Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman (, ) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar 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.
Vishvakarma crafted all of the chariots of the devas and weapons including the Vajra of the god Indra.[Coomaraswamy (1979), p. 79.] Vishvakarma was related to the sun god Surya through his daughter Sanjna. 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 like Lanka,
Literature and legends
Vedas
The term Visvakarman was originally used as an epithet for any supreme god
and as an attribute of
Indra and the
Surya. 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.
According to some parts of the Rigveda, Vishvakarma was the personification of ultimate reality, the abstract creative power inherent in deities, living and non-living being in this universe.
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.
In the historical Vedic religion, the role of Vishvakarma as the builder of gods is attributed to Tvastar.[Monier-Williams (1899) p. 994.]
Epics & Puranas
In
Vishnu Purana, Vishwakarma is identified as the son of Prabhasa, one of the eight
and his wife Varastri, the sister of
Brihaspati. In
Mahabharata, he is named as the chief architect, constructing the celestial courts of the dikpalas in Swarga, as well as cities like
Dwarka. In
Ramayana, the city of
Lanka is described as his creation, with its architect Nala being identified as his incarnation. He is also credited with construction of the
vajra out of
Dadhichi's bones and the
Vimana. One of his daughters,
Sanjna 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 the Sudarshan Chakra and the
trishula. He is also credited with the creation of the
apsara called
Tilottama. In
Skanda Purana, he is the sculptor who constructs the wooden image of
Jagannath enshrined in
Puri.
In the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Vishwakarma & Ghritachi are described to be the originator of the following artisan caste groups - florists (Mali caste in North India & Malakar in Bengal), conchshell workers (Shankhari in Bengal), Tanti, Sunar, Tamrakar, 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), Kumhar and painters (Chitrakar in Nepal, Patua in Bengal), whose skills are credited to him.
Shilpasastra
Vishwakarma is attributed as the author
Shilpa Shastras texts like
Vishwakarmaprakasha,
Aparajitaprccha, Jayapriccha, Vastu samgraha,
Kshirarnava and many more. The North Indian style of architecture is named after him, with the South Indian one being named after his
Asura counterpart
Mayasura.
Iconography
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, with
Chaturbhuja. 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 god
Brahma. 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.
Contradictory to the above account, the murtis 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 with Indra or Brihaspati.
Family
Parentage of Vishvakarma differs in many other texts. In the
Nirukta and
he is stated to be the son of Bhuvana. In the
Mahabharata and
Harivamsa, he is the son of
Vasu Prabhāsa and Yoga-siddhā. In the
Puranas, he is the son of Vāstu or sometimes,
Brahma. Vishvakarma is the father of three daughters named Barhishmati,
Sanjna and Chitrangada, as well as five sons.
In
Vamana Purana, Vishvakarma is presented as the husband of the celestial nymph
Ghritachi.
When identified with Tvastar, Vishvakarma is also described to be the father of a son named
Trisiras.
Vishvakarma Puja
Among those who celebrate Vishwakarma's birthday, it is celebrated on two days under different names:
-
Vishvakarma Puja: This occasion is observed by adherents on the 17/18 September of every year.
-
Rishi Panchami: Those who celebrate this day believe that Vishvakarma did not have a birthday like the mortals but only a commemoration day in which his five children (supposedly five rishis) came together to declare their solidarity and pray to their illustrious father. This day follows the rules of the Hindu calendar and changes with every year. The five groups among the Vishvakarma community also celebrate this as an auspicious day in commemoration of their patron god at present.
[Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995).]
See also
Bibliography
-
Achary, Subramanian Matathinkal (1995): Visvakarmajar Rigvedathil, Sawraj Printing and Publishing Company, Aluva.
-
Coomaraswamy, Ananda K. Ananda Coomaraswamy (1979): Medieval Sinhalese Art, Pantheon Books Inc., New York.
-
Monier-Williams (1899)
-
Pattanaik, Devdutt Devdutt Pattanaik (2009): 7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art. Westland, India. .
-
Padhi, Bibhu & Padhi, Minakshi Bibhu Padhi (1998): Indian Philosophy and Religion: A Reader's Guide (3rd ed.). D.K. Printworld. .
Further reading
-
Dr G Gnanananda, "Vishvakarma Darshana-Vishawakarma Volume-1 (2008), "Sanskriti Sahithya Pratisthana, Bangalore Publications"
-
Dr G Gnanananda, "Vishvakarma Darshana-Hiranyagarbha Volume-2 (2009), "Sanskriti Sahithya Pratisthana, Bangalore Publications"
-
Dr G Gnanananda, "Vishvakarma Darshana-Rhubugalu Volume-3 (2010), "Sanskriti Sahithya Pratisthana, Bangalore Publications"
External links
