| Vishvakarma | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Affiliation | Deva |
| Abode | Svarga |
| Mantra | Om Viśvakarmane Namaḥ |
| Weapon | Scale,kamandalu, book,hammer andchisel |
| Mount | |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | PrabhasaVasu (father) Yogasiddha or Angirasi (mother) |
| Consort | Ghritachi |
| Children | Manu, Maya, Tvashta, Shilpi, Daivajna andSanjna,Vishvarupa, Barhismati, Chitrangada,Nala |
Vishvakarma orVishvakarman (Sanskrit:विश्वकर्मा,lit. 'all maker',IAST:Viśvakarmā) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of thedevas in contemporaryHinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known asTvastar and 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 theVajra of the godIndra.[3] Vishvakarma was related to the sun godSurya through his daughterSanjna. According to the legend, when Sanjna 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)Nala was the son of Vishvakarma, created to aid the avatarRama.[5]
The term Visvakarman was originally used as an epithet for any supreme god[6] and as an attribute ofIndra and 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 he 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 withPrajapati rather thanTvaṣṭṛ.[12][13] In later mythology, Vishvakarman is sometimes identified withTvaṣṭṛ and is a craftsman deity.[14]
InVishnu Purana, Vishwakarma is identified as the son of Prabhasa, one of the eightVasus and his wife Varastri, the sister ofBrihaspati. InMahabharata, he is named as the chief architect, constructing the celestialcourts of thedikpalas in Swarga, as well as cities likeDwarka. InRamayana, the city ofLanka is described as his creation, with its architectNala being identified as his incarnation. He is also credited with construction of thevajra out ofDadhichi's bones and thePushpaka vimana. One of his daughters,Samjna was married to Surya, but she fled away after being unable to bear Surya's rays. So Vishwakarma chiseled out 1/8th of Surya's sunshine, and with that he created various weapons such as theSudarshan Chakra and thetrishula. He is also credited with the creation of theapsara calledTilottama. InSkanda Purana, he is the sculptor who constructs the wooden image ofJagannath enshrined inPuri.
In theBrahmavaivarta Purana, Vishwakarma &Ghritachi are described to be the originator of the following artisan caste groups - florists (Mali in North India &Malakar in Bengal), conchshell workers (Shankhari in Bengal),weavers,goldsmiths,coppersmiths, ironsmiths (Panchal in Punjab,Lohar in North India,Karmakar in Bengal), carpenters (Tarkhan in Punjab,Khati in North India,Suthar in West India,Sutradhar in Bengal), stonemasons (Sompura Salat in Gujarat,Mistri in North India, Maharana in Odisha),potters and painters (Chitrakar in Nepal,Patua in Bengal), whose skills are credited to him.[15] Five of these groups - carpenters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, coppersmiths & stonemasons - are collectively calledViswakarma in South India.
Vishwakarma is attributed as the authorshillpasastra texts likeVishwakarmaprakasha,Aparajitapriccha, Jayapriccha, Vastu samgraha,Kshirarnava and many more. The North Indian style of architecture is named after him, with theSouth Indian one being named after hisAsura counterpartMaya.[16]
.jpg)
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.[17]
Contradictory to the above account, themurtis of 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 withIndra orBrihaspati.[17]
Parentage of Vishvakarma differs in many other texts. In theNirukta andBrahmanas he is stated to be the son of Bhuvana. In theMahabharata andHarivamsha, he is the son ofVasu Prabhāsa and Yoga-siddhā. In thePuranas, he is the son of Vāstu or sometimes,Brahma. Vishvakarma is the father of three daughters named Barhishmati,Samjna and Chitrangada, as well as five sons.[18] 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.[19]
Among those who celebrate Vishwakarma's birthday, it is celebrated on two days under different names:
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Media related toVishvakarman at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
