Vishvakarma

Vishvakarma
Vishvakarma
Architect of thedevas
	Bronze sculpture of Vishvakarma fromLopburi,Thailand,13th century. Kept atBangkok National Museum
Affiliation	Deva
Abode	Svarga
Mantra	Om Viśvakarmane Namaḥ
Weapon	Scale,kamandalu,book,hammerandchisel
Mount	Goose; Elephant;
Genealogy
Parents	PrabhasaVasu(father); Yogasiddha or Angirasi (mother)
Consort	Ghritachi
Children	Manu, Maya, Tvashta, Shilpi, Daivajna andSanjna,Vishvarupa,Barhismati, Chitrangada,Nala

VishvakarmaorVishvakarman(Sanskrit:विश्वकर्मा,lit. 'all maker',IAST:Viśvakarmā) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of thedevasin contemporaryHinduism.In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known asTvastarand the word "Vishvakarma" was originally used as an epithet for any powerful deity. However, in many later traditions, Vishvakarma became the name of the craftsman god.^[2]

Vishvakarma crafted all of the chariots of the devas and weapons including theVajraof the godIndra.^[3]Vishvakarma was related to the sun godSuryathrough his daughterSamjna/Randal.According to the legend, when Samjna left her house due to Surya's energy, Vishvakarma reduced the energy and created various other weapons using it. Vishvakarma also built various cities likeLanka,^[4]Dvaraka,andIndraprastha.^[2]According to the epicRamayana,thevanara(forest-man or monkey)Nalawas the son of Vishvakarma, created to aid the avatarRama.^[5]

Literature and legends

Vedas

Vishvakarma as depicted in modern times

The term Visvakarman was originally used as an epithet for any supreme god^[6]and as an attribute ofIndraand theSun.The name Visvakarman occurs five times in the tenth book of the Rigveda. The two hymns of the Rigveda identify Visvakarman as all-seeing, and having eyes, faces, arms and feet on every side and also has wings.Brahma,the god of creation, who is four-faced and four-armed resembles him in these aspects. He is represented as being the source of all prosperity, swift in his thoughts and titled a seer, priest, and lord of speech.^[7]

According to some parts of theRigveda,Vishvakarma was the personification of ultimate reality, the abstract creative power inherent in deities, living and non-living being in this universe.^[8]He is considered to be the fifth monotheistic God concept: He is both The Architect and The Divine Engineer of The Universe from before the advent of time.^[9]

The later parts of the Rigveda reveal efforts to find a satisfactory answer to the mysteries regarding the origin of the Architect, the creation hymns present in these parts of the Rigveda mention individual creator gods as opposed to the collection of gods and their chiefs (Indra,Varuna,Agni,etc.) creating the architecture.^[10]

In thehistorical Vedic religion,the role of Vishvakarma as the builder of gods is attributed to Tvastar.^[11]Vedic Vishvakarman is identified withPrajapatirather thanTvaṣṭṛ.^[12]^[13]In later mythology, Vishvakarman is sometimes identified withTvaṣṭṛand is a craftsman deity.^[14]

Iconography

Two different depictions of Vishvakarma – Cambodia and Bengal

Vishvakarma's iconography varies drastically from one region to another, though all picture him with creation tools. In the most popular depiction, he is depicted as an aged and wise man, withfour arms.He has white beard and is accompanied by his vahana,hamsa(goose or swan), which scholars believe that these suggest his association with the creator godBrahma.Usually, he is seated on a throne and his sons standing near him. This form of Vishvakarma is mainly found in the Western and North Western parts of India.^[15]

Contradictory to the above account, themurtisof Vishvakarma in the eastern parts of India depict him as a young muscular man. He has a black moustache and is not accompanied by his sons. An elephant is his vahana, suggesting his association withIndraorBrihaspati.^[15]

Family

Parentage of Vishvakarma differs in many other texts. In theNiruktaandBrahmanashe is stated to be the son of Bhuvana. In theMahabharataandHarivamsha,he is the son ofVasuPrabhāsa and Yoga-siddhā. In thePuranas,he is the son of Vāstu or sometimes,Brahma.Vishvakarma is the father of three daughters named Barhishmati,Samjnaand Chitrangada, as well as five sons.^[16]InVamana Purana,Vishvakarma is presented as the husband of the celestial nymphGhritachi.^[12]When identified with Tvastar, Vishvakarma is also described to be the father of a son namedVishvarupa.^[17]

Vishvakarma Puja

Vishvakarma Temple inJinja,Uganda

Vishvakarma Temple at Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Among those who celebrate Vishwakarma's birthday, it is celebrated on two days under different names:

Vishvakarma Puja:This occasion is observed by adherents on the 17/18 September of every year.^[18]
Rishi Panchami:Those who celebrate this day believe that Vishvakarma did not have a birthday like the mortals but only a commemoration day in which his five children (supposedly fiverishis) came together to declare their solidarity and pray to their illustrious father. This day follows the rules of theHindu calendarand changes with every year. The five groups among theVishvakarma communityalso celebrate this as an auspicious day in commemoration of their patron god at present.^[19]

Bibliography

Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995):Visvakarmajar Rigvedathil,Sawraj Printing and Publishing Company, Aluva.
Coomaraswamy, Ananda K.Ananda Coomaraswamy(1979):Medieval Sinhalese Art,Pantheon Books Inc., New York.
Monier-Williams(1899):[1]
Pattanaik, DevduttDevdutt Pattanaik(2009):7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art.Westland, India.ISBN 978-81-89975-67-8.
Padhi, Bibhu & Padhi, MinakshiBibhu Padhi(1998):Indian Philosophy and Religion: A Reader's Guide(3rd ed.). D.K. Printworld.ISBN 978-8-12460-116-7.

References

^"Vishvakarma, Viśhwakarmā, Viśhwakarma, Vishwakarman, Viśhwakarman, Vishwa-karman: 26 definitions".19 December 2011.
^^a ^bCoulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013).Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities.Routledge.ISBN 978-1-135-96397-2.
^Coomaraswamy (1979), p. 79.
^"Sarga 2 | Sundara Kanda - Ramayana".siva.sh.Retrieved4 December2023.
^"Sarga 17 | Bala Kanda - Ramayana".siva.sh.Retrieved5 December2023.
^"Vishvakarman | Hindu mythology".Encyclopedia Britannica.
^Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1898).Vedic Mythology.Motilal Banarsidass. p. 41.ISBN 978-8-12081-113-3.
^"Vishvakarman – Oxford Reference".{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
^Sprochi, Amanda K. (2011). Melton, J. Gordon (ed.).Religious Celebrations: L-Z.Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 908.ISBN 978-1-59884-205-0.
^Dhavamony, Mariasusai (1982).Classical Hinduism.Gregorian Biblical BookShop. p. 48.ISBN 978-8-87652-482-0.
^Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013).Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities.Routledge.ISBN 9781135963972.
^^a ^bMonier-Williams, Monier (1899).A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages.Oxford University Press. p. 994.
^Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897).Vedic Mythology.Oxford University Press. p. 118.
^Monier-Williams(1899) p. 994.
^^a ^bJacobsen, Knut A.; Myrvold, Kristina (15 January 2019).Religion and Technology in India: Spaces, Practices and Authorities.Routledge.ISBN 978-1-351-20477-4.
^The Sacred Scriptures of India.Anmol Publications. 2009.ISBN 978-81-261-3630-8.
^Debroy, Bibek; Debroy, Dipavali (2002).The Holy Puranas.B.R. Publishing Corporation.ISBN 978-81-7646-299-0.
^"Vishwakarma Puja in Hindu Calendar".
^Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995).

External links

Vishvakarma Samaj Archived3 December 2022 at theWayback Machine

[1] "Vishvakarma, Viśhwakarmā, Viśhwakarma, Vishwakarman, Viśhwakarman, Vishwa-karman: 26 definitions".19 December 2011.

[Anc-2] Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013).Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities.Routledge.ISBN 978-1-135-96397-2.

[3] Coomaraswamy (1979), p. 79.

[4] "Sarga 2 | Sundara Kanda - Ramayana".siva.sh.Retrieved4 December2023.

[5] "Sarga 17 | Bala Kanda - Ramayana".siva.sh.Retrieved5 December2023.

[6] "Vishvakarman | Hindu mythology".Encyclopedia Britannica.

[7] Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1898).Vedic Mythology.Motilal Banarsidass. p. 41.ISBN 978-8-12081-113-3.

[8] "Vishvakarman – Oxford Reference".{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

[9] Sprochi, Amanda K. (2011). Melton, J. Gordon (ed.).Religious Celebrations: L-Z.Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 908.ISBN 978-1-59884-205-0.

[10] Dhavamony, Mariasusai (1982).Classical Hinduism.Gregorian Biblical BookShop. p. 48.ISBN 978-8-87652-482-0.

[11] Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013).Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities.Routledge.ISBN 9781135963972.

[:1-12] Monier-Williams, Monier (1899).A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages.Oxford University Press. p. 994.

[13] Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897).Vedic Mythology.Oxford University Press. p. 118.

[:0-14] Monier-Williams(1899) p. 994.

[Vishva1-15] Jacobsen, Knut A.; Myrvold, Kristina (15 January 2019).Religion and Technology in India: Spaces, Practices and Authorities.Routledge.ISBN 978-1-351-20477-4.

[16] The Sacred Scriptures of India.Anmol Publications. 2009.ISBN 978-81-261-3630-8.

[17] Debroy, Bibek; Debroy, Dipavali (2002).The Holy Puranas.B.R. Publishing Corporation.ISBN 978-81-7646-299-0.

[18] "Vishwakarma Puja in Hindu Calendar".

[19] Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995).

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