Essay name: Purana Bulletin
Author:
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
The "Purana Bulletin" is an academic journal published in India. The journal focuses on the study of Puranas, which are a genre of ancient Indian literature encompassing mythological stories, traditions, and philosophical teachings. They represent Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit and cover a wide range of subjects.
Purana, Volume 9, Part 2 (1967)
82 (of 180)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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292
पुराणम� - [purāṇam - ] ʱĀ
[Vol. IX, No. 2
the human forms with their faces emerging out of conch shell
and lotus flower respectively.'
feature of the image
Thus Dhanada is said
After this physical description of the
we are told of their symbolical imports.
to be one of the forms of Aniruddha. He is dressed in a drapery
of golden colour because gold is the most precious of all the
wealths. His śakti is known as the śakti or power probably
the same as ‘prabhu' and 'utsāha' etc. His gada is the embodi-
ment of daṇḍanīti while his consort Riddhi stands for 'lokayātrā'
or the journey of life. The 'ratnapātra' in her hand symbolises
the receptacle of qualities गुणाधा�. [ṇād. ] The man whom the god is
riding stands for the state or ч. The two nidhis viz., śamkha
and padma which are bodily present are embodiments of wealth.
The lion standard which the god is holding represents artha
with all its powers while the two short tusks of his mouth stand
for the powers of punishment i.e. 'nigraha' and of bestowing
favours i.e. ‘anugraha'. '
2 Now if we substitute artha or arthaśāstra in the place of
Kubera or Dhanada the entire iconographic characteristics of the
god acquire altogether new meaning.
Kubera is one of the lokapālas and hence the ultimate
1. Visnudh. III. 53. 1-7. ef Matsya 261. 20-22.
2. अनिरुद्धस्तु विज्ञेयस्त्वया देवो धनाधिप�
सुवर्ण� ना� विख्यातं धनानामुत्तमं धनम्
तस्यानुग्रहत� धत्त� वासः कनकसन्निभम� ।।
शक्तिरेवस्मृता शक्त� दण्डनीतिस्तथ� गद�
लोकयात्र� � कथित� ऋद्धिर्ज्ञेय� स्वभावतः �
तत्करे रत्नपात्रं तु गुणाधारं प्रचक्षत�
नर� राज्यं विजानी� यत्रस्थस्त� सद� विभु� �
स्वरूपतस्त� विज्ञेयो शंखपद्मौ तथ� निधी
वित्ततोंशो जयत्यस्मिंस्ताभ्या� प्रसवतेऽयुतः �
अर्थ� सक्षमय� ज्ञेयः केतु� सिहाङ्गलक्षण�
निग्रहानुग्रहे दंष्ट्� तस्य ता� महात्मनः �
[aniruddhastu vijñeyastvayā devo dhanādhipa�
suvarṇa� nāma vikhyāta� dhanānāmuttama� dhanam
tasyānugrahato dhatte vāsa� kanakasannibham ||
śaktirevasmṛtā śakti daṇḍanītistathā gadā
lokayātrā ca kathitā ṛddhirjñeyā svabhāvata� ||
tatkare ratnapātra� tu guṇādhāra� pracakṣate
nara� rājya� vijānīha yatrasthastu sadā vibhu� ||
svarūpatastu vijñeyo śaṃkhapadmau tathā nidhī
vittatoṃśo jayatyasmiṃstābhyā� prasavate'yuta� ||
artha� sakṣamayā jñeya� ketu� sihāṅgalakṣaṇa�
nigrahānugrahe daṃṣṭra tasya tāta mahātmana� ||
] 3. A. Getty, Gods of Northern Bnddhism p. 139.
Visnudh. III, 53.7-12.
