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Nandaka


Nandaka (literally "source of joy") or Nandaki is the sword of the Hindu god Vishnu. Even though some scriptures recommend the sword to be depicted in Vishnu's hand, it is generally not depicted in the iconography of Vishnu (who is generally depicted four-armed) and makes a later appearance in the god's sculptures. Nandaka is generally depicted in images where Vishnu is represented with more than four arms. The sword is compared to knowledge in Hindu scriptures.

The Vaishnav (Vishnu-worshipping sect) saints Annamacharya and Pey Azhwar are considered the avatars of Nandaka.

Vishnu is usually depicted as four-armed with the four attributes in his hands: the shankha (conch), the Sudarshana chakra, the padma (lotus) and the Kaumodaki gada (mace). In eight or sixteen armed depictions of the sword, he may be shown holding a sword. The sword appears very rarely in the depictions of Vishnu. It appears in Vishnu iconography as late as the Gupta era (320–550 CE), possibly under the Greek influence on India. The sword popular in Ancient Greece reached India with Alexander the Great (reign: 336–323 BC).

While Hindu scriptures narrate elaborate tales about how Vishnu gained his other weapons, none are told about the sword, apart from an allusion to the sword of Vishnu's avatar Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The Harivamsa as well as the Brihatbrahma Samhita prescribe the sword to be shown in Vishnu's four-armed images. The Sattvata Samhita recommends it to be shown in a right hand of a six-armed Vishnu and in a left-hand in a ten-armed Vishnu. Vishnu' avatar Vamana is described to hold the Nandaka in his right hand in the Kalika Purana, but no such sculpture is found. An 11th century image shows the sword tied to his belt.


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Wikipedia

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