Asuras are a class of divine beings or power-seeking deities related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism - Wikipedia.
Who are Asuras? Why are both Suras and Asuras devine? Why are Asuras symbolized as more powerful than Suras? Why do Suras and Asuras transform from one to antoher?
Why does Vishnu takes Mohini form and ensures that only devas get Amruta and become eternal and Asuras, who too participated in Samudra Manthan, don’t get it?
Why are killing of Asuras important part of Hindu festivals?
Why are gods Agni, Varuna, Rudra and Indra also glorified as Asuras in Rig Veda?
To understand the mysterious role played by Asuras in Hinduism, we must realize that human beings are created to use seven stage muscle tone based thinking and all scriptures are about the seven stage thinking mechanism only.
For an idea to become an action the idea has to pass through the seven stages and indicate that the idea is compatible with all other ideas of life.
However, an idea may stagnate at any stage and refuse to become an action. Then we would become totally helpless.
It is here that Asura steps in and converts the incompatible idea into a successful action.
It is for this reason that Asuras always shown to be phyisically more powerful than gods.
Why is Shiva associated with Asuras?
Brahma is a god of thinking, Vishnu equally good for thinking and action, and Shiva is a god of action. Thus, it is at Shiva stage that the idea is either converted into an action or allowed to get abolished. It is abolition of ideas at Shiva stage the reason why Shiva is associated with grave yard.
However, Asuras can still convert such incompatible ideas, to be abolished, into action. This would tide over the crisis. However, if this is unregulated then all activities of our life would become incompatible among themselves.
Asuras are powerful and uncontrollable. They are divine because they enable us to tide over a crisis. However, in the long run they would be disastrous. It is for this reason that they are supposed to worship Shiva, the most powerful Hindu god and the god of Logic.