Who was Raktabeej, the asura mentioned in the Mahakali trailer?

The first appearance of Mahakali sets the stage for an ominous world of myths wherein the struggle between Dharma and Adharma becomes all-important. This three-minute-long teaser has Akshaye Khanna playing the character of Shukracharya and giving us a glimpse of Sriya Reddy in an incarnation of a divine goddess. At the centre of this conflict lies Raktabeej, the asura who is associated with Goddess Kali's story.

Why was Raktabeej so difficult to defeat?

The mythology says that Raktabeej had a very special boon. Whenever his blood dropped on the ground, another Raktabeej was born. Therefore, trying to attack him would make things worse for the enemy, as another Raktabeej would be produced through each wound inflicted on him.

The gods could not defeat him. So they called on Shakti, who came as the goddess Durga. She fought Raktabeej using her arms and weaponry, and her arrows pierced him. But his blood trickled to the earth, from which emerged millions of his counterparts.

The goddess had no other option but to change into a more fearsome appearance. The manifestation of Shakti appeared in the form of Kali. Kali started killing the demon’s army by drinking their blood before it reached the earth. This helped in stopping any more forms of the demon from being formed. Eventually, Kali killed the original demon and drank his last bit of blood.

But that was not the end of the war. As Kali got engrossed in her bloody dance, even after killing the asura, the gods were afraid that her rage could harm some other people too. Hence, they approached Lord Shiva for help. Shiva was lying in the midst of dead people in the way of Kali.

While dancing, Kali mistakenly stepped on his chest. She quickly understood that she had stepped on her husband. Her tongue shot out in shock and shame, and then her rage cooled down.

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