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In addition, the eight guardian deities who preside over the points of the compass each sit on an elephant (world elephant). Each of these deities has an elephant that takes part in the defense and protection of its respective quarter. Chief among them is Airavata of Indra. There is a reference to Airavata in the Bhagavad Gita:
Auspicious dreams No. Digambara No. Śvetāmbara Name Image Dream Interpretation 1: 1 Airavata: White elephant with four tusks, similar to the elephant of the god Indra: Mother would give birth to a child with good character. The four tusk of elephant depicts the four components of Sangha: monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. 2: 2 Vrishabha: Bull
Hindu religion presents many stories, which explain how Ganesha obtained his elephant or gaja head. Often, the origin of this particular attribute is to be found in the same anecdotes which tell about his birth. The stories also reveal the origins of the enormous popularity of his cult. Devotees sometimes interpret his elephant head as ...
Gajasura, an elephant demon from Hindu mythology; Gajendra, from the Sanskrit text Gajendra Moksha; Girimekhala, the elephant that carries Mara in Theravada Buddhism; Kasogonagá, a Toba deity described as either an elephant or an anteater. Supratika, a name for several elephants in Hindu mythology; Behemoth, a demon depicted as a round-bellied ...
The elephants in this imagery possess significant symbolic meaning. [1] The elephants are often interpreted as symbols of fertilising rains, drawing from an ancient Hindu belief that associates them with clouds. Mythological narratives suggest that the original elephants had wings and traversed the skies, bestowing rain upon the earth.
In the context of the history of Ancient India, the earliest depiction of gaja is found on the seals discovered at sites (like Harappa and Mohenjo Daro) of the Indus Valley civilisation (3000 BCE – 1700 BCE). Some scholars believe that by that time elephants had been tamed and domesticated, and used for peaceful and possibly for other purposes.
Supratika (Sanskrit: सुप्रतीक, romanized: Supratīka) is the name of many kings, sages and legendary figures, including three different famous elephants in Hindu mythology, foremost among whom is listed as one of the Ashtadiggajas, each representing the eight quarters of the universe.
The elephant is viewed in both positive and negative lights in similar fashion as humans in various forms of literature. In fact, Pliny the Elder praised the beast in his Naturalis Historia as one that is closest to a human in sensibilities. [55] The elephant's different connotations clash in Ivo Andrić's novella The Vizier's Elephant.