Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/110

90 penance and married once again Umā, who had now incarnated as Pārvatī, the beautiful daughter of Himavat (the Himalayas). This is the story of Dakshināmũrti. He is always conceived to be a youthful teacher, seated beneath a banyan tree, teaching aged pupils and removing their doubts by his very silence.

The general posture of the images of Dakshināmũrti show him with his right leg bent vertically at the knee and placed on the body of the dark demon Apasmārā and the left leg bent across so as to rest upon the right thigh. He has a calm countenance, indicative of perfect peace within. His matted locks are either dishevelled or are formed into a jatāmakuta tied together by a serpent (fig. 54). The body is besmeared with ashes and all the usual ornaments of Siva decorate him. The sages Nārada, Jamadagni, Vasishtha and Bhrigu sit at his feet on the right side, receiving instruction, while Bharadvāja, Saunaka, Agastya and Bhārgava sit on the left. The bullvehicle of the god, the denizens of the forest, Kinnaras and other demi-gods are also seen on the Kailāsa mountain on which the god is seated. His right fore-arm points the jnannmudrā (the pose conveying philosophical knowledge) and the back arm holds the rosary (or, the serpent) ; the left fore-arm shows the boon-conferring (varada) attitude or is sometimes freely stretched, the back of the palm resting in either case on the left knee/ Some illustrations show a book in the place of the varada posture. The remaining hand on the left side holds the fire-pot, the deer, the kettle-drum or the rosary. When Dakshināmūrti holds in his fore-arms the lute (vinā) and changes the posture of his left leg―apparently for keeping the vinā position he is called Vīnadhara-Dakshināmūrti (fig 55). Jnānamūrti is another form of the same god in which the symbol jnāna-mudrā of the right fore-arm is raised close to the heart with the palm of the hand turned inwards. The name Yōgamūrti (or Yōga-Dakshināmūrti) is applied when the legs crossing each other from the root of the thigh are held in position by the belt yōgapatta, passing round the waist and the