Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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I Synopsis of The Gaüdavaho Invocations :
In the true spirit of catholicism, Vākpatirāja, unlike many of his predecessors, shows no preference or predilection for any particular deity from among the Paurānic pantheon. To him almost all the gods and the goddesses are equally worthy of invocation. Like a cameraman projecting his slides, he moves before our eyes, word-pictures of the various divinities in concrete form and shape, that people of his age cherished and idolised in deep devotion. He begins with Brahmā, seated in meditation in the lotus springing through the navel of Visnu, a white sacred thread across his torso and a rosary of crystal beads revolving in the palm. Then comes the dark-complexioned Vişnu, leisurely reposing on the luminous surface of the oceanic floodwaters of the deluge. This is followed by the description of Visnu's incarnations : the Man-Lion who threw the Demon on his lap and in his fury tore open his chest with His claws; the great Boar who supported the submerged earth on His tusk, the Dwarf who tried to compress the worlds in His small belly; the Tortoise who bore the earth's burden on His back; the young Damsel (Mohini) whose breasts and buttocks came to be formed and fashioned out of the worlds, sliding up and down inside His body; Kļşna, the child of Yasodā, the young lover of Rādhā, the God who had earlier lopped off the head of Rāhu ( before he could swallow the nectar ). Kļşna, in the company of his elder brother Balarāma, who brought the river Yamunā at His feet; Vişnu, with His consort Lakşmi, who leaves traces of her embrace on the bosom of her yellow-clad Lord. Next comes god Siva, the last of