1.
rakshasa; man-eating demon; fierce demon
A fearsome demon from Buddhist and Hindu mythology that devours humans. In Japanese Buddhist tradition, these demons are sometimes depicted as protectors of the dharma after being converted by Buddhist teachings. Also used figuratively for someone extremely fierce or frightening.
仏教の経典に羅刹が登場する。
Rakshasas appear in Buddhist scriptures.
羅刹のような形相で怒っていた。
He was angry with a face like a demon.
古い物語では羅刹が人を襲うが、仏の力で改心する話が多い。
In old stories, rakshasas attack people, but there are many tales of them being reformed by the power of Buddha.
A transliteration from Sanskrit रक्षस (rakṣasa) via Chinese 羅刹. In Indian mythology, rakshasas are powerful demons who eat human flesh. In Japanese Buddhism, they were incorporated as one of the 八部衆 (eight legions of supernatural protectors). The word appears in classical literature, manga, anime, and games.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 羅刹のような: demon-like, fiendish
- 羅刹女: female rakshasa
- 羅刹鬼: rakshasa demon
- 羅刹の形相: the face of a demon
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 鬼: demon, ogre — the most common Japanese word for a fearsome supernatural being
- 夜叉: yaksha — another Buddhist demon figure, sometimes depicted as nature spirits
- 悪魔: devil, demon — a more modern, general term for evil supernatural beings