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South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s12: XIX

South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s12

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XIX

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Nilakantha, Srīkantha and Vishakantha are three synonymous names of Siva, given to him on account of his having swallowed the deadly poison (kālakūta) produced at the churning of the ocean by the dēvas and dānavas under instructions from the Creator, in order to obtain divine nectar. The mountain Mandara was their churn-stick, the primeval Tortoise (who was Vishnu himself) the pivot on which the stick rested and turned, and the serpent Vāsuki the churning rope. By a clever device of Vishnu, the dānavas held the head and the dēvas the tail of the serpent. They churned and churned. Many great and splendid things came foaming up and every one was eager to seize what pleased him most. But all at once something black began to rise. It grew and grew and darkened the whole universe. All the gods and demons were mortally afraid. For it was the deadliest of poisons, death to them and death to all the universe. In this moment of horror they called on Siva to help them. The mighty god came and took the poison in the hollow of his hand and swallowed it. That which was enough to kill the universe served only to stain his neck with a bluish tint. Thus he came to be called "the poison-necked" or "the blue-necked" god.¹ The Kāraṇāgama describing a form of Siva called Vishāpahamūrti, "the destroyer of poison" says that he has one face, three eyes, braided hair and four arms holding in the two upper the antelope and the axe. He is in the posture of drinking the poison which is held in the right lower hand. The left lower shows the boon-giving posture. On the left side of the god is the goddess with two arms. She shows an anxious countenance and holds the neck of Siva as if to prevent the poison from going down.

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¹ The Kāsyapa-Silpa speaking of Srikantha says that he holds the trident and the kettle-drum.

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FIG. 88.—Kālaharamūrti; Paṭṭīśvaram.

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FIG. 89.—Kālaharamūrti; Chandragiri.

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Two other forms of Siva connected with Purānic stories may be mentioned. These are Tripurāntakamūrti and Kirātārjunamūrti. The first was assumed by Siva when he killed the three demons called Tripura and reduced their three magic cities to ashes. During this campaign the Earth is said to have served Siva as a chariot, and the Sun and the Moon as its wheels. The four Vēdas were the four horses and the Upanishads were the guiding reins; the mythic golden mountain Mēru was the bow, the ocean was the quiver and god Vishnu was the arrow. Images of Tripurāntaka are made with the right leg firmly placed on the pedestal and the left leg bent. The right forehand in the simha-karna posture holds the arrow and the left fore-arm, the bow. The other hands hold the tanka (or the axe) and the deer respectively. The locks are arranged in the form of a *jaṭāmakuṭa* and the goddess Gaurī stands on the left side. The accompanying illustration from Chidambaram (fig. 90) answers to this description of Tripurāntaka. The alternating positions of the leg, the existence or non-existence of the demon Apasmāra underneath one of them and the fashion of holding the bow and the arrow, yield five other forms of Tripurāntaka, who may also be represented with eight or ten arms. Sometimes (when with ten arms), the god is seated in a chariot with his right knee touching the *sudhā*, the left leg which is bent at the knee being placed firmly in front of the right. In the chariot, at its front, is seated the four-faced Brahmā and below him is a white bull drawing the car. A sandal-wood carving published in the *Journal of Indian Art and Industry*, Vol. XV, No. 119, fig. 12, shows the actual fight between Siva and the demon called Tripura.

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² An image of Tripurāntaka in the thousand-pillared hall of the Madura temple shows an actual figure of Vishnu engraved on the arrow held by Siva.

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Kirātārjunamūrti is that form of Siva in which he is supposed to have appeared before Arjuna, one of the heroes of the epic *Mahābhārata*, when the latter was doing penance to obtain from Siva a powerful weapon with which he could destroy his enemies. God Siva wished to try personally if his devotee Arjuna really deserved to wield the matchless weapon Pāsupata, whose presiding deity was himself. To this end Siva and Pārvatī assumed the forms of a hunter and a huntress and with their retinue of demons and hobgoblins attired for the chase, drove before them a wild boar, which rushed to attack Arjuna who was then performing his penance. Arjuna, the practised warrior, seized his bow and instantly shot the animal. Simultaneously also came another arrow from the psuedo-hunter Siva. Pierced by both the arrows, the animal died. The hunter cried out that the quarry was his and asked Arjuna how he dared to shoot at it. The royal hero of the Lunar race could not brook the insult from this wild hunter of the woods. A fierce fight between the two was the result. Arjuna was amazed to see that the hunter was more than his match. Arjuna’s never failing arrows failed him now and he challenged the hunter to a hand-to-hand contest. Sore and beaten, Arjuna worshipped the clay *linga* of the god Siva that he had before him, when, lo! the flowers he threw on the *linga* fell on the person of the hunter. Arjuna struck the hunter at the head with his powerful bow called *Gāndiva* and drew blood. But the bow was mysteriously snatched away from him. In the end Arjuna was overcome by a gentle touch of the mighty god. Arjuna then knew him and begged pardon and the god gave him the desired weapon *Pāsupata*.

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FIG. 90.—Tripurāntakamūrti; Chidambaram.

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This story is the subject matter of the exquisite poem *Kirātārjunīya* of the Sanskrit poet Bhāravi. The Tanjore inscriptions refer to an image Kirātārjunadēva;¹ and from the description given of it in a mutilated passage, it appears as if there was a reference there, to a *linga* or to some object connected with it. Images of Kirātārjunamūrti answering to the story described above are not very frequent. An illustration (fig. 91) which comes from Pushpagiri in the Cuddapah district represents evidently the last part of the drama, when Siva and Pārvatī appeared before Arjuna and gave him the weapon. Siva holds in his back hands the axe and the trident. In his right fore-arm is the arrow Pāsupata, the left fore-arm resting freely on the waist. To the left of Siva stands the goddess Pārvatī with two hands, holding a lotus flower in her right. In front of both, is Arjuna in the modest posture of receiving with both hands the divine gift offered him. A pigmy figure standing between Siva and Arjuna in the illustration may be one of the attendants of Siva. The *Kāraṇāgama* gives the same description but makes Siva wear both the arrow and the bow and hold the antelope instead of the trident. An illustration coming from Chidambaram (fig. 92) answers to this description. In it may also be seen the figure of Arjuna in a worshipping posture as described in the *Kāraṇāgama*. It may be noted that the historic "Arjuna's Penance" at Mahābalipuram is supposed to represent the *Mahābhārata* story related above.²

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¹ Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswami publishes an image of Siva from Tanjore in his Art Journal *Visvakarma* (Part II, No. 28). In this the positions of the four hands indicate the nature of the weapons that must have been held by them. Although the image is called Gangādhara by Dr. Coomaraswami, the poses of the fingers suggest that the image must be one of Kirātārjuna, possibly the very idol mentioned in the Tanjore inscriptions, since its two fore-arms are so adjusted as to receive into them the bow and the arrow. The upper arms in this case must have held the axe and the deer. Mr. R. D. Banerji describes in the Director-General's *Archæological Survey Report* for 1911-12, pp. 161 ff., certain sculptures from Chandimau which relate to this story of Arjuna's fight with Siva. These are attributed by Mr. Banerji to the Gupta period.

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² Havell's *Ideals of Indian Art*, pp. 147 to 151.

Cites (4)