Vyaghrapada () is a

sage #REDIRECT Sage {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...

featured in

Hindu literature Hindu texts or Hindu scriptures are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. Some of the major Hindu texts include the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Itihasa. Scholars ...

Legends

According to one legend, Vyaghrapada was entrusted with the task of picking up fresh flowers, untouched even by honeybees, for offering to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

in his aspect as

Nataraja Nataraja (/ n̪əʈəɾɑd͡ʒᵊ/ ,, ; , ''Naṭarājar'' Telugu: నటరాజు,''Naṭarāju''), also known as Adalvallan (), is a depiction of Shiva, one of the main deities in Hinduism, as the divine cosmic dancer. His dance is ca ...

in the temple complex of

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a major town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to b ...

, located in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. While plucking the flowers, Vyaghrapada was wounded on account of thorns and sharp stones. Shiva conferred on him feet of tigers to relieve him of his pain. Now bearing tiger's feet, the sage easily moved from place to place, including climbing rough trees to pluck fresh flowers untouched even by the honeybees. Both the sages

Patanjali Patanjali (, , ; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these a ...

and Vyaghrapada venerated Shiva, and in response, the deity performed the

ananda tandava Tandavam (also spelled as ), also known as , is a divine dance performed by Hindu god Shiva. Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form of Nataraja. The ''Natya Shastra'', a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts, describes various ...

, his dance of bliss. According to another legend, Sage Vyaghrapada is associated with the king known as Lokeshavikrama, whom he adopts as his son, as described in a

sthala purana A sthala purana or sthala puranam () refers to a religious account that recounts the historical significance of a Hindu temple, or the sacredness of the region in which it is situated. It is sometimes referred to as a eulogistic work that glorifi ...

Other places associated with Vyaghrapada

In addition to Chidambaram, there are other places associated with the name of Vyaghrapada. Vyaghrapada is believed to be the founder of the famous Shiva temple at Vaikom in

Kottayam district Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. The

Sthalasayana Perumal Temple, Tirusirupuliyur Sthalasayana Perumal Temple (also called Arulmaakadal Perumal Temple) is a Hinduism, Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu located near Kollumangudi, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 2 km away from Kollumangudi, 40 km away from Kumbakonam a ...

in Tamil Nadu, a Vishnu temple, is regarded to have been visited by Vyaghrapada with

, the sages receiving the

darshana In Indian religions, a ''darshan'' (Sanskrit: दर्शन, ; 'showing, appearance, view, sight') or ''darshanam'' is the auspicious sight of a deity or a holy person. The term also refers to any one of the six traditional schools of Hind ...

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 the form of

Ranganatha Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, southern India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a re ...

Srirangam Srirangam is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...

Iconography

His image and iconography depicts him as a human being but with the legs of a tiger. He is also shown having a tiger-like tail. Generally, he is shown alongside

, and both are depicted as offering homage to Shiva in his aspect as Nataraja.

An astronomical work attributed to Vyaghrapada

According to local traditions in Kerala, the authorship of a treatise on astrology called ''Aṅkaṇaśāstra'' (also called ''Grahasamaya'' and ''Navagrahasamaya'') has been attributed to sage Vyaghrapada. The work consists of 389 verses and has been divided into four chapters. In the book, each of the ''lagna-rāśi''-s has been divided into nine ''aṅkaṇa''-s (''navāṃśa''-s) and each ''aṅkaṇa'' is presided over by a ''graha'' having individual characteristics.

Sources

*''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' () by Anna Dallapiccola

References