In the Mahabharata, the later of the
two great Hindu epics, Dantavaktra is
an asura or demon king who is the
rebirth of Vijaya, one of the gatekeepers of the god Vishnu. Vijaya has been
cursed to be reborn three times as an
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Dandasana
asura and to be killed each time by
Vishnu. In his previous incarnations
Vijaya is born as Hiranyakashipu,
who is killed by the Man-Lion avatar
(one incarnation of the god Vishnu)
and as Kumbhakarna, who is killed by
Vishnu’s Rama avatar. When Dantavaktra
is killed by Krishna, the curse is broken,
and Vijaya returns to his rightful place.