Chiranjeevin

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According to Hindu mythology, the Chiranjeevins (Sanskrit sing. ciranjiva) are the seven immortals in Hinduism:

Bali (demon), a righteous demon king who conquered heaven, earth, and the underworld, but was forced to give it back by Vamana.
Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu.
Hanuman, a monkey demi-god who served Rama.
Vibhishana, a man made King of Lanka (now Sri Lanka) by Rama.
Vyasa, a sage who narrated the Mahabharata, he was also a sage in the epic.
Kripacharya, a teacher of the princes in the Mahabharata.
Ashwathama, a man "sentenced" (actually cursed) to immortality and eternal suffering without love from anybody for his role in the murder of the five sons of the Pandavas and his attempted murder of Arjuna's grandson.

There are several other personages known as chiranjeevins. However, in Hinduism, "immortal" does not mean eternal. Even immortal things are dissolved at the end of the universe. The only eternals are Vishnu and Shiva of the Trimurthi (the Hindu Trinity), Sheshanaga (the Eternal Serpent), and the four Vedas. At the end of one universe and the beginning of another, a demon attempted to become eternal by "swallowing" the Vedas as they escaped from Brahma's mouth, but the Vedas were restored by Vishnu.

References

[Ciranjivas]

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