The chaturvimshatimurti () is the representation of twenty-four
aspects of the deity
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
in
Hindu iconography
Over the millennia of its development, Hinduism has adopted several iconography, iconic symbols, forming part of Hindu iconography, that are imbued with spiritual meaning based on either the Hindu scriptures, scriptures or cultural traditions ...
. These aspects are described to represent the central tenets of the
Pancharatra
''Pancharatra'' (IAST: ''Pāñcarātra'') was a religious movement in Hinduism that originated in late 3rd-century BCE around the ideas of Narayana and the various avatar and forms of Vishnu as their central deities. tradition. They are believed to be the most significant of the thousand names of the deity featured in the
Vishnu Sahasranama.
The names of these aspects of the deity are ritually chanted in daily prayer by adherents.
Literature
The twenty-four forms of Vishnu seem to have been conceived in the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
. His forms are first mentioned in
Agni Purana
The ''Agni Purana'', (, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is variously classified as a Purana related to Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism, but also considered as a text that covers them ...
, the Rūpamaṇḍana, and the Aparājitapṛcchā.
They are also mentioned in
Vaishnava
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...
such as the
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...
and the
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus.
The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...
.
Usage
* The
achamanam
Āchamanam (Sanskrit: , ') is a purification ritual performed at the beginning of more complex religious ceremonies in the Hinduism, which is believed to cure all physical and mental impurities.
Types of Āchamanam
There are three types of Āc ...
is a ritual where these names are used while simultaneously touching the numerous parts of the body to purify them.
* The names form an important part of the
Bhakti
''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...
tradition, with saints such as
Purandara Dasa
Purandara Dasa (IAST: Purandara Dāsa; (1470 – 1564) was a composer, singer and a Haridasa philosopher from present-day Karnataka, India. He was a follower of Madhwacharya, Madhvacharya's Dwaitha, Dvaita philosophy. He was one of the chi ...
having sung many devotional songs in their praise.
Iconography
The chaturvimshatimurti are all represented as standing and holding the four attributes of Vishnu: the
Sudarshana Chakra
The Sudarshana Chakra (, ) is a divine discus, attributed to Vishnu in the Hindu scriptures. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds the Panchajanya (conch), the Kaumodak ...
(discus),
Panchajanya
Panchajanya (, ) is the '' shankha'' (conch) of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, one of his four primary attributes. The Panchajanya symbolises the five elements, and is considered to produce the primeval sound of creation when blown.
Literat ...
(conch),
Kaumodaki
Kaumodaki () is the gadā (mace) of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Vishnu is often depicted holding the Kaumodaki in one of his four hands; his other attributes are the chakra, the conch and the lotus. The ''gada'' is also found in the iconography of ...
(mace), and
Padma
The Padma () is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the eastern and main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River, near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is situated on the bank ...
(lotus). Symbolising the deity's different visible forms, the only difference between these images is the order of the emblems held by his
four hands
Piano four hands (, , ) is a type of piano duet involving two players playing the same piano simultaneously. A duet with the players playing separate instruments is generally referred to as a '' piano duo''.Bellingham, Jane"piano duet" ''The O ...
.
All of the forms wear the
kiritamukuta
The Kiritamukuta () is a crown generally attributed to Vishnu in Hindu iconography. It is also depicted to be worn by the Avatar, avatars of Vishnu, such as Rama. Vishnu is depicted with the Kiritamukuta in some of his earliest icons, identified ...
, the crown of Vishnu, and the traditional ornaments of the deity. They stand upon the base of a lotus (padmasana). According to
Gopinatha Rao, the distribution of the four attributes among the four hands of each form are to be observed in a circular fashion, from the upper right hand to the upper left hand, and then from the lower left hand to the lower right hand.
The Rupamandana provides the following description of the chaturvimshatimurti:
See also
*
Panchavimshatimurti
The panchavimshatimurti () is the representation of twenty-five forms of Shiva in Hindu iconography. These forms are described in the Agama (Hinduism), Shaiva Agamas of the southern Shaiva Siddhanta sect of Saivism, Shaivism. The Sritattvanidhi cal ...
*
Chaturvyuha
*
Dashavatara
The Dashavatara (, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindus, Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", and , roughly equi ...
References
*
Hindu iconography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaturvimshatimurti
Forms of Vishnu