This outstanding Bronze Vishnu from Tamil Nadu (13th Century) is presently in Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I am trying to learn about the symbolism of Vishnu icons. The word Vishnu derives from the Sanskrit root ‘vis’ which means ‘present everywhere. The four arms of Vishnu are symbolic of His sway in all four directions - everywhere. A verse in the Krishna Upanishad says: “The world rests as the lotus in the palm of my hand, the cosmos revolves around my finger like a discus. I blow the music of life through my conch and wield my mace to protect all creatures.” However most Vishnu icons in temples and museums have the ‘Shanka’ or Conch and the ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ or Disc and the forearms do not carry the ‘Lotus’ and the ‘Mace’. I am still looking for a standing icon of Lord Vishnu carrying all four ‘Ayudhas’. In this outstanding bronze, now with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, His right hand is raised in Abhaya Mudra (granting fearlessness to his devotees) and the left hand rests near His waist in Katyavalambita Mudra (‘katya’ means paying homage and ‘valambita’ means hanging, which is said to assure those who pay homage to the Lord that their problems and suffering associated with their lives will not go beyond their hip level. The left hand of Lord Venkteswara Idol in Tirumala also is in Katyavalambita Mudra, but His right hand is in Varada Hasta Mudra.
This prayer is addressed to the five weapons of Lord Vishnu viz
- Holy wheel (Sudarshana),
- Conch (Pancha Janya),
- Mace(Gomodhakee),
- Sword kadga and
- bow(Sarngam).
They are considered to be great sages in the service of Lord Vishnu.
Sudarshana the holy wheel was made by Viswakarma out of the dust from the sawing of the Sun, which was done to reduce his harshness. This became necessary because Viswakarma’s daughter was married to Lord Vishnu.
His conch is Pancha janya. There was an Asura called Panchaja who was hiding himself in a conch. This asura abducted the son of the teacher of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna waged a war against Panchaja and killed him. He retained the conch for his use. The other orgin of this conch is that it was one of the byproducts of churning the milky ocean.
His mace was made out of the bone of one Rakshasa called Gadha who was the son of sage Kashyapa. It was made by Viswakarma and presented to Lord Vishnu.
His bow Sarnga was supposed to be made by God Brahma and presented to Lord Vishnu[1].
Sphurad sahasrara Shikhadhi theevram, Sudarshanam Bhaskara koti thulyam, Suradvisham prana vinasi vishno, Chakram Sadaham saranam prapadhye., 1
I surrender always to the Vishnu’s wheel,
Which is sharper than thousands of flames,
Which is equal to billion suns,
And which takes out the life of Rakshasas.
Vishnor mkhothonila poorithasya, Yasya dwanir Dhanava dharpa hantha, Tham Pancha janyam, sasi koto shubhram, Sankham sadaham saranam Prapadhye., 2
I surrender always to Lord Vishnu’s conch,
Which makes sound due to the air from mouth of the Lord,
Whose sound humbles the pride of Rakshasas,
And which shines like billions of moons.
Hiranmayim Meru samana saram, Koumodhakeem daithya kulaika hanthrim, Vaikunta vamagra karabhimrushtam, Gadham sadaham saranam prapadhye., 3
I surrender always to Lord Vishnu’s mace,
Which is golden and shines like mount Meru,
Which is Koumodhaki, the destroyer of Rakshasa clans,
And which is lucky to be touched by the left hand of Vishnu.
Raksho uraanaam katinogra kanadach, Chethakshara sonitha digdha dhaaraam, Tam Nandakam nama Hare pradeeptham, Gadgam sadaham saranam prapadhye., 4
I surrender always to the sword of Lord Vishnu,
Which is hard, powerful and shines red due to the blood,
Which flows when it cuts the heads of Rakshasas,
And which is called Nandaka and shines in the hand of the Lord.
Ya jjayani nadha sravanath suraanam, Chethamsi nirmuktha bhayani sadhya, Bhavanthi daithyasani bana varsha, Sarngam sadaham, saranam prapadhye., 5
I surrender always to the Sarnga bow of Vishnu,
Whose sound heralds victory in the mind of devas,
And whose presence removes the fear from their minds,
By reminding of the arrow down pour against Asuras.
Phala Sruthi (Herald of benefits)
Imam hare Panchayudha nama, Sthavam padeth yo anudhinam Prabathe, Samastha dukhani bhayani sadhya, Papani nasyanthi, sukhani santhi., 6
Those who read daily morning,
This prayer to the five weapons of Lord Vishnu,
Would get rid of all their sorrows and fears,
Destroy their sins and establish their pleasures.
Vane, rane, Shathru jalagni madhye, Yadruchaya Apadsu maha bayesu, Idham patan stotram anakulathma, Sukhi bhaved thath krutha sarva raksha., 7
In the middle of forest or war or among enemies,
Or when surrounded by water or fire,
Or unexpected dangers or during great fears,
If the worried man reads this prayer,
He would be happy as this provides all round protection.
