Vaijayanti

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
The Vaijayanti, Karnataka

The Vaijayanti (Sanskrit: वैजयन्ति, romanized: Vaijayantī, lit. 'garland of victory')[1] is a transcendental garland or elemental necklace, primarily associated with Vishnu and his avatar Krishna.[2][3] It is a significant symbol in the Bhagavata tradition of Vaishnavism, representing divine authority and mastery over the material world.[3] Employed in its worship as a garland, this object is also called the vaijayantimala, vyajayanti, or the vanamala.[4][5][6]

Description

The garland is traditionally described as being made from five jewels: emerald, pearl, ruby, sapphire and diamond.[6] In some descriptions, it is characterized as a vanamala (i.e., a long garland of flowers) that is specifically referred to as a vaijayantimala when it is studded with these five jewels.[3]

Literature

Vaijayanti finds a mention in the Vishnu Sahasranama, a stotra dedicated to Vishnu in the Mahabharata, as vanamali (forest flowers):[7]

vanamalī gadī śarṅgī śaṅkhī cakrī ca nandakī
śrīman narayano visnurvasudevo’bhiraksatu

The garland of victory is mentioned in the Mahabharata, as made of never-wilting lotuses. In the Skanda Purana, Varuna presents Lakshmi with the garland as a wedding gift.[8] According to the Vishnu Purana, the garland prominently displays five precious gemstones: emerald, sapphire, ruby, pearl, and diamond. These correspond with the five classic elements commonly named earth, water, fire, air, and ether respectively.[7][9] In the Shiva Purana, Vishnu offers his garland to Kartikeya, before his battle with the asura Taraka.[10] The Garuda Purana includes a prayer known as the Vishnu Panjaram, which includes the following verse: "Taking up Vaijayanti and Shrivatsa, the ornament of thy throat do thou protect me in the north-west, O god, O Hayagriva. I bow unto thee".[11]

Significance

In religious and philosophical contexts, the five jewels of the Vaijayanti represent the sphere of the five senses.[6] Its name, which translates to the "Garland of Victory," signifies its status as a luminous collar worn by the divine.[6]

The Vaijayanti is listed among the traditional signs and symbols of Vishnu - alongside the Shrivatsa (a mark on the chest), the Kaustubha jewel, and the pitambara (yellow garmets) - all of which were eventually associated with Krishna, a manifestation of Vishnu.[3]

According to Puranic accounts, such as those found in the Bhagavata Puana, when Krishna was born to Devaki, he manifested in his four-armed form already adorned with the Vaijayantimala.[3] In the Gopalavimshati, a 13th-century hymn by the philosopher-poet Vedantadesika, the infant Krishna is venerated specifically for wearing this "luminous collar" while residing in Vrindavan.[6] the transition of this symbol from Vishnu to Krishna is seen by scholars as part of a transition where the epithets and ornaments of the supreme deity were shifted toward his manifestation as well.[3]

Contemporary References

In the Sri Vaishnava tradition, the poet-saint Thondaradippodi Alvar is regarded to be a manifestation of the Vanamala.[12]

See also

References

  1. D Dennis Hudson (27 August 2008). The Body of God Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-0-19-970902-1.
  2. www.wisdomlib.org (25 April 2016). "Vaijayanti, Vaijayantī, Vaijayamti: 19 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  3. Tyagi, A.K. (2009). "The Legends of Krishna: In the Light of "Rajasuya" Sacrifice of Yudhishthira". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 70: 171–184. ISSN 2249-1937.
  4. Prof. Shrikant Prasoon (17 February 2014). Hinduism Clarified and Simplified. V&S Publishers. pp. 235–. ISBN 978-93-81384-72-5.
  5. Rūpagosvāmī (2003). The Bhaktirasāmṛtasindhu of Rūpa Gosvāmin. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 575–. ISBN 978-81-208-1861-3.
  6. Ramírez, Renato Dávalos (2019). "El Gopālaviṃśati de Veṅkaṭanātha - The Gopālaviṃśati of Veṅkaṭanātha". Estudios de Asia y Africa. 54 (2 (169)): 361–372. doi:10.2307/26617746. ISSN 0185-0164.
  7. V. Ravi (30 November 2012). Vishnu Sahasranama. MANBLUNDER. p. 248. GGKEY:DRA5CW5BDZX.
  8. www.wisdomlib.org (5 March 2020). "The Marriage Festival of Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa [Chapter 14]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  9. www.wisdomlib.org (30 August 2014). "Dominion over different provinces of creation assigned to different beings [Chapter XXII]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. www.wisdomlib.org (14 October 2018). "Kārttikeya is crowned [Chapter 5]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  11. www.wisdomlib.org (12 April 2015). "The prayer of Vishnu Panjaram [Chapter XIII]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  12. Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. p. 160. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.