Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c27: Nandikesvara or Adhikara-Nandi

Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c27

Language: English

Nandikesvara or Adhikara-Nandi

AT the entrance into many an important temple of Śiva in Southern India one meets with a pair of images, of which one is a male figure and the other a female one, the consort of the former. The male figure is shaped exactly like that of Śiva in the aspect of Chandraśekharamūrti. It is seen standing upon a padmāsana and carrying in its back hands the paraśu and the mriga; but, unlike the figure of Chandraśekharamūrti, which keeps its front hands in the varada and the abhaya poses, that of Adhikāranandin has them folded on the chest in the añjali pose. The figure of Adhikāranandin is sometimes mistaken by the less informed persons for that of Śiva.

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Three different accounts are found of the origin of Adhikāranandin. According to the Śiva-mahā-purāṇa, he was the son of the ṛishi Sālaṅkāyana; the following account is given of him by this authority: Sālaṅkāyana, who was long without a son, was doing penance under a *sāla* tree in a place called Sālagrāma. Appreciating his austerities, Viṣṇu appeared before him and asked him to request for any boon he desired. The *ṛiṣi* prayed that he may be blessed with a son of great virtue. Immediately after this request was made, a person sprang from the right of Viṣṇu, who resembled Śiva in every way. He was given the name Nandikeśvara. The *purāṇa* adds that this was the forty-ninth birth of Nandikeśvara.

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A second account of the birth of Nandikeśvara runs as follows: in the Tretā-yuga, a *ṛiṣi* named Nandi was performing a severe penance on the peak called Muñjavān on the Mandara mountain. Śiva pleased with the devotion of Nandi presented himself before the *ṛiṣi*. The latter requested Śiva to grant him the boons that he should have unshakeable faith in and love for Śiva, as also that he should be made the head of the *gaṇas*. Śiva granted him the boons with pleasure and disappeared. Indra and the other gods were overjoyed to see the bliss that befell the *ṛiṣi* Nandi and praised him for his good fortune.

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The *Liṅga-purāṇa* has a third account of the origin of Nandikeśvara. A blind *ṛiṣi* named Silāda was practising penance with a desire to obtain an immortal son, not born of human beings.

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NANDIKĒŚVARA OR ADHIKĀRANANDI.

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Indra becoming pleased with the austerities of this *rishi* resolved to fulfil the *rishi*'s desire and approached him and told him that no one but Śiva could grant him what he wanted and directed him to address his penances to that deity. He did as advised by Indra, and Śiva pleased with him, promised that he would himself be born to the *rishi* as his son; thereby he intended to satisfy Brahmā also who was desirous of Śiva taking a human incarnation. After some time, Silāda was engaged in a sacrifice (*yāga*); a lad proceeded from the room in which the *rishi* Silāda was performing the *yāga*; he looked precisely like Śiva, with a *jaṭā-makuṭa* on his head, three eyes and four arms. He was carrying in his hands the *śūla*, the *ṭaṅka*, the *gadā* and the *vajra*. Because Silāda became pleased with the fulfilment of his desire by the appearance of this, his son born not by human agency, Śiva gave the lad the name Nandi and disappeared.

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Then Silāda and his son Nandi repaired to the former's *āśrama*. There the boy lost his superhuman form and became quite like any ordinary mortal. Though feeling sorry for the change, Silāda performed on his son the usual ceremony such as *upanayana*, when the boy attained the seventh year of age; he soon became well versed in the Vēdas. Some time after, two *rishis* named Mitra and Varuṇa came to the āśrama of the ṛishi Silāda as his guests; these gazed intently at Nandi and perceived through their mental vision that the life of the boy was to come to an end in one year more. They informed this sad news to the father of the boy. The ṛishi and his father Sālaṅkāyana sank in despair on hearing the prognostication of their guests, and swooned. But, Nandikēśvara, though internally perturbed, began to meditate upon Śiva so intently that the latter appeared to him and took hold of him in his arms and threw round his neck the flower garland which was hanging round his own neck. Forthwith the boy was changed into a being endowed with three eyes, ten arms and appearance which exactly resembled Śiva. The latter blessed this metamorphosed Nandi to be free from old age and death and also anointed him as the head of his gaṇas and married him to Suyaśa, the daughter of the Maruts.

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The name Nandikēśvara, ‘the tawny coloured dwarf’ and a follower of Śiva occurs in the Rāmāyaṇa (V. 17, Sec. 16 of the Uttara-kāṇḍa). There he is stated to be another manifestation of Śiva (apara tanuh) and that when he was keeping guard over the Kailāsa, Rāvaṇa, the lord of Laṅkā and of the Rākshasas, came driving in his ærial car and wanted to cross the abode of Śiva. But he was NANDIKĒŚVARA OR ADHIKĀRANANDI.

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promptly stopped by Nandikēśvara. Upon this Rāvaṇa made contemptuous remarks concerning the monkey-face of Nandikēśvara. Incensed at the insult offered to him, he cursed Rāvaṇa that beings possessing the same shape as himself and of similar energy (that is, monkeys) would destroy the race of Rāvaṇa.

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Nandikēśvara is mentioned also in the Bhāgavata-purāṇa. During the yāga that Daksha-prajāpati was performing, he spoke tauntingly of Śiva. Nandi grew angry at the insult offered to his lord Śiva and pronounced maledictions against Daksha and the other revilers of Śiva.

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The Viṣṇudharmōttara gives the following description of Nandikēśvara. He should have three eyes and four arms and a red complexion. His garments should be made of tiger's skin; in one of his hands there should be the triśūla and in another the bhindi; a third hand should be held over his head and the fourth held as though he is commanding a host of people. His gaze should suggest that he is seeing objects at a great distance and regulating the large crowd of devotees resorting to offer worship to Śiva.

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Nandikēśvara is more often represented as a bull than as a bull-faced human being or as a duplicate of Śiva. The former is kept lying in front of the central shrine of all Śiva temples.

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An illustration of Adhikāra-Nandin is given on Pl. CXXXI. The original of the photograph therein reproduced is in the temple of Śiva at Vaḷuvūr. It is sculptured precisely like Śiva in the aspect of Chandraśekharamūrti, carrying the paraśu and the mriga in the back right and left hands respectively, and standing upon a padmāsana; but unlike Chandraśekharamūrti who keeps the front right and left hands in the abhaya and the varada poses, Nandikeśvara has them folded on the chest in the añjali pose. The body has three slight bends in it (tribhanga). On his head are the jaṭā-makuṭa and the Gaṅgā and the crescent moon.

Linked texts (5)

Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa — Vālmīki, Sanskrit
Bhāgavatapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Liṅgapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Śivapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa — Sanskrit