Gandharva, Yaksha, Kinnari, Nag, Nayeka, Bhairava, Pichash, Dakinie

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Different types of supernatural powers, enriched with extreme power .

According to Hinduism, Deva (the Gods), Gandharva (the musician of the Gods), Yaksha (Natural Spirit), Kinnar (the Trans genders), Nag (the Snake),  Nayeka (Actress), Bhairava (concierge of cremation grounds) Pishacha and Dakinie (spirits)

Are also considered as living beings, similar as the human beings. Their existence can not be felt in the normal course of life,the way we can see our fellow living and non living things in the world. Such sort of beings are empowered with special ability or super natural power to disappear and reappear, according to their own will. They also have the special ability or power to fulfill the desires and wishes of human beings. People always try to please them in their own way in order to get the desired blessings . All such supernatural powers reside in different places, either in Earth, or in the Inferno or in the Universe, and their residing places are known as 'Loka'. Living place of Devata (or Gods) is known as Swarga Loka or Dev Loka, that of the Gandharvas as Gandharva Loka which is situated in the Sky, the residing place of Nags as Nag loka, which is under the earth, the residence of Rakshasas in Patal or Inferno etc. In Hindu Iconography, worship of these living beings are also significant, for the fulfillment of various desires and to obtain grace.

Yaksha and Yakshini (Yaksha is a male gender while Yakshini is Female form), caretakers of hidden treasures, chiefly related to wealth, property and happiness :

A natural spirit, with great supernatural power, but considered similar as Human beings in Hindu Iconography. They are the protector or caretaker of the hidden treasures kept under the Earth. They exist as spirits, surrounding the hidden treasures on or under the earth and also reside in trees. They also have a different loka or place of living in the sky. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are the believers of such sort of living being in this World. Kuber, who is the God of treasure and is associated with royalty and wealth, is also considered as Yaksha. They are thousands in numbers; from ancient days people have worshiped different Yaksha and Yakshini to fulfill their varied desires. Several stone statues of Yakshas,crafted and worshiped in ancient times, have been found. Some of those are no preserved in South Asian Museums.
As described in Tantra, 'Ratipriya Yakshini' is the giver 25 golden coins, if she is satisfied with her worshiper.
'Sursundari Yakshini', giver of wealth, property and longevity.
'Anuragini Yakshini' , giver of 1000 gold coins.
'Jalvasini Yakshini', giver of precious gems.
'Vatvasini Yakshini', giver of ornaments and fine clothings.
There are thousands of Yaksha's and Yakshini's and they all are believed to fulfill their devotees' prayers with their super natural power.

Stone Sculpture of Yaksha and Yakshini of 9th Century, found in Madhya Pradesh

Yoginis, the feminine scaring natural spirits, usually related to Yoga and Tantra, followers and companions of Goddess Adi Shakti Mahakali. :

Yoginis got birth from Adi Shakti Mahakali. Dus-Mahavidyas are also considered as the Yoginis of Adhya or Adi Shakti. They all got birth during the war of Maha Kali with demon Ghora. In the battlefield, every sweat drop of the Goddess led to the creation of these Yoginis, who were as powerful and divine as the Goddess herself. Maha Kali manifested all these Yoginis to help her in the battlefield. Since then, these yoginis have always been attached with the Goddess. They are thousands in number, with each of them possessing a different natural power. The Shaakta and Shiva sects of Hinduism, worship different forms of Yoginis to fulfill their desires. According to two separate beliefs, the number of most prominent yoginis can be either eight or sixty-four.

Asta Yogini's or the eight form of yoginis are : 1. Sura-Sundari Yogini, 2. Manohara Yogini, 3. Kanakvati Yogini, 4. Kameswari Yogini, 5. Rati Sundari Yogini, 6. Padmini Yogini, 7. Natini Yogini, 8. Madhumati Yogini.

Chaushat (64) Yoginis or sixty four forms of yoginis are : 1. Bahurupa, 2.Tara,3. Narmada,4. Yamuna,5. Shanti,6. Varuni,7. Kshemankari, 8. Aindri,9. Varahi,10. Ranveera, 11. Vanara-Mukhi, 12. Vaishnavi,13. Kalaratri, 14. Vaidyaroopa, 15. Charchika, 16. Betali, 17. Chinnamastika,18. Vrishabahana, 19. Jwala Kamini, 20. Ghatavara, 21. Karakali, 22. Saraswati,23. Birupa, 24. Kauveri, 25. Bhaluka, 26. Narasimhi, 27. Biraja, 28. Vikatanna, 29.Maha Lakshmi,30. Kaumari,31. Maha Maya,32. Rati,33. Karkari, 34. Sarpashya, 35. Yakshini,36. Vinayaki, 37. Vindya Balini, 38. Veera Kumar,i 39. Maheshwari,40. Ambika,41. Kamiyani, 42. Ghatabari, 43. Stutee, 44. Kali,45. Uma,46. Narayani,47. Samudraa, 48. Brahmini,49. Jwala Mukhi,50. Agneyei, 51. Aditi,52. Chandrakanti, 53. Vayubega, 54. Chamunda,55. Murati, 56. Ganga,57.Dhumavati,58. Gandhar,59. Sarva Mangala, 60. Ajita, 61. Surya Putri, 62. Vayu Veena, 63. Aghora, 64. Bhadrakali.

Yoginis posing as Friends of Goddess Shakti

All theYoginis are very closely associated with the Goddesses of Kali Kula, they are the followers or scholars of Tantra and Yoga. They serve the Goddess every time, they always stay with the Goddess as her companion, but She treats them as a child of her own. Goddess Chhinnamasta is the best example to depict the love of Goddess towards her child, as she sacrifices herself and gives the yoginis her own blood to quench their thirst.

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Nayika, are considered as a sub cast of Yakshinis; they are portrayed as romantic & beautiful heroine :

This sort of females are considered as heroine in Hinduism. They are mainly eight in number, namely, 1. Jaya 2. Vijaya 3. Ratipirya 4. Kanchan Kundali 5. Swarna Mala 6. Jayavati 7. Surangini 8. Vidyavati. They are worshiped mainly to get magical power to evoke a beautiful woman, as they themselves are beautiful. They possess each and every quality of a beautiful and charming woman, who attract males.

Kinnaris, they are portrayed as romantic " beautiful heroine :

Kinnaris are well renowned for the heavenly and charming beauty they possess. They are so overwhelmingly beautiful that they capture the attraction of others so easily. They are soft-spoken, and attain perfection in music and playing musical instruments. They occupy a special position in ancient Hindu scriptures. They are blessed with the talent of altering their appearances so easily, and consequently, the sages have worshiped the Kinnaris since time immemorial. One can easily get the boon of the kinnaris by pleasing them. Kinnaris form a group of six, in which belong the following kinnaris : 1. Mahoharini Kinnari, 2. Shubhag Kinnari, 3. Vishal Netra Kinnari, 4. Surat priya Kinnari, 5. Sumukhi Kinnari, and 6. Divakar Mukhi Kinnari. If one desires to achieve success in the fields of music as well as beautification, they can do so through the worship of Kinnaris.

Illustration of Nayika as Hindu Iconography

Nag and Nagin or Serpents, considered as both Gods and Human beings, residing in Hades:

From ancient days, this category of living beings are worshiped by people in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. Snakes or Nags quite stubborn in nature and they had performed severe mortification to satisfy and get boons from different Gods. As a result they have been blessed by various supernatural powers and this species find a very significant place in various religious beliefs. They are the ornaments of Lord Shiva, Goddess Tara, Kali and so on. They are very closely positioned to Lord Shiva and Shakti. Lord Vishnu is believed to sleep on the bed formed by the body of Sesh Nag, who is the chief of the Snakes. Kadru (daughter of Prajapati Daksha and married to sage Kashyap) gave birth to all the Snakes, and hence, she is known as Nag Mata (ancestral mother of the Snakes). Goddess Manasa, the daughter of Lord Shiva, is also considered as the mother of Snakes, according to some beliefs. She got married to Rishi Jaratkaru (Sage Jaratkaru), another chief of the Snake species. Thus, She is also recognized as the mother of all Snakes. They have a different loka or place to live, and it is known by the name of Nag Loka. They also have the power to fulfill the various desires of human beings, similar to any God. Especially, in ancient days, human beings treated the patients with snake bites by offering prayers to the Snake gods and goddesses and by trying to please them through different rituals.

There are twelve main heads of this species, each one of them along with their community members having a different living place or loka. The names of these heads are :
1. Anantha 2. Kulika 3. Vasuki 4. Shankuphala 5. Padma 6. Mahapadma 7. Takshaka 8. Karkotaka 9. Shankhachud 10. Ghataka 11. Vishdhana 12. Sesh-Naga.

Nag Devta, always found staying close with Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu and some other Gods

The existence of certain super natural forces, such as, ghosts, spirits, phantoms, fiends, hobgoblins, etc, can be felt among human beings since very old days. As we cannot see the air, but it is omnipresent, similarly, such super powers also are present all around us, even though they cannot be seen. They are considered to be the retainers of Lord Bhutnath, (nath meaning lord and bhut meaning ghost). The spouses of these super natural powers are Bhutini, Pretni, Pishachini, Betalini etc.(their female forms), and they are the followers of goddess Shivaa, the wife of Lord Bhutnath. Since all of them are closely associated with Lord Shiv and goddess Shivaa, they are empowered with divine as well as miraculous forces. They are capable of fulfilling the needs of the devotees of Shiv and Shivaa. Hindu religion is quite well acquainted with the worship of these powers from thousands of years ago till present day.

Bhairavas and Bhairavis, Followers of Shiva and Shakti and doorkeeper of Cremation Ground :

Bhairav is known as the most significant servitor of Lord Shiva, he is also considered to be an image of the god. He is the controller of the other retainers of Lord Shiva, such as, ghosts, phantoms and so on. His creation was caused by the grace of Bhagawati Mahamaya, and thus, he himself is also equally powerful and capable of accomplishing any work like Lord Shiva. He is portrayed to reflect a very scary image. The two distinct forms of Bhairav are Kal Bhairav and Batuk Bhairav. These two are considered to be the concierges of the two ancient Indian cities, namely, Kashi or Varanasi and Ujjain. In these two cities, we can also find spectacular temples solely dedicated to these two Bhairavas. The eight main images of Bhairavas are : 1. Asitanga Bhairav, 2. Rudra Bhairav, 3. Chandra Bhairav, 4. Krodh Bhairv, 5. Unmatta Bhairav, 6. Kapali Bhairav, 7. Bheeshan Bhairav, and 8. Sanhar Bhairav. Together they compose the Ashta Bhairav (the congregation of eight Bhairav). The Bhairavs are usually regarded as keepers of the burning ghats. According to the Tantra literature as well as the Nath community, the Bhairavs and their female counterparts, the Bhairavis, are the one and only reason behind the origin, existence and destruction of this mortal and immortal world. The Hindu religion has always encouraged the worship of the different forms of Bhairavs, and through this, the attainment of ones desired objects. The Bhairavs mostly appear to be very dark complexioned with a terribly scary look. They are very rude by nature, they are extremely huge in size and they carry a dreadful looking stick in their hand. Black dogs are their carriers. In south India, the Bhairavs are also known as Shasta and in Maharashtra, their other name is Khandoba. Their nature can be best described as vindictive, and they are most commonly linked with death or destruction. They reveal themselves in the form of critical illness, and finally, drag the living beings towards their end.

According to Shiv Purana, the Bhairavs were created from the blood of Lord Shiva for the purpose of the killing of Andhakasura. There is one more version regarding the creation of the Bhairavs. Once, Lord Brahma, the creator, had uttered certain insulting comments seeing the distasteful appearance of Lord Shiva and his genus. Even though Lord Shiva hardly paid any attention to it, but, a huge body protruding out of him, loomed large on Brahma, and it even advanced to hit him. Subsequently, Lord Brahma was scared to death. Seeing this, Lord Shiva, acted as a mediator, and tried to convince his genus that Brahma did not have any evil thought in his mind. Listening to this, the ghastly figure calmed down. Following this, Lord Shiva turned this scary figure into his chief door-keeper at his main worship place, Varanasi. Even till today, a grand temple in Varanasi, built for Kal Bhairav, draws the attention of many of the devotees. He came into being on the day of Krishna Ashtami in the month of Margashirsha (eighth day of the waning phase of the lunar cycle, in the Hindu month of Margashirsha), and hence, this particular day is also termed as Kalbhairavashtami. If a person wishes to get rid of the fear for death, he is advised to worship Kalbhairav. In fact, he grants all the wishes of human beings. He is capable of granting even the most miraculous powers, provided the devotee is dedicated enough towards him. The two most important Bhairav temples in India are situated in Varanasi (Kal Bhairav) and Ujjain (Batuk Bhairav). Other than these two, at Ghorakhal near Nainital in the Kumaun region of Uttarakhand, Batuk Bhairav is worshipped as Golu Devata.

Kaal bhairav, God of Destruction (cause of death)