Khaṭvāṅga
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Khatvanga | |
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Devanagari | खट्वाङ्ग |
Sanskrit transliteration | Khaṭvāṅga |
A khaṭvāṅga (
Hinduism
In Hinduism, Shiva-Rudra carried the khatvāṅga as a staff weapon and are thus referred to as khatvāṅgīs. Author Robert Beer says, "In Hinduism the khatvanga is an emblem or weapon of Shiva, and is variously described as a skull - topped club, a skull - mounted trident, or a trident - staff on which three skulls are impaled".[1]
Author A. V. Narasimha Murthy says, "In classical literature the weapon Khatvanga is mentioned in works like Mālatīmādhava of Bhavabhuti and Śiva Stutī of Narayana Panditacharya".[2]
Fabrication
Originally, the khatvāṅga was made of bones, especially, the long bones of forearm or the leg of human beings or animals. Later, wood and metal were used. The khatvāṅga is a long club with skulls engraved on the body. A khatvāṅga represents the vajra.
Vajrayana Buddhism
Author Robert Beer states that "The form of the Buddhist khaṭvāṅga derived from the emblematic staff of the early Indian
Robert Beer relates how the symbolism of the khatvāṅga in Vajrayana Buddhism, particularly the
References
- ISBN 9780906026489.
- ISBN 9788186050484.
- ISBN 1-932476-03-2. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 1-932476-03-2. Retrieved February 3, 2010.