Varadaraja, the king among boon bestowers, is a minor incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The Lord is said to have saved Gajendra from the grips of a crocodile and conferred upon him a boon. The word 'Varad' in Sanskrit language means one who bestows boons and the 'raja' means the king. Thus, the word Varadaraja means 'the prime or the king amongst of all the boon givers'.
The deity of Varadaraja is represented by a four hand Vaikuntha deity. The lower right hand's palm is the boon giving hand of the deity.
Legend of Varadaraja
According to a legendary fable from the Bhagavata Purana, in the garden of Ritumat at Mt Trikuta, Lord Ganesha, the Lord of elephant once went to quench his thirst. As the elephant god entered the waters of the lake, a crocodile caught hold of one of his legs. Gajendra struggled hard to release himself from the clutches of the crocodile but in vain. At last, with a lotus stalk in his trunk, he prayed to Lord Vishnu to come to his rescue. The lord appeared riding on a Garuda and killed the crocodile with his Chakra.
A Vishnu temple at Kanchipuram in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is dedicated to the Varadaraja installed its sanctum sanctorum.
This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com
(Last Updated on : 19-02-2013)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recently Updated Articles in Indian Religion
|
|
|
• | Nadar Caste One of the most renowned castes of Tamil Nadu is the Nadar caste. The Nadar community is a mixture of sub-castes and classes of different origins, which came under one banner of Nadar caste gradually.
| | • | Concept of Ultimate Reality Concept of Ultimate Reality in Bhagavad Gita states that Brahman is ground of existence and all realities. As per the Concept of Ultimate Reality, Brahman is all-embracing, uncreated and infinite. Brahman is the reason and objective of all that exists in the world..
| | • | Elements of Vastu Vastu Shastra is traditional Indian systems of architecture originating in India. Elements of Vastu are Earth, Water, Air, Space and Fire.
| | • | Sati Sati is the wife of Lord Shiva and the Hindu goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is known to have immolated herself unable to tolerate foul words for her husband, spoken by her father Daksha.
| | • | Legends of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva Legends of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva mentioned in the Mahapuranas and Upapuranas. Lord Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
| | |
|
|
|
|