Category:God's Mace
Theme Analysis
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His four-armed form as Viṣṇu or Nārāyaṇa, holds four distinct symbols: the conchshell, the disc, the club (mace), and the lotus flower. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while the lotus and conchshell are meant to offer benedictions and pleasure to the devotees, the club and disc are weapons meant for chastising the demons. The mace, known as the gadā, is often described as being smeared with the blood of the enemies of religion. However, even this punishment is a form of mercy, as being killed by the Lord grants liberation. The position of the mace in one of the four hands is also the key identifier for the twenty-four primary expansions of the Lord in the spiritual sky. Furthermore, the mace features prominently in the Lord's pastimes, such as the fierce battle between Lord Varāha and the demon Hiraṇyākṣa.
- Symbol of Power: The mace represents the Lord's power to punish the miscreants and protect the devotees.
- Weapon for Demons: Unlike the lotus and conch, the mace and disc are reserved for those inimical to the Lord.
- Identifying Marks: The specific hand holding the mace helps distinguish between forms like Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, and Govinda.
- Combat: The mace is an active weapon in lila, used to strike demons like Hiraṇyākṣa.
- Meditation: Yogis meditate on the four-handed form of Viṣṇu adorned with the mace and other symbols.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Gadā - The Mace of the Supreme Lord.
Pages in category "God's Mace"
The following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total.
A
- Adorned with a crown and earrings, He held His characteristic conch, disc and mace in three of His hands and a white lily in the fourth. He glanced about in a happy, smiling mood whose sight captivates the hearts of all devotees
- All those personalities (the calves & cowherd boys) had four arms, holding conchshell, disc, mace and lotus flower in Their hands. They wore helmets on Their heads, earrings on Their ears and garlands of forest flowers around Their necks - SB 10.13.47-48
- As the Lord's (Varaha's) mace fell to the ground and a cry of alarm arose from the witnessing crowd of gods and rsis, the Personality of Godhead acknowledged the demon's love of righteousness and therefore invoked His Sudarsana discus
I
- In the spiritual sky the representations of Narayana are described as follows: Damodara (flower, disc, mace and shell), Purusottama (disc, flower, shell and mace), Acyuta (mace, flower, disc and shell), Nrsimha - disc, flower, mace and shell
- In the spiritual sky the representations of Narayana are described as follows: Govinda (disc, mace, flower and conch), Visnu-murti (mace, flower, conch and disc), Madhusudana (disc, conch, flower and mace), Trivikrama - flower, mace, disc and shell
- In the spiritual sky the representations of Narayana are described as follows: Sri Hari (shell, disc, flower and mace), Sri Krsna (shell, mace, flower and disc), Adhoksaja (flower, mace, shell and disc), and Upendra - shell, mace, disc and flower
- In the spiritual sky the representations of Narayana are described as follows: Vamana (conch, disc, mace and flower), Sridhara (flower, disc, mace and shell), Hrsikesa (mace, disc, flower and conch), Padmanabha - shell, flower, disc and mace
- In the spiritual sky the representations of Narayana are twenty in number and are described as follows: Sri Kesava (flower, conch shell, disc, mace), Narayana (conch, flower, mace and disc), Sri Madhava - mace, disc, conch and flower
S
- Some yogis meditate within their heart on the localized Visnu, who is four-handed and who holds 4 symbols: conch, disc, mace & lotus. The yogi who thinks of the four-handed Visnu becomes absorbed in devotional ecstasy & evinces the symptoms of that state
- Struck by the demon's (Hiranyaksa) mace, however, the Lord's mace slipped from His hand and looked splendid as it fell down whirling. This was miraculous, for the mace was blazing wonderfully
T
- The four arms of Lord Visnu have different purposes. The hands holding a lotus flower and conchshell are meant for the devotees, whereas the other two hands, holding a disc and mace, or club, are meant for the demons
- The Lord's appearance is described here (in SB 3.28.13) as padma-garbharuneksanam. His eyes resemble the inside of a lotus flower, and in His four hands He holds the four symbols: conchshell, discus, mace and lotus
- The Lord, who had appeared from the nostril of Brahma, sprang and aimed His mace at the chin of His enemy, the Hiranyaksa demon, who was stalking fearlessly before Him
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a cheerful, lotuslike countenance with ruddy eyes like the interior of a lotus and a swarthy body like the petals of a blue lotus. He bears a conch, discus and mace in three of His hands
- Then with His mace the Lord (Varahadeva) struck the enemy (Hiranyaksa) on the right of his brow, but since the demon was expert in fighting, O gentle Vidura, he protected himself by a maneuver of his own mace
- These twenty-four forms are known as the vilasa manifestation of the prabhava (four-handed) form, and they are named differently according to the position of the symbolic representations - mace, disc, lotus flower and conch shell
- This Personality of Godhead (Sri Krsna) has two hands and holds a flute, whereas the other (Narayana) has four hands, with conch, wheel, mace and lotus
- Those who are demons and are inimical towards the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are punished by His mace, which is always smeared with the blood of such fallen living entities