Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c17.23

c17.23

Śrī-Lakṣmī—An ancient goddess referred to in the Yajurveda as the two consorts of Viṣṇu; of universal adoration as shown in the Śrī-Sūkta; standing midst lotuses, bathed by two elephants with inverted jars, under the new name of Gaja-Lakṣmī in this form her image assimilated the symbolism of lotus, elephants, pūrṇaghaṭa, golden necklace (hemamālā); perfected as the genius of fertility and abundance; the pose of the Earth Goddess as on a golden leaf from Lauria Nandangarh was transferred to Lakṣmī in some examples; she became the prototype of mother goddess with a child as in the painted example from Dandan Ulique; she became the goddess par excellence being depicted on the reverse of the gold coins of the Guptas and Gāṅgeyadeva; she was also conceived as the ocean-born maiden of fleet nature who makes herself manifest in the fluctuating fortunes of persons; in her form of Padminī she became the mistress of the eight treasures (aṣṭanidhi), viz. Padma, Mahāpadma, Makara, Kachchhapa, Mukunda, Nanda, Nīla, Śaṅkha; of these Padma and Mahāpadma symbolise gold and precious gems respectively; [Makara was the symbol of Varuṇa's ocean, a very popular motif of early Indian art and representing water cosmology; its gaping mouth was the source of many kinds of meandering lotus creepers and rising lotus rhizomes and Yakṣas and Yakṣīs are shown struggling to extract jewels from its teeth; firstly the Makara was identified with a particular kind of treasure obtained by trade in arms and weapons and then for the future as the vehicle of Varuṇa, king of the Asuras, and thirdly as the auspicious animal of the River Gaṅgā. It may be noted that as an auspicious creature the Makara was placed in Śuṅga and early Kuṣāṇa period on the beams of the toraṇa gateways, a recurrent feature at Bharhut and Mathura; the motif being mentioned as Śiṃśumāraśiraḥ in the Ādiparva. It is also the decorative spout on numerous examples of Kuṣāṇa and Gupta pottery and also a beautiful decorative sign of the forehead ornament (sīmantamakarikā); etc. The tortoise, a Vedic symbol mentioned as Kūrma which symbolised the two inverted shells of earth and heaven. It was then made a part of Lakṣmī's icodography as shown in a figure at Sanchi, and lastly made the vehicle of the River Goddess Yamunā. The exact nature of Mukunda nidhi is not certain, but probably it denoted a hermaphrodite (varshadhara). Its owner devotes himself to music and dance, acts like a Gandharva or Apasaras. In art many dancing figures conform to this description, specially the Vīṇāvidyādharas which were evolved as figures serving new functions in the iconography of Mahāpuruṣas. The exact meaning of the term Vidyādhara has not been explained but seems that the term vidyā referred to these various sciences of dance, music and other allied subjects related to śṛingāra and prasādhana, represented with garlands by which they were known as mālāvidyādhara, gems and beads by which they were named gulikāvidyādhara. Another treasure is named Nanda Nidhi, probably related to the Nandipada symbol which continued to be depicted on the pedestals of images and stamped on pottery. The Nīla treasure may be identified with the nīlotpala, blue lotus, which is a constant element of the nature of lotus design both as a flower or a creeper. The Śaṅkha is depicted in early art of Bharhut and Mathura as auspicious symbol of Kubera oozing coins from its mouth. Its association with the Kalpavṛiksha was early recognised. Later on it was counted as one of the Eight Nidhis of Lakshmī, and finally assimilated in the iconography of Vishṇu as one of his four attributes.]