this confrontation, Mara, whose attributes include blindness, murkiness, death, and darkness, attempts to guide Siddharta from the path of enlightenment by tempting him to return to his former ways. |
 | | Mara is said to be homeless, wandering the earth capturing the souls of the dying, and in Hinduism, personifies evil and death & is associated with the demon, Namuche ("Not letting go the waters"). |
| www.deliriumsrealm.com /delirium/mythology/mara.asp (420 words) |
|