Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c8.144

v1.c8.144

*Daṇḍa-hasta* and *gaja-hasta* are terms which have misled scholars, some of whom have understood them to mean a hand that carries a staff. Literally, the word *daṇḍa-hasta* may have such a meaning, but in Sanskrit iconographic works, it is used to denote the arm and hand thrown forward and held straight like a stick or like the trunk of an elephant (see Pl. V, fig. 12).