Ch. 3 MALE DEITIES I. Worship of Vishnu and Its Forms in Goa Vishnu

Ch. 3 MALE DEITIES I. Worship of Vishnu and its forms in Goa Vishnu is believed to be the Preserver God in the Hindu pantheon today. In the Vedic text he is known by the names like Urugai, Urukram 'which means wide going and wide striding respectively'^. In the Rgvedic text he is also referred by the names like Varat who is none other than says N. P. Joshi^. In the Rgvedhe occupies a subordinate position and is mentioned only in six hymns'*. In the Rgvedic text he is solar deity associated with days and seasons'. References to the worship of early form of Vishnu in India are found in inscribed on the pillar at Vidisha. During the second to first century BCE a Greek by name Heliodorus had erected a pillar in Vidisha in the honor of Vasudev^. This shows the popularity of Bhagvatism which made a Greek convert himself to the fold In the Purans he is referred to as Shripati or the husband oiLakshmi^, God of Vanmala ^ (wearer of necklace of wild flowers), Pundarikaksh, (lotus eyed)'". A seal showing a Kushan chief standing in a respectful pose before the four armed God holding a wheel, mace a ring like object and a globular object observed by Cunningham appears to be one of the early representations of Vishnu". 1. Vishnu and its attributes Vishnu is identified with three basic weapons which he holds in his hands. The conch, the disc and the mace or the Shankh. Chakr and Gadha. A. Shankh Termed as Panchjany Shankh^^ the conch was as also an essential element of Vishnu's identity. Most of the early sculptures of Vishnu had the conch on its left side. This tradition of depicting the conch in its left hand developed since the Kushan period. The conch was shown in its left hand which was supported against the waist. B. Chakr The concept of the Chakr being associated with Vishnu must have begun from the Rgvedic period. The Rgved mentions that Vishnu sets in motion like a revolving wheel his ninety steed (days) with their four names (seasons) an allusion of 360 days of the solar year'". The Chakr or the disc is found in the sculptures of Vishnu dating even during the Gupt period. It is one of the most essential attributes of a Vishnu sculpture or identity. In the early sculptures of Vishnu the disc was shown in the upper hand resting against his shoulder. While in the later sculptures the disc was shown also in 79 the lower hand. The Chakr is named as Sudarshan in the Agni Puran^* and also in the Brahmvaivarth Puran^^. Both the Shankh and Chakr are said to the weapons of Vishnu. C. Gadhd In the Agni Puran, Vishnu is termed as the Gadhadhar or 'The Possessor of Gadha. The Gadhd or the mace found in the Kushan period Vishnu sculpture was tapering towards the top. It had a carved round handle. The Gadha is also termed as Kaumodki in the Agni Puran. Hence Vishnu is also called as Kuamodkidhar . D. Padm.- It means a lotus. Vishnu is addressed as Kamldpati in the Purdns . In the Prakriti Khand of the Brahmvaivarth Puran the Padm is called the Shakii of Vishnu '*. The lotus became a attribute of Vishnu during the medieval era During the late Kushan period or the early Gupt period the lotus did not figure out in the hands of Vishnu^^. None of the early Gupt sculptures depict Vishnu holding a Padm. 2. Aniconic worship of in Goa: A. Ammonite fossil worshipped as the Chakr Not only has been worshipped in the form of an icon since times immemorial but the worship of his weapons in the natural form is also considered to be a part of worship. The worship of these weapons could be identified as a part of aniconic worship of Vishnu. The chapter 307, Ath Saptddhik-Trishatat-Mohanam of Agni-Purdn mentions that specific weapons of Vishnu like the Chakr, Shankh could be worshipped^". Many VaishnavitQ families in South Goa, especially in Paingini village of Kankona taluka worship Shdligrdm or the Sdligrdm in Konknni. It is a flat rounded stone having marks like of the spokes of a disc. Due to its close resemblance v«th the Vishnu's disc, its worship is considered to be the worship of Vishnu. In Paingini the Chakr represents Parshurdm, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. The only temple of Parshurdm in Goa is located in Paingini in the Kankona taluka. Here there was no sculpture of Parshurdm worshipped till 1996. From the ancient times a Chakr of Shdligrdm was in worship^\ In other parts of Goa round polished stones of different sizes and shapes are worshipped. The worship of this disc shaped Sdligrdm or the round Sdligrdm is considered to be very holy. Hence stringent traditions and regulations are associated with this worship. There is tradition amongst every household who worship this 80 Saligram to offer it cooked rice in the aftemoon without fail. The rice has to be cooked and offered by a male member of the family after having bath. In the absence of a male member the family can appoint a priest of a nearby temple to carry out the ritual. If in case due to certain reasons the family cannot perform the ritual on regular basis then the Saligram is kept in the nearby temple where ever there is a tradition of offering cooked rice to the deity. In such cases the family is also free to bring the Saligram back in the house as and when they want or if they are capable of offering the rice in the house. There is also a very common folklore associated with the Saligram in Goa. The folklore mentions that the Saligram is available in the River Gandaki at Nepal. They were brought to Goa by the ancestors of the family who went on a pilgrimage to Gandaki. The Saligram is mentioned as Shalgram in the Purdnic texts. It is mentioned that wherever the stone is kept Vishnu and Lakshmi resides there^'. The Prakrti Khand of Brahmvaivarth Purdn mentions that Tulashi's chastity was defiled by Vishnu by taking the form of demon Shankhchu(f'^. Therefore Tulashi cursed Vishnu that he will turn into a stone on earth. On this Vishnu replied Tulashi's body will take the form of Gandaki river and trees bom from her hair will be called as Tulashi^*. It also mentions that the curse made Vishnu turn into a mountain of stone near River Gandaki and the insects carve out the Chakr on the stones with their teeth^'. The Purdnic description mentions the carving out of the stone with their teeth by the insects. So to say the Saligram stone worshipped in the form of Chakr in Goa is nothing but the worship of the ammonite fossil. A fossil is the remains or plants or animals preserved in the rocks of the earth^^. Fossilization is a process in which remains of the plants or animals get preserved in the earth's strata The MoUusks or MoUuscas organisms classified as Cephalopoda^^ falling in the suborder called Ammonidea are called ammonites^^. Ammonites do not exist anymore today^'^. Ammonites were animals with shells usually coiled in flat spiral shape. They have coiled shell is divided internally into compartments by frilled or simple sutures of varying form^". The surface is highly ornamented with ridges. Some could swim while most crawled^^ 81 B. The theory of evolution: - a) Worship of and ammonites The use of shells in the Indian history is quite ancient. The phylum mollusca of the genus Dentalium was used as money by the ancient Indians^^. But however if one tries to dwell deep into the theory of evolution we can find out the reason behind the worship ammonite shell as a non-iconic representative of Vishnu. The worship of the ammonites is mentioned in the Agni Puran. It mentions that the worship of the Shalgram bedecked with circular marks known as Chakrs is essential to the worship of the manifestation of Vishnu^^. The ammonites are worshipped as Vishnu's manifestations because they closely represent the evolution process. Carrol Lane Fenton mentions an interesting fact of the evolution process of the ammonites. Initially the ammonites were in the shape of a long shell termed as Ordovician Cephalopod having curves. The curves evolved into coils and the shells were flattened and compressed. They again uncoiled during the later stages. But they did not survive for long and hence vanished. But the coiled shells continued to develop and sprang into new group called ammonites^'*. Hence we can deduce from the above that Vishnu was believed to be the birth of life. Darwinism clearly states that life initially began in water and then came to the land'''. Vishnu's Dashavtars: A Mythological Model representing the theory of evolution of vertebrates. Vishnu is believed to have taken many Avtars to save the earth from peril or destruction. The Bhdgvat Puran mentions 22 incarnations of Vishnu as follows''^:- 1) Narayan \2) Dhanvantari 2) Varah 13) Mohini 3) Narad 14) Nr si nh 4) Nar and Narayan 15) Vaman 5) Kapil \G)Parshuram 6) Dattattrey \l)RishiVyas 7) Yadny (fire sacrifice) 18) Ram 82 8) Rshabh \9)Balram 9) Prthu 20) Krishn \0)Matsy (rish) 21) Buddh \l)Kurm (Tortoise) 22) Kalki Whereas in the works of Kalidas we find the following incarnations being mentioned 37 sr. no Name of the incarnation Name of the work 1 Vardh Raghuvamsh 2 Nrsinh Abhijnanshdkuntalam 3 Vdman Raghuvamsh & Meghduta 4 Parshurdm Raghuvamsh 5 Rdghav Ram Raghuvamsh 6 Balardm Meghduta 7 Krishna Meghduta But however only 10 of these are widely accepted.

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