1. There are two types of asura, one being “asura deva” (who go into wars with Tavatimsa Devās) and the other “vipnipātika asura,” who belong to the apāyās.
- “Vipnipātika” means apāyās, or the four lowest realms. All realms in the apāyās can be called “vipnipātika.” Thus, “vipnipātika asura” is a category within the apāyās; they are born there because they were lazy as humans and cultivated asura saṅkhāra (for example, those who don’t like to work and depend on welfare even if they can work). That leads to asura viññāna and thus gives rise to an asura existence belonging to the apāyās. I have seen in the Commentaries that they can be born to be trapped inside mountains; they cannot move. However, I have not seen such descriptions in the suttās.
- See #13 of “Sīla, Samādhi, Paññā to Paññā, Sīla, Samādhi.”
2. Tavatimsa Devās are sometimes called “sura Devās” in comparison to “asura Devās“, and the war between the two sides is sometimes called the “sura asura war”.
- “Sura”, of course, is the opposite of “asura“: clever and “quick thinking”.
3. The “Gati Sutta (AN 9.68)” lists five main categories: hell (niraya), the animal realm (tiracchāna), the hungry ghost realm (peta), humans (manussa), and Deva.
- Of course, there are numerous subcategories within each of the five main categories.
- That is evident among animals; some are vicious, and others are harmless. Even among humans, there is a broad spectrum of gati (i.e., character/habits); see, for example, “The Law of Attraction, Habits, Character (Gati), and Cravings (Āsavas)“ and “9. Key to Ānāpānasati – How to Change Habits and Character (Gati).”
- Therefore, “vipnipātika asura” and “asura Deva” seem to be two minor categories within the apāyās and Deva realms.