Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c10.s2.1.1

c10.s2.1.1

What is the name of the Goddess and of the cult in the Indian tradition, are relevant questions to grasp the significance of these ring-stones or discs. The name for them is *‘Śrī-Chakra’* (also called *Śrī-Yantra* in the later tradition), being aniconic representations of the Mother Goddess worshipped both in human and symbolical form, which are in force upto this day. A commentary on the nature of the cult is available in the *Śrī-Sūkta*, an apocryphal hymn (*Khila-Sūkta*) at the end of the fifth Maṇḍala of the Ṛgveda. All the different characters found on the discs are included in the description, which certainly formed part of folk-lore poetry. The Goddess is there identified with earth (*Devī Kṣmā* or *Bhūmi*) and is named Mother-Goddess *Śrī* (*Devīṁ Mātram Śriyam*) and conceived of as the Mother of all creatures (*Prajā Bhūtā*) including animals (*Paśūnāṁ rūpam*), spouse of Viṣṇu (*Viṣṇu-patnīm*), and the supreme deity of the universe (*Sarva-bhūtānām Īśvarī*). She is associated with both Sun and Moon being called, Sūryā and Candrā. Lotus is her symbol as her seat (*Padme sthitā*), as the centre of her disc (*Padma-nemi*), as its encircling garland (*Padma-mālinīm, Puṣkariṇī*). She is born from the waters from which her lotus takes root (*adbhyah padmasambhavā*) surrounded by lotus-buds and leaves, as depicted on some of the discs.