Posted by: JPEG May 26, 2009
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Another peace. This time from Yakkha ni beauty.
It is interesting to note that Yakkha( Yaksha) beside finding reference in ancient Vedic literature, has been mentioned in other religious doctrines as well.
The indigenous Yakkha belongs to Kirat family. It is claimed that the ethnology "Yakkha" as per the conqueror Aryan's Sanskrit grammar had been spelled in the Aryan-Hindu mythologies as "Yaksa-sh" (like Bhisu-shu for an ascetic "Bhikchu" of the Buddhist holy scripts). Although the legendary Yaksa-sh, by the corrupt name of Yakkha and Kirats are being hailed in the Hindu holy scripts Vedas and the ancient Sanskrit literature, the Yakkha is eternally firm with its own clanonym, "The Yakkha".
Yaksha (Sanskrit यक्ष, yaksa , yakkha in Pali ) is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology. The feminine form of the word is yaksī or yaksini (Pali: yakkhi or yakkhini).
Yakshas in Mahabharata:
The banks of river Narmada is described as the birth place of yaksha king Kubera (Vaisravana), where his father Visravas, who was a sage, lived. It is also a territory of Gandharvas. (Mahabharata: 3,89). Gokarna, Karnataka is also mentioned as a place of yakshas and pisachas, and kinnaras and the great nagas, and siddhas and charanas and gandharvas. (3,85)
Yaksas in Buddhism:
In Buddhist countries yaksas are known under the following names: Chinese "ye cha", Japanese: "Yasha", Burmese: "ba-lu", Tibetan:"gnod sbyin". In Buddhist mythology, the yaksas are the attendants of Vaisravana, the Guardian of the Northern Quarter, a beneficent god who protects the righteous.
Yaksha and Yakshini in Jainism:
Jains mainly worship idols of Jinas, Arihants, Tirthankars, who have conquered the inner passions and attained God-consciousness status. Some section of jains believe that Yaksha and Yakshini look
after the well beings of Thirthankarars. Usually, they are found in pair around the idols of Jinas as male (yaksha) and female (yakshini) guardian deities. Yaksha is generally on the right hand side of the
Jina idol and Yakshini on the left hand side. In earlier periods, they were regarded mainly as devotees of Jina, and have supernatural powers.
Points to be taken:
Jainism(Dharmic religion) is an Indian religion that has suffered much persecution over the years because its teaching differs from Vedic religion. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve enlightenment or Moksha. Any soul which has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being is called jina (Conqueror or Victor). Jainism is the path to achieve this state. Jainism is often referred to as Jain Dharma or Shraman Dharma or the religion of Nirgantha or religion of "Vratyas" by ancient texts.
Some of the prominent jain yakshas(male) and yakshanis(female) are:
PADMAVATI DEVI:
She is the dedicated deity of Lord Parshvanath, the 23rd Tirthankar. 23rd Jain tirthankar Parshvanath is always represented with the hood of a snake shading his head. The Yaksha Dharanendra and the
Yakshi Padmavati are often shown flanking him.
Her color is golden and her vehicle is the snake with a cock's head. She has four arms and her two right hands hold a lotus and a rosary. The two left hands hold a fruit and a rein.
CHAKRESHWARE DEVI:
She is the dedicated attendant deity of lord Adinath (Rishabhadev). She is also called by another name i.e. Apratichakra. The color of this goddess is golden. Her Vehicle is the eagle. She has eight arms. In her four right hands she holds the blessing mudra, arrow, rope and wheel. In her four left hands she holds the rein, the bow, the protective weapon of Indra and the wheel.
KIRATINI DEVI:
She is the dedicated deity of Lord Neminath the 22nd Tirthankara. She is also called Ambai Amba and Amra Kushmandini. Her color is golden and the lion is her vehicle. She has four arms. In her two right hands she carries a mango and in the other a branch of a mango tree. In her one left hand she carries a rein and in the other she hasher two sons.
SARASWATHI DEVI:
Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, is considered to be the source of all learning. This divine energy is the source of spiritual light, remover of all ignorance and promoter of all knowledge. She is
respected and adored by all faiths, worldly persons and saints. She has four arms, one holding a book, the other a rosary and two hands holding a musical instrument Veena. Her seat is a lotus and the peacock is her vehicle representing equanimity in prosperity. In some places it is mentioned that the swan is her vehicle.
LAKSHMI DEVI:
Goddess Lakshmi represents wealth. People worship her as the goddess of wealth, power, money etc. Just like Saraswathi, She is respected and adored by all faiths, and popular amongst worldly
persons. In the upper two hands, she is holding a lotus with an elephant, in the lower right hand a rosary and in the lower left hand a pot.
Swami Prajnananda says "Savarotsava is Durga Puja. Swami Abhedananda remarks that Durga was worshipped by Savar, Barbar Pulinda caste. She was addicted to meat and wine, etc. The Chandipuza of autumn season was therefore called Savarotsava.............Durga and Chandi were
the goddess of the Kirata caste. So Durga other name is Kiratini. ~ Kali Prasad Goswami in
Kamakhya temple pg.41
According to Coburn, it is striking that the word Candika has virtually no earlier history in Sanskrit. "There are no instances of its occurrence in the Vedic literature we have surveyed. The epics are
similarly barren: neither the Ramayana nor the Mahabharata give evidence of the epithet, although in one of the hymns inserted in the latter Canda and Candi are applied to the deity they praised." ~ Coburn, Thomas B in Devi Mahatmya pg. 95
Work reference:
Traditions in Transition: Sanskritization and Yakkhafication in East Nepal, History and Anthropology by Andrew J. Russell
Politics of Culture: A Study of Three Kirata Communities in the Eastern Himalayas by Tanka B. Subba
Kirat Yakkha Ko Itihas Ek Chhalphal, 2002 by Durga Hang Yakkha
The disguises of the demon by Gail Hinich Sutherland
Haunting the Buddha by Robert DeCaroli
Devi Mahatmya, The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition by Coburn, Thomas B
Kamakhya temple by Kali Prasad Goswami
It is interesting to note that Yakkha( Yaksha) beside finding reference in ancient Vedic literature, has been mentioned in other religious doctrines as well.
The indigenous Yakkha belongs to Kirat family. It is claimed that the ethnology "Yakkha" as per the conqueror Aryan's Sanskrit grammar had been spelled in the Aryan-Hindu mythologies as "Yaksa-sh" (like Bhisu-shu for an ascetic "Bhikchu" of the Buddhist holy scripts). Although the legendary Yaksa-sh, by the corrupt name of Yakkha and Kirats are being hailed in the Hindu holy scripts Vedas and the ancient Sanskrit literature, the Yakkha is eternally firm with its own clanonym, "The Yakkha".
Yaksha (Sanskrit यक्ष, yaksa , yakkha in Pali ) is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology. The feminine form of the word is yaksī or yaksini (Pali: yakkhi or yakkhini).
Yakshas in Mahabharata:
The banks of river Narmada is described as the birth place of yaksha king Kubera (Vaisravana), where his father Visravas, who was a sage, lived. It is also a territory of Gandharvas. (Mahabharata: 3,89). Gokarna, Karnataka is also mentioned as a place of yakshas and pisachas, and kinnaras and the great nagas, and siddhas and charanas and gandharvas. (3,85)
Yaksas in Buddhism:
In Buddhist countries yaksas are known under the following names: Chinese "ye cha", Japanese: "Yasha", Burmese: "ba-lu", Tibetan:"gnod sbyin". In Buddhist mythology, the yaksas are the attendants of Vaisravana, the Guardian of the Northern Quarter, a beneficent god who protects the righteous.
Yaksha and Yakshini in Jainism:
Jains mainly worship idols of Jinas, Arihants, Tirthankars, who have conquered the inner passions and attained God-consciousness status. Some section of jains believe that Yaksha and Yakshini look
after the well beings of Thirthankarars. Usually, they are found in pair around the idols of Jinas as male (yaksha) and female (yakshini) guardian deities. Yaksha is generally on the right hand side of the
Jina idol and Yakshini on the left hand side. In earlier periods, they were regarded mainly as devotees of Jina, and have supernatural powers.
Points to be taken:
Jainism(Dharmic religion) is an Indian religion that has suffered much persecution over the years because its teaching differs from Vedic religion. Jains believe that every soul is divine and has the potential to achieve enlightenment or Moksha. Any soul which has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being is called jina (Conqueror or Victor). Jainism is the path to achieve this state. Jainism is often referred to as Jain Dharma or Shraman Dharma or the religion of Nirgantha or religion of "Vratyas" by ancient texts.
Some of the prominent jain yakshas(male) and yakshanis(female) are:
PADMAVATI DEVI:
She is the dedicated deity of Lord Parshvanath, the 23rd Tirthankar. 23rd Jain tirthankar Parshvanath is always represented with the hood of a snake shading his head. The Yaksha Dharanendra and the
Yakshi Padmavati are often shown flanking him.
Her color is golden and her vehicle is the snake with a cock's head. She has four arms and her two right hands hold a lotus and a rosary. The two left hands hold a fruit and a rein.
CHAKRESHWARE DEVI:
She is the dedicated attendant deity of lord Adinath (Rishabhadev). She is also called by another name i.e. Apratichakra. The color of this goddess is golden. Her Vehicle is the eagle. She has eight arms. In her four right hands she holds the blessing mudra, arrow, rope and wheel. In her four left hands she holds the rein, the bow, the protective weapon of Indra and the wheel.
KIRATINI DEVI:
She is the dedicated deity of Lord Neminath the 22nd Tirthankara. She is also called Ambai Amba and Amra Kushmandini. Her color is golden and the lion is her vehicle. She has four arms. In her two right hands she carries a mango and in the other a branch of a mango tree. In her one left hand she carries a rein and in the other she hasher two sons.
SARASWATHI DEVI:
Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, is considered to be the source of all learning. This divine energy is the source of spiritual light, remover of all ignorance and promoter of all knowledge. She is
respected and adored by all faiths, worldly persons and saints. She has four arms, one holding a book, the other a rosary and two hands holding a musical instrument Veena. Her seat is a lotus and the peacock is her vehicle representing equanimity in prosperity. In some places it is mentioned that the swan is her vehicle.
LAKSHMI DEVI:
Goddess Lakshmi represents wealth. People worship her as the goddess of wealth, power, money etc. Just like Saraswathi, She is respected and adored by all faiths, and popular amongst worldly
persons. In the upper two hands, she is holding a lotus with an elephant, in the lower right hand a rosary and in the lower left hand a pot.
Swami Prajnananda says "Savarotsava is Durga Puja. Swami Abhedananda remarks that Durga was worshipped by Savar, Barbar Pulinda caste. She was addicted to meat and wine, etc. The Chandipuza of autumn season was therefore called Savarotsava.............Durga and Chandi were
the goddess of the Kirata caste. So Durga other name is Kiratini. ~ Kali Prasad Goswami in
Kamakhya temple pg.41
According to Coburn, it is striking that the word Candika has virtually no earlier history in Sanskrit. "There are no instances of its occurrence in the Vedic literature we have surveyed. The epics are
similarly barren: neither the Ramayana nor the Mahabharata give evidence of the epithet, although in one of the hymns inserted in the latter Canda and Candi are applied to the deity they praised." ~ Coburn, Thomas B in Devi Mahatmya pg. 95
Work reference:
Traditions in Transition: Sanskritization and Yakkhafication in East Nepal, History and Anthropology by Andrew J. Russell
Politics of Culture: A Study of Three Kirata Communities in the Eastern Himalayas by Tanka B. Subba
Kirat Yakkha Ko Itihas Ek Chhalphal, 2002 by Durga Hang Yakkha
The disguises of the demon by Gail Hinich Sutherland
Haunting the Buddha by Robert DeCaroli
Devi Mahatmya, The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition by Coburn, Thomas B
Kamakhya temple by Kali Prasad Goswami
Last edited: 26-May-09 02:46 PM