Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 39 views

    Yaksa

    Uploaded by

    apgeolbhu
    Yakshas are nature spirits in Hinduism and related religions. They are depicted as both guardians and mischievous beings associated with forests and mountains. Yakshas are represented in sculptures and literature in India and Southeast Asia. In Hindu epics like the Mahabharata, Yakshas play important roles as questioners and protectors. Kubera is a prominent Yakshas who is considered a god and ruler of wealth and the north.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Yaksa

    Uploaded by

    apgeolbhu
    39 views3 pages
    Yakshas are nature spirits in Hinduism and related religions. They are depicted as both guardians and mischievous beings associated with forests and mountains. Yakshas are represented in sculptures and literature in India and Southeast Asia. In Hindu epics like the Mahabharata, Yakshas play important roles as questioners and protectors. Kubera is a prominent Yakshas who is considered a god and ruler of wealth and the north.

    Original Description:

    yaksha1

    Original Title

    Yaksa (1)

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Yakshas are nature spirits in Hinduism and related religions. They are depicted as both guardians and mischievous beings associated with forests and mountains. Yakshas are represented in sculptures and literature in India and Southeast Asia. In Hindu epics like the Mahabharata, Yakshas play important roles as questioners and protectors. Kubera is a prominent Yakshas who is considered a god and ruler of wealth and the north.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    39 views3 pages

    Yaksa

    Uploaded by

    apgeolbhu
    Yakshas are nature spirits in Hinduism and related religions. They are depicted as both guardians and mischievous beings associated with forests and mountains. Yakshas are represented in sculptures and literature in India and Southeast Asia. In Hindu epics like the Mahabharata, Yakshas play important roles as questioners and protectors. Kubera is a prominent Yakshas who is considered a god and ruler of wealth and the north.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

    net/publication/324428457

    Yakṣa

    Chapter · January 2018


    DOI: 10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_514-1

    CITATIONS READS

    0 323

    1 author:

    Amitabhvikram Dwivedi
    Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
    131 PUBLICATIONS   5 CITATIONS   

    SEE PROFILE

    Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

    Encyclopedia of Hinduism & Tribal Religions View project

    Subsidiary Characters in Select William Gillette’s Play View project

    All content following this page was uploaded by Amitabhvikram Dwivedi on 02 March 2020.

    The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.


    Y

    Yaksa Representation of Yakshas in Religions


    ˙
    Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi In the Vedas, Yakshas are deities and divinities.
    College of Humanities & Social Sciences – Besides Hinduism, many Hindu-based religions,
    Languages & Literature, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi such as in Jainism and Buddhism, we find refer-
    University, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, India ences and representations of Yakshas [3]. In Bud-
    dhism, Yakshas are represented as guardians of
    the doors in many temples. They are considered
    Introduction the guardian deities during the ancient and medi-
    eval period, and their statues are found in the
    Yakshas, a sort of demigods, fall under nature many temples located in South Asia and Southeast
    spirits. Like Shakespearean Puck, Yakshas are Asia [1]. The scriptures present Yakshas in both
    mischievous, fickle-minded, and sexually charged positive and negative forms, i.e., they have a dual
    spirits, but at the same time, they are subtle care- personality: their fairy-like nature is associated
    takers of hidden natural resources found in the tree with woods and mountains, whereas the darker
    roots and the wealth buried underneath. They are side of their nature represents them as ghosts and
    physically attractive – very handsome or man-eaters. Like rakshasas, they devour lonely
    extremely beautiful – as well as they are very travellers and haunt the wilderness but often asso-
    prosperous [4]. Like ayyars in Khatri’s ciated with sacred tress in hamlets and villages.
    Chandrakanta, Yakshas could change their In the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas,
    forms at will. They live in forests, trees, caves, we find Yakshas depicted as trees and tutelary
    mountains, water bodies, and esoteric cities in the spirit. The Yaksha Prashna “Yaksha’s question”
    sky. We can find their near relatives as sprites, is a famous episode in the Aranya Parva (311–12)
    gnomes, and fairies in the European tradition. of the Mahabharata where the lives of Pandavas
    The feminine form of Yaksha is Yakshini or are saved when their eldest brother Yudhishthira
    Yakshi. The excavation of the Indus Valley sites successfully answered to the questions posed by
    and the unearthed artefacts depicts them as Yaksha [2]. In Kenopanishad, there is a story
    humans, animals, and gods and goddess. One where the Supreme Lord transforms Himself as
    such seal shows a female divinity, resembling Yaksha to teach a lesson to Indra and other celes-
    like Yakshas or nature beings, being worshipped tial beings. Once there was a fight between celes-
    in a tree. tial beings and ausras, and with the help of the
    supreme Brahman, the celestial beings became
    successful. But after being victorious, Indra and
    # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2018
    P. Jain et al. (eds.), Hinduism and Tribal Religions, Encyclopedia of Indian Religions,
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_514-1
    2 Yaksa
    ˙

    other devatas became so haughty that they forgot world and a ruler of the North Himalayan king-
    about the Supreme Being. One after another all dom called Alaka. There are many adjectives used
    celestial beings was defeated by the Supreme in the Hindu scriptures to glorify his importance
    Lord, and finally they realized their ignorance as an overlord and owner of the treasures of the
    and mistake. world. He rides a mongoose and has a plump
    The Sanskrit poets Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti body. He is adorned with precious jewels and
    have mentioned Yakshas in their works. In holds a money-pot. Kubera is also described as
    Meghaduta, the Yaksha narrator is a romantic the head of evil spirits, and sometimes he is also
    person, missing his female counterpart and desir- pictured next to Laxmi “the goddess of prosperity,
    ing love. The Jain and Buddhist literature and wealth, and fortune.” [2] Only Puranas and other
    sculpture are replete with Yakshas and Yakshinis. Hindu epics regard him as god.
    In Jainism, Yakshis mark their presence in subsid-
    iary shrines, and there are 24 different Yakshas,
    representing each tirthankaras “prophets.” The
    References
    Indian artists often portray male Yakshas as
    dwarflike fat warrior with plump bellies and fat 1. Coomaraswamy AK, Schroeder P, Indira Gandhi
    legs, whereas the female Yakshas are depicted as National Centre for the Arts (1993) Yakṣas: essays in
    beautiful young women with ripen breasts and big the water cosmology. Indira Gandhi National Centre for
    round hips [5]. the Arts, New Delhi
    2. Misra RN (1981) Yaksha cult and iconography.
    Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi
    3. Sharma JP (1996) Jaina Yakshas. Kusumanjali Book
    Kubera as Yaksha World, Jodhpur
    4. Srinivasan AV (1984) A Hindu primer: Yaksha Prashna.
    IND-US, E. Glastonbury
    Kubera, the lord of prosperity and wealth, is 5. Sutherland GH (1992) Yakṣa in Hinduism and Bud-
    worshipped as the god-king or as demigod in dhism: the disguises of the demon. Manohar, New
    Hinduism. He is the protector of the material Delhi

    View publication stats

    You might also like